Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Enriched by Photography


I am very lucky to work at a school that believes in enrichment for all students.  We offer a variety of different activities, where students are able to explore new interests and learn beyond the curriculum.  Another teacher and I do a photography class; today was our fifth session. 

How rewarding to be able to share some of what I know about photography with children, then to have them really embrace the ideas.  We've talked about composition, close-up and action photos, zoom, backgrounds, and even the Rule of Thirds.  Imagine how impressed I am, then, to have a 6-year old be able to tell me - after only a few sessions - what macro and telephoto mean!   It is amazing how much they are able to understand and remember when you do things that are outside the box. 

Something else happens, too, when I teach photography to children:  I get the opportunity to see things through their eyes.  They create still lifes in ways I wouldn't have imagined, see things from angles I've never thought of, and share a joy in the learning of it that is infectious. 

It makes me wonder...  Are they the lucky ones, or am I?

2 comments:

Shannon said...

What a lovely blog! and I love this story about teaching kids about photography. My good friend has a lovely preteen daughter who loves taking pictures and she did not have a decent camera, so, my sister and I donated one we weren't using to this great kid and her photography has really taken off. (I am cowgirlatheart on ETSY)

photoworks by dawn said...

Thank you so much! :) There truly is something about kids with cameras - they don't have the inhibitions we sometimes do, and they can really fly with them. I always love watching what inspires them. Thank you for sharing your story!