PHO 207: Commercial Photography II
Professional techniques for products, portraits, lifestyle, and more
Are you looking to branch out and make a career as a commercial photographer? This advanced commercial photography course teaches you how to market yourself and gain new clients, shooting commercial subjects like buildings, products and food for e-commerce, advertising, and lifestyle industries. Other exciting areas of focus include portraiture photography and photojournalism.
Student work by Brad Bransford. Visit the Student Gallery.
About This Course
Project-Based Learning
Creative photoshoots in this course help you develop your skills in self-promotion, architecture, product and food photography, advertising and lifestyle, corporate portraits, and editorial.
What Skills Will I Develop?
Students in this course can expect to learn to:
- You will create a business card for your photography business.
- Manage an online portfolio and add images as the course progresses.
- Apply techniques in shooting both interior and exterior shots of a building.
- Learn how shooting products and food for e-commerce photography differs from shooting products and food for advertising and lifestyle photography.
- Shoot an e-commerce product or food dish in-studio using lighting and a backdrop.
- Shoot a product or food dish using the advertising and lifestyle genre.
- Learn what qualities about a photograph make it portraiture.
- Plan and shoot two different portraiture projects using a model or models.
- Learn the difference between journalism and editorial photography.
- Find out about the ethics of photojournalism that ensures images of news events are truthful and unaltered.
- Plan and carry out a photo shoot of a news event.
What Software and Supplies Do I Need?
- Computer with Internet connection.
- Access to a standalone digital camera with manual control over ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, and White Balance, that allows for shooting in RAW format.
Course Outline
The Business of Photography
To make living as a photographer, you can't be a purist. You'll need to market yourself and find a solid body of clients. This first lecture deals with those business fundamentals. You'll learn tips for setting up your business cards and creating an online portfolio. We'll discuss how to develop marketing strategies through the use of social media and blogging. Then we’ll cover general plan and preparation considerations for a commercial photo shoot
Buildings Inside and Out
Buildings are all around us, and many clients want photographs of them. This week's class teaches the specifics of taking pictures of the interiors and exteriors of buildings, such as the time of day for your shoot and weather conditions during your project. You will also study the composition of a building photography shoot by exploring symmetry, patterns, curves, and reflective surfaces. We will cover technical considerations and using the proper settings on your camera based on conditions on the ground.
Product and Food Photography for E-Commerce
E-commerce is its own special genre of product photography. This week we'll provide an overview of in-studio shoots for photographing products and food. We'll discuss the differences between food and product photography, and explore the industries that hire photographers to shoot these subjects. You'll learn how to set up an e-commerce photography shoot and examine considerations for shot composition. We'll talk about the proper camera settings and what people in the industry generally expec
Product and Food Photography for Advertising & Lifestyle
Shooting products and food for advertising and lifestyle industries is a different animal than shooting for e-commerce photography. This session provides an overview of how this type of photography can evoke the lifestyle, attitude, and personality of a product. You'll learn ways to plan, prepare, and scout a location for a lifestyle shoot. We'll review issues relating to shot composition and technical setup.
Portraits for Personal and Corporate Clients
I’m sure you’ve had many portrait shots taken of you. Whether it's a graduation, a CEO portrait, or a church pictorial directory, portraits are a popular photography genre. In this session we'll present some tips and techniques for handling this professional assignment. We'll share perspectives on equipment, location, posing a subject, and shot composition.
Photojournalism and Editorial Photography
In this final lecture, we will focus on what make a photo a journalistic or editorial piece. We'll examine what aspects of a photo qualifies it for the news or entertainment section of a newspaper. Since this genre may become part of your professional practice, we'll discuss the ethics of photojournalism that keeps the visual accounting of an event accurate and true.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Do The Courses Work?
Our courses are project-based and instructor-led. In each course you’ll complete a series of lectures, projects, discussions, and critiques designed to stretch your creative skills. Weekly assignment deadlines keep you on track, and with no set-logins or Zoom meetings, you can build your studies around your schedule.
Who Are The Instructors?
Our courses are developed and taught by our industry-leading faculty of creative professionals. This means that you’ll learn in-demand skills, get feedback on your work, and build a portfolio of creative work. View our Student Gallery for featured student projects.
When Can I Start?
Classes start January, April, and August, and this course is completed in a 15-week term. College credit from this course can be applied to a range of Degree and Certificate programs at Sessions College. You can enroll in this course on an individual basis or as part of a program.
Explore our Programs: Bachelor's Degree | Associate Degree | Undergraduate Certificate
How Do I Register?
To register for a program, complete our program application. To register for this course on an individual basis, please contact our admissions team at admissions@sessions.edu. An Admissions Advisor will contact you to setup your enrollment.
| Course Tuition and Fees | |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $510/credit |
| Registration Fee* | $200 |
| Total Course Price | $1730 |
Registration fees are nonrefundable after 5 days from enrollment.
Is Sessions College accredited?
Yes. Since 2001, Sessions College has been accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).