Children busy with their phones and moving around the classroom chaotically photographing everything they see. This was the scene during Vision Day, where the school was immersed in creative activities.
As part of the American International School Chennai’s Vision Day, we had a fun 2- day workshop with the elementary school where the students explored photography, editing and tried their hands at creative photography.
The session started with basics of photography and we explored concepts of photography by moving around the school and photographing the different spaces around us. The batch was enthutisatic and bubbling with ideas. An interesting activity was to personify objects. It allowed the students to follow their imagination and create stories on the photos they’ve shot using the editing feature on their phones.
Mr. Elliot, the class teacher, and Ms. Sheema, the teacher’s assistant helped us manage the sessions. The students were able to explore and create many interesting photographs during the time. Excited to see their photos and eager to take more of them, the students kept inquiring about the next class. We ended the program with many photos, fun moments of teamwork and a sense of creativity.
A few shots from the day
Shot by Bavhanashree 
Shot by Josiah Kurian 
Shot by Isabella Vivian 
Shot by Elena Hammond 
Shot by Jinmin Chot
This is what they said
I learned about frame within a frame, leading lines, shapes, angles texture, colour, patterns. I photographed my subjects in different lights and enjoyed making my photo series. The workshop was 5 stars!
Elena Hammond, Participant
I learnt that taking perfect pictures isn’t easy and I learnt the different elements of photography. I photographed many things and created a series . I liked that we stepped out to photgraph and rate this workshop 4 out of 5.
Isabella, Participant
The flow of the days was effective and gave students lots of opportunities to use the camera with specific concepts in mind. This gave students lots of freedom while also building an increased understanding of photography concepts. The different ways that students engaged also supported their learning. For example, when they worked in groups or partners on open-ended assignments such as putting the stack of pics in logical order or finding their names in shapes. They had models to work from as well as time to explore their own creativity.
Elliot Fijman, Teacher at AISC