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Spotlight on Learning: Photography 10-12

March 4, 2021

Inspiring Children's Storybooks

D Atawo, Photography 10 - 12

Driving Question: How can you incorporate elements of visual art and principles of composition with macro photography to create a visually pleasing
and inspiring children’s storybook?

Photography is a unique art form that captures images for a variety of purposes. In this project the purpose was to tell a story. Students were tasked to create innovative photographic images for a specific audience. Before they were able to capture their images, students had to create a story based on one of RHSS’s positive character traits. The stories they created required them to intentionally select and combine materials, processes, and image-making technologies to convey ideas and justify choices.

Teacher Reflection
On top of all the styles and techniques explored during this project, I wanted the students to genuinely understand the importance of intent and preparation in photography. The stories created stated the students’ intentions, and adequate preparation was the only way to make their ideas come to life. I was successful at getting the message across because most students created great stories, and in the end they were able to clearly see if their images were at par with their stories. There were students that were held back in the creation process of their story. To free up more time for photography, sourcing out an original story may be an option for next time.

Student Reflection
During this assignment, I learned many things. I learned about how the point of view of your shot could drastically change the story or message you’re trying to portray. For instance, I was trying to show the ‘lost’ bird in the tree above my main character. If I took the picture from a straight-on POV it wouldn’t have shown the bird sitting in the tree, but since I took the picture from a bird’s eye view, you could see the bird above the character. The most enjoyable part of the process was probably putting the story together after taking the photos. Seeing the hard work and shots I took mesh together into one project was very fun. I liked writing the story on the pages and putting the book together.