Mural Project Photo day #1. Assigned 10/14, due 10/14 - Multiple grades with this project

 Today you will be out taking photos for your mural project. Everyone will have their own camera, but I would work as a group to make sure you each get the photos you need to take for this project. You will have access to your project folder before you walk out the door. 

You are responsible for your OWN IMAGES, but since this a group project, you should work with your team to make sure there is consistency with your photos so each individual project looks cohesive.

I will check out cameras, go through getting them all set up, go through the rules for being outside of the classroom, make sure you have passes, and then let you go shoot for about 45 minutes. When you return, we will download the images together so you have them on your computer.

If you miss today, there will be another day next week to take photos.

I will be out on Friday, there will be a new assignment waiting for you that day. It is a preview activity for out next unit: Game Design.

Mural Project Planning day. Assigned 10/9, due 10/14 - Minor

 Mural Project

This will be the first day to plan your project. I expect a detailed plan from your team. 

1. Meet with your team to decide upon a theme. Be very detailed. Every person on your team will need to take multiple photos and the more you help each other plan that out, the better your project will be. For example, if you decide to do a "rainbow" theme. Make sure you assign colors to every member. And then brainstorm actual objects for your team to go take pictures of. Do you want to have similar objects, or different? The more details the better. It needs to be cohesive and make sense. You are free to choose what you want. This theme must be something you can accomplish at school. All photos will be taken during class next week.

HERE ARE SOME SIMPLE IDEAS: Shapes, colors, nature, food, architecture. Here is a link with lots more: https://www.theatreofnoise.com/2008/05/250-photography-themes.html

2.  Every member of the team must FULLY plan how they will organize the photos to best show them off. To do this each member will create the following on a sheet of paper:

    A drawing that shows me where the photos will go on their mural.

    A label showing me who will take each specific photo

    A sketch OR words that describe what each image will look like.

3. You can have different ideas on how to show off your photos. You are also all allowed to have a similar plan if you wish. You will be using Canva to layout your designs, so you have lots of flexibility to design your project the way you want. The only common element MUST be that you use all of the photos that each team member provides.

Here are the requirements:

1. There must be 32 photos submitted with your project, which means each person must provide 8 photos, except group 5 who will each need to take 7 photos (a total of 35).

2. You must have a coherent theme that I can see in the photos.

Here are the deadlines:

All photos must be taken by Thursday, Oct. 16 - you will have 2 class periods - ALL PHOTOS WILL BE TAKEN DURING CLASS TIME.

You will have the following week to actually finish the project in Canva and turn it in. The project is DUE on Thursday, October, 23 by the end of the period. You will turn in your Canva product on your Google Site. I will share more information next week on how to do this correctly.

There will be multiple grades for this assignment:

1. A self-grade - grading your own efforts
2. A group grade -grading the efforts of the rest of your team
3. A deadline grade - achieving the multiple deadlines associated with this project
4. A completed task grade - your final grade, I will use a rubric for this and you will have it in advance

5. A peer review grade - you grading another teams project - you will actually grade 3 other projects and you will get a grade for accomplishing this on time

Here are some examples - REMEMBER YOURS WILL NOT BE PHYSICALLY MADE, YOU WILL USE CANVA TO CREATE YOUR MURAL:

Here are the groups for each class:

8th period:

Group 1 -  Aryan, Max, Kassi, and Jaiden

Group 2 - Sutton, Chloe, Taylor, and Liam

Group 3 - Hannah, Charles, Nicole, and Dylan

Group 4 - Solo, Makenna, Hayden and Buddy

Group 5 -  Seungjin, Salomon, Daniel, Malek and Oliver

Mural Project Preview. Assigned 10/7, due 10/9 - Minor

 It is time for our first group project of the year. For this project you will team up with a group of four people to create a photo mural. In the past we have created physical versions of this mural, but this year, you will create a digital version. We will use Canva to do this. While you will work with a team of people to come up with a theme and to generate images for the project, you will create your OWN mural. To do this you will need to meet with your team to come up with a theme, and to decide who will take what photos.

