Overview
Great photography is more than knowing how to point and click. It’s about developing your unique artistic vision and the skills to tell a visual story.
Whether you're an aspiring professional or a photography enthusiast, our Photography Certificate of Completion gives you the knowledge, tools, and techniques to elevate your camera work.
Led by industry experts, this three-course program covers digital camera settings, composition, and digital image processing while giving you the skills to optimize shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for precise exposure. You’ll explore focal length, depth of field, and flash techniques, refine your action and event photography skills, and build a portfolio showcasing your work. Plus, you’ll gain insight into the business of photography and learn how to market yourself to stand out in the industry.
Then, when you are ready to expand your expertise, you can take SAIT’s complementary standalone courses: PHOT 009 - Black and White Darkroom Techniques, PHOT 001 - Black and White Darkroom Lab Time, and PHOT 119 - Introduction to Adobe Lightroom.
This program is ideal if you:
- want a strong technical foundation in photography
- seek to control light, exposure, and perspective for different styles
- are ready to build a polished portfolio that reflects your creative vision
- want to produce professional-quality images for personal or commercial use.
To be successful in this program, we recommend you review the equipment, supplies and software/hardware required for each course in the certificate before registering.
Upon successful completion of this program, you’ll be able to:
- apply advanced equipment, exposure, and focus techniques to capture action and event photography effectively
- utilize off-camera flash techniques with wireless triggering methods to enhance lighting and image quality
- plan, develop, and execute a long-form photographic project that aligns with personal artistic vision and industry standards
- implement self-promotion and marketing strategies to create and maintain a professional online or print portfolio.
SAIT has one of the finest darkroom facilities in Western Canada. I've enjoyed working with hundreds of students over many years in our beautiful space. Works created by students in SAIT's darkroom class have been published nationally and internationally.
George Webber
Published photographer, SAIT Instructor
Program outline
To successfully complete this certificate, you are required to complete three mandatory courses.
You must complete PHOT 021 first. You should also review the strongly recommended prerequisites for the remaining courses.
Required courses and electives
How to apply for this certificate
Once you have registered for any course offered in this certificate, you will be automatically eligible to complete the certificate. You will have up to three years to complete this program. You may track your progression by signing in to your Continuing Education student account.
Certifications and professional designations
Upon successful completion of all the required courses in this certificate program, you’ll receive an electronically issued SAIT Certificate of Completion and transcript.
You’ll be able to self-print a proof of completion document from your Continuing Education student account. Please note parchments are not issued for individual courses.
If you are interested in our Journalism – Photojournalism diploma, you can receive credit toward the PHOT 216 – Visual Journalism I course. Contact Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition for more information on this process.
Costs
This program consists of three mandatory courses with varying fees. Fees include access to all course-related materials and resources found in Brightspace (D2L).
Please review the individual course pages for this certificate to determine costs and to learn more about additional learning materials including textbooks.
You will need to provide your own digital camera with interchangeable lenses — DSLR or Mirrorless. Point-and-shoot cameras and mobile phones are not suitable. If you would like to use a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC), it must be approved by your instructor.
Financial support
Financial opportunities are available to help pay for your course fees. Learn more about how to reduce your education or training costs with available awards, bursaries, loans and grants, including the Canada Alberta Productivity Grant.
Careers and opportunities
Skills learned in this program can be applied to a variety of roles and careers. Expect to start at the entry-level, and as you gain experience and additional education, your career opportunities will expand.
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Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.