Kids photography classes, Denver Colorado

WWA offers classes for all age ranges in the many fields of photography. Our youth programs are done on location and are adaptable to the needs of the people we work with. WWA instructors are skilled at teaching photographic techniques to elementary, middle school or high school aged youth. Programs include film and/or digital and are focused in the fine arts educational approach. Integral components of our programs include pertinent educational and personal skills such as language, math, science, history, cooperation, collaboration and self-esteem development.

WWA AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

We invite you to consider the benefits of offering our programs for your school. We have found photography to be a powerful medium for enhancing the goals of public education while offering young people a stimulating afternoon in a photography club. The sense of “being something” and belonging to an important group is strong as each participant creates their own unique vision of the world that surrounds us, sharing that vision with the other students, faculty and family.
We have programs in digital photography, darkroom, and Photoshop. No darkroom or computer equipment? No problem. Most programs are versatile enough to be held in conventional classrooms or unused space in your school. A short meeting can determine which class may be right for your needs. We supply most necessary materials such as darkroom equipment, digital cameras and lighting gear specific for each class, or we can make our own facilities available if needed. Alternate funding options may be available for schools and students with limited resources. Call us to see what possibilities are ahead!

INCLUDED IN ALL PROGRAMS ARE:

Creative processes
Technical skills
Articulate discussions about art
Language skills

SAMPLE PROGRAMS WWA OFFERS:

Pinhole Photography & Blueprinting

Pinhole photography is lensless photography. Our pinhole class teaches how to make a camera with anything from a cardboard box to a coke can! Youth will learn the principles of light, how to expose a paper negative, and how to turn it into a print. Dynamics of lighting, composition, and chemistry are all very important aspects of this course.

With Blueprinting, non-camera images are created with objects and negatives. A blue colored light-sensitive fabric is used in the process to create these amazing, one of a kind artworks. Images emerge with simple exposure setups using bright sunlight as the light source, and an object, negative or positive sandwiched under a piece of glass with the blueprinting fabric. Imaginations go wild as translucence and opacity of each original affect the final result, even a simple tuft of grass can create elegant patterns and shadows.

Learning to See Digitally

This class is an introduction to digital photography for Middle School students. We will start from the beginning, discussing what makes a photograph by looking at photographs by other artists. We’ll discover possible meanings and explore how visual aspects such as composition, lighting and subject matter come together to create meaning. We’ll also discuss how learning the technical ins and outs of the camera and exposure controls will make our own photographs say what we want them to. This will be a digitally based class which will give us the opportunity see immediately what we’ve photographed as well as providing limitless opportunity to make as many photographs as we wish.

Bookmaking & Collage with Photographs

A hands-on opportunity for children encompassing photography (Polaroid/pinhole/digital), collage making and book making. Photography is automatically interactive, inviting children to become even more visually aware of the world around us. Along with a good time, we’ll encourage creativity, attention to detail and overcoming the challenges of combining several kinds of materials. Each child will end up with a real book they’ve made completely for themselves with their own ideas.

Digital Collage

Introduce your students to the world of digital photography and Photoshop Elements. Students will explore their surroundings with digital cameras - learning different ways to make successful pictures. After making a variety of images to work with, we’ll move to the computer lab to explore the possibilities. Students will discover how to make pictures melt together, change colors and backgrounds, and turn normal worlds into alien planets! Creativity and dialogue, plus learning how to critique is key to this class.

CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE PROGRAMS, PRICING, & MORE

303.837.1341

Programs that Working with Artists has created and completed for various organizations to date.

Art Students League of Denver
Summer 2002, Summer 2003
Summer camps in the arts are popular with families and Art Students League offers an excellent selection. When it came to offering photography they needed an imaginative program that didn't require a substantial darkroom, but could introduce the principles of light, film and image. WWA developed programs with instructors Shaun Gothwaite and Kimberly Davis-Butts using a large closet as a darkroom and concentrating on creative ideas, making picture books, photograms and blueprints.

ArtsStreet Project "Evolution of Self" Life sized figures with photo collage displayed at Osage Street Mercado

Lake Middle School Winter 2002, Spring-Summer 2003, Winter 2004
At Lake Middle School the Beacon Project/Mi Casa program sought out Working with Artists to provide a photography program based in community awareness and the environment while giving middle school kids a chance to have fun taking pictures. The 4-week program left the school with 10 Holga cameras and gave the most dedicated participants point and shoot cameras to take home.

ArtsStreet Summer 2003
Working with Artists provided facilities and instruction in Summer 2003 for ArtsStreet, a Denver Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development program. For over 5 years Arts Street has provided a real life job experience for youth apprentices to create works of public art. Our client was the developer for the Osage Street Mercado project in the Baker Neighborhood. Fifteen young apprentices created life sized figures covered with both conventionally and digitally printed images, and words cut from magazines or printed on the computer.

Museum of Outdoor Arts Summer 2004
Working with Artists provided facilities and instruction by Shaun Gothwaite in Summer 2004 for the Museum of Outdoor Arts, "Rage and Resolution" program. This required the teens to take light rail to our location from Englewood to Downtown Denver and work on a weekly theme using pinhole and SLR cameras. Processes used included building cameras, making inkjet negatives, contact printing in sunlight, black and white darkroom printing, scanning, Adobe Photoshop and more.

Summer Camps and Weekend Programs for Young People Summer 2003-2005
Our programs introduce young people to photographic tools and ideas that will entertain and challenge them. Weeklong programs are designed as summer "camps" or can be converted to 10-week after-school programs. Please see descriptions for details. Special excursions and photo-ops are also available. WWA in-house programs are held in our studio and darkroom facilities in downtown Denver.