Digital Photography and Photoshop – Enhancing Your Creative Vision
Grade 6-8

In this exciting three-week course, middle school students will dive into the world of digital photography and photo editing using Adobe Photoshop! Whether they’re snapping photos with their smartphones or digital cameras, this course will teach students how to enhance their photos with professional-level editing techniques. We will kick this course off with learning how to manipulate light, color, composition, and effects to transform digital images into stunning works of art. Through hands-on digital projects, students will not only develop technical skills but also explore their creativity and storytelling through photography! Examples of projects include “Before and After” in which Poly’s young photographers will take a photo of a landscape or object around the school or home, then use Photoshop to improve the lighting and colors, creating a photo that pops, or explore how to use filters and blending modes to create exciting effects like making photos look like they were painted, adding dramatic lighting effects like sunbursts, and transforming ordinary pictures into surreal, dreamlike landscapes. The final project of the course will be to create a "Photo Story"—a series of 3–5 edited images that tell a story, whether through portraits, landscapes, or conceptual photography. Students will use the skills they’ve learned to craft a visually compelling narrative, focusing on composition, lighting, and creative effects. At the end of the course, students will have a portfolio of edited photos showcasing their newfound photography and Photoshop skills!