San Diego Kids & Teens

Summer Camps

This summer, register for OTL Summer Camps! Our exciting summer camps for San Diego kids and teens dive into digital media topics!



Summer is going to be BOTH Virtual & Hybrid at Outside the Lens! 
Coming Soon - 2021 Virtual & Hybrid Summer Offerings. 

Below is what we offered in 2020!


August 17 - August 21

VIRTUAL


Grades: 9th - 12th

2020 Virtual - A Week in the Creative Cloud

Join us for another week in the Adobe Creative Cloud! Whether you're new to the Adobe programs or just wanting to learn more, we will be diving into Lightroom, Photoshop and Illustrator. In those programs you will learn to create presets, Black & White presets, remove and add photographic elements to an image, create a composite image and create a layered graphic illustration such as a poster or album cover. All sessions will be via Zoom, you will need access to a computer with Adobe Creative Cloud installed and a webcam, as well as a phone or tablet. Each session will be 2 hours long with a short break in the middle.

 
August 3 - August 7

Online


Grades: 7th - 12th

2020 Virtual - The Business of Photography

Are you dreaming of launching a photography business? Do you have a real passion for photography? Join us for our week-long intensive workshop and learn how to run a creative business. From money to marketing, branding to building a client base. Learn from and shoot with professional photographers, building an awesome mini portfolio as you do! All sessions will be via Zoom, you will need access to a computer with a webcam, as well as a phone, tablet and/or DSLR camera.

 
July 13 - July 17

Online


Grades: 3rd - 5th

2020 Virtual - Crafty Cameras

Make magic with crafts and cameras over the course of this one-week virtual camp. You will receive a box with fun creative essentials to learn photography fundamentals as you create double exposure images, stop motion animation videos, nature art, and cyanotypes. You'll have a blast expressing yourself with these camera creations! All sessions will be via Zoom, you will need access to a computer with a webcam, as well as a phone or tablet. In addition, you will need to preload 3 apps to your device. There will be a two one-hour sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You will receive a box of materials to be picked up at Outside the Lens prior to the start of the camp.

 
July 13 - July 17

Online


Grades: 6th - 8th

2020 Virtual - Music Video Makers

Bring together the art of music and movement in this week-long course led by a photographer and filmmaker! Learn from concept to cut how to choreograph with the camera, match motion to music, and engage your audience. Students will receive a box of props and items and have fun working together to create a collective music video. Launch your video on YouTube and watch the views come in! All sessions will be via Zoom, you will need access to a computer with a webcam, as well as a phone or tablet. There will be two one-hour sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You will receive a box of materials to be picked up at Outside the Lens prior to the start of the camp.

 
August 3, 6, 10, 13

Online


Grades: 9 - 12

2020 Virtual Workshop - Visual Resistance (Teens)

Do you want your photographs to stand for something? Do you want your creativity and imagery to spark social change and to move the hearts and minds of those who experience your work? Join us for a workshop dedicated to sharing untold stories of justice, resilience, equality and social movements. Learn how to document these stories with intention and without bias during this four-part workshop. All sessions will be via Zoom, you will need access to a computer with a webcam, as well as a phone or tablet. For Teens, Grades 9-12.

 
July 22, 29, August 5, 12

Online


Grades: ALL

2020 Virtual Workshop - Family Storytellers

What does a day in the life of your family look like? Join us and learn how to tell the story of your family in new and creative ways! We will teach you the foundations of photography to help you create a photo essay, and take you through a poetic journey to tell the story of your unique family. All sessions will be via Zoom, you will need access to a computer with a webcam, as well as a phone or tablet. There will be four sessions, one-week apart, each being one-hour in duration. Session dates will be held on the following 4 dates: 7/22, 7/29, 8/5 and 8/12

 

Happy Customers!

I can’t really think of any way to improve upon the program, as it seems to have been very well planned and thought through. Each individual piece of the program was well organized and detailed, and each piece transitioned perfectly to the next component and also to the bigger picture ... We all enjoyed every aspect of the program and our family loved the final exhibitions!

– Alison

I knew nothing about photography before I began with OTL, but have also learned many things that I use when taking photos in my own life ... As photographers, the students become more observant of the world around them and see things from different perspectives. They also see that photography is a tool for communicating across the globe.

– Brooke

Thank you for giving our students such wonderful photography ... they had an opportunity to express themselves openly and honestly and they were respected for their work.

– Susan
 

Outreach


Since 2001, Outside the Lens (OTL) has delivered its curriculum to 13,000 children in weekly classes, after-school programs, summer sessions, workshops and teacher trainings. Students tell their unique personal stories through photography, video, and other digital media forms while under the guidance of writers, journalists, filmmakers, photographers, artists and teachers. Our outreach programs target under-served and at-risk youth grades K-12 throughout San Diego County and uses participatory photography and video, a method in which students are given cameras and videos to document the issues that concern them. As a 501(c)3 non-profit, our curriculum reached over 5,000 people in 2013.