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Advanced Career Education Center at Hermitage

Commercial Photography

Commercial Photography

  • New in 2026–2027: Program‑specific course content will be weighted as Honors-level coursework. See Program Coursework below for more details.

    Prerequisites: Commercial Photography Program

    • Must be a Junior

  • This program provides comprehensive training through a combination of classroom instruction and hands‑on experiences in photography, graphic design, and media production. Coursework builds a strong foundation in visual communication and creative industries while emphasizing technical accuracy, planning, and professional standards.

  • Commercial Photography is a production-driven course. Students regularly stage, shoot, edit, and present professional-quality images using industry-standard cameras, lighting equipment, and software. Projects require sustained focus, attention to detail, and meeting deadlines, often with work completed both during and outside of class time.

  • Instruction includes regular critique and revision. Students are expected to evaluate their own work, respond to feedback, and make technical and creative adjustments to meet project expectations. This mirrors professional photography environments, where revision and refinement are standard practice.

  • Students are expected to participate in SkillsUSA, a national career and technical student organization that emphasizes leadership, teamwork, professionalism, and technical skill development within the skilled trades.

    In addition to earning course credit, students will work toward industry-recognized credentials, including:

    Portfolios are developed to support college applications, internships, and job interviews, and reflect industry expectations for presentation, consistency, and quality.

    These credentials allow students to graduate with documented skills, certifications, and career preparation—not just a grade.

  • This course operates with expectations aligned to professional creative and media production environments. Students are expected to:

    • Purchase specific work attire for daily wear when attending ACE classes and events
    • Display a visible ID badge at all times
    • Demonstrate professional behavior, punctuality, accountability, and respectful communication

    Work attire sample images appear in the image carousel below

    A diagram titled Multi-Program Work Attire Standard displaying two individuals modeling approved uniform guidelines with text labels pointing to specific clothing items.

Program Coursework

2 years (6 HS credits) – Advanced Career Education (ACE) Center at Hermitage

This is designed to be completed in two years during the 11th and 12th grades.

Year 1 (Junior Year)

Commercial Photography I - 1 credit (Honors): Students will learn essential technical skills and use various technologies, including digital cameras, design software, and editing tools, to create, process, and present professional-quality commercial images.

Communication Systems - 1 credit (Honors): Offers hands-on experiences in imaging technology, graphic production, video, media, and technical design, focusing on data-driven communication methods. Students hone critical thinking and problem-solving skills through the universal systems model while exploring the societal impact of communication and related career opportunities.

Career Strategies  - 1 credit : Career Strategies consists of an in-depth study of career clusters and pathways through a variety of investigative activities. Students analyze career assessment results, compare various educational options, and develop or revise a plan related to their academic and career-related goals.

Year 2 ( Senior Year)

In Commercial Photography II - 2 credits (Honors): students are taught industry-relevant technical skills and have the opportunity to work with a variety of technology, including digital cameras, lighting, design software, and editing tools to stage, shoot, process, print, and present professional-grade images while developing a portfolio for a career as a commercial photographer. Students will develop an understanding of photography’s influence in society and strategize how they may perform in the professional industry, using their technical and creative knowledge.

Graphic Communications Systems - 1 credit: This course provides experiences related to a wide range of tools and materials used to reproduce information and images. Students develop competencies in message design, composition and assembly, and message transfer and product conversion. Various digital and print output techniques and devices are used to develop concepts into finished products.

Instructors

Suzanna Christian