I hope you are all managing the added stresses and anxieties we are all having at the moment. My school has requested that we prepare for possible shut down by creating lessons that can be delivered via Google Classroom.
I made a start on my Year 10 GCSE photography lessons first and I have decided to not continue with our current project but rather pause that for the time being. So I will be asking students to work on a number of mini tasks and projects to extend their photographic understanding and skills.
Most of these ideas I have developed but a couple have come from this website: https://theartyteacher.com/tasks-to-set-art-students-if-your-school-closes/ which has a number of other great ideas also.
I hope these are useful to you!
Lesson 1 – Street/City life Photographer Research
Research the work of a photographer who has investigated street/city life in their work. You may use the websites below as a starting point for your investigation.
https://www.featureshoot.com/category/street/
Once you have selected a photographer you are interested in complete the following on the attached document.
- Name of the photographer
- 4 images of their work
- A written analysis of one of their photos
Lesson 2 – Angles, edges and corners at home
Look around your home and see if you can find interesting angles, edges and corners to photograph. One idea is to look up! Look at the corners of the walls and ceiling in each room. Does the light change depending on what room you are in? Can you capture different tones on each wall? Take a range of photos and present them on the attached slideshow either using an App such as PicCollage which allows you to put your photographs in a grid or present them in an arrangement of your choosing.
Lesson 3 – Photographic Diary
Your lesson today is going to be spread throughout the day as your task is to create a photographic diary. You can use a phone, iPad or camera to do this, but please think carefully about how you will present this. This diary will have no words because, as the saying goes ‘A picture speaks a thousand words’. You might want to focus on the environment around you. (Buildings, interiors, landscapes) Or your photographic diary might be all about the people in your day. Be as creative as you like. Either use an App such as PicCollage which allows you to put your photographs in a grid or present them on a slide in an arrangement of your choosing.
Lesson 4 – Close Up Photography
Use your mobile phone,iPad or camera to take a selection of close-up photographs around your home or garden. Try getting very close to objects. Think about unusual angles and perspectives. What different viewpoints do you get if you crawl around the room? What great photographs could you take if you look inside objects, or lights or drawers? How can you make every-day objects look different or unusual by taking close-up photographs or cropping photographs? Take at least 30 photographs and then select your best 9. Either use an App such as PicCollage which allows you to put your photographs in a grid, or present them on a slide in an arrangement of your choosing.
Lesson 5 – Photographic Textures
Use your mobile phone, camera or an iPad to take a selection of photographs around your home or garden that have texture. Often when you get up close to wood, wicker, bark, carpet, clothing or other objects you can see the texture of their surface. Take at least 30 photographs and then select your 9 best photographs that have an amazing texture. Either use an App such as PicCollage which allows you to put your photographs in a grid, or or present them on a slide in an arrangement of your choosing.
Lesson 6 – Exploring ‘The Expert Photography’ website
Follow the link below and explore the many articles on the site. Choose an article that appeals to you and read it. On the document attached complete the following (write in your own words – NO COPY AND PASTING:
- Add the name of the article
- What key information have you learnt?
- Find example photos to add to your notes which help demonstrate the key information you have read
- https://expertphotography.com/articles/
Lesson 7 – The Flat Lay
Read the attached article on creating flat lay photography (https://expertphotography.com/flat-lay-photography/). Using items you can find around your house and/or garden create your own flat lay photo/s. Present your best photos on the attached slideshow presentation. Title (name), date and note down the method of recording for each image. For example:
Work space
March, 2020
Iphone 11
Lesson 8 – Paper Experiments
Using any paper you can find at home explore different ways of photographing it. You could try cutting it up, scrunching it, shining light through it, folding it etc. Try to zoom in close to your paper so that you do not get too much background detail, you want the focus to be the paper! Present your best photos in whatever style you like but they must be on the attached document.
Lesson 9 – Five steps photographs
With your chosen camera in hand take 5 steps in any direction then stop! Do not move any further, then looking around you try to capture something you can see. Present your best photos in whatever style you like but they must be on the attached document.
Lesson 10 – Explore the work of Ray Metzker
Many photographers have used light and shadow in their photographic work. Explore the work of the photographer Ray Metzker. Complete the following on the attached document.
- Name of the photographer
- 4 images of their work
- A written analysis of one of their photos
Lesson 11 – Light and Shadow
Looking around your garden and/or house find shadows and sources of light. Capture these using an ipad, phone or camera. Consider looking at close up details, an unusual angle, an interesting composition or a play on colour. Present your best photos in whatever style you like but they must be on the attached document.
Lesson 12 – Colour me red
Explore what is around you and seek out all the items that are the colour RED. Capture as many items as you can using an ipad, phone or camera. Present your best photos in whatever style you like but they must be on the attached document.
Art Room Mess 