Photography and Video Editing

Who it is for. Beginners with no formal certificate, including school leavers, people who already take photos on a phone, women's groups and persons with disabilities. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework. It is a bridging level for people with little or no formal education, who do routine, predictable tasks under close supervision.

Why photography and video

• People pay for pictures of the moments that matter: naming ceremonies, birthdays, weddings, church events, graduations, funerals, and products for sale. A Ghanaian wedding photographer, Melody Directions, started with a mobile phone, moved to professional cameras, and got a first paid booking through a family friend.
• You can start small. Used and new entry-level cameras were listed in Ghana from about GH¢5,100 to GH¢12,500 in October 2026, but a good phone is enough for this course.
• The work is creative, and much of it (editing, filing, printing, customer care) can be done seated, which helps many persons with disabilities.

Not the same as Social Media and Canva Design

The Hub's Social Media and Canva Design manual teaches you to post, design flyers, write captions and run business pages. This manual teaches you to make the pictures and videos: light, camera settings, framing, people, sound, editing and keeping files safe. The two fit together.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. Your assessor collects evidence and judges whether you have met the performance criteria; photos and videos can be part of your evidence. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical.

• Steps are numbered. Do them in order. A line that ends with a source name in brackets comes from the sources list at the back. A step with no source is standard safe practice or the author's teaching advice, not a measured figure.
• Any number marked example is made up to practise sums. Replace it with your own local prices.
• Every unit ends with a Check yourself of three questions. Answers are in the Teacher Copy.

Words used in this book

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's phone and a training camera, indoors and outdoors. Evidence. Kit checklist; observed holding and set-up; oral questions.

The parts you need to know

Set up your phone for good photos

Tools and materials. Your phone; a soft clean cloth (a lens cloth or a clean cotton handkerchief).

1. Open the camera app. Find Settings (usually a gear sign).
2. Turn on the grid (two lines across, two lines down). You will use it in Unit 3.
3. Set the photo size or resolution to the largest. Set video to 1080p at 25 or 30 frames per second for now.
4. Turn the flash to off. You will learn when to use it later.
5. Find Pro or Manual mode if your phone has one. Do not change it yet; just know where it is.
6. Check your free storage in the phone settings. If less than about 2 GB is free, move old files off the phone before a shoot (author's rule).
7. Wipe the lens with the soft cloth in small circles.

Check. Take one photo of a printed page. Zoom in on the photo. Can you read the small letters? If not, clean the lens again and hold steadier.

Hold it steady

1. Hold the phone or camera with two hands.
2. Keep your elbows in against your body.
3. Stand with feet apart, or lean on a wall or a pole.
4. Breathe out gently, then press the button softly; do not stab it.
5. For a camera: left hand under the lens, right hand on the grip, eye to the viewfinder.
6. When you can, use a tripod or a stand. Phone tripods were listed in Ghana from about GH¢120 to GH¢400 in October 2026, most of them sold around Circle in Accra. Ask electronics shops in Takoradi too.

Care for your kit

Work safely on a shoot

Check yourself: Unit 1

1. Why do you turn the flash off at the start?
2. Name two ways to hold a phone steady.
3. What do you do with a swollen battery?

Competency standard

Range. Phone and training camera, outdoors and indoors. Evidence. Exposure practice sheet; three correctly exposed photos; oral questions.

What exposure is

Exposure is the amount of light that reaches the camera's sensor. It is set by how long the shutter is open, how wide the lens opening is, and how bright the scene is. Three settings control it:

Stops: the unit of light

A stop means double or half the light. One stop more exposure doubles the light; one stop less halves it.

• Aperture stops: f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22. Each step to the right lets in half the light.
• Shutter speed stops: 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1 second. Each step to the right lets in twice the light.
• ISO stops: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600. Doubling the ISO number doubles the sensitivity: one stop.

Trade-offs. If you open the aperture one stop, you can make the shutter one stop faster and keep the same brightness. This is how you choose: fast shutter to freeze a child running, wide aperture for a blurred background, low ISO for a clean picture.

Shutter speed and blur

• Very short shutter speeds freeze fast movement, for example at sports.
• At 1/30 second and slower, you normally need a tripod or a stabilised lens or camera to get a sharp picture.
• A rule of thumb: the slowest speed you can hold by hand is about 1 over the lens focal length; with a 50 mm lens that is about 1/60 second.
• Slow speeds make moving water look soft and white, like mist.

