Camera PlaygroundNo queue for the lights
Every student shapes key, fill and rim light with softboxes, beauty dishes, strip boxes and gels in their own studio, at the same time.
For schools, colleges and photography courses
A photo studio for every student, in the browser.
Camera Playground gives each student their own 3D studio and photography park, with real cameras, lenses and lights, 64 lessons where guides grade every photo, and a final exam. You create the class, students join with a code, and you see who has done what.
Pilots and quotes by e-mail · no card needed · students need no e-mail address
FrameTwelve students, eight focus lessons, two certificates. That is Tuesday evening at a glance.
Why teachers use it
One studio kit. Thirty students.
Light, exposure and lenses are learned by doing, and doing needs a studio, a camera per student and time. Camera Playground puts a private studio on every student's screen, so practice no longer waits for the one kit.
Feedback on every frame
Guides in the app give real-life briefs, show how with "Show me" and grade each photo, so students are not waiting for you to check their screen.
Evidence you can grade
Lessons done, quest scores and exam results land in your progress grid and export to your gradebook as a CSV.
How it works
From nothing to a class taking photos in about 15 minutes.
Create a class
Name it, get a join code, a link and a QR code. Print login cards in one click, eight to an A4 page.
Students join
Class code, a name and a PIN. No student e-mail, no app to install, no Google or Microsoft account.
Teach and track
Pick focus lessons, post lesson links in your LMS, follow the progress grid and export a CSV for your gradebook.
The teacher view
What you see as the teacher.
These are the real classroom pages, with a demo class and invented names. Your classes, codes and students appear in the same places.
Every class has its own code
A bar shows how many of your places are in use. A student counts once, however many of your classes they are in.
A code, a link and a QR code
Open joining lets students type a name and get a PIN; it closes by itself after 14 days. Roster mode lets in only the students you added.
Login cards in one click
Eight to a page, with the class code, the student's name, a PIN and a QR code. Write a real name on the card by hand if you need to: we don't need it.
Students join in seconds
On any device with a modern browser. The page tells them what the teacher sees and that their photos stay on their device.
A progress grid you can read in a glance
Ticks for lessons done, the best quest score against Rio, the exam result and the certificate. Filter by track or your focus lessons; export to CSV.
Focus lessons and lesson links
Choose the lessons for this term: students see them first under "From your teacher". Copy a lesson link, or share it to Google Classroom.
Certificates for students who pass
Switch certificates on per class. In adult classes each certificate has a public verification page; for 13–17 classes it is printable only.
You stay in control of the roster
Add students one by one or paste a list. Show a forgotten PIN, unlock a student, rename, move or remove them.
Screens from the classroom pages (October 2026), demo class, invented names. The teacher pages and the teacher kit are in English; the app itself speaks 14 languages.
What everyone gets
The full simulator for students. The overview for you.
Your students get
- A private studio each: portrait and product studios with real flash, modifiers, gels and a light meter.
- A whole photography park: a fairground at night, a panning lane, bowling pins for depth of field, a landscape lookout, open shade, plus white balance, motion and lens labs.
- Real gear: 149 camera bodies and phones and 161 lenses, from Micro Four Thirds to medium format.
- 64 lessons in 9 tracks, 50 of them guided practice in 3D, with real-life briefs, "Show me" demonstrations and a quest against Rio, the rival, with no hints.
- A final exam of four client briefs, and a certificate when you switch certificates on.
- 14 languages in the app, so students can learn in their own.
You get
- Class codes, PINs and login cards: no student e-mail, open or roster joining.
- A progress grid of students by lessons, with quest scores, exam results and certificates.
- Focus lessons your students see first, and lesson links for Google Classroom, Teams or Moodle.
- CSV export for your gradebook.
- On the School plan, your organisation's name and logo in the app and on certificates, and several teachers.
- A teacher kit: quick start, device check, three ready-to-teach lesson plans and a standards map.
Student privacy, plainly
We know as little about your students as we can.
No student e-mail
Students sign in with a class code, a name and a PIN. For 13–17 classes we suggest first name and initial, or a pseudonym like "Blue Fox 12".
Photos stay on the device
The pictures students take are kept in their own browser, not on our server.
No ads, no trackers
The pages students use load no advertising, analytics or social scripts. We don't sell student data or use it to train AI.
You are in control
Remove a student, a class or your whole organisation at any time. When a licence ends you have 90 days to export, then the data is deleted.
A processing agreement
Your school stays in charge of the data; we process it for you under a Data Processing Agreement (GDPR Art. 28).
13 and older
Classes with younger students only with an agreement signed by the school first.
