Certificate of Achievement in Commercial Photography

The Commercial Photography Program provides opportunities for career preparation by providing courses that meet workforce needs. Commercial photography skills, including lighting and digital image-editing, are highly desirable in the photography industry and related industries, including graphic design, social media, and advertising. The Commercial Photography Certificate of Achievement provides a solid technical background in studio photography and applications, including lighting setup, studio scheduling, equipment maintenance, and digital image editing. The outcomes of the program align with industry standards for photography studios. Furthermore, the courses in this certificate will scale up to additional transcriptable Photography certificates and the AA degree in Photography.

 

It is expected that 5 students will complete the program in the initial year; After five years we would expect about 5-10 students per year will complete the program. As this aligns with the AA degree and Certificate of Achievement, we expect some students will begin on this pathway and they decide to continue with these offerings.

 

 

	Year 1	Year 2
Course #	Course Title	Annual Sections (Y1)	Annual Enrollment (Y1)	Annual Sections (Y2)	AnnualEnrollment (Y2)
PHOT 4A	Photoshop for Photographers I	4	152	4	102
PHOT 5	Introduction to Photography	13	523	10	389
PHOT 72	Lightroom & Photographic Composition	1	35	1	31
PHOT 74A	Studio Photography Techniques I*	N/A	N/A	2	29

This program prepares the student to be a commercial photographer, photo studio manager, and studio assistant in commercial photography and provides the opportunity to gain skills necessary to advance their careers. Students could have specialization in the areas of advertising, product, portrait, architecture, food, event and fashion photography, among others. Students develop skills in the operation of current photographic equipment including electronic strobes and digital capture. By completing the Certificate of Achievement in Commercial Photography, the student will be able to work in a commercial photographic studio or start their own photographic business.

 

Graduates will be able to:

• Employ principles of lighting, camera usage, digital adjustments, and studio photography to create photographs to clients' specification for use in print and electronic media.
• Utilize professional tool of photographic capture and lighting to set up and adjust the photographic studio, including troubleshooting lighting challenges and post-process studio images for presentation.
• Demonstrate ability to use all photographic studio equipment in a safe manner while employing creative lighting techniques to the final photographic product.
• Illustrate skills in the proper implementation of business practices for fees, licensing, and copyright as well as follow current health and safety regulations.

Students will be required to take 3 core classes for 12 units and select 1 elective. 

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
PHOT 4A	Photoshop for Photographers I	4	Y1F
Phot 5	Introduction to Photography	4	Y1 F
Phot 74	Studio Photography Techniques I	4	Y1W
Select one elective
Phot 72	Lightroom & Photographic Design	4	Y1 S
Phot 74B	Studio Photography Techniques II	4	Y1 S
Phot 74C	Studio Photography Techniques III	4	Y1 S
PHOT 4B	Photoshop for Photographers	4	Y1 S

This is a new program at Foothill College. This program fulfills a need expressed by the industry advisory board.

There are colleges within reasonable commuting distance that offer a similar program but ours has a reputation of excellence and offers a pathway to our Associates Degree and transfer options for students who want to continue. We have contacted the following: De Anza College (5.9 miles) 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014 No Full time Photo - Dean of Creative Arts Dean Daniel Smith smithdaniel@fhda.edu https://www.deanza.edu/photo/ https://www.deanza.edu/photo/noncredit.html (non-credit offered) City College of SF (36.2 miles) 50 Frida Kahlo Way, San Francisco, CA 94112 Erika Gentry (On our CTE Advisory Board) erika.gentry@mail.ccsf.edu https://www.ccsf.edu/degrees-certificates/photography (no noncredit indicated) Cabrillo College (40.6 miles) 6500 Soquel Dr, Aptos, CA 95003 Lesley Louden (On our CTE Advisory Board) lelouden@cabrillo.edu https://www.cabrillo.edu/art-photography/ https://www.cabrillo.edu/art-photography/degrees-and-certificates/#noncredit-certificates (non-credit offered)