I have been asked to....... - DPChallenge Forums

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM

03/17/2008 09:19:55 PM · #1

take some children( appprox 10 years old ) who have expressed an interest in photography for some sessions at school.
I have proposed 6 one and a half hours sessions culminating in a presenataion at assembly of a slideshow made by them showcasing their images.
The school has one digital camera a point and shoot Sony Cybershot I think. I will be using photostory for the slideshow.
This needs to be only a very basic introductory course

A few questions

Can anyone point me in the direction of some good websites that have good resources that are approriate for children especially with good and bad photos?

These are the subjects i have come up with so far

How to use the camera
Move in closer
Background
Light
Composition

Any others I should be covering?

Can anyone think of some good topics the children could use to base their images around it will need to be achievable in the school grounds?

Do you know of any good websites that are approriate for children and have images that would inspire and interest them?

Anyhting else I have forgotten to ask?

rodneyg

Canon EOS R5

03/17/2008 09:29:00 PM · #2

Do you think they will be able to stay focused for an hour and a half session? It seems a little long for children at that age group. Just a thought; I remember taking my nephew fishing at that age and it was pure torture, especially since the fish weren't biting. Maybe if you try to make a game out of it somehow?

BAMartin

Apple iPhone 5

03/17/2008 09:35:33 PM · #3

I did a sort of class like this at the Boys and Girls Club. Their attention span could not last more than about 40 minutes unless there was an actual hands on exercise (camera on a tripod, lots of props and shooting still life's was the best).

I still have the book I made, it was very basic and well illustrated with photos from DPC. I could scan it for you to give you an idea of what I used.

robs

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/17/2008 09:35:52 PM · #4

I think with kids that old... your going to have problems with a single camera & more then 2-3 kids (particularly boys... yeah the PC police have no clue but they are different from girls and generally are more hands on types).

I know digi is where you prefer to be but maybe some disposables & talk to the local photo place and see if you can get some free/cheap developing. Otherwise, can you get any more digi's?

Olympus 50mm f/1.8 MF Normal Zuiko

03/17/2008 09:40:07 PM · #5

Lol its in the afternoon session by the time they get there from lunch and have to go back again to tidy up for the end of the day, it will be at least 20 mins less. Theer will be four girls all very well behaved, I am a teacher and they know me as a teacher. I am not too worried about there concentration or sharing of resources. I am hoping a couple of the kids will have their own camera.

Barbara would love a copy of the book thanks :D

Thanks for all your comments so far :)

emorgan49

Olympus E-5

03/17/2008 09:45:06 PM · #6

I did a class like this years ago. I collected a bunch of Instamatic cameras, only to find out that film for them was unavailable. No problem. Six kids used empty cameras and they rotated the one digital. No one seemed to mind snapping away at nothing.

BAMartin

Apple iPhone 5

03/17/2008 09:45:49 PM · #7

Let me get the scanner fired up. May be tomorrow before I get to it.

Pug-H

Pentax K10D

Sigma 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical HF for Pentax

03/17/2008 10:27:07 PM · #8

I'd be worried if you only had one camera available. I think getting some disposable film cameras would be a good idea, though more expensive when it comes to getting the photos developed.
Give them a good grounding in Composition. ;-)

Monique64

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

03/17/2008 10:56:56 PM · #9

Another topic could be choosing a subject.

kandykarml

Nikon D80

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

03/17/2008 11:10:51 PM · #10

You could have them shoot items that are their favorite color...Have them look around for things red or blue.. Whatever they chose.. Or, tree's, leaves, grass, weeds.. Easy stuff for them to see at their level.. Bugs !! stuff like that.. Sounds like fun..

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

03/17/2008 11:12:33 PM · #11

You may want to discuss flash i/e when to use it, how far it reaches in dark situations, blowing out the nearest things in the frame, existing light to not surprise the subject ect.
The difference in light color quality i/e daylight, florescent, tungsten, may be a little on the edge for 10 yr olds but they may understand when they experiment.
A little bit about processing would be nice too, if you have a computer handy to show them different results from the same image when they shoot with the digital.
Check with the local service clubs, camera stores, and possibly local newspaper, and you may be able to corner a couple more P&S digital cams for the course.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

03/18/2008 12:44:35 AM · #12

Thanks for your ideas :D

Judi

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

03/18/2008 02:17:46 AM · #13

This morning I taught 3 Grade 6 classes, one after the other. 40 minute sessions. On Thursday I do the same for 3 Grade 7 classes. I then have to repeat the classes each week for 3 weeks with 150+ students.

I am aiming at Multiculture, so this week I explained Lighting, Angles and Composition and then took them outside with 5 cameras (supplied by the school) and they had a ball. They learnt so much and their creativity was fantastic....once I unleashed the standard snapshottish rules that seem to abound people these days. They are so keen for me to come back. I even faced the bullies and they were tripping over themselves to help me by the end.

Next week I am taking in Multiculture still life for them to set up and photograph and then the third week I am taking in people dressed in Tradition Dress from different countries so they can photograph some live subjects.

Even the teachers are commenting that they are now looking at things differently.

So go with something simple...don't worry about settings...Automatic is fine. Unleash their creativity and over time their enthusiasm will guide them to learn more about settings.

Go with a topic that is within their current curriculum. Ask the school for more information on that.

But most importantly...have fun with them. Get down on the ground and SHOW them what you want....don't just tell them.

Good luck.

tpbremer

Nikon D80

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

03/18/2008 12:51:04 PM · #14

I teach high school photography, and you'll have to keep it really simple with 10 year olds. Kids learn MUCH slower than adults and photography, lighting, composition, etc. are pretty abstract subjects.

Here would be my take on it.... I would maybe do a scavanger hunt style shoot, try to find a flower, something red, a portrait, a profile. If you only have one camera go out as a group and just have the kids shout out when they need the camera because they've found something. For the first round of shots, practice keeping the camera steady, and/or getting an in focus shot.

THEN, once you've shot once, load up the pictures and figure out which ones are best and why. Kinda a mini critique style with questions like "we like this one the best, why?"

Make it more fun than serious, and maybe at the end even create a Flickr group--just make sure you get permission if you post any of their pictures on the internet from the school and parents.