“Discover” Your Inner Photographer

“I am an amazing photographer!” I had this thought many times throughout my honeymoon, snapping photos all over Italy. I had read zero books, not even the camera manual, and yet the pictures were unbelievable.

How did I become such a great photographer? Well, I had a sweet camera – Canon XSi Rebel – and a memory card that holds 1000 photos. Everyone is a great photographer when you have 100 tries to get it right! But among my masterpieces were hundreds of terrible photos – out of focus, bad angle or wrong point of view. So many moments missed, because I didn’t quite know what I was doing.

I certainly have done my research since then: reading the manual, following photography blogs with helpful tips, and plenty of internet stalking of noted photographers. It makes me wish I lived closer to the Discovery Center of Idaho, where their Sunday Science Adventure gives families a chance to hone their photography skills – and have a little fun – at the same time!

Taking full advantage of their venue, the Discovery Center of Idaho created the Sunday Science Adventure, encouraging visitors to come early, a time when they were previously closed. They even have been giving away free admission to the early session to those who attend the afternoon session, ensuring a large audience for the next week.

“As a hands-on science center we have a multitude of supplies for experiments and activities that are not always available to the public. In an effort to both use our resources to the fullest and encourage all ages to explore science together we created this program,” says Marci Neibaur, the center’s Volunteer Director. “Each week we provide a chance to explore a topic with all ages using the same materials. We normally split a topic into 3 categories, and provide prompts for different ages to explore together. We have volunteers available to help guide and answer questions, and encourage people to explore and not just stick to the ‘directions’ but test things out of curiosity.”

Marci says the photography program will likely allow exploration of optics, image capturing and types of cameras. So many organizations could benefit from events like this. Honestly, every organization could use someone on their staff with these skills for their own marketing (maybe on Pinterest).

Do you have beautiful images in your museum? Consider offering a class to patrons with a private visitation to photograph the works. Have 1000 kids running around your venue? Teach parents how best to capture their child’s experience, since that’s basically the ONLY thing they photograph. Arts & Cultural organizations are filled with perfect photo opportunities. Consider what your patrons would enjoy capturing in your facility and start filling classes.

Everyone will be shooting those “pro” pictures soon!

The Discovery Center of Idaho inspires lifelong interest and learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

• DCI is an interactive science center providing exhibits and educational programs that offer authentic, sensory experiences making the sciences, math and technology tangible.
• DCI fosters lifelong learning and enhances scientific literacy in a collaborative environment for people of all ages and from all walks of life.
• DCI celebrates the pure joy of learning, helping to develop an educated workforce and an informed electorate in stewardship of our planet.
• DCI is built on cooperative partnerships with education, industry and research organizations, public and private.
• DCI will showcase its philosophy and objectives and reflect the region’s resources through its programs, exhibits and architecture.

You can keep up with us on Twitter by following @bbsupport; we use the hashtag #bbaltru when we discuss Altru Museum Management Software . Take a look at our Twitter Guide for more information.

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