Photography 1

Photography 1 is a fun class! Most of my students have NEVER used a film camera or a dark room and I get to be the person to introduce it to them! That is what I love about teaching Photography 1.

This course takes the student through the history of photography, camera handling, camera functions, developing film, developing pictures, how to use a dark room, how to use an enlarger, etc…

We began the year taking notes, learning vocabulary, and the history of photography. We turned my classroom into a “Camera Obscura”, so that when the students created their own pinhole camera they would understand what was happening inside of their own camera. Students were to bring in a box, oatmeal can, or tea can to create their pinhole camera. Students had to make their camera light tight by spraying the inside with a flat black spray paint so that light would not refract when it entered the box/can. Then students had to make an aperture using a piece of aluminum can and a needle. Students then used black duck tape on the outside to make sure light would not leak into their box/can and used the duck tape to make a shutter to cover their aperture.

I demonstrated how to make a pinhole camera, how to fill it with photographic paper in the darkroom, how to take a picture, how to develop using photographic chemicals, how to dry and store their negative.

Students are in the process now of taking pictures using their pinhole cameras. Students have to log every picture they take onto a pinhole camera log in sheet. This allows them to track location, weather conditions, time shutter was open, and if their negative was under/over exposed or perfect. Students will take 20 negatives and then pick the six best negatives to convert into positives.

Photographs are showing a students negative, log-in sheet, and notes. Also, shown is a student taking pictures with their pinhole camera.