Our Data Processing Agreement, privacy notice for schools and list of sub-processors come with your quote. Ask for them in the form below.
Plans
Start with a pilot. Grow when it works.
Every plan has the full simulator, all 64 lessons, quests, the exam, the progress grid, CSV export and certificates. Tell us about your school or course and we send a quote, with an invoice and purchase order if you need them.
Pilot
One class, one term
Price on request
- Set up by hand for your class
- Try it with real students before you commit
- Your progress data carries over if you continue
Classroom
One teacher, up to 50 students
Price on request
- Unlimited classes
- A student counts once across your classes
- Ideal for one photography or media teacher
School
Several teachers, up to 250 students
Price on request
- Your name and logo in the app and on certificates
- We add your teachers for you
- Invoice and purchase order
Course providers
Adult courses, priced per student
Price on request
- For photo schools, colleges and universities
- Certificates with a public verification page
- Larger groups and districts on request
A licence for the Mac app on lab computers can be added to a quote. Individual learners use Camera Playground on its own page. See the page for individuals →
Teacher kit
Ready to teach on Monday.
One PDF with everything to run your first lessons: set-up, a device check for your school network, three 45–60 minute lesson plans with exit tickets, a standards map (AQA, NCAS Media Arts, MBO) and support.
Download the teacher kitPDF · 21 pages · 657 KB · English · also in Spanish
- Quick start for teachers
- Device check and a note for your IT department
- Lesson plan 1: exposure
- Lesson plan 2: light
- Lesson plan 3: composition
- Standards map
- Support and teacher FAQ
Pilot or quote
Try it with your class first.
Tell us about your school or course. We reply by e-mail with a pilot for your class or a quote you can send to purchasing.
Questions from teachers
Asked, answered.
NeedleSomething else? Ask in the form, or e-mail support@360apps.net.
Is Camera Playground a course, a simulator or both?
Both. It is a 3D photography simulator, with studios, a park and labs with real cameras, lenses and lights, and a course built in: 64 lessons in 9 tracks, quests and a final exam. Follow the course order or pick focus lessons that fit your own scheme of work.
Which devices does it run on? Does it need installing?
No installation. It runs in a browser with WebGL 2 (current Chrome, Edge or Firefox, or Safari 16.4 and newer) on laptops, desktops, tablets and phones; laptops and desktops work best. School Chromebooks and older laptops vary, so run the device check from the teacher kit on your own devices and network before the first class. The first visit downloads the 3D scenes, which are cached afterwards.
Do students need an account or an e-mail address?
No. You create the class; students join with the class code, a name and a PIN. Teachers use a normal 360apps.net account.
How do you handle student privacy and data protection?
We store a name, an encrypted PIN, class membership and learning progress (plus the name for a certificate if a student prints one). Photos stay on the student's device. The pages students use load no ads or trackers. Your school stays in charge of the data, and we process it on its behalf under a Data Processing Agreement (GDPR Art. 28), which comes with your quote. Students must be 13 or older; younger classes need an agreement signed by the school first.
Does it work with Google Classroom, Moodle, Canvas or Teams?
Yes, through links: post the class join link or a lesson link in any LMS, and there is a Share to Google Classroom button. Grades are not sent back automatically: use the CSV export. Single sign-on and LTI are not available yet.
Can we pay by purchase order or invoice?
Yes. Ask for a quote in the form, send us your purchase order, and we invoice you. Supplier documents are available on request.
Is there a trial?
Yes, as a pilot: we set it up by hand for your class for one term. Your classes and progress carry over if you continue.
Which subjects is it for?
Photography (GCSE, A-level, vocational and adult courses), media and film studies (lighting, exposure, composition), art and design, and CTE or MBO media programmes. The teacher kit has a standards map for AQA, the US National Core Arts Standards (Media Arts) and the Dutch MBO.
Can students use their simulator photos in coursework?
Students can use the photos they make for coursework, portfolios and critiques. Whether simulator images count as assessed work is your exam board's or school's decision; we suggest treating them as practice and planning evidence next to real photographs.
Are the certificates a qualification?
No. A certificate shows that a student completed the Camera Playground course and passed its final exam in the simulator. It names your school or course, the hours and the exam score.
Can individual students buy it themselves?
Yes, on the Camera Playground page for individuals. A class licence is simpler for teachers: you see progress, and students need no e-mail.
Who makes Camera Playground?
360apps, a small software company in the Netherlands, with photographer and teacher Daniel Farjoun, who has taught photography online since 2013.
Your class, this term
Give every student the studio.
Ask for a pilot for one class, or a quote for your school. We set it up by hand and reply by e-mail.
