Photographic Arts Education

University Level Art Curriculum

Elements of Photography

Students will learn the importance of composition and how it can convey a particular emotion.  Students will gain experience in choosing subject matter and how to develop storytelling through pictures.

Digital Photo Editing

Using photo editing software Affinity® Photo, students will learn how to clean up and adjust photographs, composite multiple photographs, apply filters and effects, and to create new and creative images from a single photograph.

Elements of Graphic Design

Students will learn the elements of effective graphic design such as repetition, contrast, hierarchy, and balance versus tension.  Students who also participate in the Entrepreneurial course will use this knowledge of graphic design for logo creation and brand development. 

Final Project: The Vision Project

A key component of The Blue Umbrella’s Musical and Photographic Arts programs is The Vision Project.  The Vision Project consists of a book of photography and text documenting the external and internal perceptions, daily struggles, and dreams of Opportunity Youth (OY). Through photography and prose, OY artists will take a viewer on a personal journey that challenges biases and helps reshape how people perceive Opportunity Youth. This project will allow OY artists to reclaim false narratives that have persisted over time by providing a platform that allows for self-discovery, visibility, and a means to give voice to their mistakes, pains, joys, and dreams, thereby creating a sense of pride, accomplishment, and lasting legacy.

The book will be sold locally and nationally.  All money raised from purchases of the book will be divided equally amongst the participants featured in the book.

The Vision Project is ultimately about building personal and professional connections, discovering purpose, and creating a movement that inspires other young people, who have been neglected and relegated to self-fulfilling prophecies by society, to make a difference in the world around them.