Building on the work we did previously, this session developed ideas of composition and focus. We started with a recap. The children tuned back in immediately and were really keen to get back to the cameras. Before that we did some thinking and planning with colourful 3-D shapes, making drawings within a box that represented the frame of the camera with the object centred, then on the RHS of the frame, then on the LHS of the frame and finally in close up. The children used these drawings to create photographs where the object was centred, RHS, LHS and close up.

The extra thinking and planning really seemed to help the children to control their composition and the results were more confident. Focus was an issue so we spent some time on that before repeating the composition exercise but this time working with a precious object from their memory boxes. I worked with one of my own precious objects, a little tea and sugar box that my Da had used as an apprentice in the shipyard in Belfast.

The learning curve this week was really marked. The children’s enthusiasm was infectious and it is great to see that the cameras are beginning to inspire beautiful results.