I have been recruited this year to revamp the photography and post-production program at a local prep school. The year has presented a lot of challenges and rewards, and I am now in a position to design the best classroom setup for photography that I can. The main genres that I teach are portraiture, fashion / beauty, nature, and architecture.
I would love to get input from you all on what you wish your formal classroom experience in photography would have been, as well as share some of your favorite projects. Even for those who are self-taught, I always love hearing of effective educational tools that have helped along the way, so please do share!
Equipment & Setup:
-All students have Canon Rebels T5s or T6is.
-18-55mm lenses, 50mm 1.8 lenses, and 75-300mm lenses.
-There are three studio setups with a variety of muslin and paper backdrops.
-There are 6 Elinchrom D-Lite RX 2s
-6 softboxes, 3 22" beauty dishes, and a range of grids and reflectors.
-There is also a darkroom with 10 enlargers, however digital photography is my focus.
Technology & Software:
-All students have MacBook Pro laptops.
-All students have Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CS6 or CC.
-Classroom has a projector for display via an Apple TV.
Goals / Needs:
-Way to tether for students to be able to see their studio images right away. USB tether to their laptops is an option, but the idea of running cables all through the classroom is unnerving, and doesn't really allow the other students to see the images with them. May consider routing it through the projector, but would love other idead.
-Engaging project ideas to solidify technical skills.
-Effective educational materials. Please do share some of your favorite books or resources that were effective for you.
Thank you to those willing to share and contribute!
I am currently taking a photography class in high school (which btw is a much lower level than advertised) so i have some input. First, seperate the presentation and the studio area. It is really hard to work effectively in a place that is clearly not a studio. Second, make everything modular and movable. The "studio" areas should not be set up permanently, so that kids can really change everything in it. Have plenty of tripods and light stands and reflectors. And clamps and mounts. IMO nothing is worse than having to tape or prep up something. Have a clearly labeled and wide selection of equipment. I once spent the entire class looking for sync cords, only to end up bringing my own in, all because the teacher was out for a week and assigned a personal project, i wanted to do mine in the studio. And have film cameras and a dark room! I am not eggaderating when i say that being able to learn film helped me a ton. Also have a confortable areas for editing, with plenty of space, good computers (if possible let them choose between mac or pc), comfortable chairs, good gaming mice, ergonomic mouse pad, and labeled keyboard. And, if possible, the Adobe photography cc and other softwares. I wish i had learned Metadata, folder organization, website/portfolio building, photo printing, etc. Just my 2 cents. Hope or helps. Please excuse spelling or grammar mistakes, i am typing this on my phone on a bus with auto correct sometimes and not telling me the correct spelling of the words i actually need help with, like eggaderating, which I'm sure i botched
Thank you for your feedback! I'm not sure if you saw the equipment and software list, but most of what you mentioned we already have. Love your input about the modular design, labeling, etc. I have not allowed first-level photography students to take cameras home, but I will definitely consider that for the advanced students, as I agree, the school isn't the best location for every occasion.
Letting them pick genres is an interesting idea, so I'll definitely see how I can explore that for different projects.
Were there any memorable projects that you enjoyed in your class, or projects that could have been adjusted to be amazing?
Thanks again!
We had a project to take photos of the alphabet, which is cliche but helpful. We also were required to shoot a themed project, which was difficult and frustrating to come up with, but i found a valuable experience
Oh and i forgot! Allow students to do subjects they enjoy! I hate portrait photography but i love playing with outdoor lighting on climbing photos, etc. And allow them to take projects home. I got much better photos at home with friends than i did in class. Just a better environment for me
Ahhh to be born rich haha, lucky students
Haha, I have to say, I'm super jealous of the setup they have. My high school photography experience was very different and limited.
Glad you're not starting them with Full Frame. I've heard of some courses needing full frame cameras.
There's this mentality going on now that people think you NEED to have full frame to be pro and that you NEED full frame to get the best photos. If your students can learn to get great photos with crop sensor (or smaller like 4/3) then full frame is just a bonus and I think they will be better photographers. They will know how to work with what they have and not rely on the gear all the time.
I will likely look into full frame for more advanced courses as I further develop that curriculum, but the main idea is to let the students use products that are more accessible. Because, I agree, aspiring photographers put too much value on high-end gear, and not as much value in maximizing the utility of the equipment they have.
What I wished in my formal educational experience... is less formal educational experience ironically lol. Less traditional. Less book reading more practical real world learning.
I only took a handful of classes to polish my self-taught skills and since I needed electives why not as well.
But I keep hearing and reading from many who took formal education is all they got was networking out of it which was a huge plus, but with the hundreds of thousands they go into debt for that... not sure if its worth the money for the networking strictly. With more practical learning yea more worth it I think, but sadly at least non-profit schools can't afford to do that. Today's world I've seen more the private schools charging tons more and profit really well from those practical courses (like Full Sail University).
I do workshop-style projects with the students, such as bringing in models, stylists, makeup artists, and gallery owners to speak with the kids. A lot of what you mentioned is about college, but these are high school students.
I wish that was the case at my college. Maybe a masters program or some private universities that would be the case, but for community colleges it will never happen.