Life Lessons through the Lens

Photography is about so much more than just taking a picture.

The aim of the classes is to get children as young as eight thinking about ‘the bigger picture’, the world and their place within it through the medium of photography. Older children, teens and adults can also benefit tremendously from this short course and apply the life lessons to every stage of life.

Upon successful completion of all four classes, students will have developed the following:

  • Enhanced visual awareness

  • A more comprehensive understanding of empathy

  • An appreciation of how behaviour influences consequence

  • A set of simple compositional tools which when applied will instantly elevate the photographer to the next level

 

  • Each class is independent of the others so they can be completed in any order. You can choose to do all the classes or just pick the ones that interest you.

  • Classes can be held indoors or outside subject to weather conditions

  • If you are booking this for a group allow 1.5 - 3 hours. Longer sessions allow for more discussion and engagement which is hugely beneficial.

  • Anyone aged 8 and above.

    The classes are simple in structure but everyone who participates (kids and adults alike) will come away with new skills and insights which can be applied to all life stages.

  • The core objective is NOT to become a better photographer but to learn core life skills through the medium of photography to become a better human.

    Read the class descriptions below for more details.

  • If you have a camera bring it but if not a phone camera is perfectly fine.

    Children can work in small groups with one camera. Adults and children can also work together on the activities and assignments.

    You should bring a notebook and pen and depending on the class some other materials will be required - see class description for detailed requirements.

  • Absolutely!

    Classes can be run together as a one day workshop or spread out to allow more time to engage with and reflect upon the assignments.

  • Cost will vary depending on whether you are reserving a slot on a private session or you are a school or organisation looking to book this course for a larger cohort.

    Please email me to discuss if interested.

  • Participants are welcome to join a private Facebook group to facilitate discussions and share ideas and insights learned.

 

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Class Title: How does a camera work?

This class is about lighting the spark

In this class participants will learn how a camera works by building their own pinhole camera. This will be followed by a guided activity to develop their visual perception. They will learn that nothing is as it first appears.

What you will need:

  • Notebook and pen

  • A camera is recommended but not required - a camera phone is sufficient

  • Cardboard tube e.g. Pringles can, kitchen roll or toilet paper tube

  • A 5” square piece of WHITE greaseproof paper

  • Scissors and sellotape / masking tape

  • A roll of tinfoil

Class Title: A Day in the Life

This class is about perspective.

We begin with a discussion on what is meant by empathy. This will be followed by a guided activity to develop your child’s ability to consider a situation from different perspectives.

Each child will be given a photo assignment to document a day in the life of some person or animal (real or imagined) and invited to share their finished project on the private online group.

What you will need:

  • Notebook and pen

  • A camera is recommended but not required - a camera phone is sufficient

Class Title: The Camera Points Both Ways

This class is about how we interact with the world.

We begin with a discussion on what is meant by the phrase 'the camera points both ways'.

This will be followed by a guided activity to develop your child’s ability to consider how their engagement with their subject influences the subject’s expression and by extension, how their behaviour in a wider context influences how other people react towards them in their day to day life.

Each child will be given an assignment to create two portraits of a subject - the first without any engagement and the second using what they have learned to elicit an emotional response from the sitter. They will then be invited to share the before and after portraits on the private online group.

What you will need:

  • Notebook and pen

  • A camera is recommended but not required - a camera phone is sufficient

Class Title: Composition

This class is about composition

We begin this class with a discussion on basic guidelines of composition e.g. rule of thirds, lead in lines, framing devices etc. This will be followed by a guided activity to develop your child’s ability to slow down and think about composition before pressing the shutter.

This will be followed by a discussion about the benefit of considering a photographic subject from different perspectives and by extension the benefit of considering situations from multiple perspectives before making decisions or jumping to conclusions.

Each child will be given an assignment to create a series of images incorporating what they have learned. They will then be invited to share their finished project on the private online group.

What you will need:

  • Notebook and pen

  • A camera is recommended but not required - a camera phone is sufficient

  • Some old magazines with lots of pictures