Photography can be a wonderful tool for all kinds of learning and discovery.In general we like to try and approach topics from a slightly less usual angle... a bit more creative and thought provoking.
Before you get inventive, you can first make use of the basics...
- Explore what a camera is, different kinds of cameras, how they work, basic photography principles, use of light, lenses, composition etc.
- Maybe you could make a pin hole camera.
- Research the development of cameras throughout history. Are there any museums in your area with examples of early cameras?
- Can you access any darkroom facilities and discover how photographic processing works?
- Get an image editing program, such as Photoshop, and have fun! You can do some weird and wonderful things to digital photographs! Change colours, stretch faces, make parts of the photo disappear, make it seem like people can fly or cows have wings! Your creations are basically only limited by your imagination.
Once you are feeling ready to get out in the field and experiment, grab a camera... and go to it!
A digital camera is probably the easiest for photography projects. They are usually easy to use, not as limited as film cameras in numbers of shots available, you can delete what you don't want to make room for more, and you only have to print what you really want. Kids usually love to take lots of shots... and why not? That's often how professional photographers get that "perfect" shot... it can take dozens (or more) shots, just to end up with one that is just right. The photos are instantly available. Also, you can easily edit the images... sometimes even on the camera itself. A lot of digital cameras also allow you to shoot short videos, which can be useful. Some have special settings for panorama photographs and other specialty photos. Of course, there are some things that can't easily be achieved with most digital cameras (such as long exposures) but for most uses they are ideal.
Following are some links to fun ideas I created for exploring photography.
Nature's Magic: A Different Light
Many good photographs use light as an important feature.
Here, a selection of photos of nature are to be taken, enhanced by different forms of light, such as reflection, changing light, moonlight, star trails.
Nature's Magic: Colours of Earth
When looking at the Earth you may just think that it is brown… or green if covered with vegetation… but there is actually an immense variety of hues if you look for them.
Take photos showing this great variation.
Nature's Magic: Hidden Beauty
Things of great beauty can be hidden where they are not immediately obvious. Just like a pearl in an oyster, kids will discover (and photograph) amazing things under, inside or otherwise obscured from immediate view.
Nature's Magic: Infinite Diversity
A collage of photos showing amazing diversity within a theme... such as trees, rocks, clouds, webs.
Nature's Magic: Spirit of Endurance
A challenge to create a display of photographs showing things in nature which show “The Spirit of Endurance”. Things that have survived against odds… things that are fighting for survival.
Nature's Magic: Sunrise, Sunset
A chance to take some glorious photos of sunrises and sunsets... plus a few thought provoking questions to answer in their display.
Scavenging Photographic Style
A photographic scavenger hunt that requires children to think and come up with photos that fit the required criteria. Sure to elicit some really creative and different ideas!
The Magic of Shapes
A photographic search for shapes hidden in the everyday world.
* This is a crossover Maths activity.
I hope you have fun with these!
There are a lot more exciting activities in many different topic areas on Barinya Family Site, so please go and have a look around.
Life Learning... a family journey.
