Grade: 7-12 Subject: Photography
1. Topic-
ART of PHOTOGRAPHY
Take a Great Selfie-Add mood to a photograph-Build a Photograph with Intent
 
2. Content-
Being a huge proponent of the "Learn by Doing” school of thought, I've come up with three captivating lessons to teach a teenager, or even a whole classroom of teenagers, the ART of photography. And if a bit of science comes along for the ride.
Selfies – if you can't beat -em, teach -em!
 
3. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-
1.Photographs offer interesting lighting, great emotion and hopefully some creative compositions. Students will compare the works of their favorite artist to some random selfies. But the selfies aren't from the class and that they will be anonymous. The point is to contrast and compare the work of portrait artists to the quick and dirty selfies, showing how light, contrast, backgrounds and emotion can make one image memorable, while the other is simply forgettable.
The object of their "Backstory” is to instill the desire among the students to create their own innovative and memorable self-portraits. I will ask the students what it is in each of the professional photos that makes them unique and powerful. On the opposite side of the coin, be sure to ask them what it is about the selfies they find lacking.
2.Once again, we will use some sample images to fill in their "Backstory”, but this time they wouldn't use the works from a single photographer. Instead, look to their own collection of photos, or browse through Flickr or 500px to find photographs that convey a "mood.” Don't just look for the dark, sad photos. Moody photos can be happy as well. What exactly are you looking for? Photos that convey a mood often leave a lot to the imagination. The "missing” information in a shallow depth of field photograph is a good example. So are the soft streaks of color in a long exposure. An over-exposed photograph can convey a feeling that's completely the opposite of a dark and gloomy one.
There are certain objects that instantly convey a mood; a solitary bench, a puppy, barred windows, a fast car, a dirt road, a single tree…the list goes on and on. Some of the most common "mood” photographs are of sunsets, sunrises and well, just about anything that is shot in the magic hours that around those sunsets and sunrises. Of course, a photograph of a golden retriever riding in a wagon in the middle of a hot, summer afternoon is going to have a mood all of its own too.
3.This lesson will go pretty fast. I will list all of the terms I can think of that involve photography on the chalkboard. Just jot down words like "Composition” and "f/stop” and -Focus”. I will go through the list with the students and see if they can identify which word applies to the science of photography and which applies to the art of photography.
We're all hit over the head with the technology behind photography. Words like Megapixels and Focus Points roll off our tongues so often any newcomer to photography would be forgiven if he thought the whole endeavor was strictly an exercise in gathering the best technology. But it isn't. Photography is an art and I'd like to see more students using words that conveyed that fact. And the more we talk about composition and emotion and mood, the more people will realize that fact.
4.Anybody who has ever had an English class, and I assume that's just about everybody, knows how to diagram a sentence to identify its parts. Or, if you're like me, you at least remember the concept even if the details are fuzzy. It's been a long time since the 7th grade. The object of this lesson is to identify the various "parts” of a photograph and then use those parts to "build” a new one. The trick is this; the parts the students identify will be from an image that is already produced, sitting right in front of them. The image they are going to "build” will come straight from their imagination.
To prepare, I will print a total of four images on the front and back of a piece of paper. Black and white images are fine for this lesson. Now have the students identify all of the parts of each photograph. The parts will include: the subject, the background, the type of light, the mood, and the technique. This isn't a test, so it's fine for me to help the students identify all of the parts. They may need some help with the technique.
 
4. Objectives-
1.Students will learn camera basics
2.Students will learn how to think out of the box and tap into creativity in
3.Students will feel more confident with a new skill they will be able to use immediately and continue to grow and show throughout time.
 
5. Materials and Aids-
DSLR Camera, Computer, Notebook, Pen
 
6. Procedures/Methods-

A. Introduction-

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B. Development-

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C. Practice-

1.Using some of the sample photographs from mine/their favorite portrait artist, I will have the students take a look and describe the backgrounds they see in each shot. Ask them these questions as they inspect the images. Are the backgrounds sharp and in focus, or soft and blurry? Are the backgrounds darker than the subject, lighter or a combination that is both darker and lighter in certain areas? Do the backgrounds take away from the subject? In other words, are their eyes drawn to the background instead of the subject? Is there a lot of the background showing, or does the subject take up the majority of the photograph? The object is to get them thinking about every part of the photograph, from corner to corner, and not just the portrait itself.Have the students point out both the location and the strength of the shadows as you circle the student and compare how the light "feels” from one location to another and with and without the diffuser. It's important to convey that there is no "Right” answer with lighting a portrait. Light is simply a tool the photographer uses to convey a feeling or emotion. I might ask the students which kind of light looked the most "dramatic”, and which kind of light seemed the most "flattering”.
Our faces tell our stories, but that doesn't mean all of our chapters are flawless. Our skin can be blemished, our noses crooked and our chins doubled, and the selfie/portrait photographer has the choice of highlighting each of these features, or downplaying them. And while lighting can play a part in this, posing is easier to control and much more effective. A great resource for portrait posing is 8 Posing Guides to Inspire Your Portraiture
And now to the assignment, and it's a simple one. Simply I will ask the students to come back to class with two portraits, either of themselves or someone else on a flash drive. The two portraits must have different backgrounds, different lighting and unique poses, and the students must be ready to explain the choices they made and why they made them.
2.The students will number a sheet of paper, with the numbers corresponding to the photos i'm going to display. After I display the first photograph, I will tell the class to write down the first emotion, feeling or mood they feel when they see it on the line numbered 1. Continue down the list, but go faster and faster as I progress through the slideshow.
At the end of the show, I will ask the students as a class what they wrote down for each photograph. The answers should be the same or similar for every photo. If not, take a moment to discuss the various answers and see if the photograph either failed to convey a mood, or perhaps conveyed a number of moods.
3.Now the fun part. I will Instruct the students to create four images using the same parts as they identified in the printed photographs. In other words, if the first image contained 1) an object, 2) in low light 3) conveying a happy mood and 4) shot with shallow depth of field, that's the shot your students would be tasked with producing. When they're finished,the teen photographers will know how to "produce” a photograph in their head before they go outside with a camera. And with that "intent” they'll become artists before they know it.
 

This Lesson Plan is available at (www.teacherjet.com)