Photo Dashes: Quick Activities to Teach Composition and Terminology!

May 31, 2025
Photo Dash Activity Card Preview

When I first started teaching photography, I struggled to get students out of the "center the subject" and "take diagonal photos" phases. It took a while, but I figured out a trick - I just needed to give them feedback quicker. 

See, I was determined to get students using the DSLR cameras immediately and wanted them to understand the mechanics of the camera. If you don't know the mechanics, what kind of photographer are you anyway, right?

Wrong. The camera isn't the photographer.

Students need to develop their creative eye and the eye for composition. Without that, they might be a whiz at getting a great exposure, but their images will be lacking.

So I started doing what I call photo dashes. 

Photo Dashes:

These are quick activities (that end up taking an entire class period when done well) that give students an introduction to a composition term or technique, then gives them 10 minutes to practice what they've just learned about. At the end of that 10 minutes, we all come together and review the images and I give them immediate feedback.

Here's the best part - in the first few rounds of this, we can use any camera we want - cell phone cameras, tablet cameras, DSLR cameras, it doesn't matter. What matters is that the students are all getting POSITIVE feedback immediately on their work. This builds the bond and also reinforces the learning.

FEEDBACK

Now of course, not every student will get the technique correct on their first try and I did say POSITIVE feedback, but that doesn't mean you can't also have CORRECTIVE feedback.

Example: I give a quick lesson on the Rule of Thirds. I tell them the goal for the day is to take one photo where the subject is completely centered in the image and then one where the focal point of the subject is placed where the rule of thirds grid lines intersect. The composition of the image shouldn't change, just the placement of the subject.

I show a few example images and then send them on their way to capture their own images.

One student comes back and has two photos where the subject is in the center and the background has changed from one image to the next. I compliment the student for finding great backgrounds for their images and then explain again how I want to see them change the placement of their subject in one composition. I then point out where they could have placed the subject for the second shot in the image that I prefer most.

Another example could be a student who comes back with images that meet the requirements of the technique, but the images are BORING. In this case, I would suggest trying a few things to make the images pop a bit more, such as pulling the subject away from the background, or looking for more interesting lighting.

Leveling Up

 As we progress through the semester or year of the course and we move into more complex projects, I still pull photo dashes out to get the classroom energy going, practice giving and receiving feedback (students start to take over the feedback process as they get stronger), and our "dashes" get a little longer. This might mean that the students start to incorporate editing into their process, or more complex styling or lighting. A single class period photo dash becomes a 2 day event now based on how they want to add on and improve their own work.

 

Photo Dash Cards

As we head to the end of the school year and we have squirrely students, or as we prepare for the beginning of a new school year, these Photo Dash cards are perfect to add to your arsenal - whether you pull them out on sub days, snow days, or the last few days of the school year.

Click Here for Photo Dash Cards

 

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