If I had to teach a class for one hour
If I had to teach a one-hour class to my peers, I would teach a class on photography. One hour is brief: without knowing everyone’s background, it would be hard to teach a more complex subject such as programming, math, or physics.
Wherever I go, my DSLR-style camera is over my shoulder with a spare lens in my bag: I am always ready to take photos. This allows me to see the world differently from my engineer and programming past; I see the world as an artist. I don’t just notice a street. I notice the foreground, background, subject, light, and movement. I’m no longer just a “passerby”. Instead, I’m a creator.
Teaching beginners the basics of photography fits into an hour. On a DSLR or mirrorless camera, images are controlled using the exposure triangle, the fundamental building blocks of photography. Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO all control the exposure level of an image – in short terms, the amount of light. Shutter speed refers to how long the shutter is open for a photo. A long shutter speed allows an artist to create dazzling light trails while a fast shutter speed freezes motion, perhaps of planes or sports cars. Aperture controls the depth of field. This determines if an image isolates the subject or makes a composition of the environment. ISO is the glue between shutter speed and aperture, controlling the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light. In layman’s terms, it raises the amount of exposure in the image without modifying other elements in the exposure triangle.
I would love to share photography with my peers. As a society, we have become engrossed in digital platforms – smartphones, social media, and AI. The more we use these, the more we forget how beautiful the world can be. Photography allows us to disconnect from the virtual world and explore the planet through the eyes of an artist. This class wouldn’t be just be about how to use a camera. It would be about learning how to slow down and notice light, movement, and composition.