Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams was a famous outdoor/nature photographer. We're going to see some of his work today.

For your entry task, please check out this website and click through some of his pictures:

http://www.anseladams.com/

After you're done, let's talk about:

1. What did you notice?
2. What made his pictures stand out/appear distinctive?
3. Why do you think this guy is famous? (He is, by the way, famous).

We're going to examine the idea of "making a photograph" vs "taking a photograph" and see what we can learn from Mr. Adams.

Portrait photography

Entry task:
What did Mr. Lok say about taking portraits, or pictures of people?

Objective:
Practice taking portraits/self-portraits.

Working with props
Working with light
Going beyond the basics

Questions to answer:

1) As you look, find 3 ideas that connect with you because they fit your style/you like the creativity. Copy and paste those pictures into a Word Document and explain why they fit your style/you like the creativity.

2) As you look, find 3 more ideas that connect with you because of some technical issue, like lighting. Copy and paste those pictures into a Word Document as well, with explanations of what strikes you technically speaking.

3) What prop do you want to use for your self-portrait?

4) What lighting will you use?

5) Draw an initial sketch.

Photojournalism assignment

Good morning.

You are going to prepare for your photojournalism/photo essay today.

Take a look at the 1 in 8 million series again for a few minutes. You will be creating a photo slideshow like one of the ones you see.

Please answer the following and turn in to the substitute teacher before the end of the period.
1) Who is the subject of your photo essay?
2) Why is this person newsworthy?
3) What kinds of pictures do you hope to capture?
4) Where will you take pictures of this person, to make the photo essay more authentic?
5) What will you do to elevate your pictures from amateur to more professional status?
6) List at least 10 interview questions you have for the subject, that will get them talking like they do in the 1 in 8 million series.

When you're done, please check out this site for some more photographic inspiration.

Bullying Informed Opinion

My expectation is by now, you have developed a more informed opinion on the topic of bullying.

Today, you're going to start writing your informed opinion.

The question is: What should this country do about the bullying problem?

You can tackle the question directly or you can tackle a smaller portion of the question, like cyberbullying, or bullying by girls, or the role of bystanders, or bullying by coaches, or what are the schools' responsibilities?

Aim for about a page. You should back up your arguments with evidence.

Here are the sources you've been exposed to in the last couple weeks. Use this as evidence, along with personal experience:
- the readings about Phoebe Prince
- the cyberbullying stations
   - cyberbullying facts
   - how much are schools responsible?
   - when do words become a crime?
- the poem you read today
- the discussions we have had in class about bullying
- the bullying facts you found from making the video
- the two exemplars (Carrie Ann and John Amaechi)
- empathy you have from making the video
- what you felt/heard/said at Town Hall
- the bullying book you read/are reading
- the documentary we watched, called "Submit"
- the TV show we watched with Anderson Cooper about bullying
- other notes in your folder

Bullying poems

Students will read a poem about bullying.
Students will understand the definition of empathy.

http://www.bestteenpoems.com/poems/bullying/

Find a poem that speaks to you, for whatever reason.
Read it. Copy and paste it to a Word Document.

At the bottom, answer:

1) Why'd you pick it? What about it "conects" with you?

2) What is empathy? Look it up in the dictionary.

3) Try to "walk in the shoes" of someone who is being bullied. What must it be like to feel like you have no hope, or to be that much in despair?

Print it out and put it in your folder.

fairty tale links

Jack and the Beanstalk
Three Little Pigs

Life Photo Essay formula

Some examples of Life photo essays:

Nurse Midwife
Country Doctor
One Ride with Yankee Papa 13

LIFE was a famous magazine a generation ago. People don’t really read it today, but it used to be a great source of photos and history. A lot of families read LIFE together to learn about the world.

As you might guess, LIFE employed a lot of photographers.When the photographer would go out, he or she made sure to come back with certain pictures. This was the formula that the magazine makers wanted photographers to use:

1) Introductory picture – a wide angle or aerial shot that establishes the scene.
2) Medium – a picture that focuses on one activity or group.
3) Close up – zeroes in on one element, like a person’s hands, or an intricate detail.
4) Interaction – people conversing or in action, doing something.
5) Signature – a picture that summarizes the situation with all the key story telling elements in one photo – often called the decisive moment.
6) Portrait – usually a dramatic, well-focused picture of the subject’s head so you can see it clearly, or the person in his or her “natural” setting.
7) Sequence – can be a how-to series of pictures, a before or after, or a series with a beginning, middle and end. Gives the photo essay a sense of action.
8) Clincher – a closing picture that feels like the end of the story.

Go to life.time.com, click through the different decades, or go to life.time.com/history.

Find a slideshow that really connects with you. 

Identify the best picture from each of the 8 categories. Copy and paste them onto a Word Doc file.