For years artists have used wheat paste to basically graffiti open spaces in urban settings. While the unauthorized use of wheat paste is illegal, many cities around the country have started designating places where artists can safely and legally produce wheat paste-based art. They appear in places like NYC, Seattle, Minneapolis and other places. Austin used to have its own version at Castle Hill downtown (perhaps some of you went there in the past). Here is a link to some images taken there:

Hope Outdoor Gallery

To prepare for this assignment I think we should look at wheat paste art, specifically with photography. To be clear, I am not endorsing doing this in a destructive way. It is just another way to take a digital idea and convert it into an analog product.

Please make a new Google Site subpage called Mural Project preview, and as you work your way down this assignment, answer the following questions:

Let's start here - make sure to look at the gallery at the top (there are 6 images): 

Watersville

1. Why did Watersville decide to commission this project?

2. What was 1 interesting thing you learned about wheat paste products?

3. Pick one quote from the story that you think really defined the project to the community or the artists. Share it with me.

Now go look at what is happening in Denver, CO, again make sure to click through the gallery at the top  AND READ THE CAPTIONS BELOW THE PHOTOS (there are 13 images in this slideshow):

Wheatpasting Denver

4. Why is Denver embracing this type of art?

5. What are three things on Mark Sink's "wishlist" (There is a photo gallery at the top of the page, you will need to click view slideshow and look through the captions to find this answer)?

Check out one of the Denver artist's here: Mark Sink - Denver

6. Screen shot 3 images from The Big Picture installation that you like and share them with me on your Google Site.

Here is another cool project that was done in Atlanta: Atlanta

7. What was the goal of the artists who created the Neighbors Connected?

8. Who did they take photos of?

Now it's your turn:

11. Think of at least three ideas you have about what your team could take photos of, that are in the same theme? Be creative, but be realistic. You will be shooting ON campus, and every member of your team will need to be able to take similar photos or whatever you decide to do as a group. Use some of the examples you found above to drive your concepts. I am very, very open to strange ideas and new things. Share them with me.

Our next assignments will be to get into groups and start planning this project. I will be assigning the groups. Your group will meet to talk about theme and plan the project. You will have to decide the format that you want this to take. How can we show off 30+ images in a digital fashion that still holds true to this project intentions?

Africa and Abandoned Theme Parks. Assigned 10/2, 10/3 at the end of the period - Minor, Minor

Africa

Visit the following website. IF THIS WEBSITE DOESN't WORK PLEASE DO A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR NICK BRANDT AND SEE HOW MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HIM YOU CAN ANSWER!

http://www.photographyoffice.com/blog/2014/5/on-this-earth-a-shadow-falls-across-the-ravaged-land-by-nick-brandt-photography

1. On your Google Site make a new subpage called Africa and post your reactions to what you read and what you saw. How about 3-4 sentences.

2. Do a google image search for Nick Brandt, find your favorite photo and post it on your blog.

3. Describe it and tell me why its your favorite.

4. What rules of photography are evident in the photos you selected, be sure to explain the rule to me?

Do a google/wikipedia search for Nick Brandt

5. What kind of camera and lens does he use and why is this important?

6. What is his reason for taking these photos?

7. What is his hope by taking these type of photos?

8. Find something he has to say about Africa, and post the quote on your blog. 

Now go to the following website:

https://create.adobe.com/2018/6/8/opening_eyes_nick_br.html

Answer the following questions:

9. What is Brandt's newest focus with his photography?

10. What was the process he did to create these new images?

11. What effect do you think his work might have?

12. How did these new images make you feel? Describe the emotions you felt as you scrolled through them.

Abandoned Theme Parks

Open a browser and go to Google and do a Google image search for the following locations:

Prypiat Amusement Park, Pyrpiat, Ukraine

Holy Land, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

Gulliver’s Kingdom, Japan

Six Flags, New Orleans, USA

Land Of Oz, Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA

Spreepark, Berlin, Germany

Kpo Land, Okpo City, Geoje Island South Korea

Dunaújváros Vidám Park, Dunaújváros, Hungary

Joyland, Wichita, Kansas, USA

Akakanonuma Greenland, Hobara, Japan

and

http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-21-creepiest-abandoned-amusement-parks-20140225-htmlstory.html

Make a new page on your Google Site called Abandoned Theme Parks and please complete the following:

1. Tell me which amusement park that you learned about today that you would like to visit and take your camera along and what about that park made you want to go there. Write at least a paragraph.

