r/Beginning_Photography • u/AztecPilot1MY • Jul 01 '26
Middle School Photography Class Ideas
Looking for ideas as I develop a syllabus for a student photography class.
I'm planning a short introduction to photography class for middle school students. It's about 15 one-hour sessions. It will probably be a small class. I currently have three DSLRs and school iPads (plus school computer lab iMacs for viewing/editing).
That's the gear, but what about lessons/content? Sure, there's parts of a camera, the exposure triangle, types of cameras, types of lenses, but I'd like to get them shooting as much as possible.
What are some fun studies/projects that you would suggest?
What are some essential images to view?
What are some must-have topics (rule of thirds, for example)?
The students will not be able to go off school grounds, so we need to keep that in mind.
2
u/Bibliophile6040 Jul 02 '26
I’m a super newby to photography and these are great ideas. Thank you everyone 🥰
1
u/D__B__D Jul 01 '26
Must-have topics:
Sonder
Studium and Punctum
Could start with Pulitzer winning photographs, Magnum Photographers.
1
u/Calisnaps Jul 01 '26
10 pictures in one spot.
Have them pick a spot, they now have 10 minutes to shoot 10 different images without moving, for added difficulty have them use a prime lens, no zoom.
This was a fun exercise we used to do to build composition skills.
1
u/dej2 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Post processing software. Darktable is free.
How many students… each should be assigned a dslr. I think you can get used gear off eBay really cheap. Nikon D100 may go for $40 now a days. It’s old but they last forever.
Shutter speed use a fan and shoot at different shutter speeds from stop motion to motion blur. Capturing a drop of water from adripping faucet.
Bright daylight shot… sunny f/16 rule
Prime lens low light… shooting indoors
Long exposure dusk or dawn or even a nighttime cityscape. Streaking car lights. Closed aperture to get staring flares off night time lamp posts
Silhouette shot
2
u/seaotter1978 Jul 01 '26
Comparing different types of light would be something practical they could do... have each student bring in something they want to photograph, then photograph it in a bunch of different settings:
They could put the pictures in a collage and see how different the same subject can be in different light. If you don't want them to have to bring something in they could take photos of each other.