Photography 101 for Art Teachers

Studio: Photography
 Studio: Photography

Photography 101 for Art Teachers

Table of Contents
The Basics

Techniques

Organization & Management

Photography Lesson Plan Ideas

The Art of Education University | https://theartofeducation.edu/

 Studio: Photography

The Basics
In this section, you’ll find practical resources that will inspire you to take a second look at photography and
find fresh ideas for immediate use in your art room.

How to Help Your Students Become Better Photographers

According to Lindsey Moss (2017) it’s never

been easier to share what you do in the art
room with others. From blogs and online
portfolios to classroom websites and social
media sites, there are infinite ways to use
technology to promote your art program.
But, almost all of these strategies also
require the same time eating task: capturing
photographs of student artwork. Continue
reading…

Integrating Photography into the Common Core

Photography possesses many natural

connections to the Common Core, and is an
engaging subject for the art room. Even if
you don’t have expensive cameras on hand, it
seems every student over the age of 11 has a
smart phone these days and schools are
purchasing iPad carts like wildfire. Why not
use this to your advantage!? Something is
better than nothing. After conversations
with several photo gurus and art colleagues and dabbling a bit in my own classroom,
we’ve come up with some solid ideas to get you started! Continue reading as you learn
more from Jessica Balsley (2013)…

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2 Engaging Projects for Beginning Photography Students

According to Raymond Yang (2018)

photography is one of the most popular
electives in his school. He thinks a big reason
for this is because students think it’s so easy
to take pictures. These days, students can
snap selfies and photos anytime, with little
planning or thought. However, when they
try to translate their social media skills to
photography class, many of them realize their skills aren’t quite as sharp as they
thought. Continue reading…

Ease into Technology with a Photo Walk

Andrew McCormick (2015) tries to stay away from

comments like “back when I was your age” or “back
in my day,” as those sentences are like nails on a
chalkboard for middle school and high school
students. But there’s no better way to talk about the
challenge in shifting from working with traditional
darkroom photography to teaching digital
photography. Continue reading…

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How to Get Your Students Thinking Deeply With Photography

One of Raymond Yang’s (2018) favorite

ways to wrap up a middle school
photography course is with something
called the Social Identity Project. It’s a
chance for students to use the technical
skills they’ve been learning while also
digging into deep questions; questions
surrounding identity formation and what’s
important to them. It culminates with a
display of their work and written statements about their various identities.

Focusing on identity development also allows students to look outward. It allows them
to find language and an understanding of how identities shape the world around them
and their interactions with others. This project can lead to some pretty intense
conversations. But, it’s so important and valuable for students at this age to start to
engage with the topic. Continue reading…

Digital Photography (Ep. 111)

Former AOE writer and current AOE

instructor Jennifer Borel (2018) joins Tim to
talk all things digital photography. Listen as
they discuss the ideal types of cameras–and
what to do if you don’t have the budget for
them (5:15), the connections between
photography and other media (9:45), and
how to organize and turn in digital work
(17:45). Continue to listen and/or read the
transcript…

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Digital Photo Scavenger Hunt

One of Jessica Balsley’s (2010) goals was to

incorporate more technology into her
classroom and her teaching. However, she also
wanted to incorporate technology into the
students’ learning and get their eager little
hands on the technology, too. She figured the
only way she would muster up the teaching
courage to put these expensive pieces of
technology in the student’s hands, was to just
jump in head first and do it! Continue reading…

How to Introduce Photography with iPads to Your Students

In today’s “selfie” generation, Wynita

Harmon (2018) believes that photography
isn’t always seen as a high art form,
especially among our students. Therefore, it’s
up to us to share the work of prominent
photographers and showcase what a
powerful form of expression photography
can be.

Luckily, she believes that we can easily capitalize on our students’ love of technology to
do this! And, it couldn’t be easier, especially if you have access to iPads. Sharing the
technical side of photography can help influence your students to think differently
about taking photographs.

Today she’ll be sharing how to introduce your students to photography using the iPad.
However, you could easily use the suggested prompts at the end with any form of
technology to which you have access. Continue reading…

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 Studio: Photography

Techniques
Understanding a wide variety of photographic techniques is one of the key components to creating
compelling and thoughtful photographs. This section will dive into various methods to engage your
students.

5 Student-Friendly Photo Apps You Should Try This Year

Did you take a photography class in college?