2. Post one photo from that park. You may use the photos from the link, or you can google an entirely new photo. I would prefer to see a photo of the park in disrepair and not a photo of it when it was still operating.

3. Think of at least FIVE other unusual places you think would be of interest to photographers. List them. For example: A cemetery

4. Use google or another search engine to research ONE of the five places you came up with and see if anyone has already started documenting that place. If you find that someone has already started - post at least one photo of their work. For example: do a Google Image search for cemetery photos and see if anyone has specialized in cemetery photography. I found this guy 

Cemetery Photographer

Here is a photo of his I liked:

5. Write a paragraph about why you think that it would be fun to document that location. Tell me what interests you about that place and what kind of photos you could expect to take there.

6. Tell me what it would take for you to go and take photos at your location. What would you need as far as equipment goes, travel plans, expenses you might encounter and what laws you would have to take into consideration to take photos at your spot.

Copyrights. Assigned 9/30, due 10/2 - Minor

 Review the below slides and watch the embedded videos using earbuds or CC. 

Create a new Google Site Subpage called Copyright. Answer the questions below using the resources provided.

Part 1 Questions - Reflect on the information in part 1 of the slides to answer the following: 

1. If you find a movie online at a site that encourages illegal sharing, why should you care about that? 
2. How would you feel if someone took something you made and put it online?
3. What would happen if everyone got music or movies from sites that give away copies without artist’s permission?

Think of a new recording artist or band you like

1. How do you think they make money?
2. How do they distribute their media to consumers like us?
3. How do you think copyright might relate to what they’re doing?
4. Could copyright be important to their current or future ability to make a living by making music?   

Part 2 Questions - Reflect on the information in part 2 of the slides and watch this video to answer the following: 

1. Have you heard of a site like this Napster before? 
2. What do you think about sites like that? 
3. Was it fair for millions of consumers to copy and give away songs to millions of other people?
4. How did Metallica figure out their new song had been distributed on Napster? 
5. Why did Metallica fight back? 
6. What do you think other artists at the time thought about it? 
7. What do you think consumers thought?
8. Do you think having music distributed for free through Napster devalued the music for listeners?
9. What do you think about unfinished drafts of songs being leaked to radio stations? How would you feel if that happened to your work? 

Part 3

Watch the following videos:

1. What do you do when you’re checking legal sources but still can’t find some of the songs, movies, or games you’re looking for? 
2. What if you want to find a newly released movie, but it is not available yet on Netflix or Hulu or another movie site? 
3. What does being an ethical and respectful digital citizen mean in this context?
   
4. How can you share a song you just discovered ethically?
5. What if the song has a Creative Commons license that allows sharing? What if the song is old enough to be in the public domain?

Key Words

Define the following key words, using your knowledge from this unit. If you need to look a definition up elsewhere please share the URL you found it. 

1. Consumer
2. Copyright
3. Copyright Infringement
4. Licensing Agreement
5. Media
6. Public Domain

Watch the 6 videos in this playlist. 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm8a9mXz_9Y6XF5VCRqygelhf_5RkT5_T

Answer the following questions using information from the videos. If you do not recall the answer or are not sure, please use Google to find your answer. If you do this, please paste the URL of the site you found your answer next to your answer.

1. Review the Creative Commons, to learn about the initiative. Summarize the purpose the Creative Commons site, and other options for finding creative work with limited restrictions. 
2. What does it mean if work is part of Creative Commons?
3. Share an image from Creative Commons with its terms of use. Provide the source URL for the image. Briefly summarize its terms of use. 
4. What does it mean if work is part of the Public Domain? 
5. Share an image from the Public Domain. Provide the source URL for the image. 
6. Suggest a  good way to reference material you find online in the public domain?
7. What does 'Fair Use' mean?
8. What is direct permission? How can you get this?
9. Share one regularly copyrighted image with its source URL. Please note use of a copyrighted image for a classroom assignment constitutes fair use. 

Prompt Shoot #1, Post Shoot Reflection AND Sensory Overload. Assigned 9/25, due 9/30 - MAJOR, Minor, Minor

FIRST - post your "Prompt Shoot #1":

Please post your FIVE prompt shoot images on a new subpage on your Google Site called Prompt Shoot #1. One for each prompt. Please make sure to LABEL the images so viewers (ME) know which prompt they are looking at. While you are are posting the images, make sure to type a couple of sentences explaining what rule of composition evident in the image and explain the rule to me in your own words.

