Getty Unshuttered: A new photo community for teens to build photography skills and tell their stories, their way

Do you have any students who are passionate about taking photos, or are all about curating the perfect Instagram feed?

Photography is such a great medium for young people to express their creativity, whether it’s for the yearbook, social media, or a personal project. And now, the Getty Museum has a new platform for supporting kids in expressing themselves.

The Getty Museum recently launched Unshuttered, an online community created for young photographers. Unshuttered is specifically designed for teens who are interested in exploring photography as a hobby or a profession.

The community at Unshuttered provides power tips to help young people take their photos to another level, and tell their stories in a compelling way that is unique to them.

Take, for instance, Josh, who uses candid photography to correct the misrepresentation of young black people in the media. He hopes that through his photographs, he can show how he and his peers are truly alike on a day-to-day basis, while also highlighting their individuality. Check out Josh’s video here:

Here’s a photography project by a student named Melissa. Through her images, she wants to destroy the belief that women, especially women of color, don’t do real work. So, she captures her subjects from different perspectives in their working environment, drawing the audience into understanding the value of what they do.

Every week, Getty Unshuttered features a challenge to develop young photographers’ artistry. Here are some of the challenges posted in recent weeks:

• Light
• Perspective
• Color

The weekly challenges and candid photography tips will help them improve their craft while connecting with other students who are interested in photography, too.

Encourage the shutterbugs in your class to go to unshuttered.org or download the app for free in the App Store, and start building their portfolio online. 

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by WeAreTeachers and Getty Unshuttered.