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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Teaching HS students about sports photography
Ben Liu, Photographer
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Lubbock | TX | USA | Posted: 5:30 PM on 04.22.10 |
->> I'm trying to put together a 45min lesson plan to teach high school students about sports photography.
I've never taught a class or workshop before and this will be my first time creating a lesson plan.
Please help. Thanks. |
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Landon Finch, Photographer
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Colorado Springs | CO | USA | Posted: 5:35 PM on 04.22.10 |
->> Start with the end: your objective.
What do you want kids to know after they've spent 45 minutes with you? Develop 1-3 objectives and then determine the best way to get kids to meet those objectives. |
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Ben Liu, Photographer
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Lubbock | TX | USA | Posted: 5:39 PM on 04.22.10 |
->> So far I have these as my objectives...
Objective(s):
- The students will be able to effectively use telephoto lenses and high shutter speeds to capture the action in a sports photograph.
- They will produce a picture using basic exposure controls: aperture, ISO and shutter speeds.
- They photograph the “moment”, or peak action that tells the story.
- Students will be able to write good captions that can continue the story and fill in the details that are not apparent in a photograph. |
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Diana Porter, Photographer
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Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 5:52 PM on 04.22.10 |
| ->> I've done this several times. Something that really worked well for me is after speaking for a while about ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc. Show them a slide show of a variety of images from different sports, lighting conditions, etc. The kids then have to identify whether it is high or low ISO (and try to give a range), high or low f-stop, and high or low shutter speed. Don't make it too complicated. By the end of the slide show they really had it down and understood how all three worked together. Another good thing to do is show shots of what not to do, ie backs of heads, limbs cut off, bad backgrounds, underexposure, overexposure, focus, boring sideline shots, etc. |
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Ben Liu, Photographer
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Lubbock | TX | USA | Posted: 6:10 PM on 04.22.10 |
->> and we cannot forget about the zebra shots either!
Thanks! |
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Dirk Weaver, Photographer, Assistant
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Charlotte | NC | USA | Posted: 6:27 PM on 04.22.10 |
| ->> Ben, this is a god thread! Keep it coming as someone asked me to help out with a situation very similar to yours. I was trying to wrap my brain around an approach as well. |
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Kevin Seale, Photographer
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Crawfordsville | IN | United States | Posted: 6:32 PM on 04.22.10 |
| ->> Are the students part of the yearbook or newspaper or are they general photography class students and this is to be an overview of sports as one type of photography? |
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Ben Liu, Photographer
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Lubbock | TX | USA | Posted: 6:53 PM on 04.22.10 |
| ->> This will be a photojournalism class where the focus of the lecture is an introduction to shooting sports. |
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Kevin Seale, Photographer
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Crawfordsville | IN | United States | Posted: 7:08 PM on 04.22.10 |
->> I have done a lot of work with a couple of my local HS's. Since you only have a single 45 min session, I would suggest trying to cover:
- How to set up in Av mode to maximize aperture and limit their variables to shutter speed and ISO.
- Address the issues of in camera metering problems caused by light/dark uniforms and other factors such as background lighting and how to use Ev settings to deal with this.
I love Diana's suggestion of a slideshow with examples. I am going to add that to my plans for future sessions as I think that is a great way to quickly give them some visual references.
I would personally not spend any time or no more than 30 seconds talking about captions. Their regular class instructor should be covering that with them and I think that will cut into your very limited time to talk about actual photography.
I suggest teaching the Av approach mainly as a way to simplify the training since your time is limited. Plus, if your schools are like mine, you will be lucky if they have a lens faster than f/4 anyway so might as well lock that in and talk about how to make the most of it.
If you have any time left, I would then add info about shooting positions, backgrounds, effective cropping and touch on paying attention for opportunities away from the action for good photos.
Good luck. I really enjoy my sessions with the local kids. |
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Brad Mills, Photographer
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Falls Church | VA | USA | Posted: 2:48 PM on 04.23.10 |
->> I would also consider adding:
1) Brief discussion on the importance of knowing the rules, tendencies of the sports you are covering (e.g. in football on 3rd down and 10 yards, there's a good chance you'll see a pass). Importance of knowing your subject.