If you need to go take photos, please make sure to ask me ASAP.

SECOND - "Post Shoot Reflection":

At the bottom of your Prompt Shoot #1 subpage, make a new text box and answer the following questions:

1. What challenges did you encounter while trying to get the photos of your first 5 prompts (Sign, Current, Lost, Transportation AND BOUNUS Change)?

2. What technical aspects of photography or the assignment in general (focus, framing, holding the camera, etc.) did you find yourself thinking about the most? Provide a specific example of what you did to do this correctly.

3. Are you interested in shooting those same prompts again, why?

4. List FIVE prompts that you think would be fun to go take photos of.

THIRD - "Sensory Overload"

Check out this link:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/01/world/cnnphotos-commodity-city/index.html

After you read the story please answer the following questions on a NEW subpage on your Google Site called Sensory Overload.

1. The last sentence of the story says

"I believe that more and more, we are defining our environments not as the spaces themselves, in terms of the buildings or architecture, but rather by the objects and devices that we buy and surround ourselves with. ... I would like that message to carry through universally," Seymour said.

Please write at least 2-3 sentences on what you think about this statement, you should explain why you agree or disagree.

As an aspiring photographer how does this make you feel about your photography?

2. When you looked through the images, did you want to visit this place and take your camera?

3. What do you think it would be like to be the child of someone who worked at this place?

4. Please take a screen shot of your favorite image and tell me why it is your favorite.

To take a screen shot - hold down the SHIFT, COMMAND and the #4 key. This will then give you a new cursor that looks like a little target - you can then click and drag across any image to take a screen shot. That screen shot goes into your download folder and should be moved to your desktop folder, and then into your Google Drive to place on your Google Site page.

Prompt Shoot #1. Assigned 9/19, due 9/25 - MAJOR

 Today you will go out to shoot your first "Prompt Shoot"

Here is how the prompt shoots work - you will each have your own camera and about 40 minutes to go out and shoot images. You will get quick instructions with the camera again, and then when you return, you need to make time to move all of the photos off of the SD card and into a folder on your desktop called Prompt Shoot #1. I think you should have time to move SELECT images from your desktop to your Google Drive before class is over. You will NOT need to finish this assignment until next class. Next class you will make a new Google Site subpage and post your images with a reflection portion.

In the prompt shoot, I will give you a few key words that should guide your shooting that day. You can interpret the words any way you want, but you should make it clear which photo goes with which word when you turn them in.

For example, I might give you an emotion like Angry - you might shoot something that makes you angry, you might find a color that you associate with angry (like red or purple) and shoot that, or you might find someone who is actually angry and shoot them as they talk. You can ask your classmates to work with you, but be careful the photos aren't too "posed" or made up.

A couple of words of advice from me - be careful shooting through glass - those usually don't turn out too well. Also, be careful with big, huge wide shoots with lots of stuff going on, it is hard to pick details out and to show off some of these prompts. And finally, make sure you are watching your backgrounds for people - I know at school its hard, but be looking so it is very clear who your subject is.

You will, generally, be graded on the following:

Focus - is the picture in focus? If not, you will lose points

Subject - is the subject clear? Are there distracting elements in your photo?

Interest - how interesting is the subject

Uniqueness - is it something new, something I haven't seen before, were you creative?

Most people get a 90+ on this assignment unless they don't turn in the required amount of photos, or they really mess up the focus and subject portion. The rest are minor deductions. Remember getting a 95+ means you are doing something very right AND there are very few people who get all four perfect, so don't expect a 100.

Today, I also expect to see evidence of composition rules. In fact when you reflect on these next class, I will ask you to share what composition rules you were trying to achieve with the images you turn in. You will write a couple of sentences on this subject, so make sure you fully understand the six compositional rules. In your five images, I expect to see AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT composition rules.

Compositional rules that you can use are: 

Simplicity, Rule of Thirds, Lines, Framing and Balance

Here are your prompts today:

Sign

Current

Lost

Transportation

BONUS PROMPT: Change 

For the bonus, I will be picking three people's images from this bonus photo to share with the class and the best three will get a prize for their efforts!