If you are like Jennifer Carlisle (2015), that
means you spent a lot of time in a darkroom
trying to get a perfect image. Needless to say,
photography has changed a lot in the last
few years. She would never consider teaching
her middle school students how to develop
film, but with all the digital photo apps
available, she loves using photography in her
classroom. Continue reading…

How to Conduct an Exhilarating Underwater Photo Shoot

Timothy Bogatz (2015) is always looking for

new ways to engage his students. He likes
giving them out-of-the-box challenges that
will make for meaningful memories.
Therefore, he knew underwater photos
would be a hit. The planning of this project
was a collaborative effort between his
students, his student teacher, and himself.
He knew it would be fun, but this project
also provided so many learning opportunities for his students. Through this project,
students gained skills with perspective, foreshortening, portraits, working with figures
and so much more. Continue reading…

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The Best Photo Editing Programs for the Art Room

Abby Schukei (2018) writes that our

students aren’t learning about photography
in the same way we did. Gone are the days of
“hoping for the best” with point-and-shoot
cameras. With technology at their fingertips,
our students are able to take high-quality
pictures from the start.

The smartphones and tablets that make taking good-quality photos so accessible also
have other benefits. Namely, they also make editing those photos a breeze.

Here is a compilation of smartphone, tablet, and computer programs helpful to teach

photo editing skills to your students. Continue reading…

3 Secrets to a Perfect Photography Setup

Do you struggle to capture the perfect

photo? Timothy Bogatz (2018) thinks that
the secret just might be getting out of your
art room! Watch the video to learn three
secrets for taking better photos! Watch the
video…

The Art of Education University | https://theartofeducation.edu/

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The Most Exciting Way to Teach Self-Portraits

Self-portraits. Abby Schukei (2015) believes

that you either love them or you hate them.
The same usually goes for our students. The
idea of peering into yourself and sharing it
with others can be very overwhelming. No
matter what age level you teach, you’ve most
likely come across students who are not
comfortable with themselves. The thought of
creating a self-portrait for these students can
be almost painful! Continue Reading...

5 Pieces of Solid Advice for Your Digital Photography Students

Andrew McCormick (2015) launched a new

digital arts curriculum, and digital
photography was a big part of it. Everyone
claims they know how to take good quality
photos. It’s so easy nowadays with the
advent of smartphones. Just point, click,
slap on a filter, and you’ve got an amazing
photo, right? We art teachers know
differently. We know there’s more to taking a
stunning photo than just having an iPhone
with swanky new apps. We’ve all given our
phone to someone to snap and picture and been thoroughly disappointed… and not just
in how we’re looking —he’s talking bad compositions skills here people! Continue
reading…

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Use These 3 Simple Photoshop Tools to Enhance Your Photos

Does the word “Photoshop” send you into a

panic? Do the words “photo editing
software” have you running for the hills? If
so, have no fear! Jennifer Borel (2015) is
here to tell you that Photoshop doesn’t have
to be scary. Knowing even a few simple tricks
can really take your photos to the next level.
Maybe you’re looking for ways to spruce up
your Artsonia gallery. Maybe you’re a blogger looking to take your online photos up a
notch. Or, possibly, you just want to know how to tweak those precious photos of your
family. Whatever the reason, she has you covered. Continue reading…

The Best Way to Help Your Students Get to Know Their Cameras

During Amber Kane’s (2018) first year

teaching, she handed students a worksheet
that diagrammed the camera and went over
the function of each part. Although the
students took copious notes, as soon as they
had the cameras in their hands, it was like I’d
taught them nothing.

This is because many students learn best by

doing. The next time she taught photography
basics, she let the students handle the cameras right away.

Here are 5 steps to getting started with digital photography. Continue reading…

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10 Photoshop Tricks Every Art Teacher Should Know

Using Photoshop can be overwhelming;

using it with students can be even scarier.
It’s not uncommon for a student to make
one wrong click of their mouse and not have
a clue what they’ve done. As with anything
new, there is a slight learning curve when
first using Photoshop. It takes some time,
but Abby Schukei (2018) believes you will be
amazed how quickly your students catch on.

There are so many features to learn about Photoshop. These 10 Photoshop features and
tricks will help make a better experience for both you and your students! Continue
reading…

The Art of Education University | https://theartofeducation.edu/

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Organization & Management

Sometimes the most daunting part of a photography lesson can be the management of supplies and the
clean up. This section will go through helpful suggestions to keep your art room tidy and your sanity in
check!

