Unit 1: Introduction to Photography

• What photography is & why it matters

• Parts of a camera (lens, shutter, focus)

• How to hold a camera & basic safety

• Understanding digital files & storage

Unit 2: Composition Basics

• Rule of Thirds

• Leading Lines

• Framing

• Symmetry & patterns

• Fill the Frame

• Negative Space

Unit 3: Lighting Fundamentals

• Natural vs. artificial light

• Direction of light (front, side, backlighting)

• Golden hour vs. midday

• Simple lighting setups with lamps/reflectors

• Shadows & contrast

Unit 4: Portrait Photography

• Posing basics

• Expression & mood

• Background control

• Using natural light for better portraits

Unit 5: Still Life & Object Photography

• Arranging objects

• Lighting control

• Using texture & shadow

• Practicing composition techniques

Unit 6: Capturing movement

• Timing & anticipation

• Blurred motion vs. frozen motion

Unit 7: Editing & Post-Processing

• Intro to simple editing apps such as Adobe Lightroom

• Cropping, exposure, color correction

• Filters vs. intentional edits

• Ethics of editing

Unit 8: Storytelling Through Photography

• What makes a photo “tell a story”

• Sequence photography

• Capturing emotion, setting, and details

Unit 9: Final Project & Portfolio (ongoing through all units of study)

• Create Gallery Portfolio (Google Site) 

• Contribute photographs to portfolio

• Write short artist statements and IB reflections