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    • « Conference Deadline Extended | Home | How I help myself get to know the students I work with better »

    Get to Know the World Through Someone Else’s Eyes

    By Tobi Kibel Piatek | April 7, 2008

    In lesson 2 of this course, (Get to Know Your Students) one of the assignments is to design a project that will encourage the kids you work with to share their world in a visual way. I love this project because in my experience, putting a camera into a kid’s hands can have amazing results - for the photographers and the viewers.

    Happily, several of you taking the class have mentioned that you really like the camera safari idea included in the lessons. Well, so does John Waller. John, a  photographer and videographer is the originator of the Photo of the Year (POTY) contest, a fundraising event “poised to achieve international recognition and acclaim, in addition to raising thousands of dollars for the MESD Outdoor School Program!“

    Though POTY began as a contest to showcase great photos of the outdoors, iover the years it has expanded to include a new category for entries – photographers under 18. For information about the contest, click here  Be sure to check out, and share, some of the great winning photos on the site.

    Whether you choose to submit photos or just have fun with a camera, John offers these ten great outdoor photography tips (these may improve your photos too.) Share them with the kids you work with and see what develops. (And, share - photos can be posted to this blog - ask me how!)

    Ten Tips for Better Photographs

    1. Be in the right place at the right time. Get out there, look around, and take your camera. It’s tough to take great photographs if even one of those actions is missing.

    2. Take lots of pictures. Digital photography has opened up a world of possibility to the amateur photographer because now you can instantly review your pictures. Adjust your settings, try different angles, or capture the action at different moments. The more photographs you take, the more likely you are to get a great shot. But remember what worked and what didn’t and apply this new understanding when you take the next picture.

    3. Watch the sun. The best times to take pictures are usually early in the morning and early evening; the worst time is generally midday, when light it most harsh.

    4. Flash away. Just because you are outdoors doesn’t mean you should put away your flash. Subjects in shadow can appear much too dark when compared to a bright sunny backdrop. When using your flash outdoors, the camera exposes the background first, then adds in the flash to illuminate your subject.

    5. Get close up. Investigate the world around you in finer detail and you will discover a wealth of photo opportunities right at your feet. Most cameras have a macro mode that make getting those close up shots of insects and flowers a snap. Or when you are shooting action, zoom in so we can see the beads of sweat on an athlete’s forehead.

    6. Anticipate what is going to happen. To take a great outdoor action shot, you need to prepare for it in advance. What might happen, what would be the best angle, and are your settings appropriate? Then when your buddy cuts a sweet turn on their skies down the mountain, you’ll be there to take the picture.

    7. Use a tripod for low light. Those sweet sunsets, or moonrises, or starry night shots can be really sweet pictures if they are sharp and crisp. But a tripod is necessary because even the slightest shiver or tremble from a hand-held camera can cause the scene to blur.

    8. The rule of thirds. This time tested rule tells us that we should not put the horizon line in the middle of the shot, but rather drop it to the bottom third or the top third depending on what meaning you want to convey. A low horizon conveys a sense of open, vast airiness, and a high horizon instills a sense that the land is the dominant force. The same is true for framing people.

    9. Get a sense of perspective. Sometimes having a person in your scenic picture really impresses how big those mountains, or that cliff, or waterfall, or landscape really is.

    10. Get creative. There are a lot of predictable photographs out there. The unconventional photographs really grab people’s attention.

    Play around with angles and settings and HAVE FUN!

    Topics: Resources for Teacher |

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