Through+The+Lens

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 * A Digital Photography Feast!**

**Introduction - Basic Set Up**
This unit was based on digital photography for our school art exhibition. The main learning was to develop the Visual Arts but also to establish how powerful a single photo can be. Students learnt about the elements that make an exceptional photo and how to create their own powerful photos.

The theme was Culture so we examined our school environment and culture. As a class we had several sessions together with guided teaching and exploration. Students then worked on a rotation basis to individually, or with a buddy if they chose, go out in the school environment and take pictures based on a 'Round' menu. Each round contained a different set of photos for them to take - the subject matter was solely up to the student. Each day we viewed and critiqued the photos to develop a strong idea of what was a good photo. Students kept a written journal throughout the unit for all 'Round' menus, workings, reflections.

**Achievement Objectives**
Viewing** Students will respond to meanings and ideas in photographs, identifying and describing thevisual features. Students will use visual features of photographs to communicate information.
 * English - Level 2
 * Presenting**

Visual Arts -** Students will identify and explore elements and principles of the digital photography, using a variety of techniques. Students will develop visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, using imagination, observation. Students will descirbe ways in which objects and images can communicate stories and ideas.
 * The Arts - Level 2
 * //Developing Practical Knowledge in the Visual Arts (PK)//**
 * //Developing Ideas in the Visual Arts (DI)//**
 * //Communicating and Interpreting in the visual Arts (CI)//**

**First Session**
Begin by talking about photography and taking photos as a class. Who has taken photos, who has a camera at home. What do we know about photography? What do we like to take photos of? What's our favourite photo and why? Does it make us feel something, remind us of something or someone? Begin the session with a slideshow/notebook of images that instil a feeling/emotion. Simply go through each photo as a class using think-pair-share, small group or whole class discussions: - How does this photo make us feel? - What about this photo makes us feel like this? (images, colours, positions of people, expressions etc)

Start introducing some of the angles and terminology right from the start. If the students talk about how the photo has been taking so we are looking right into the eyes of a person, tell them this is an eye-level shot. The kids need to understand these as an integral part to the unit.

Everyday start using BBC or Times 'A day in pictures' (see links page) and get the students discussing the images. Why are these such powerful images?
 * Check these as sometimes images can be explicit for students.

**Angles**
Next few sessions examine the different angles and shots and why photographers use them.


 * Eye Level**


 * Possum**


 * Snails View

Close Up**


 * Extreme Close Up**

Examine different angles talking about where would be position the camera to take this shot? Then get the students to draw what that would look like into their journals and log the name of the angle. This gives students a reference point to look back at and helps to ascertain students understandings.

Next Sessions
Alongside these lessons during oral language gather a range of photos that students can respond to. What is happening in this photo? Who are the people involved? How do they feel? How do we know what is happening? Get students to start collecting photos from a wealth of places - suggest newspapers, magazines etc to share during oral language time.

Collect ten or so interesing photos - print multiple copies of each photo then cut out something from the image that could look quite plain. Get your students to choose one that interests them. In their journals get them to paste the image where they think it would go and then draw in what they think is happening outside the image. Later, once everyone has finished and shared their examples, expose what was actually happening outside the piece of the photo.
 * Thinking Past The Photo**


 * Photo Framing**