Here at Camp IHC, we want the kids to show camp from their point of view.
This summer, our Camper Media program has been completely redone and revamped to develop campers media skills on a whole new level. Although we’re not even at the halfway point of summer, campers who have come to the new camper media studio have already accomplished so much. From learning how to compose a photo to learning how to light a studio, this summer is shaping up to be the best year ever for this program.
For a few of the younger groups, we started out our media journey with a few scavenger hunts. They were given the task of going out around the media building and taking photos of things ranging from a funky posed shadow to a creative photo using the logs behind the dance studio. Each group brought something different to their photos, and each camper loved looking through their photos at the end of the period. Seeing their finished product was a highlight of their time at camper media, because being able to share the art they’ve created is fun, inspiring, and a positive way to end the period.
With the older groups, including our club and clinic campers, we were able to dive a little deeper into what really makes a photograph. We’ve started to learn about aperture, shutter speed and ISO, and were able to apply all of that in and outside of the studio. We also explored the editing process and what it takes to produce a beautiful photograph. After uploading, the campers were able to go through their photos and see what they had created and choose what they wanted to work more on. Everyone demonstrated their own style through editing contrast, temperature, and even learnt about the hue, saturation & luminance features.
Even rain couldn’t stop us here at camper media, and with the lights off and windows blocked, we painted with our flashlights and learned just how slow our shutters can be!
On the opposite end of the spectrum, some of our groups were able to learn about lighting a studio set! They were able to use the green screen as a background and pose with different lighting setups that they worked with themselves!
With all new equipment we have been able to explore so many aspects and types of photography. Although we’ve only just done a few weeks, we’ve already gotten into storytelling, action, portrait, and in studio styles. The campers have been doing it all themselves, creating ideas, changing camera settings, setting up lighting, and all the post processing. Getting into media at any age can lead to a passion for it, and that is really our goal for the summer. If this first week is any indication of the rest of the summer, this will be the best camper media experience yet. Every kid who has walked in to the studio has brought something different to the table, and those skills will only develop over the summer.
We have big things planned over at camper media, and the work we create will be worth more than 1000 words.
