Homeschool Curriculum: Photography

I get it. You are a busy homeschool mom. And when you look at the subjects you have to include such as math, science, and English, photography is quite easy to overlook as a subject for study. We are all so used to playing on our phones, clicking once to capture a moment and then never looking at the picture again. The craft of photography seems to have been almost forgotten at school. As parents, we tend to think that children know how to take pictures, and we don’t teach these needed skills. Today I want to talk to you about your homeschool curriculum and photography as a needed subject.

The benefits of a child using a camera

Image Credit: Unsplash

One of the joys of homeschooling is that you can choose to redress the balance and incorporate photography into all the subjects you study and explore. Photography is for everyone and for autistic children, it could be a gateway to exploring all kinds of other subjects and ideas. Even if you only have a couple of afternoons getting to know the camera, you can utilize those skills later on to aid learning in new subjects. 

Cameras, photography, and homeschooling

Photography Brings People Together

There is nothing quite like a family photo to bring everyone together and capture a moment. You might be celebrating a special occasion or it could be a spur of the moment thing. Whatever your reason, capturing a family photo shows you as a unit and gives you a chance to reminisce later on. This is the lovely thing about learning to take photos – you also get to make memories too.

Any Family Portrait Photographer will tell you that the best family photos are those that capture you in a candid way. So, while you are learning photography skills together, you might encourage your child to take photos of your family around the house (but do remember to set a few boundaries first!). Family pets are often great subjects for candid photos as well because they are enthusiastic about anything new and won’t request another photo when they aren’t satisfied with the first one. 

Setting up a photo shoot is another fun way to get everyone involved. You could make your own outfits and then take pictures wearing them or you can all dress in fancy attire. I personally love the art of Disneybounding for photos. 

When your child is learning about photography, one of the main skills they are picking up is how to arrange people for the picture. This will help to develop their communication skills while building their confidence in their own abilities and artistic vision. 

Using Photography in your homeschooling. The benefits learned

Photography is About Technical Skills…

When trying to put together homeschool curriculum for photography, do not forget the technical skills. Getting to know a camera is all about learning which functions and settings will achieve different goals. Playing with different options is a fun way to learn how to use camera settings and decide which settings are best for particular picture types. Try choosing a subject and then using different settings and functions to see how the picture changes.

A great tip for beginners is to start by photographing mundane objects. You don’t have to go far to get a great shot and working with what you have at home is perfect. Try putting different objects together to compare textures and colors for interesting pictures. You can also try playing with different lighting options by opening and closing the curtains or moving a lamp into different positions.

As you get to know the camera together, try doing a few photos each day to gradually build your skill set. This is a great way to bring photography into every subject. So, if you are reading a story, you could create a storyboard by taking a picture to represent each scene. If you are doing a science subject, you could take photos and then label them as you learn. 

 

…And Artistic Skills

Art is a really important part of education and it is the best way to help children learn to express themselves. Though the increase in selfies could be seen as an indicator of a narcissistic generation, a more forgiving take is that young people are just more interested in understanding themselves and how they must appear to others. And, for autistic children who may not be able to express their feelings, this is a great opportunity to show you what they can’t tell you.

Building artistic skills takes practice and while there are a lot of tips on how to take a great photo that can come in handy, the thing that will make the most difference is following your intuition. Following your interest as an artist can be incredibly liberating and whether that interest is in capturing beautiful sunrises or simply documenting the state of the washing that piles up each day, photography is an incredible tool. 

Homeschool curriculum: The schools of photography you can teach your children

All too often, people fail to recognize the true value of art as a form of expression. This is ridiculous in a world of TV, film, theatre, music, novels, art galleries and museums! We can’t all grow up to become professional artists, but giving your child a new way to express themselves is invaluable. 

More great resources to teach and develop a homeschool curriculum photography class include: 

4-H (My own daughter got started in her photography business because of a 4-H project)

Local photography clubs

Online classes

Why Photography - Benefits in your homeschool curriculum.

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