Digital Photography as a Medium (4/3)

Source: Bess-Hamiti, pixabay.com

With children starting to get cell phones at earlier ages, digital photography is almost a perfectly accessible medium for them. Children are already taking photos on a daily basis and sharing them on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat and other downloadable picture editing apps already allow them to add different filters, lighting, and effects to their photos with the touch of a button. Since kids are already taking pictures and editing them on a daily basis, it's a perfect opportunity to discuss what they're doing in class and introduce new assignments and ways of thinking that help them see digital photography as an art form.

For example, children may try out multiple different filters on a photo before choosing one they like, but an arts project could make them more aware of the effect on mood that different filters and colors have and how artists using digital photography can take advantage of this.

Children also start to create their own portfolios of images when they upload them to Instagram or Facebook, creating albums or adding tags to organize their photos. In this way, students could also be pushed to create a series of photographs that speak about an issue or even a story conveyed through images.

Students can also explore how to take their existing photos and combine them with the traditional materials they've learned in art class before. For example, students could print out photos and use them as collage material or paint or draw on top of photos to combine digital and traditional.