teaching and learning

photo by John Balcer (during one of our photo walks)

Lately I've been spending some time teaching my husband how to use an SLR camera. He's got a very cool project coming up where his job will be to photograph an amazing experience (more on that later). The last couple of months have been a crash course in aperture, shutter speed, focusing, composition, lenses, AV mode versus TV mode, exposure and depth of field. I would never consider myself to be a photography expert or worthy of teaching someone else how to use a camera. But, I have noticed that the process of teaching him Photography 101 is a great refresher for me. The mere act of describing how to use a certain setting, or set up a good composition reminds me of the basics. In addition, it forced me to dig a little deeper when John asked me questions I couldn't answer. And the fact that my husband was my student took all the pressure off. I didn't feel like I needed to know ALL the answers and technical terms. I just explain things in simple terms as I understand them and then set him free to practice. We went on numerous photo walks, each with our own cameras. It was also fun to compare the photos later and see how we each interpreted the same subjects.

Comments

[Toni]

I had the same experiance with my best friend. Whats really interesting to me is how we edit photos, even when we use the same editing software our results are so radically different, its neat to see how she crops or adjusts a shot that is similar to my own :)

[Shawna]

i've been doing the exact same thing! (when he lets me teach, that is.) it's a lesson for me to sit back and watch what he captures instead of constantly showing him my way. we definitely see the world differently, which shows when we upload our different shots. i love that he's getting more comfortable with the camera because i'm starting to see my own face in pictures!

[Sebrina]

That's great!!! My husband learned how to use our slr right along with me. He is a fantastic photographer. He just doesn't get as much practice as me. I am going to teach him how to edit because next year when I start shooting weddings he is going to be my second shooter.

[Charlane]

it is fun to do this - I'm going to take my nephew out soon to show him how to work my rebel.

[s.allred]

My husband and I learned how to use our SLR togther and have had a fabulous time sharing the hobby. Our favorite activity is to have photo contests on family outings- we each get a certain number of frames in the same location and we see who gets the best picture. He knows the technical side inside and out and I am a little better on the creative side so we make a great team!

[shelli - mama of letters]

I've always thought that being a teacher is the best way to learn something yourself.

[Gayle]

I have been teaching my youngest son (he's 11) how to use my SLR and it's been a great experience for both of us. I love spending time one-on-one time with him, and seeing his creativity is pure joy!

[Diane]

oh that sounds like fun and in such a relaxed manner too. The other day my husband was talking about things he would like to do in retirement and one of them was to learn to use my camera :) I guess I'll be teacher too eventually.

[maile]

So cool, Paige! How fun it will be to have this in common now.

[spread your wings]

my daughter had an outing just the other day teaching a friend to use his film camera. they had a good time and came back with some good photos.
http://spreadingwings08.blogspot.com/2009/06/he-me.html

[Mod Girl]

My husband is my photography instructor. I love that we share a hobby and can enjoy each other's work. This weekend we co-shot a wedding reception... it was fun to pass that camera back and forth (we only took one), as well as observe the unique perspectives that each of us chose. I learn so much from him when we shoot together.

[Lecia]

My husband and I have been doing the same thing, in reverse - he's teaching me. It's fun.

[Sandy K]

I love teaching. Whether we work with a group of school children to help develop a community project, or I teach a new skill on my blog, I think it's important to share our knowledge with others. We hope that by educating young people we can help them open their eyes to the need for preserving our enviornment and making the world a better place. You can see more about our classroom literacy campaign at www.4pointsphotography.com and by visiting our blog at www.4pointsphotography.blogspot.com.