The New Point and Shoot: Photography Lessons Using Phones and Scanners

Abstract

Many teens use mobile technology for communication daily. This chapter describes photo-based lessons that use mobile media in creative ways. Examples include: still-life self-portraits—where students photograph objects that are important to them with a focus on symbolism, lighting, and composition; photo illusions—where students learn about perspective and angles by creating surreal scenes and photo illusions; scanography—where students experiment with composition, texture, layers, and depth when digitally scanning arrangements of objects; and stop-motion animation—where students learn about framing, angles, and pacing by creating short stop-motion videos with varied materials and their smartphones. The goal of these lessons is to encourage students to see their phones as mobile art tools—making art more approachable by including technology that is accessible to students.