Photography Foundations

The Photography Foundations Certificate is the perfect program for beginners and individuals with little photographic experience. Students will acquire the artistic background and the essential technical skills required for creating strong imagery and starting a photographic practice. This program can be completed in its entirety in-person, yet several elective courses are offered online.

Practical, hands-on courses enable students to operate their cameras correctly, apply an effective digital workflow, process their images, use lighting creatively, and develop their visual language. Multiple sessions of mandatory courses and a variety of elective courses offer students the flexibility they need to explore their personal photographic interests.

Topics include:

Camera operation and photographic theory, composition guidelines, visual literacy, available light and studio lighting, Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, and digital workflow (organizing, selecting, and processing images).

Objectives & Outcomes:

Acquire the essential technical skills needed to create images with confidence
Expand your artistic background and strengthen your visual sensibilities
Gain confidence using natural light and studio lighting creatively
Apply a digital workflow to manage your image archive professionally
Edit and process your pictures effectively using industry-standard Adobe software
Develop an initial portfolio while photographing powerful and meaningful images

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Personal Consultation

Upcoming Courses

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Special Benefits

The Photography Foundations Certificate Program offers the following special benefits:

20% discount on 5-7 classes included in the program
20% discount on Private Lessons (saving $25 per hour)
20% discount on Portfolio Reviews (saving $25 per hour)
Membership upgrade from Individual to Individual+ level (worth $40)
Extra Digital Lab (12 hours) or Lighting Studio (4 hours) coupons (worth $120)
Personal guidance from the Education department throughout the program
Official HCP Digital Photography Foundations Certificate

Your total savings will range between $543-$868 depending on the courses you choose whether you decide to expand your Certificate Program (see Program Structure).

Program Structure

The Photography Foundations Certificate Program requires the completion of two mandatory courses, two technical electives, and one artistic background elective (5 courses in total) during a period of up to one year (12 months). Intermediate students may skip Photography I pending passing a proficiency exam and will need to complete an additional elective course towards their certificate. Students can choose to expand their program by adding 1-2 additional courses at the program’s special discounted rate (earning extra savings). Please carefully review the courses, important notes, and program’s prerequisites below.

Students must complete both courses successfully and pass an intermediate exam afterwards:
- Photography I / Fotografía I
- Photography II
Upcoming Mandatory Courses
Students must complete at least two of the following technical courses:
- Lightroom II
- Photoshop I
- Photoshop II
- Lighting I
Additionally, students must complete at least one of the following artistic background courses:
- The History of Contemporary Photography
- Contemporary Issues in Photography: The Ethics of Seeing
- The Language of Photography
Upcoming Elective Courses
In addition to courses included in this Certificate Program, students may enroll in up to two courses from this list at the program’s discounted rate (expansion courses are not credited toward certification):
- Fine Art Printing
- Introduction to Video for Photographers
- Introduction to Portrait Photography
- Introduction to Street Photography
- Candid City: Introduction to Street Photography
- Introduction to Documentary Photography
- The Business of Photography
Upcoming Expansion Courses
- Some Elective and Expansion Courses may not be available every term.
- Elective courses can be taken only after completion of Photography I / Fotografía I (in parallel or after Photography II).
- Registration to this program is allowed retroactively after successfully completing a Photography I / Fotografía I course.
- Past courses taken from 2022 onward may be credited toward this certificate pending the student attending at least 70% of classes. No retroactive discounts will be applied.
- All courses (except for Expansion Courses) must be completed within a period of one year (12 months).
- Students’ decision to expand their program must be made before certification.
- The Photography Foundations Certificate does not require any prior photographic experience.
- Students are expected to meet the prerequisites of each course they register for at HCP.
- Students must use their own DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual settings during the program.
- Students must be Mac OS proficient to use HCP’s Digital Lab Computers.

Tuition & Enrollment

Enrollment in the Photography Foundations Certificate Program is open year-round. To enroll in the program please submit the application form and specify any courses previously completed at HCP that you would like to credit toward the program (see Special Promotion).

Approved applicants will be asked to pay a $250 deposit which will be applied toward the tuition of the last course in their program. Once completing this payment, students will receive their personal discount code and may register for courses at their own pace.

This program’s financial benefits offer at least $543 total savings (see Special Benefits). The overall tuition may vary depending on the specific courses students study as part of their program. The minimum overall tuition is $1692 (instead of $2115).

Please review the Certificate Programs FAQs and Policies pages. Email education@hcponline.org or call 713-529-4755 ext 104 with any questions or requests for personal consultations.

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Certification

To receive their Photography Foundation Certificate, students must:

Attend and pass all courses they would like to credit towards their certificate following the program’s structure (excluding Expansion Courses)
Pass an intermediate exam – after completing the Mandatory Courses
Submit a portfolio of 10 images demonstrating technical control and visual coherence

All program requirements must be completed within a period of one year (12 months).
Once ready, please submit a request to receive your certificate.

Request Certificate