This science experiment allows students to calculate an object's speed through photography. Set up the camera flat on the floor so that it is facing a wall. Leave a wide open space between the camera and wall. Set the shutter speed to a length greater than one second. Students will then roll balls such as marbles across the floor and in front of the camera while another student operates the camera. With the photograph, students can trace the motion of the object. By measuring the approximate distance the ball rolled across the floor while the image was taken, students can calculate the relative speed of the ball by dividing the distance traveled by the shutter speed time setting.
Photography can be used to demonstrate the presence of stars invisible to the human eye. Choose an outdoor location away from any electric lights. Set the camera on a tripod and point it at the night sky. Point it in a direction away from the moon, as the brightness of moonlight will compromise the image. First, set the shutter speed to a fast setting, then take a picture of the stars. Then take a second photograph with a slow shutter speed of one or two seconds. The second photograph will show the presence of many stars that are invisible in the first photograph, just as they are invisible to the human eye.
By applying different lens filters to alter the appearance of images, students are able to demonstrate how the appearance of the world depends on an organism's interpretation of the electromagnetic spectrum. Alter between "warm" and "cool" lens filters while taking pictures of objects. Note the variation in colors between the images taken with each filter. As a lab write-up, students can research the composition of each filter and describe how the material blocks out certain spectra of color while allowing others to pass through.
Allow students to work with an image-editing program that features adjustable color parameters. Students will manipulate the coloring of images and note the drastically different appearance depending on the color level setting. This demonstrates the subjectivity of human eyesight, in that appearance depends on the colors that are interpreted and emphasized, both in the case of the editing software and in the human eye. Additionally, provide students with photographs that feature both visible and infrared lighting of the same object. This helps students grasp the concept of the invisible electromagnetic spectrum.