My husband is a professional photographer who wants to formally share his knowledge with homeschoolers. Around our town, for instance at family or homeschool functions, someone will ask Sam an innocent question about digital photography and the listener ends up really getting an earful. It seems his advice must be useful as people start pulling out their pens and little pieces of paper to jot things down. 

Last night was such an occassion.  My sister and my nephews came by for a cook-out. (Yes, it did rain briefly but no one cared too much about that.)  Sam got very involved with a very animated discussion about wedding and digital photography with one of my nephews and before I knew it, he was whipping out his Fuji S2 and taking demo pictures of everyone. 

I am thrilled (it is an answer to a prayer actually)  that Sam says he is ready to begin teaching in an organized way so that he can share his knowledge with others.  Both kids and parents around here have expressed an interest in having Sam teach digital photography. His question for you, dear homeschoolers reading this blog, is what do you or kids want to learn about the topic?

Here are some potential topics for an online course:

• Basics of photography-lighting, focusing, filling the frame, etc.
• Brief history of digital photography- understanding the myths (re: archival quality and more), how far we have come, how different than film, why learning only about film, darkrooms, etc. is like "learning only about making horseshoes after cars were invented"
• Hardware- a rundown of consumer, professional and prosumer cameras with pros and cons and tips on maintaining and using.
• Software-discussion of important software to help you get the most out of your digital photographs including the latest version of Photoshop (this will not be a Photoshop class, however, but entry-level tips and general overview will be given- would there be interest in an entry-level Photoshop online course?)
• Accessories-discussion of batteries, chargers, back-ups, memory cards, flashes, etc. to help you get the most from your camera
• Special topics- What is photojournalism?, Photojournalism for child photography, photojournalism for events, tips for photographing children, architectural photography (or taking great pictures of your home or investment properties)
• Home business- Careers in photography: industrial, wedding, child. Photography as a great home business (child, wedding, seniors), importance of intellectual property and passive income. Work as a Photoshop Professional from home- a growing business. Design websites and blogs for photographers. In-home photography. How to build a photography business and get clients.
• Resources-magazines, books, organizations, websites, blogs

These are just a few ideas that Sam quickly came up with for me.

Please leave comments about what topics you or your children might want to cover on the topic of digital photography.

The first 10 comments on this blog to help us out will get the course online FREE when it is completed.