Certificate in Photography

The Certificate in Photography (PHO) at Nayolites Computer and Media College is a practical, 6–12 month competency-based program engineered to transition learners from camera fundamentals to commercial-grade visual production. Students gain hands-on studio experience, field photojournalism mastery, advanced Lightroom/Photoshop retouching skills, and actionable business strategies.

Course Specifications

• Course Title: Certificate in Photography (PHO)

• Duration: 6–12 Months (630 Guided Learning Hours)

• Assessment Pathway: TVET CDACC / NITA / Institutional Certificate

• Study Modes: Full-Time (Daily Studio Labs), Part-Time (Evening), & Weekend Intensive

• Location: Bamuda Place, Mwembe, Kisii, Kenya

Key Learning Pillars

• Technical Camera Operations: Mastering manual controls, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal lengths, dynamic range, and lens mechanics.

• Studio & Location Lighting: Hands-on setup of strobes, softboxes, continuous lights, classic 3-point portrait lighting, and outdoor natural light manipulation.

• Commercial & Editorial Genres: Event coverage, photojournalism, news captioning, tabletop product staging, and e-commerce advertising photography.

• Post-Production & Retouching: Non-destructive RAW editing, skin retouching, color grading, and print preparation in Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.

• Business & Portfolio Exhibition: Pricing structures, image licensing contracts, online branding, and executing a final public gallery print exhibition.

Target Audience

• Aspiring commercial photographers, press photojournalists, event media specialists, content creators, and visual entrepreneurs seeking a professional credential and industry-ready portfolio.

OPEN

DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA & CREATIVE ARTS

CERTIFICATE IN PHOTOGRAPHY 

Campus Location: Bamuda Place, Mwembe, Kisii, Kenya

Total Duration: 6–12 Months (630 Total Guided Learning Hours)

Certification Pathway: TVET CDACC / NITA / Institutional Certificate

Study Modes: Full-Time (Daily Studio Labs), Part-Time (Evening), & Weekend Intensive

Entry Requirements: Open Enrollment / Passion for Visual Media (KCPE, KCSE, or adult learners)

PHO 101: Practice Photojournalism

• Duration: 100 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Field Assignments & News Portfolio

• Unit Overview: Core photojournalistic practices, spot news capturing, ethical reporting, press standards, and fast-paced editorial photography workflows.

• Detailed Topics:

   

  • Hard news coverage, break-away events, and spot photojournalism techniques.

  • Feature photo essays and narrative story building for print and online press.

  • Associated Press (AP) style caption writing, metadata tagging, and editorial documentation.

  • Press ethics, copyright laws, model releases, rights to privacy, and media safety.

• Key Practical Deliverable: 5-story published photojournalism portfolio with complete press captions.

PHO 102: Camera and Photography Equipment

• Duration: 40 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Practical Equipment Demonstration

• Unit Overview: Technical mastery of DSLR and Mirrorless camera systems, optics, focal lengths, accessories, and maintenance.

• Detailed Topics:

   

  • Camera anatomy, sensor formats (Full-Frame vs. APS-C/Crop sensors), and shutter mechanisms.

  • Lens mechanics: Prime vs. Zoom lenses, wide-angle, telephoto, macro, and aperture ranges.

  • Camera gear accessories: Tripods, monopods, ND filters, polarizing filters, and external flashes.

  • Sensor maintenance, lens cleaning, dust management, and gear storage protocols.

• Key Practical Deliverable: Technical gear assembly inspection and hands-on camera configuration assessment.

PHO 103: Exposure, Focus and Camera Controls

• Duration: 50 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Practical Field Test

• Unit Overview: Mastery of manual camera operation, light metering, focus tracking, dynamic range, and exposure balancing.

• Detailed Topics:

   

  • The Exposure Triangle: Balancing Aperture ($f$-stop), Shutter Speed, and ISO values.

  • Light metering modes: Evaluative/Matrix, Spot, and Center-Weighted metering.

  • Focusing systems: Manual focus, Single Auto Focus (AF-S/One-Shot), Continuous Focus (AF-C/AI Servo), and focus points.

  • Evaluating image exposure using real-time histograms, zebra highlights, and dynamic range tools.

• Key Practical Deliverable: Exposure portfolio set demonstrating controlled depth of field (bokeh), motion freeze, and panning techniques.

PHO 104: Composition and Visual Storytelling

• Duration: 50 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Visual Portfolio Review

• Unit Overview: Artistic design principles, frame geometry, visual balance, color theory, and visual narrative creation.

• Detailed Topics:

   

  • Composition rules: Rule of thirds, golden ratio, leading lines, framing, symmetry, and negative space.

  • Camera angles, perspectives, eye-level, high-angle, low-angle, and worm's-eye views.

  • Color theory in photography: Warm vs. cool tones, complementary colors, and color emotion.

  • Building visual flow and structural coherence across sequential image series.

• Key Practical Deliverable: 10-image thematic visual story series with defined creative narrative.

PHO 105: Studio Photography and Lighting

• Duration: 60 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Studio Setup Practical Assessment

• Unit Overview: Hands-on operation of artificial studio lighting, continuous lights, strobes/monolights, light modifiers, and studio control.

• Detailed Topics:

   

  • 3-point studio lighting configurations: Key light, Fill light, and Hair/Background light setups.