6 Essential Tips for Managing Your Photography Classes

When it comes to the photography

classroom, there is so little room for error.
You have the perfect storm of expensive
equipment, a room full of chemicals, and
students moving in and out of spaces
regularly. How can you make sure your
students stay safe, engaged, and on-task,
while also learning a few things along the
way? Continue reading as you learn more from Sarah Ackerman (2018)…

How to Get Your Students Thinking Deeply With Photography

One of Raymond Yang’s (2018) favorite ways

to wrap up a middle school photography
course is with something called the Social
Identity Project. It’s a chance for students to
use the technical skills they’ve been learning
while also digging into deep questions;
questions surrounding identity formation
and what’s important to them. It culminates
with a display of their work and written statements about their various identities.
Continue reading…

The Art of Education University | https://theartofeducation.edu/

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A Simple Way to Help Students Understand Aperture, Shutter Speed,

and ISO

Amber Kane (2018) writes that when

studying photography, students need to
learn aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. But,
those concepts aren’t always easy to
teach. Students need to know what the
words mean and also understand how to
control them on their camera and why they
matter.

Some teachers start with definitions. While definitions can provide a brief
overview, they often don’t make a lot of sense to students and aren’t memorable. To
help students understand the intricacies of each concept, they must be given time to
explore. Continue reading…

10 Photographers Your Students Will Love

Students live in a visual culture, and taking photos

is a normal part of their everyday life. In order to
push students’ work forward and challenge the way
they think about photography, it’s important to
introduce them to new and interesting
photographers. Continue reading to learn more
from Amber Kane (2018)…

The Art of Education University | https://theartofeducation.edu/

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It's Time to Accept That Your Darkroom is Dead

Timothy Bogatz (2016) believes that a

certain romanticism comes with our
memories of working in the darkroom. We
have a nostalgia for chemical processes,
developing film, and the dull red glow that
informed so much of what we did with our
photography. We may miss the excitement
of agitating photo paper in developer,
loading a roll of film, or making a contact
sheet.

But it’s over. We need to face the fact that the darkroom is dead. Continue reading…

Why We Should Keep Darkroom Photography Alive

Like many of you, Amber Kane’s (2018)

heart broke a little (okay, it fell to
pieces) when she read Tim’s article, It’s
Time to Accept That Your Darkroom is
Dead. Is that really the case?

In short, she doesn’t think so.

While Tim presented some points to

ponder, it’s time to explore why darkroom
photography matters and how to keep it
alive in your school.

Amber taught both darkroom and digital photography for eight years. She believes that
watching students experience pure joy spinning through the revolving door of the
darkroom to watch their photos appear should be reason enough to want to keep
teaching darkroom photography. Continue reading…

The Art of Education University | https://theartofeducation.edu/

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Take Yourself on a Summer Scavenger Hunt to Find Exemplars for Your

Classroom!

Matt Christenson (2017) writes that art

educators often venture into the summer
months on the hunt for artistic exemplars.
Sometimes we’re searching for specific types
of art that correspond with our assignments,
and other times we’re simply seeking
dynamic work. When we find great
examples, we often document them with our
cameras. In this way, we can “collect” a wide variety of art to inspire our students.
However, have you ever thought about using your camera in a different way? In addition
to photographing the work of others, what if you used your own photography to
reinforce artistic concepts? Continue reading…

The Art of Education University | https://theartofeducation.edu/

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Photography Lesson Plan Ideas

Fall Photography

Teacher description of lesson: This lesson is perfect for fall. If you’re

into cross-curricular planning, you can couple it with a discussion about how
and why leaves change colors. It’s a great introduction into the parts of the
camera, basic photography guidelines, and simple photo editing. Students have
a blast changing their own photos with the editing program. If the weather
isn’t ideal where you are or you’d rather not take students outside, students can
also set up still lifes with fall objects in the art room.

Narrative Photography

Teacher description of lesson: If a picture is worth a thousand words,

narrative photographs are the kind of pictures worth a whole novel. Encourage
the total creative process through this lesson plan focused on visual
storytelling.

Forced Perspective Photos

Teacher description of lesson: Want your students to use their cell phones for
learning? Then this is the lesson plan for you! This activity is a fun and exciting
way to teach your students how to play with the rules of visual space. Students
will create exciting, playful images by working together to problem-solve and
plan. This lesson is great for team building and collaboration.

Camera Obscura Room

Teacher description of lesson: How do cameras actually work? It’s one thing
to explain the components but quite another to create history’s earliest form of
the camera, the camera obscura. In this group project, students will explore the
steps needed to create a camera obscura and create a room-sized version to
experience. This hook will motivate your photography students, so make sure
that you add it to your curriculum early!

The Art of Education University | https://theartofeducation.edu/