Online Homeschool Photography Class for High School from Film School 4 Teens!
As we approach high school, finding elective classes is more of a challenge. I want to find classes that interest my children but also are challenging enough to help my students grow and build new skills. My 13 year old has shown an interest in Photography recently. She is interested in learning to take better pictures with her phone and also how to use our family’s DSLR camera. When we were picking classes for this spring I was looking for a homeschool photography class. I found out Timberdoodle offered Photography 4 Teens, and knew it would be a good fit for my student. Timberdoodle gave us the course in exchange for this review. The opinions are my own.
Photography 4 Teens is an online self paced class for teens with hands-on assignments. It is a ½ credit High School elective offered by Timberdoodle for grades 7-12. They also offers Intro to Filmmaking, and Youtube for Teens all from Film School 4 Teens (FS4T).
Getting Start with Photography for Teens
When you purchase the course from Timberdoodle, you receive 12 month access to the material. The login information came in a separate email from the course creators FS4T. When we set up our course account, I began receiving weekly class progress emails. I liked getting these to know how my student was progressing through the course. It let me easily track her progress without logging in to the course myself.
Section One includes an introduction video and the PDF workbook. I found it helpful for both of us, the parent and the student, to watch the this first video lesson together. It helped us both understand how the course would go and to set some expectations together. If you do not purchase the workbook separately, I would encourage you to print out the workbook now. It is very helpful to guide the student through the videos as well as their weekly shooting assignments.
What to Expect
The Homeschool Photography Class is broken up into 12 sections and designed to take 12 weeks to complete. It is suggested to be worth ½ high school credit. Each section has a Lesson video, workshop example and bonus content. The Lesson video teaches each concept using a smartphone camera and has a matching notes selection in the workbook for filling in the blanks as they watch the video. The Workshop is an example of the shooting assignment for the week and the Bonus content includes teaching the material to be completed with a DSLR camera, if the student has access to one. The bonus videos are not required. My student has enjoyed learning both cameras, and using them in different situations.
There is not a way to turn in the photography assignments taken during the class on the FS4T website. The grading of the assignments is left up to you as the parent. I plan to have my student make a powerpoint presentation with each assignment’s best photos for a portfolio. We will also be using this as a 4-H project and will be judged at the fair this summer.
The Homeschool Photography Class Experience
After getting the account set up on my student’s computer, my teen has been able to complete the Photography Class mostly independently. My student was working on the course during the winter months and found the cold weather more challenging to shoot outside. Gloves and cold were not factors we considered when starting the course in January. But the winter weather also gave some unique photography opportunities with ice on the tree branches and fresh snowfall.
There have been some unexpected lessons built into this course as well. Sections 6 and 7 include working with a model so they needed the cooperation of a family member or friend to complete their assignment. My student had to communicate and plan with a friend or sibling to coordinate schedules to find a time to make it happen. For another assignment it calls for capturing movement, such as a soccer game or running and jumping. Again my student had to plan or create an activity so they can capture this activity. These assignments are unintentionally helping to build other important life skills.
A few of her assignment photographs:
Will this Work for Outside the Box Kids?
I think a homeschool photography class can be a great outlet for Outside the Box Kids because it is all about capturing what they see, and not recreating it with their own hands either by writing or drawing which can be a challenge for some. The technology needed for this course is easily accessible for many students, requiring only a smartphone. Photography can also be an solo hobby that doesn’t rely on the kinds of social interactions that can be frustrating for some Outside the Box students
My student who used Photography for Teens has ADHD, and struggles with executive functioning including time management and planning. It helped that the course is laid out very well and easy to follow. The weekly progress emails I received as the parent were useful to know when my student was getting stuck on the assignments that needed more planning to happen like needing a human model or good weather so i could step in and offer some extra guidance to them.
The course is intended to be a 12 week course, but you do have access to the material for 12 months which gives you lots of freedom to take the course at your student’s pace. You can take breaks or slow down as much as necessary for them to master the material.
Final Thoughts
Even though I have a college degree in video and photography, I didn’t really know where to start to pass on the skills to my kids. Photography 4 Teens provided a solid introduction to the basics and the assignments made them go out and practice the skills they were learning. I also very much appreciated that the instruction included using both their phone and a DSLR camera, so they could practice with both and learn the differences and strengths of each device.
My student is more comfortable using a camera now and has even grown in her ability to see beauty in the world through her photographer eye. You just might see some of her work here on the site in coming months as she builds her skills!
