Struggling to get your young person away from screens? Sign them up to a school holiday workshop where they’ll learn to use a smartphone to create art.
Flagstone photographer Kylie Williams of KWP Studios is teaching young people the basics of nature photography at a school holiday workshop run through Logan City Council’s KRANK program.
Ms Williams says her workshop encourages young people to get outside in nature and develop good, wholesome skills.
Her workshop teaches the basics of photography including macro techniques for close-up shots of tiny flowers, and fundamentals such as the “rule of thirds” to help compose professional-looking images. She teaches participants how to edit photos on a smartphone and how to use smart phone for local flora and fauna identification.
The session is highly interactive, featuring a “bingo sheet” where young people find and photograph specific local wildlife, native trees and flowers to win a prize.
Beyond the art, there is a practical, potentially life-saving element to the training.
Ms Williams shares a personal story of how smartphone features helped during a family emergency when one of her children was bitten by a spider 40 minutes from a hospital.
“We actually did that little trick where we took a photo with the phone and it pulled [the spider] up and it said it’s a wolf spider and that it’s not venomous,” she says.
“So, we teach the kids those skills too”.
By learning how to use image recognition to identify plants and insects, students gain a functional skillset that enhances their body awareness and connection to the environment.
The program’s popularity isn’t limited to the kids.
Ms Williams said parents and carers often find themselves participating from the sidelines, asking if there are adult sessions available so they can learn the same technical tricks.
Ms Williams said phones were becoming increasingly technical and it was important young people were guided on appropriate phone use.
“I think if we [keep them away from technology] too much, we hold them back because that’s where the world is going. So, we’ve got to teach them how to be able to use it, but also in a safe way,” she said.
The workshop is open to young people aged 5-17 looking to level up their digital skills, provided they bring their own device and are accompanied by a parent for the duration of the session.
The phone photography workshop is on from 9am-10am on Saturday, 4 July 2026 at the Berrinba Wetlands. It costs $2. Book via Logan City Council.
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