Teens can improve the quality of the pictures they take by using these assignments to prompt the way they look at the world through a camera lens. They can take multiple photographs for each exercise to fully explore the skills. Some of the assignments allow teens to compare the results of taking a picture of a subject from different angles or in different lighting situations
Composing Photographs
Composition involves what the photographer decides to include in the image and where they place the subject of the photograph in the picture.
- Take an overall photo of an object, such as a building.
- Take six-to-twelve detail pictures of the subject of the previous photograph. Learn the camera’s minimum focusing distance (found in the owner’s manual) so the pictures don’t come out blurred.
- Take a picture holding the camera horizontally.
- Take a picture holding the camera vertically.
- Take a picture holding the camera at a tilted angle.
- Take a full length picture of a person.
- Take a two-third cropped picture of a person (just above the person’s knee).
- Take a one-third cropped picture of a person (chest and up).
- Take three more cropped pictures, taking a picture of a tree or another vertical subject.
- Imagine three vertical lines dividing the image in the photograph. Place the subject of the photograph along the left one-third line. Next, place the subject of the photograph along the right one-third line.
- Imagine three horizontal lines dividing the image of the photograph. Place the subject of the photograph along the top one-third line. Next, place the subject of the photograph along the bottom one-third line.
- Fill the frame with the subject of the photograph
- Frame the subject with a doorway, archway, window, between two trees, etc.
Change the Angle on Photographs
- Walk around an object that is interesting from several angles. Take pictures from six or eight angles.
- Look up and take a picture of something above your head.
- Look down and take a picture of something below your knees.
- Tilt the camera and take a picture of something from underneath.
- Tilt the camera and take a picture of something from above.
Photography Lighting
Young photographers don’t need to worry about arranging lamps to light their subject. Instead, they can learn how to position themselves and use a flash to maximize the available lighting.
- Stand with the sun behind you and take a picture of your subject. Move to the side so the sun is beside you. Take another picture of the subject.
- Take an outdoor picture of the same location or object at mid-morning, noon, and mid-afternoon of a sunny day and then on a cloudy day.
- Take a picture in the shade.
- Use the flash while taking a picture of an object in the shade.
Try Using Different Camera Lenses
- Take a portrait of a person using a wide-angle lens while standing two feet away.
- Take a portrait of a person using a telephoto lens while standing ten feet away.
- Take a picture of a subject using a wide-angle lens.
- Take a picture of a subject using a telephoto lens.
- Take a picture using each of your camera’s settings, such as portrait, action, close-up, scenic, etc.
Teens can practice changing the composition, camera angle, lighting, and camera setting/lens used while taking photographs. Print the pictures, or view them on a computer screen to compare how doing something different can change how a subject is viewed. As photographers get used to using these skills, they can combine them.
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