Seeing School Differently: Photography Workshop at Red Swastika School

Photography is more than simply taking a picture. It is about noticing details, making creative choices and using images to communicate a story.

That was the focus of Make The Change’s recent Photography Workshop at Red Swastika School, where students explored how an iPad can become a powerful tool for observation, creativity and visual storytelling.

Throughout the workshop, students were encouraged to move beyond simply pointing the camera at a subject. Instead, they learned to LOOK, THINK and CAPTURE, considering what they wanted viewers to notice, how they wanted a photograph to feel and which photography techniques could best communicate their ideas.

Learning to See Like a Photographer

The programme introduced students to the foundations of iPad photography and the elements that can make a photograph more effective, including subject, composition and lighting.

Students then discovered five key photography composition techniques, introduced as their Photography Superpowers:

• Rule of Thirds

• Framing

• Creative Perspective

• Leading Lines

• Diagonals and Triangles

Rather than learning these concepts only through explanation, students analysed photographs and considered questions such as “Where are your eyes going?” and “What did the photographer do differently?” before experimenting with the techniques themselves.

Students then explored the school environment with their iPads, taking photographs and applying the different composition techniques they had learned.

This gave them the opportunity to immediately put their learning into practice while looking at familiar surroundings from completely new perspectives.

Turning Photographs Into Stories

The second part of the programme moved from individual photographs into visual storytelling.

Students discovered that while one photograph can communicate an idea or moment, a sequence of photographs can tell a much richer story.

Using a simple Story in 5 Photos framework, students learned to structure their photographs around five steps:

1. Set the Scene

Show where the story is happening.

2. Show Something

Capture the main action.

3. Show a Detail

Move closer and highlight something important.

4. Add Feeling

Capture an emotion or moment that gives the story meaning.

5. End the Story

Finish with an image that leaves the viewer with a clear final message.

Working in pairs, students explored themes such as A Day at Red Swastika School, Kindness, Friendship, Nature Around Us and Hidden Beauty.

The activity encouraged them to think not only about whether a photograph looked good, but also about how different photographs could work together to communicate an idea and tell a story.

What the Students Said

The feedback from the programme was very encouraging.

A total of 16 students provided feedback, with the workshop receiving an average class rating of 4.3 out of 5. In addition, 87.5% of students said they would recommend the workshop to their friends.

Students also demonstrated that they were able to remember and apply the photography techniques introduced during the workshop.

Framing was one of the most frequently mentioned techniques, while students also highlighted creative perspective, rule of thirds, leading lines and triangles.

Some students were particularly proud of photographs they captured around the school’s eco-garden and of a turtle, while others highlighted photographs where they successfully framed their friends, experimented with interesting angles or applied the rule of thirds.

Perhaps one of the most meaningful outcomes came from the students’ reflections on what they would see differently after the workshop.

A recurring idea was that they had discovered that photos can tell stories.

Students also shared that they now had a better understanding of how framing, angles and other photography techniques could change the way an image communicates with its audience.

Building Creative Confidence Through Digital Media

At Make The Change, our digital media programmes are designed to go beyond learning how to use a device or application.

Through photography, students practise observation, creative thinking, communication and storytelling. They learn to slow down, notice details and make intentional choices about what they want others to see.

The Red Swastika School photography workshop was a great example of how familiar environments can become creative learning spaces when students are encouraged to look at them differently.

As we shared with the students at the end of the session:

Before today, you looked at your school.Today, you learned how to SEE it.

We would like to thank Red Swastika School for giving Make The Change the opportunity to work with the students and support their journey as young photographers and visual storytellers.

We look forward to creating more opportunities for young people to explore photography, videography, digital art, animation, storytelling and other forms of creative technology.

Do you want to bring this experience to your school? Get in touch with us!