The sunny 16 rule: a starting point

On a bright sunny day, set the aperture to f/16 and the shutter speed to 1 over your ISO. At ISO 100, that is f/16 at 1/100 second, or 1/125 if your camera has no 1/100.

For a person with the sun behind them, add one stop. Take a test shot and look at the screen; then adjust.

Exposure on a phone

Most phones choose the settings for you. You can still take control:

1. Tap the screen on the subject. The phone focuses there and sets brightness for that spot.
2. A sun symbol or slider appears. Slide down to darken, up to brighten. This is exposure compensation: +1 gives one stop more light, −1 one stop less.
3. Hold your finger on the subject to lock focus and exposure (often called AE/AF lock), so it does not change when you move slightly.
4. Check the brightest parts. If a white dress or the sky has turned pure white with no detail, slide darker. Lost white detail cannot be brought back in editing (author's teaching rule).
5. In Pro mode, you can set ISO and shutter speed yourself. Start at ISO 100 outdoors and the lowest ISO that gives a sharp picture indoors.

White balance: true colours

Different light has different colours. White balance adjusts the picture so that a white object (paper, a wall) looks white; a picture that is not balanced has a colour cast.

K stands for kelvin, the unit for colour temperature.

1. Set white balance to Auto for most work.
2. If skin looks orange under bulbs, choose the Tungsten or bulb setting.
3. If shade makes skin look blue, choose Shade or Cloudy.
4. Do not mix light colours on one face if you can avoid it (for example a blue window on one side and an orange bulb on the other). Switch one off.
5. Check skin, white cloth and food: they show colour mistakes first.

Common exposure mistakes

Check yourself: Unit 2

1. Name the three settings that control exposure.
2. Which lets in more light: f/4 or f/8? By how many stops?
3. What does the sunny 16 rule say?

Competency standard

Range. Outdoor scenes, people (with permission) and one product. Evidence. Composition sheet with 12 labelled photos.

The rule of thirds

Imagine the picture divided into nine equal parts by two lines across and two lines down. Place the important parts on the lines or where they cross; this often looks more interesting than putting the subject in the middle.

1. Turn on the grid (Unit 1).
2. Put the horizon on the top or bottom line, not across the middle.
3. For a person, put the eyes near the top line and the body along a side line.
4. Leave space in front of a person who is looking or walking: they need room to look into.
5. Break the rule on purpose when the subject is strong and balanced, for example a face looking straight at you.

Distance: wide, medium, close

Take all three of every important moment. Walk closer rather than zooming with your fingers; finger zoom on most phones makes the picture worse (author's teaching rule).

Angle and height

• Eye level for a natural look.
• Kneel down for children and pets: get to their eye level.
• Higher (from a step) to show a group or a table of food.
• Lower to make a building or a person look strong.

Clean the background

1. Look behind your subject before you shoot.
2. Move yourself or the person so no pole, tree or doorway seems to grow out of a head.
3. Remove clutter: bins, washing lines, plastic chairs, bags.
4. Choose a background that contrasts: a dark cloth behind a light product, a plain wall behind a person in bright kente.
5. Check the edges: no half-faces, cut-off feet or fingers at the frame edge.

Leading lines and frames

• Leading lines: a road, a fence or a row of chairs that leads the eye to the subject.
• Natural frames: a doorway or window around a person.
• Patterns: rows of fish on a smoking rack, stacks of pots; then break the pattern with one person or one object.

A simple product photo

Tools and materials. A table near a window; a white sheet, foam board or white card (stationery shops sell foam board and card); masking tape; a white card or foil on cardboard as a reflector; the product, clean.

1. Tape the sheet or board so it curves from the wall down onto the table (a "sweep" with no corner line).
2. Place the product 50 cm or more in front of the curve.
3. Use window light from the side. No direct sun; no flash.
4. Hold a white card on the other side to brighten the shadows.
5. Use the phone on a stand. Tap to focus on the product's label.
6. Take three angles: front, side, and close-up of the label or texture.
7. Check the colour matches the real product. Fix white balance if needed.

The Hub's Social Media and Canva Design manual shows how to turn this photo into a flyer or post.

Common composition mistakes

Check yourself: Unit 3

1. Where should the horizon go?
2. Why should you walk closer instead of using finger zoom?
3. What do you check behind a person before you shoot?

Competency standard

Range. One adult portrait, one small group, one family with a child (with written consent). Evidence. Signed consent forms; portrait set; observed session.

