Lesson series

ROCK YOUR CAMERA Online 2-Day Camp

Feb 22 & 23, 2025

Online photography course for kids to learn how to rock their camera's manual settings with KPA founder, Janet Pliszka.

- learn, play and experiment with exposure, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO  
- become confident making decisions about your settings rather than having the camera do it for you
- see your photos improve and love how great your photos look!
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Session 1

  • The Exposure Triangle
  • Working with ISO
  • Working with Focal Points

Session 2

  • How Aperture Impacts our Photos
  • Working in Aperture Priority Mode
  • Exposure Compensation

Session 3

  • How Shutter Speed Impacts our Photos
  • Working in Shutter Speed Priority Mode

Session 4

  • Working in Manual Mode
  • Trouble shooting our Exposures
  • Working in Different Lighting Situations
kind words by students

Our students love our
approach to learning

"My 13 year old son really loved participating in the online "Rock your Camera" workshop! He learned so much about his new camera and was super engaged in all the classes. The activities and additional challenges presented really helped to inspire him. He certainly became more confident and creative with his camera throughout the workshop."
JULIE
"Thank you so much for your teaching this week! Our son has always had an eye for detail so it’s great to get proper instruction on the potential of the camera! We appreciate you tackling the whole online piece so beautifully and being able to work with someone like you from anywhere in the world. "
DANA
"My daughter loved the the Rock your camera workshop. It is a great introduction to photography for kids. The instruction was great and my daughter loved the picture taking exercises."
JAY

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time will be spent online during the course?

The group will meet via Zoom twice on Saturday, February 22nd and twice on Sunday, February 23rd.  Our morning meet-up will be from 10:00am MST for 60-75 minutes and the afternoon meet-up will be from 2:00pm MST for 60-75 minutes. Throughout the two days, we will talk about about exposure, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Kids will have the time in between sessions to practice, experiment and play with the concepts learned.  

What kind of camera does my child require to take this course?

The purpose of the course is to get more and more comfortable with taking their camera off automode and putting it on manual mode. So kids require a camera with manual functionality. It doesn't have to be a DSLR but it does need to have aperture priority, shutter speed priority and manual functionality.
Feel free to email me at click@kidsphotographyacademy.com to ask if the camera you have on hand will be appropriate.

What is the ideal age for kids taking this course?

Kids will need to be comfortable with being in a Zoom meeting for 60-75 minutes. An age range of 10-16 is recommended for this camp but of course depends on their focus level.

How will the kids learn in this online photo course?

For each day we are together kids will be taken through a certain concept. The main concepts covered are exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and putting it all together in manual mode. They will see loads of different examples that are shown through screen share that reinforce their learning. We will talk about the technical aspects of what each of those mean as well as how it impacts their image in an artistic way. I will keep the sessions interactive by asking them what they notice (one of my favourite questions!!), ensuring they understand the concept and encouraging questions.
After our time together, the kids have the week to learn, play and experiment with what they learned. They will have a number of challenges to complete before the next class. 
  

Are there are prerequisites for taking this course?

No, there are not any prerequisites for taking the course. However, there is "homework" to be completed before the course begins. It is very beneficial for your child to be familiar with how to change the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO of your camera. They don't need to know why or what happens when you make these changes... they just need to know how to change the values. With it being online, it is very hard for me to look at the camera and tell you how to do this. This information will be included in a welcome section you can access as soon as you register for the course.  
Meet the instructor

Janet Pliszka

Janet is the creator of Kids Photography Academy.   She's been a professional photographer for over 15 years and has specialized in family, school and branding photography.
She's always loved watching kids get curious about her camera and that motivated her to start teaching photography in camps and schools in her city of Calgary. Now, she's thrilled to also offer online experiences for kids everywhere through KPA.  Her students describe her as super encouraging, fun and knowledgeable.
She is all about sparking passion, confidence, and curiosity in kids by teaching them this craft she loves so much.  She looks forward to seeing you soon! 
Patrick Jones - Course author