  • Studio strobes, wireless trigger systems, flash sync speeds, and handheld light meters.

  • Light modifiers: Softboxes, octaboxes, umbrellas, beauty dishes, snoots, grids, and reflectors.

  • Classic portrait lighting patterns: Rembrandt, Butterfly/Paramount, Split, and Loop lighting.

• Key Practical Deliverable: Studio portrait photography portfolio executing 4 distinct classic lighting patterns.

PHO 106: Outdoor, Event and Portrait Photography

• Duration: 60 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Practical Event Shoot Assessment

• Unit Overview: On-location natural light manipulation, golden hour photography, environmental portraiture, and live event management.

• Detailed Topics:

   

  • Working with natural light, open shade, diffusers, bounce boards, and fill-flash techniques.

  • Golden hour and blue hour outdoor shoot planning, sun positioning, and backlighting.

  • Subject posing, direction, body language control, and high-volume group posing.

  • Live event shooting logistics: Concerts, weddings, corporate functions, and cultural events.

• Key Practical Deliverable: Complete live event photo coverage package (50 curated and edited event images).

PHO 107: Product and Commercial Photography

• Duration: 50 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Commercial Project Submission

• Unit Overview: Commercial product staging, advertising imagery, e-commerce catalog photography, and reflective surface management.

• Detailed Topics:

  • Tabletop product photography, light tents, acrylic surfaces, and sweep backgrounds.

  • Controlling highlights and reflections on glass, metallic products, and shiny packaging.

  • Food photography styling, propping, lighting, and hero shot staging.

  • Commercial advertising specifications, negative space allocation for graphic text overlays, and brand color alignment.

• Key Practical Deliverable: 5-product commercial advertising photo suite ready for e-commerce and print catalogs.

PHO 108: Photo Editing and Retouching

• Duration: 60 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Post-Production Lab Assessment

• Unit Overview: Post-processing digital workflows using Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop.

• Detailed Topics:

  • RAW image processing, non-destructive editing workflows, catalog organization, and metadata tagging.

  • Color correction, white balance adjustments, tone curve manipulation, and split toning.

  • Advanced portrait retouching: Frequency separation skin cleaning, dodge and burn techniques, eye enhancement, and stray hair cleanup.

  • Exporting standards: Color spaces (sRGB vs. Adobe RGB), file formats (JPEG, TIFF, PNG), resolution scaling for print (300 DPI) vs. web (72 DPI).

• Key Practical Deliverable: High-end before-and-after digital retouching portfolio showcasing commercial beauty and skin retouching.

PHO 109: Photojournalism and Documentary Photography

• Duration: 60 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Long-Form Photo Essay Project

• Unit Overview: Deep-dive documentary projects, human-interest storytelling, community heritage documentation, and long-term visual project management.

• Detailed Topics:

  • Documentary research, story pitching, gain of access, subject trust building, and field safety.

  • Long-form visual storytelling structure: Establishing shots, medium detail shots, portraits, close-ups, and concluding images.

  • Editing down massive shoots: Image selection, sequencing, story rhythm, and layout pacing.

  • Documentary ethics, photo integrity, and truthfulness in visual reporting.

• Key Practical Deliverable: Printed long-form documentary photo book focusing on local heritage, community, or social issues.

PHO 110: Photography Business and Portfolio Development

• Duration: 40 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Business Plan & Portfolio Review

• Unit Overview: Commercial business models, rate structures, photography contracts, client relations, branding, and digital presence.

• Detailed Topics:

  • Setting photography pricing: Half-day rates, full-day rates, per-image licensing, and package pricing.

  • Legal requirements: Client contracts, usage rights, image licensing terms, liability, and copyright protection.

  • Branding: Creating logo marks, rate cards, invoice templates, and social media marketing strategies.

  • Physical portfolio curation: High-quality paper selection, print mounting, and presentation book layout.

• Key Practical Deliverable: Professional physical print portfolio album and launch of a functional online photography portfolio.

PHO 111: Practical Photography Project (Capstone)

• Duration: 60 Hours

• Assessment Mode: Final Capstone Gallery Exhibition

• Unit Overview: Comprehensive capstone module where students conceptualize, produce, print, mount, and publicly exhibit a professional body of work.

• Detailed Topics & Deliverables:

  • Project proposal and concept defense before a panel of photography instructors.

  • Self-directed shooting schedule, location scouting, talent casting, and shoot management.

  • Print lab quality control: Color calibration, fine art paper selection (Matte, Luster, Canvas), soft proofing, and test printing.

  • Exhibition setup: Matting, framing, wall layout composition, lighting setup, and oral defense.

• Key Practical Deliverable: Mounted Gallery Exhibition Collection (10 Large-Format Prints) and formal panel defense.

ASSESSMENT & GRADING FRAMEWORK

• Continuous Assessment Tests (CATs) & Studio Labs: 30%

• PHO 111 Final Capstone Exhibition: 30%

• Final Examinations (Practical & Theory): 40%

Grading Scale:

• Distinction (80% – 100%): Exceptional artistic vision, technical mastery, and professional execution.

• Credit (65% – 79%): High competence in camera operations, lighting setups, and editing workflows.

• Pass (50% – 64%): Satisfactory baseline skills meeting industry entry standards.

• Referral (Below 50%): Re-assessment required in specific practical photography units.