Students often feel overwhelmed by the technical side of photography. It is essential that teachers help their pupils move past this fear and concentrate more on composition and capturing moments than on technicalities.
One way of doing this is to share photography tips they can incorporate into their classes. Furthermore, sharing amusing tales about photography experiences from personal experience may prove useful as well.
Composition
One of the key photography tips for students is mastering composition. Composition refers to arranging elements in a photograph in such a way as to achieve balance and create more engaging images; techniques for doing this include the Rule of Thirds and leading lines, as well as decluttering your background to highlight your subject.
Use curves as another great photography composition tip – they add depth and make the image easy for viewers to follow. Curves can be found both naturally (rivers and roads), as well as manufactured through structures like buildings.
As another photography composition technique, the golden ratio, also known as Fibonacci spiral or phi grid, should be utilized. This rule involves dividing the frame into three by three grids and placing important points of interest at their intersections to guide viewers through and add appeal to your photos.
Lighting
Beginning your quest for great photographs requires selecting an ideal lighting setup, whether natural or artificial light sources. Knowing how to control them effectively will be key to getting desired results; learn techniques like blurring backgrounds or flash photography for added creative effects.
An exceptional photo tells a tale and captures an important moment, so photographers need to be attentive and patient in their search for this special moment. However, the effort made can result in breathtaking photographs.
Critiques are a vital component of learning, so always be ready to critique the images of your classmates in return. Be sure to provide detailed feedback and offer constructive suggestions while responding diplomatically to each critique. Do this both during class sessions as well as outside class time in order to improve your photography – this practice can especially benefit students taking photos for projects or yearbooks.
Aperture
Photography’s aperture controls one of the main elements of exposure (brightness of your photo). By altering your lens’ opening larger or smaller, light can enter more or less. While this can alter overall image quality, aperture also can help you create unique effects like blurry backgrounds known as ‘bokeh’ – something photographers call them!
General rule states that wider apertures will result in sharper images while narrower ones won’t; although there may be exceptions. Also keep in mind that shooting with very small apertures (such as f/22 and below) could result in loss of sharpness due to diffraction.
Beginners may find aperture a bit daunting when photographers refer to it using letters followed by numbers (known as f-stops). To help understand it better, the best way to learn this setting is using manual mode on your camera – this allows you to explore and experiment with all the exposure settings at once!
ISO
As students become familiar with their camera settings, words such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO may arise. It is crucial that students fully comprehend these terms and how they work together for optimal results.
High ISO settings enable image sensors to become more sensitive to light, but at the risk of increasing noise in photographs – and creating grainy effects. Phlearn’s video explains this concept clearly and simply using Star Wars figures!
Depending on the weather or location, sometimes raising ISO can be necessary. Discuss this option with your students as it could help capture natural lighting without using flash photography – perfect for portraiture and landscape photos, plus night photography!