2) Whenever possible have a slide show to go with your verbal examples. Some kids will learn better verbally, some will learn better visually. (e.g. when discussing using a wide aperture, show a shot with a blurred background and a similar one with a distracting un-blurred background)
3) With only 45 minutes you will not be able to discuss everything. Try to get with the instructor ahead of time to coordinate your presentation with the information that he/she has already covered. You will want to make sure you are not covering ground already covered, but also not too far advanced, either.
4) With spring HS sports seasons in full swing, the kids should have ample opportunity to photograph a baseball, softball, track meet, etc. If you have the time, give them an optional assignment to cover a contest or two at school. Have them post the shots somewhere you can review and critique them. I'd make it optional so that you only get the ones that are really interested.
5) If you really have the time, offer to meet some of the kids at a game. Nothing beats on the job training.
6) Take some notes after your talk. Ask the teacher how you did, what you did well, what did not work. Besides a learning experience for the kids, make it one for you too. The teacher probably won't offer advice unless you ask.
Good luck. |
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Ken Hupila, Photographer
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Babbitt | MN | USA | Posted: 3:05 PM on 04.23.10 |
| ->> Some very good advice here. I've done this for a dozen years in my class. Usually takes about 7 class periods to complete. Aside from the technical aspect, Brad's point #1 is extremely important. Understanding the game and anticipating what is going to happen and where is the key to good sports photography. Once you have that, work on technical aspects to make a good shot, great! Good luck! |
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Amy Wallot, Photographer
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Frankfort | KY | USA | Posted: 3:25 PM on 04.23.10 |
| ->> You may want to consider what type of equipment the students use on a regular basis and talk about using that to maximize the results. If a 50mm is the longest lens they have, shooting center field may be out of the question but may work for a play at home from behind the base. |
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Diana Porter, Photographer
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Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 10:57 AM on 04.24.10 |
| ->> Take all your equipment with you. The kids love to see it and it really helps explain "Fast" glass if they see one and you describe why they are so much larger than other lenses. Explain what monopods do and why they help. Remote triggers, belt and camera carry systems, etc. You can do one whole class on just the hardware alone! |
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Mike Carlson, Photographer
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Bayonet Point | FL | USA | Posted: 11:58 AM on 04.24.10 |
->> A couple of other things to consider - since very few high schools will own anything fast AND long in terms of lenses, I'd really suggest concentrating on positioning themselves, and shooting "within reach" of their equipment. Since many HS students will be 'on assignment' to cover their own teams this is obviously easier than having them try to cover the whole field/court/etc.
One other thing that you might want to consider is a tutorial as well on cropping for effect. I teach HS journalism, and know that many beginning students really do not grasp this concept as well...I know the mantra is shoot tight, crop tighter for many in sports, but when we consider my first point, about a lack of reach for most HS photo equipment, then the cropping can play a role. In your suggested slideshow I'd also consider throwing in a few original-then-cropped examples.
And, with all due respect to Diana, I'd suggest a completely opposite approach...since they will not be using your equipment, I'd only work with THEIR gear, so you can show them what's possible with what they have to work with... |
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Diana Porter, Photographer
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Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 5:43 PM on 04.24.10 |
| ->> Mike, the presentation I give is more about what I do as opposed to trying to take over the teacher's job. I am usually brought in as a guest speaker of sorts. Besides, our gear is much more fun for the kids! Their eyes just light up when you being out that 400 f/2.8 and they get to hold it and imagine what it's like to haul that thing around for 3-4 hours. We use their gear just to show setting on the camera so they can follow along with what I am talking about. |
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Ben Liu, Photographer
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Lubbock | TX | USA | Posted: 5:09 PM on 04.25.10 |
->> Thanks everyone for your advice.
To give some clarifying information, this lesson plan that I'm creating is an assignment for one of my classes.
I am working on my teaching certification to teach high school journalism.
So for this lesson, it will be assumed that my students have already learned some of the basics... so we move to the next lesson, teaching them about sports photography.
Any teachers out there, please help. |
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