Why consent is the law, not just manners

A photo or video in which a person can be recognised is personal data: data about an individual who can be identified from it. Ghana's Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) says:

• A person shall not process personal data without the prior consent of the person, unless one of a few listed reasons applies, such as a contract with that person or a legal duty (s.20(1)).
• A person may object, and then you must stop (s.20(2) and (3)).
• You must collect data for a specific, lawful purpose and make sure the person knows the purpose (s.22 and s.23).
• Personal data about a child who is under parental control is "special personal data", which you must not process unless the Act allows it, for example when it is necessary or there is consent (s.37).
• Using a person's information for direct marketing needs their prior written consent (s.40).

"Process" covers taking, keeping, editing, sharing and posting. These are summaries of the Act for training, not legal advice.

The consent steps (every shoot)

1. Say who you are and why you are taking pictures: "I am a trainee photographer. I want to take your photo for my training portfolio."
2. Say where it will go: "only my trainer will see it", or "on my business WhatsApp", or "in an advert for this shop".
3. Ask, and wait for a clear yes. A nod from a stranger in a market is not enough for business use.
4. For business or advert use, get the consent form signed (below).
5. For a child (under 18), the parent or guardian signs. A teacher's or neighbour's word is not enough.
6. If someone says no, or later asks you to delete a photo, delete it and thank them.
7. Keep signed forms in a folder, and photograph each form to keep a second copy.

A simple consent and model release form

A model release is a paper signed by the person in a photo giving permission to publish it; for a minor, a parent or guardian must sign, or the release may give no protection. In many countries, a release is needed when a photo of a person is used to promote a product or business, but usually not for news. This form is a teaching sample; for important work, have a lawyer check your own form.

Rules for children

Lighting a face

1. Window light: seat the person facing a window, turned a little to one side. The light is soft and flattering.
2. Open shade: outdoors, put the person under a tree or veranda, looking out towards the bright open sky. Avoid spotty light through leaves.
3. Avoid midday sun on faces: hard shadows under the eyes and squinting.
4. Reflector: hold a white card, a white sheet or foil on cardboard on the shadow side, below the face, to bounce light back in.
5. Dark skin and bright backgrounds: tap on the face and slide brighter, or move to an even background so the camera does not darken the face.
6. Watch the eyes: you should see a small bright spot (catchlight) in each eye.

Simple poses

1. Shoulders turned, face towards the camera: slimmer and more natural than square-on.
2. Weight on the back foot, front knee slightly bent.
3. Hands busy: holding a book, a cup, a tool of their trade, or resting lightly.
4. Chin slightly forward and down to avoid a double chin.
5. Talk to the person all the time. Make them laugh. Take many photos in a row.
6. Focus on the nearest eye. If the eyes are not sharp, the portrait has failed.

Small groups

1. Put the tallest at the back or in the middle.
2. Keep faces close together, at different heights (some seated, some standing).
3. Everyone's face must be visible: "Can you all see the camera?"
4. Take at least five frames: someone always blinks.
5. Count down aloud: "Three, two, one."

Check yourself: Unit 4

1. Why is a photo of a person "personal data"?
2. Who signs the consent for a 14-year-old?
3. Where do you focus in a portrait?

Competency standard

Range. One 60-second video about a person or a small business (with consent). Evidence. Shot list; raw clips; sound test; finished video (Unit 6).

Plan before you film

1. Ask: who is it for, and where will it be shown? A phone screen (WhatsApp, TikTok) wants vertical 9:16; a TV, a laptop or YouTube wants horizontal 16:9.
2. Write a shot list: what you will film, in what order.

Shooting steady video

1. Set the phone to 1080p at 25 or 30 frames per second (Unit 1).
2. Choose vertical or horizontal before you start. Do not turn the phone in the middle of a clip.
3. Use a tripod or lean on something solid. Hold with two hands, elbows in.
4. Press record, wait 2 seconds, then let the action happen. Wait 2 seconds before you stop. This gives handles for editing.
5. Keep each clip 5 to 10 seconds. Short clips are easy to edit.
6. Move slowly if you move at all. Better still, keep the camera still and let people move.
7. Do not zoom while recording. Walk closer between clips instead.
8. Lock focus and exposure (hold your finger on the subject) so the brightness does not pump up and down.
9. Film extra close-ups of hands, tools and details. You will use them to cover cuts (called B-roll).

Clear sound

Tools. A lapel (lavalier) microphone; wireless ones were listed in Ghana from about GH¢150 to GH¢1,450 in October 2026; a pair of earphones to listen.

