Camp Canon Program Guide
A PICTURE PERFECT ONLINE PROGRAM
Our goal is to create a comfortable, nurturing, and exciting atmosphere for our Campers through online sessions and photo challenges that spark their curiosity.
Camp Canon programming is largely self-paced and Campers can participate without much parental supervision. However, there are a few things we’d like to share to make the experience for you and your camper as smooth as possible. Please read the following items carefully and keep this guide as a reference.
Campers will meet daily or weekly depending on the section you have selected for approximately 60 minutes.
After registration, parents should have received an email with their specific Zoom login details. Please use that link to login to the Zoom session at the time you’ve registered your camper for.
Zoom is a free and easy to use platform that lets people connect through a desktop or mobile app. It is recommended that you have the Zoom app downloaded on your child’s computer, tablet, or mobile device in advance of the start of Camp. If you don’t already have an account, click here to sign-up for free.
Campers should login to their Camp Zoom session at least 5 minutes prior to the start of their Zoom session and wait for their Camp Leader to start the session. Make sure they have a good internet connection and are situated in a room that’s not too noisy.
Zoom is a reliable and stable platform, however there are times when technical issues may occur for Camp Leaders and/or Campers leading to a delayed start or possibly suspension of a scheduled session. Not to worry, in the rare event that a technical issue occurs, we will email each parent a link to a recorded Zoom session that contains the content for that day and photo challenge information. If you do not receive an email within 2 hours of your session start time, please contact us. Camp leaders will also spend a few minutes in the subsequent session to ensure Campers are all up to speed on the content.
After each session campers will be given an assignment in the form of a photo challenge that can be completed before the next session. Depending on the camper, it should take about 1-2 hours per photo challenge. Some examples of photo challenges are:
- Portraits of a family pet
- Household objects arranged in an interesting way
- Family portraits
- Pictures of someone participating in a sport (i.e. Basketball, Skateboarding etc.)
- Landscapes or nature
- Self-portraits
We encourage campers to spend 1-2 hours on each photo challenge resulting in 30-50 photos, selecting the best ones, editing, and uploading. This generally should not require parental supervision or support, however we leave that up to the parents.
We’ve outlined all camp programming in an easy-to-follow page that can be used as a reference for Camp for your chosen session:
- Part 1: Photo Foundations Program 5-part Program
- Part 2: Beyond the Basics Program 5-part Program
Campers will submit their photo challenge images via Kajabi, which is a free and easy to use online learning platform.
An email will be sent out to set-up the free account prior to the session start and during the first session, more information will be provided on how to upload the photo challenges. After the photo challenge assignment is completed by the Camper, they will upload their photos into their personal Kajabi account via their computer or mobile app. This is a crucial part of Camp and allows for Camp Leaders to discuss individual Camper’s photos in the Zoom session. We ask that photos are submitted 2-6 hours before the start of the next Zoom session.
At the end of Camp, a collage of Camper photos will be shared on the Photo Gallery and possibly Canon Canada’s Instagram and/or Facebook accounts. Photos will not be tagged to ensure Camper privacy. If you wish to not have your child’s photo shared, please email us directly to opt-out and no images from your child will be shared on Canon social media.
Campers are required to have a functional digital camera (e.g. DSLR or Mirrorless) from any brand to participate in this camp.
Although smartphones are great for snapshots, this Camp is about learning the craft of photography and modern digital cameras are powerful tools that far exceed what’s possible on a smartphone.
We know that many households are on a budget and may not have a digital camera. So on top of offering Camp Canon at an affordable price, we’re offering $75 off DSLR and mirrorless cameras for Campers to enjoy for years to come Click here to see your options.
Other gear considerations for Camp:
- Ensure you have at least one memory card for your child’s camera (SD or CF). Anything 8GB or above will do.
- Ensure you have a functional and charged camera battery
- Ensure you have a method to transfer images from your camper’s camera to a computer or device. This can be in the form of an SD card slot on your PC, or an external reader. You can also transfer images from certain cameras with a USB cord. In some cases you can transfer images to a device via WiFi using your camera manufacturer free mobile app. We recommend parents assist Campers in this area as needed.
- A strap is always handy to protect the camera
- A camera bag or backpack is useful if camper’s choose to venture to a local park or play area
No additional or expensive software is required for participation in this course. Campers can use free and readily available apps to enhance their photos and learning as needed.
Photo editing can take place in any app they are comfortable using on their computer or mobile device. We recommend Lightroom Mobile as an option for mobile photo editing. This app is a little more advanced but provides a good learning pathway for future growth. Click here to download the free version of the Lightroom app for mobile devices.
Canon has also developed an app to help photographers and camera users learn their gear and improve techniques for better photography. We recommend downloading this free app for Campers and having them use it as a learning tool before, during, and after the Camp. Click here to download the free Canon Coach app.
Canon Camp is meant to be a fun, inspiring and inclusive experience. We ask that all campers bring an open mind, supportive attitude, and general kindness.
Campers can choose to have their video turned off or on in the Zoom session as they see fit. We ask that if campers have their video turned on that they are fully engaged and listening and not performing any other activities (e.g. checking their phones or playing video games).
We also ask that campers stay for the entire Zoom session. If they need to leave, they should provide a reason to their Camp Leader in the private Zoom chat in each session.
Any conduct that is perceived as distracting or obscene will result in a camper being warned of dismissal from their session or possibly for the duration of Camp. If improper behaviour persists, dismissal from Camp will occur via parental notification.
Our first and foremost priority is to ensure Campers and parents feel comfortable participating in an online program. We have developed a few simple guidelines:
All Camp communication is meant to take place within the confines of the Zoom session where Camp Leaders and Campers may interact, ask questions, and receive guidance on their photo challenges. Parents are encouraged to drop in at the end of session to ask any questions of the instructor/leader during a 15 minute Q&A period following the 1 hour camp delivery.
Additionally, Campers & parents can communicate with their Camp Leader via email. No other digital or telecommunication is permitted (i.e. text, social media, phone etc.) All Zoom sessions will be recorded to ensure there is a record of each session in the event a conduct review is required. These recorded sessions will not be viewed publicly for any promotional or commercial application. They may be used in the future for internal and private Camp Leader training.
Camp programming has been built to maximize the safety of Campers. From the Zoom sessions to the photo challenges, everything in Camp can be scaled to the individual.
Zoom sessions can take place in the comfort of a Camper’s home. Photo challenges can be done inside the house, in a backyard, or at a local park or play area, with parental permission and supervision if required. If a Camper or parent does not feel comfortable with any part of the programming for personal safety reasons, the programming can be modified. Just let the Camp Leader know via Zoom session or email.
We ask that Campers and parents use good judgement if they choose to go outside while obeying all laws and community standards.
No part of this Camp requires interaction with the public in order to ensure that social distancing can be maintained during the Covid-19 pandemic. With parental permission, Campers can choose to interact with family members or others to complete photo challenges (e.g. portraits) while staying within Covid-19 protocols.
We understand that parents have a lot on their plate at the moment and we’re certainly sympathetic. For that reason, Camp has been designed to allow for Campers to be largely independent and for photo challenges to be self-paced.
Parental and/or household involvement would however be beneficial in the following areas:
- Ensuring Campers understand our protocols around Communication, Privacy & Safety
- Helping Campers with any technical set-up they require (i.e. Camera, Zoom, Google Drive etc.)
- Posing for a picture here and there :)
Click here to view the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Camp Canon website if you have questions about anything not covered here.
And if you’re curious about something that isn’t outlined here, please contact us directly via email.
Looking forward to a picture perfect camp!