Teaching Students to See The Unseen: Exercises from Learning Through A Lens

If I could teach my students just one thing, it would be this: There’s always more to see than what’s right in front of you.

We scroll past hundreds of images every day, it’s easy to become visually numb — to stop really looking. That’s why one of the core pillars of Learning Through A Lens is helping students see the unseen: the overlooked moments, the hidden stories, the quiet beauty that lives between the obvious.

Here are a few of my favorite exercises I use in class to help students develop this deeper way of seeing:

1. 50 Steps to Discovery

This is one of the first assignments I give. Students take 50 steps in any direction and stop. Wherever they land — a sidewalk, a kitchen, a park bench — they have to create at least 5 photographs without moving their feet.

At first, they think it’s impossible. But soon, they start seeing things they would normally walk right past: a crack in the concrete shaped like a heart, the reflection in a puddle, the way light hits a discarded soda can.

The lesson? The unseen is everywhere if you slow down enough to notice.

2. Photograph a Feeling

Most students expect photography assignments to be about objects — take a picture of your favorite place, your pet, your breakfast. Instead, I ask them: “Photograph a feeling.”

What does loneliness look like? How would you capture joy without photographing a person smiling? This exercise helps students realize that photographs aren’t just about documenting — they’re about translating emotions into images.

3. The Blind Spot Project

I challenge students to photograph a place they think they know — their room, their block, their classroom — but with one twist: they have to find and photograph 10 things they’ve never noticed before.

This exercise trains them to unsee their assumptions and approach the familiar with fresh eyes. It’s one of the fastest ways to show students that seeing is a skill you can develop — and that they’ve been overlooking stories everywhere.

4. Seeing Through Someone Else’s Eyes

This is one of my favorites because it builds empathy alongside visual literacy. Students interview a classmate about something important to them — a fear, a dream, a memory — and then they have to create a series of photos that capture the world the way that classmate sees it.

Suddenly, photography isn’t just personal — it’s relational. It’s about seeing someone else’s inner world and honoring that story through images.

Why This Matters

These exercises do more than teach students how to take better pictures. They teach them how to slow down, ask better questions, and challenge what they think they know — about their world, about each other, and about themselves.

When students realize there’s always more to see, they also begin to understand there’s always more to learn, imagine, and express. That’s the heart of creative confidence — and that’s why Learning Through A Lens is about so much more than photography.