I'm teaching Photo Merit Badge - Need Some Suggestions

[pgowder]

I'm teaching photography merit badge to a group of Scouts next weekend.

I'm looking for ideas for some games or exercises to do with them? Anyone seen good websites that have photography games, quizzes, projects?

Thanks!

 

[cpbjgc]

I am assuming you are using digital cameras for the project so you get that immediate feedback. "Ghost pictures" are alaways fun. My son did this as a science fair project last year using long exposure shots to simulate ghost pictures. It's a good project for learning the three parts of exposure (shutter, aperture and ISO), understanding how cameras see light, and applying this knowledge to get pictures that kids think are cool without using photoshop. They got a silver medal for the project, but what they really liked was all their friends asking them how did they do that! The favourite series of pictures was of himself and his partner as "ghosts" playing chess.

 

[Marlton Mom]

Excellent Idea Cpbjgc, and one that you can do with any age, Boy Scout or not. Thanks for the tip!

Pgowder, please let us know what you decide to go with and how the kids liked it


Marlton Mom

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I've been doing some light writing the last few nights and it's been a lot of fun. Using a laser pointer to write on the trucks at work and the guys I work with.

 

[dmccarty]

Have them go take photos of a fence...



They will think you are nuts.

Why take photos of a fence?

To teach depth of field.

Have them stand near a fence post and look down the fence line and focus on say the third post away from them and take the photo. Do the same at various apertures such as F/2.8, F4.0, F8.0, F10, F12.... Compare the results.

Repeat the exercise but focused on say a post six posts away from the photographer.

Something like the photo below but closer to the fence. I think my focus point was on the second post, closest to the camera and from camera right. The post with the pine tree in the background. The post is in focus but down the fence line focus is lost. And in the right part of the frame you can see an out of focus tree branch.

If they are using different cameras and lenses with different focal lengths it will be more interesting.

Later,
Dan

 

[pgowder]

I am assuming you are using digital cameras for the project so you get that immediate feedback. "Ghost pictures" are alaways fun. My son did this as a science fair project last year using long exposure shots to simulate ghost pictures. It's a good project for learning the three parts of exposure (shutter, aperture and ISO), understanding how cameras see light, and applying this knowledge to get pictures that kids think are cool without using photoshop. They got a silver medal for the project, but what they really liked was all their friends asking them how did they do that! The favourite series of pictures was of himself and his partner as "ghosts" playing chess.

What do you mean by ghost picture? Got an example?

 

[NateNLogansDad]

What do you mean by ghost picture? Got an example?

If the weather holds out I'll try to do some tonight. They are a lot of fun to show off to people who don't know what a long shutter speed means

 

[NateNLogansDad]

The rain isn't cooperating tonight but i did find a decent example on the web

http://www.anuragbhateja.com/about-.../ghosty-images-small-and-simple-tutorial.html

 

[photo_chick]

Light writing is a lot of fun and they can use that at campouts too.

 

[pgowder]

The rain isn't cooperating tonight but i did find a decent example on the web

http://www.anuragbhateja.com/about-.../ghosty-images-small-and-simple-tutorial.html

Thanks!

 

[cpbjgc]

I just saw your post. I can't post my son's photos (his friend is in them). As it was an invitation to work avoidance, I decided to do a sample for you. This picture (including processing from Raw) was done in under 5 minutes.

I cleared a space on my desk (but didn't dust) and turned off my office light to just have light from the window to the left.

I set the exposure (ISO 100, Av 22, and Tv 10 seconds). A longer exposure at low ISO is better for these pictures as it allows you to get elements in and out of the scene and cuts down camera noise.

The camera must be steady on a tripod or flat surface. The enemy of these photos is camera movement. I just placed my camera on my desk and propped up the lens.

I set the shutter timer to 2 a second delay. I focused and pressed the shutter and during the 2 second delay I removed the pig from the scene. After the initial click I counted 5 seconds and put the pig back in the scene.

Voila! Ghost pig!

What makes this a good learning exercise is you can adjust the 3 exposure settings to see what impact they have on your ghost (i.e. how solid they look).

Hope this helps!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Awesome pic and so much nicer than when we try to stand still for 10 seconds!

 

[pjacobi]

Start with the fundamentals!

Order a bag of lenses from Edmund Scientific http://scientificsonline.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_424411. Measure focal length and f/stop of various lenses.

Mount lens in a shoe box and focus image onto moveable wax paper screen.

Surprise! The image is upside-down, just like in all cameras.

Explain that "Camera Obscura", is Italian for "dark room". Trace the changes in image capture technology from Italian painter, to various chemical methods, and finally to digital.


-Paul