New OER Title for Introduction to Digital Photography
Harmon, Sarah
The Digital Art and Animation (DAA) Department at Cañada College is proud to share our brand-new introductory Digital Photography open educational resource (OER), Intro to Digital Photography: A Visual Language. This OER was created to make learning photography inspiring, accessible, and free for all.
Authored by Prof. Emanuela Quaglia, with major contributions from talented DAA students, this book is designed for anyone starting their photography journey. It covers all the essential concepts and skills taught in an introductory course — from understanding your camera and mastering composition, to working with light, exploring creative techniques, and building confidence as a photographer.
What makes this resource special is the collaboration between faculty and students. Many of the images, examples, and insights come directly from our own student community, making it not just a textbook, but a collection of voices, perspectives, and creative visions.
This OER was developed with the support of the Acceleration II ZTC Grant funded by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which means it’s free to use, adapt, and share for educational purposes.
Why we’re excited:
- It removes cost barriers for students while delivering high-quality, engaging content.
- It celebrates real student work and creativity.
- It’s adaptable, and instructors can modify it to fit their teaching style and course needs.
Explore the OER
here.
Because learning photography should be open, creative, and joyful!
___________________________________________________________________________
Sarah Harmon, Ph.D. 
OER/ZTC Program Manager
Adjunct Professor of Linguistics
Cañada College
Office: 13-346
Email: har...@smccd.edu
Google Text: 650-260-5338
Sign up for office hours/appointments via my Calendly Scheduler