3 Reasons to Homeschool Photography
One of the beauties of homeschooling is the independence and control over how your day looks! You can take impromptu field trips to explore different sights, adjust the school schedule to easily fit into different sports or vacations, and learn SO much that might not be offered at a public school or home study school.
One of those out-of-the-box subjects that your student can explore is photography! Photography was a huge creative outlet when I was a teenager; it can be an excellent outlet for your student, too. Today, we will be reviewing three reasons I highly recommend photography for homeschool families:
1. Gives Them a Unique Perspective on the World
It’s easy to take the day-to-day life for granted. You may go to the park as a family and notice the pretty flowers as you walk. But you might not take much notice or think about the deep purples of the petals or the creases in the leaves. Photography allows you to take things a little slower and appreciate the absolute beauty of God’s creation.
Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was to get on the ground and take photographs from an ant’s perspective; I would lie on the ground and see things I would have never noticed if I weren’t at that level. This aspect of photography encourages creativity for your student and fosters wholesome curiosity about the world and God’s design. In fact, we might say it helps them see the world through a new lens.
2. Learning New Technical Skills
Photography is a lot more than just pressing a button and snapping a photo. Although technology has made taking photographs easier than ever, many technical skills can be learned in this art. When composing an image, I teach my students that it is essential to be aware of the background, looking for distracting elements that can take the viewer away from the main subject that they are capturing. For instance, if they are capturing a portrait of their friend in a pretty dress, they should avoid using a background with a dumpster in the scene; it significantly takes away from the main subject and is out of place. This skill not only helps them with taking a beautiful photograph, but also helps to improve situational awareness.
Students also learn lighting, which can help them know what spot is best for a photograph. This skill transfers to other creative outlets like videography and even painting/drawing (such as incorporating shadows into your artwork). This skill alone will improve photographs significantly, and your student will soon be the one everyone goes to for the “Where should we take the photo?” question during your next family photograph!
Manual setting is another component of technical skills that your student can learn. So many people take photographs on a camera’s “auto” mode, which can generally take decent images. But your student will have a lot more control over their image when they learn how to capture it in manual settings. These skills take time to foster, but it will encourage creativity once they get the hang of it! This also fosters a sense of “slowing down” and taking your time. In a world where most things are “go-go-go”, there’s something unique about giving your nervous system a break and being intentional/thoughtful when putting all your skills (manual setting, composition, lighting, etc.) to create a beautiful image.
3. Good Ole Fashioned It’s fun!!
Homeschooling is a lot of work, and everyone deserves to have some fun incorporated into their daily lives. There are a lot of required courses your student must take. Some of them they will love, and some of them will be more challenging. I highly recommend incorporating at least one fun elective per school year. It’s easy to get caught up in the deadlines and the studying and let it take over life. Although all those things are important, students need rest and joy so they don’t get too overwhelmed! Photography can be an excellent way to be a fun, creative outlet that gets them outside and exploring!
Where to Start?
If your student seems interested in photography but you have no idea where to start, I would love to recommend my 7-week class: Photography Bootcamp! This intro high-school course introduces skills like manual settings, composition, light, storytelling, and more! This is perfect for students interested in photography and wanting to learn more.
The course includes “photo challenges” at the end of each lesson, encouraging students to grab their cameras and put their new skills into practice! You even have the opportunity to enroll your student in Instructor Access (optional), which will allow your student to submit their assignments to the course instructor (me!) for detailed feedback and grading. After they take that course, they can take Photography Editing Bootcamp to improve their photos through editing on Lightroom Classic.
Whether you learn independently or take my course, photography offers many opportunities for your children to practice skills, grow in observation, and take life a little slower. Many of photography’s lessons can be transferred into life. Plus, being able to take beautiful photographs for the family is a gift! This is also an extraordinary career your student can pursue wholeheartedly if they desire it. It is also a fun hobby when one needs to decompress from the stresses of daily life.
I hope to see you and your student in class!
