(4.3) Digital Photography as a Medium

     For this post I would like to share my lesson plan activity because not only do I think it is a fun activity, but I also think it has some important takeaways for children and learners of all ages. Digital photography is at the disposal of most, if not all, children because almost everyone has a cellphone. In your photo's options there are ways to adjust the contrast, highlights, shadows, exposure, color, etc. These are all formal aspects of an SLR/DSLR camera. Kids are already learning formal aspects without being aware. 

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• Use your smartphone to take a photo of anything that attracts your attention. It can be as close up or as far away as you want. 
• The use any app that you’d liked to manipulate your photo to create a mood. 
• Once you have your mood created you can choose to go a step further now that we’re all familiar with digital painting and drawing, and manipulate your image to create a story. 
• This activity should come after discussing the different settings a camera has to offer (a material exploration) like, exposure, contrast, levels, etc. It can help children better understand how to use these settings in more complex applications like photoshop. 
• This lesson can be adapted for anyone with a phone but was created with middle schoolers in mind (6th-8th graders). 
• With this activity, children learn:
• how to frame an image, and be selective about their choices; help develop personal choices
• how to manipulate an image to create meaning, and that an image can be manipulated
• what can objects become 
• help with observational skills and analytical skills; really looking at an object for its potential
• formal rules of photography and principles of design