Welcome to Focus on Photography!

📤 1. Uploading Your Photo

Adding your work to the class gallery is easy, but the order of steps is important!

• Select Your Name: Go to the Photography Class Upload page and choose your name from the dropdown menu.
• Upload Early: You must upload your photo (JPG, PNG, or HEIC, up to 10MB) before you can type anything else. The rest of the form remains locked until your photo successfully appears in the preview box.
• Give it a Title: Once the form unlocks, give your photo a descriptive title.
• Assign the Week: Use the “Week Assignment” dropdown to choose which week your photo belongs to. It defaults to the current active week, but you can select a past week if you are uploading late.
• Write a Caption & Notes: Add a caption (up to 180 characters) and use the Notes box to share how you took the shot or why it caught your eye.
• Check the Boxes: Check “Student’s Choice” (⭐) if this is your favorite photo, or “Challenge Accepted!” (🎯) if your photo responds to the weekly challenge.
• Need Inspiration?: Click the “Need inspiration? Try this reflection…” button to answer a quick Journalette question provided by your teacher.
• Share: Click the “Share My Photo” button to send it to the gallery!

💡 Upload Tips & Rules

• Fix a Typo: Made a mistake? On the upload success screen, you have 30 minutes to click the “Fix a Typo” button. This brings you back to the form so you can edit your text or change the week assignment.
• Photo Limits: You have a maximum number of photos you can upload per week. If you reach your limit, you will see your existing photos and a message asking you to delete an older photo before uploading a new one.
• Privacy First: Don’t worry about location tracking! The system automatically strips all GPS and location data from your image the moment it is uploaded.

🖼️ 2. Exploring the Gallery

The gallery is where you can view everyone’s work and find inspiration. You also have your own personal gallery so you can see your work and how you progress as we work through the course.

• Course Timeline: At the top of the gallery, you will see a timeline with clickable circles. Tap on any week’s circle to filter the gallery and see only the photos from that specific week.
• Our Photographers: Tap a classmate’s name tile to filter the gallery and view only their photos.
• Layout & Themes: Use the toggle buttons at the top right to switch between Grid View (▓▓) and Slideshow View (▢). You can also toggle between Light and Dark mode using the sun (☀️) and moon (🌙) icons.
• Inspiration: Check the top of the gallery for the Quote of the Day and This Week’s Challenge to spark your creativity.

💬 3. Giving Feedback (The Lightbox)

Click the “View” button or tap any photo thumbnail to open it in the Lightbox view. This is where you can interact with your classmates’ photos.

• Camera Settings: In the Photo Details panel, you can see the technical settings used to take the photo, including the camera model, ISO, aperture (ƒ), and shutter speed. (We’ll cover what these mean in Week 4.)
• Emoji Reactions: React to photos using the 12 stickers below the image.
  • Photography Feedback: 📸 Composition, 💡 Creative idea, 🎨 Beautiful colors, ✨ Amazing lighting, 🔥 Great shot, ❤️ Love it.
  • Recognition Awards: ⭐ Weekly standout, 🏆 Challenge winner, 🌟 Honorable mention, 👁️ Unique perspective, 🎯 On target, 💫 Wow factor.
• Leave a Comment: Use the comment box to leave kind, constructive feedback (up to 500 characters). Your name will be automatically locked in and attached to your comment.

🐞 Found a Bug or Have an Idea?

This portal is brand new and still in its “beta” phase. That means you might occasionally spot a bug🐞🔎 (if something isn’t working quite right) while you use the pages.