Homeschool High School Elective: Photography

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My daughter Sierra is in 11th grade. She loves photography and takes amazing pictures and has an incredible eye for picture taking. I can’t even begin to understand how she sees what she does, but I would say it is a gift she has. My new fall blog topper picture was taken by her along with some other very pretty pics. So this year for high school we decided to make photography her elective.

Not finding a lot of online curriculum guides for this topic and not wanting to turn this into another set of workbooks and tests (who wants to kill the joy of something someone loves to do and turn it into a chore? :), I chose to do this on my own. I want the study to be hands on, educational and enjoyable.

I will be having her research various topics about photography (photo taking techniques, different types of lenses, F-stop, Macro settings, etc), research & discuss some on the history of the camera, taking lots of pictures, creating several photo projects and in the spring our local community college has a non-credit photography class available that I will look into her taking.

High school electives are a great way for students to learn and explore topics that motivate and inspire them. Who knows, some may turn into lifelong hobbies and some may be the beginnings of career choices for them.

A few more of Sierra’s recent fall photos…








 

Comments

  1. allisamazingSeptember 27, 2012 at 5:25 PM

    Her photos are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2012 at 5:55 PM

    Our local high school offers photography as an elective and the main focus is fun. Take photos of anything and everything they enjoy.
    The one assignment is to see if the student can make a camera that will take a photo out of cardboard. Make a simple box camera with a pin hole. I'm not sure if this is something you would want to do. Just a thought.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Angel BuffSeptember 27, 2012 at 6:43 PM

    Beautiful photography!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2012 at 7:55 PM

    LOVE the picture with the boots...you're right she sure does have a good eye for a picture :) Definitely something to encourage!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mama G @ bigcraftyblog.blogspot.comSeptember 28, 2012 at 5:23 AM

    Wonderful photos! I love you homeschool posts! I just started this year with my son and we love it. I do have a question though...what did you do to motivate your children when they were younger and "didn't feel like doing school today". I have tried everything I think!!! We have only had a couple of "rough" days. Just wondering :)

    Also, what kind of camera does she have? I just love the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CrystalSeptember 28, 2012 at 12:25 PM

      Nikon L120 http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-L120-Wide-Angle-Black/dp/B004M8SVGQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348860119&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+l120

      She is currently looking for a digital camera that is not automatic w/removable lenses

      Crystal :)

      Delete
  6. SharonRSeptember 28, 2012 at 5:47 AM

    That sounds like a great idea. What were some of your other children's electives? I took my older two daughters out in the cow field and to draw what they see. One drew little bugs, the other, our house. One loved drawing, the other could take it or leave it. I joined in and drew a dead tree. The one that loved the drawing, by the end of high school, wanted to go to a photography institute rather than college, but that never worked out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CrystalSeptember 28, 2012 at 12:18 PM

      Sharon.. over the years and the previous 6 children we have done a lot of various electives.. home ec, animal husbandry (goats, horses, chickens), music, art, carpentry, typing, drivers ed, computer programming, computer related studies (my youngest son will building his own computer this year as part of his computer studies elective), economics, accounting, home-based business.. as well as upper level math and literature studies (beyond what is required).. I'm sure I've left out some.. it is has been a lot of years to cover! LOL.. :D

      Crystal :)

      Delete
  7. UnknownSeptember 28, 2012 at 6:31 AM

    The photos are beautiful! I loved reading this. My oldest is in 8th grade this year, and we are already trying to put together things in preparation for next year, lol. We have talked about electives, and have even touched on things he wants to work on briefly. So far, he knows he wants to do cooking and art.

    Like you said...I don't want to make his electives about workbooks and tests and no longer being fun. Hoping we find the right balance of "yay, this is so much fun" and "oh, hey look what I've learned." :D

    Thanks so much for sharing, and good luck this year! :)

    Katie
    Mom of two boys, trying to tiptoe her way into high school homeschooling.

    ReplyDelete
  8. CathySeptember 28, 2012 at 12:21 PM

    Crystal,
    Sierra's pictures are stunning!! They could be framed for art work on the wall. She has a God given talent no doubt. Thanks for sharing with us Crystal.
    Love ya friend,
    Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  9. CrystalSeptember 28, 2012 at 12:36 PM

    Thank you all for your nice comments on Sierra's photos!

    Crystal :)

    ReplyDelete

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