1. Choose a quiet place. Switch off fans and radios if you can; move away from generators, traffic and the sea.
2. Clip the mic on the shirt, about a hand's width below the chin. Hide the cable under the clothes.
3. Listen with earphones while you test. Ask the speaker to say their name and what they had for breakfast.
4. Watch for rubbing: cloth or jewellery on the mic makes scratching noises.
5. Wind: turn the speaker's back to the wind, or use the foam cover on the mic.
6. Record 10 seconds of silence in the room ("room tone"). It helps in editing.
7. Play back before you leave. If the sound is bad, film it again now; you cannot fix it later.

Interviews

1. Seat the speaker by a window (Unit 4 lighting).
2. Put the camera at eye level. Frame head and shoulders, eyes on the top third line.
3. The speaker looks at you, not the camera; sit just beside the camera.
4. Ask open questions: "Tell me how you started." Not "Did you start in 2020?"
5. Ask them to start their answer with your question: "I started this business when…"
6. Stay silent while they speak. Nod; do not say "mm-hm".

Music and copyright

Ghana's Copyright Act, 2005 (Act 690) protects musical works, sound recordings and audio-visual works. The owner of a work has the right to control copying, adapting, public performance and broadcasting (s.5). Infringing a protected right is an offence; the Act sets a fine of 500 to 1,000 penalty units, or prison of up to three years, or both (s.43).

So for any video you sell or post for a business:

1. Use no music, or
2. Use your own music or a friend's with written permission, or
3. Use music from a library that clearly gives you a licence for business use, and keep a screenshot of the licence page.
4. Never use a song from the radio, a popular artiste or a film, however short the clip. "Everyone does it" is not a licence.

Check yourself: Unit 5

1. Why wait 2 seconds before and after the action?
2. Name two causes of bad sound and how to fix each.
3. Can you use a popular song in a client's advert if it is only 10 seconds? Why?

Competency standard

Range. Five photos and the Unit 5 video. Evidence. Edited photos with originals; exported video; folder structure; backup record.

Edit a photo in Snapseed

Snapseed is a free photo editor for Android and iPhone; the guide we used says it has no in-app purchases, subscriptions or ads, and no computer version.

1. Open Snapseed. Tap + and choose your photo.
2. Tools → Crop. Choose a shape: 1:1 square, 4:5 for portrait posts, 16:9 for wide, or Free. Crop to remove clutter at the edges.
3. Tools → Rotate. Straighten the horizon using the grid.
4. Tools → Tune Image. Swipe up or down to choose Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Ambiance, Highlights, Shadows or Warmth; swipe left or right to change it. Make small changes, not big ones.
5. Tools → White Balance. Adjust Temperature and Tint, or use the eyedropper on something that should be white or grey.
6. Tools → Healing. Zoom in and paint over a small spot or a piece of litter; small strokes work best on simple backgrounds. Do not change a person's face shape or skin colour.
7. Tools → Details. Add a little Structure or Sharpening.
8. Tap the edit stack icon to see each step; you can remove a step you do not like.
9. Export → Save a copy. This keeps your original; the guide warns that plain "Save" overwrites the original.

Edit a short video in CapCut

CapCut is a free video editor for phones. Its free plan and watermark rules change, and comparison sites disagree; one says free exports carry a CapCut watermark and auto-captions are limited. Check the export screen before you deliver to a client.

1. Open CapCut. Tap New project. Select your clips in the order of your shot list. Tap Add.
2. Trim: tap a clip; drag its start and end handles to cut the waiting time.
3. Split: move the white line to a point and tap Split to cut a clip in two; delete the bad part.
4. Order: hold a clip and drag it to a new place.
5. Interview: put the interview clip on the main line. Lay B-roll close-ups on top (overlay) to cover cuts.
6. Sound: turn down clips with noisy sound; keep the interview clear.
7. Text: add a title (name of the business, place, phone number) with big, plain letters.
8. Captions: use auto-captions if available, then correct every wrong word by hand.
9. Music: none, your own, or licensed only (Unit 5).
10. Export: choose 1080p. Watch the whole video once with sound and once without.

On a computer, DaVinci Resolve is a free professional editor for Mac, Windows and Linux; the free version handles video up to Ultra HD (3840 × 2160) at up to 60 frames per second. You will learn it at Level 2.

