Week 1 – Introduction to Photography

1. Understanding the basics of the DSLR camera
2. Understanding the basics of a mirrorless camera
3. Lenses. Types and characteristics
4. Basic understanding of camera light meter
5. Understanding of manual exposure
6. The Shutter and Shutter Priority
7. The aperture and Aperture Priority
8. ISO and relevant settings
9. White Balance
10. Understanding of camera modes

Week 2 – In-depth Exposure Control 

1. Shutter speed and how to shoot sharp images
2. Controlling the shutter speed
3. Understanding of “stops”
4. Shutter priority mode
5. Controlling motion with shutter speed
6. Understanding aperture
7. Understanding depth of field
8. Understanding the lens “speed”.
9. Shooting shallow and deep depth of field
10. ISO – the third exposure element
11. Exploring your camera max ISO qualities
12. Low light Shooting
13. Combining shutter, aperture and ISO for optimum exposure

Week 3 – In-depth Exposure Control – Continued

1. Understanding of white balance and light temperature
2. Manual adjustment of white balance
3. Understanding different metering modes
4. Exposure compensation
5. Bracketing
6. Understanding the histogram
7. Understanding of tone and colour
8. Dynamic range
9. Exposing for the highlights
10. Adaptation of exposure settings to environment and subject matter

Week 4 – Photography Composition Introduction

1. Importance and understanding of composition
2. Differences between the camera and the eye
3. Looking and seeing in photography
4. Subject, foreground and background
5. Balance and simplicity
6. Point of view and “working the shot”
7. When to convert to black and white
8. Geometry, shapes and lines
9. Texture, patterns and repetition
10. Rule of thirds
11. Symmetry
12. Lens focal length, and depth of field in composition

Week 5 – In-depth Photography Composition

1. Tonal and content balance
2. Corners balance
3. Composition for people
4. Composition for landscapes
5. The light – Photography it’s all about the light
6. Direction and quality of light
7. Finding and using the right light
8. Understanding colour and colour composition
9. Guiding the viewer’s eye in the frame (entry and exit)
10. Relation between foreground and background
11. Selective focus
12. Controlling the depth of an image.
13. Creative considerations

Week 6 – Basic Digital Photo Editing

1. Importing images in Adobe LIghtroom
2. Understanding of basic Lightroom controls and interface
3. Basic RAW processing with Adobe Lightroom
4. Exporting for print
5. Exporting for the web
6. Understanding of file types
7. Final assignment assessment.

Each of these topics would be explained, discussed and illustrated in the context of practical and interactive course sessions.

Assignments will be set  and reviewed each week.