Hi! I’m a hs art teacher and painter. I started a photo club this year even though I had no idea about photography. I was blown away by the photos the kids showed me, mostly freshmen. This is probably because they have been taking pix forever on their phones. They just showed a lot of personality and a natural ability to compose a pix. I have no idea if they are technically any good. So here’s why I’m here. Where do I begin to learn so I can offer something to my students other than transferable painting skills -composition, color, value, etc. I don’t know how to use the DSLR I purchased other than automatic l settings. A book, videos or just a skill to focus on first would be great advice! Looking forward to learning from you all! Lee

Yes, "They insist that their students learn film processes first, "because you can't teach digital photography without understanding film first."" I might have thought or said that too since I really like the history of fields, in arts and sciences. But for completeness sake I would have had to have learned in college Daguerreotyping before using a view camera with Plus-X 4x5" sheet film. And since I was also using color films, my entry in to photographic tools and techniques began in 1935, not 1837 or 1977. So I concede to your point.

Yet, personally as noted I love the history of "things" and am glad I learned film photography decades ago as so many issues that confuse newbies about digital photography are second nature to me now.

Hi! I’m a hs art teacher and painter. I started a photo club this year even though I had no idea about photography. I was blown away by the photos the kids showed me, mostly freshmen. This is probably because they have been taking pix forever on their phones. They just showed a lot of personality and a natural ability to compose a pix. I have no idea if they are technically any good. So here’s why I’m here. Where do I begin to learn so I can offer something to my students other than transferable painting skills -composition, color, value, etc. I don’t know how to use the DSLR I purchased other than automatic l settings. A book, videos or just a skill to focus on first would be great advice! Looking forward to learning from you all! Lee

Although there have been a number of good suggestions given....everyone has missed the most valuable resource. YOUR STUDENTS!

Show interest in their efforts. Ask them to explain what they did and WHY. Have an informal photo contest....let the group make a list of the attributes that made the better images more appealing. Have them teach you! You don't have to be the "sage on the stage."...... I am a retired educator (engineering, chemistry, physics). Over the years, I learned more from my students than I ever taught them. We learned together.

Read Understanding Exposure by Bryan Petersen and Stunning Digital Photography by Tony Northrup.

Oh, my kind mantra: RTFM — Read The *Fine* Manual. ‘Japlish’ isn’t fun to read, and wading through several hundred pages of technological gaga may be torture, but it WILL make you a more tech-savvy photographer.

If your school library or public library has a set of the Time-Life Library of Photography, read or skim that, as it provides many perspectives on many topics in the discipline.

The smartphone and the Internet have democratized photography, a “sport”, hobby, art, or profession that used to have very high barriers to entry (expenses and learning curve). Now, over 90% of all images are made on phone cameras. Photo and video sharing sites are jammed full of great images. There’s still 80% “crap”, but much of that is better than the “good” imagery of 40 years ago.

That’s good! It means your students take for granted many of the concepts we used to have to learn. They still need to learn digital technology (adjustable cameras, various lights, computers, software, calibration tools, printers...), but they already know/assume/process more about imaging than we did prior to 1999.

Your ability to teach and function as a digital photographer is heavily dependent on your knowledge of computers, and the software tools used for imaging. Don’t let it intimidate you, or your students. All of what you learn is applicable to the ENTIRE field of “convergence media” — electronic text composition/typography, telephony, video, audio, photography, web design, and all the combinations and permutations of them.

Regarding film photography: Film is dead! Long live film! It’s now a niche medium. It’s used mostly by old photographers, art teachers, their students, and technological luddites. If you like it, fine. I used it long enough — from 1960 to 2005. I had several B&W and color darkrooms, made tens of thousands of slides as a multi-image AV producer, and ran various parts of a large photo lab in both the film era and the early digital era (1987 to 2005). So I know, first hand, that digital processes are far more precise, predictable, controllable, versatile, practical, and efficient than film/optical/chemical processes. But they do require a broader knowledge base!

Dr. Nicholas Negroponte said it best, over a decade ago: “Bits beat atoms.” Modern and most future imaging is digital. To use film images, other than as prints, we must scan them to digital files.

Your students already understand and believe that bits DO beat atoms! They grew up with mice and smartphones in their hands. I encourage you to teach film imaging as an historical element of photography, and digital imaging as what your students are most likely to use. I can assure you, I’ve not found anything digital photography cannot achieve better than film.

Film may seem to be a less costly medium for schools to teach! It does have a certain “cool factor” for some folks. The catch is, it is no longer the mainstream medium of choice. So teaching film *without*, or *instead of*, or *as a prerequisite to*, digital media, could be cruel and unusual punishment for students.

Digital photography is a crucial element of a MUCH broader media environment. There is art to it, but it is also a visual language, with many related and inter-woven disciplines. You may want to partner with a computer science teacher and/or electronic media arts teacher, English teacher, or journalism teacher to fashion curricula.