Name and file everything

Use one pattern for every job, so you can find any file in a year:

2026-10-12_Mensah-naming_Takoradi
    01_RAW        (camera originals, never edited)
    02_SELECTS    (the best ones you chose)
    03_EDITED     (finished photos)
    04_VIDEO      (clips, project, export)
    05_DELIVERED  (exactly what the client got)
    06_FORMS      (consent forms, invoice)

1. Start the folder name with the date (year-month-day), so folders sort in order.
2. Add the client and the event.
3. Never edit inside 01_RAW. Copy first.
4. Rename finished files: 2026-10-12_Mensah_001.jpg.

Back up: the 3-2-1 rule

Keep three copies of your files, on two different devices, with one copy off-site (away from the studio). Your working files count as one copy; a cloud backup can be the off-site copy.

1. Copy 1: the laptop or phone you work on.
2. Copy 2: an external hard drive. In October 2026, 1 TB drives were listed in Ghana from about GH¢400 to GH¢1,100.
3. Copy 3: cloud storage (for example Google Drive or Google Photos) uploaded on Wi-Fi, or a second drive kept at another house.
4. Do not format (wipe) the memory card until copies 1 and 2 exist and you have opened a few files from each.
5. Write the date of each backup in your logbook.

Check yourself: Unit 6

1. Why use "Save a copy" in Snapseed?
2. What is the 3-2-1 rule?
3. When may you format the memory card?

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own plan. Evidence. Costing sheet; portfolio; one-page plan.

Where the work is

Location settings that give good returns

Small business ideas and ingenuity

Cost and price a job

Write down every cost: transport, data, printing, your time, kit wear, and a share of your phone or camera.

Prices differ widely. A published package price is not take-home pay; every job has costs, and kit can fail. After a camera setback, the Accra photographer Melody Directions set up emergency funds for backup equipment and insurance. Put a little aside from every job for the same reason.

Your portfolio

1. Choose 15 to 20 of your best photos and one short video.
2. Show different work: portraits, a group, a product, an event, a place.
3. Use only pictures where you have consent for portfolio use.
4. Keep it on your phone in one album, and as a WhatsApp Business catalogue (below).
5. Update it every month: take out weak pictures, add better ones.

Recognition of prior learning. If you already work as a photographer without a certificate, CTVET's recognition of prior learning policy accepts a portfolio of evidence, including pictures and videos, as part of an assessment. Keep your best work and your logbook.

Market yourself

• WhatsApp Business: a business profile with your services, hours and location, and a catalogue to show services and prices.
• Google Business Profile: a free listing on Google once you verify it; keep your name and hours accurate.
• Referrals: give every happy client five business cards and ask them to tell friends. Offer a small thank-you (a free print) when a friend books.
• Be seen working well: dress neatly, arrive early, ask before shooting, and deliver on the day you promised.
• Never post a client's pictures without their permission (Unit 4).

Accessibility

The Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) is Ghana's disability law; many public buildings are still not accessible because the law is not enforced. Photography and video have many tasks a person with a disability can do well:

• Deaf and hard-of-hearing photographers: photography is visual; use a hearing partner or a visual sound meter on screen for sound checks, and agree hand signals with clients.
• Wheelchair users: studio portraits, product photography, editing, printing, filing and customer care at table height; use a light tripod and a camera strap; choose events with level access.
• Low vision: large-screen editing, phone zoom and screen readers for admin; work with a partner for focus checks.
• Limited hand strength: a phone on a stand with a Bluetooth remote or voice shutter.

Ask each person what helps; adjust the work, not the person. (Author's advice; no Ghana source found.)

Check yourself: Unit 7

1. Name three costs in a photography job besides your time.
2. Why must every portfolio picture have consent?
3. Name two adjustments that help a wheelchair user work as a photographer.

1. Name the three settings that control exposure.
2. What does one stop more light mean?
3. Which aperture gives a more blurred background: f/2.8 or f/11?
4. At about what shutter speed do you normally need a tripod?
5. What does a higher ISO cause?
6. Where do you put the horizon using the rule of thirds?
7. What does Act 843 say about processing personal data without consent?
8. Who must sign the consent for a child's photo?
9. Name two ways to get clearer sound in a video interview.
10. Why must you not use a popular song in a business video?
11. Which button in Snapseed keeps your original photo?
12. What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?

Best next reads: the Snapseed and CapCut help pages in the apps; the Hub's Social Media and Canva Design manual; the Hub's Precision Agriculture manuals for drone rules; Money Skills in this series.

What this module does not cover: full manual camera work, studio lights and flash, wedding coverage, printing, DaVinci Resolve and client contracts (Level 2); colour grading, studio management and running a registered business (Level 3); flying drones (never in this series without GCAA approval).

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.