#PhotoFestival21 - Day 11 : Music
Create a photo series capturing musical moments: photograph instruments, performers, movements, and emotions, then arrange the images into a mini exhibition or slideshow.
About this activity
Create a photo series capturing musical moments: photograph instruments, performers, movements, and emotions, then arrange the images into a mini exhibition or slideshow.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Gather your materials and bring them to your quiet spot with soft light.
- 2
Step 2
Decide on 4 to 8 things you want to capture such as instruments performers movement and emotions.
- 3
Step 3
Ask friends or family to help and get permission from anyone you will photograph.
- 4
Step 4
Arrange one prop or instrument where you will take the first picture.
- 5
Step 5
Take a close up photo of the instrument showing its details.
- 6
Step 6
Take a photo of a performer playing or pretending to play showing movement.
- 7
Step 7
Ask the performer to show an emotion like joy surprise or concentration and take a photo of their face.
- 8
Step 8
Change your angle or distance and take another photo to add variety.
- 9
Step 9
Repeat Steps 4 to 8 until you have at least 8 different photos.
- 10
Step 10
Look through your photos and pick your favorite 6 to 12 images.
- 11
Step 11
Edit each chosen photo by cropping and adjusting brightness or applying one fun filter.
- 12
Step 12
Choose whether to make a wall mini exhibition or a digital slideshow.
- 13
Step 13
If you chose a wall exhibition hang your photos on the string with clothespins or tape them to paper and arrange them on the wall.
- 14
Step 14
Invite family to view your display and tell them the story each photo shows.
- 15
Step 15
Share your finished photo series and mini exhibition or slideshow on DIY.org
Fun facts
How do I guide my child to create a photo series of musical moments for #PhotoFestival21 - Day 11: Music?
Start by planning a simple theme (instruments, movement, or emotions). Make a shot list: wide stage, close-up instrument details, action shots, and candid emotional reactions. Practice framing and using burst mode for movement. Encourage kids to tell a story with 6–12 images. After shooting, sort favorites, add short captions, and arrange images into a mini exhibition or slideshow. Invite family for a small opening to celebrate their work.
What materials and equipment do we need to photograph instruments, performers, movements, and emotions?
You’ll need a camera or smartphone with a decent camera, fully charged batteries and spare memory card, a simple tripod or steady surface, and a small reflector or lamp for low light. Bring a notebook for shot ideas and permission slips for performers. For display, use basic editing software, a printer or slideshow app, and frames or string and clips to make a mini exhibition at home.
What ages is this musical photography activity suitable for?
This activity is adaptable: preschoolers (3–5) can point-and-shoot with supervision and choose favorites; early elementary (6–9) can learn framing, close-ups, and basic sequencing; tweens (10–14) can experiment with angles, motion blur, and simple editing; teens (15+) can take full creative control, edit slideshows, and plan exhibitions. Tailor tasks, supervision, and technical complexity to each child’s skill and attention span.
What are the benefits, safety tips, and creative variations for a music photo series activity?
Benefits include improved observation, listening skills, storytelling, and fine motor control. Safety tips: always get permission from performers, avoid shining bright lights or flash into performers’ eyes, supervise near instruments, and respect personal space. Variations include black-and-white emotion studies, stop-motion sequences of movement, portrait series of musicians, or adding short audio clips to a slideshow to combine sound with images for a richer exhibition.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use instead of clothespins, string, or a camera if we don't have them?
Use a smartphone to take your photos, hang prints with ribbon or yarn instead of string and use binder clips or poster putty instead of clothespins, or tape photos to paper for the wall display (step 11).
My action photos of performers are blurry—what should I try?
Ask the performer to exaggerate movement, switch your phone to burst mode or a faster shutter/ISO if available, and move to a brighter spot with soft light to reduce blur when taking the movement shot (step 6).
How can I adapt this activity for different age groups?
For younger kids, limit choices to 4 easy subjects, help them ask permission and let them stick printed photos on paper with stickers (steps 2, 3, 11), while older kids can shoot more subjects, try different angles, and do more detailed editing and captions before sharing on DIY.org (steps 6–9, 13).
How can we enhance or personalize our photo series or exhibition?
Add short captions or a title that tells the story of each image, create a themed color edit or use one consistent filter during step 9, include background music in a digital slideshow, or decorate the hanging string with colored tape or matching ribbons for the wall exhibition (steps 9–12).