ASSIGNMENTS

Photo Olympics

BY MICHELLE SHEPPARD | JANUARY 16, 2007

Michelle Sheppard is the Photography teacher at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, Massachusetts. She has supplied us this issue with an amazingly engaging lesson plan for intro to Photo students in the upper high school grades. Her lesson, which she calls the “Photo Olympics,” incorporates ideas on composition, critique, shooting strategy, new angles from which to view the world, and how to photograph a rubber lobster.

Students are asked to do things like make a faceless self-portrait, or stand on a chair to get a better view. Then all of it is tied together with a comparison between the techniques they had to use to make good pictures and a list of “photo advice” they wrote before the “Olympics” even started.

We at TeachingPhoto.com just fell in love with this lesson because it is a great way to get the students thinking about things that usually aren’t covered until a month or two into the school year. Michelle Sheppard has them doing this in the second week of school! Mostly, however, we love this lesson because we want to participate in it.

Here it is:

Ms. Sheppard’s Photo Olympics!

Beginning Photography, Grades 10-12

Students had previously looked at photos in class, comparing professional and amateur photos, viewed and discussed “The Week in Pictures” on msnbc.com, and completed a lesson on considering light, frame, and focus when shooting. After these activities, they made a list of “photo advice,” generating techniques based on their observation of “good” pictures. On the list were things like getting closer, watching the edges of the frame, considering light, and manipulating the angle of the camera. The list was made on Friday, the third day of school. Photo Olympics ran the second week of school. During the Picture Olympics, students are given many challenges, but first it was made clear to them that no matter what the circumstances, the idea is to make the best possible picture. The project was done in class while students were working on their first roll of film for homework.

Event #1—Hide and seek!

Each student’s name is hidden in the room somewhere written in 12-point font: under tables, on top of cabinets, and behind bookcases. Students have to find their name and photograph it, creating an interesting composition. Once that’s complete, students must return to their name, and somehow create a faceless self-portrait, including the printed name, and still making an interesting composition.

Discussion: How many different positions did you see the class get into this period? Standing, squatting, leaning, lying down, up on a stool? Those are all the positions you should assume in shooting your first roll of film!

Event #2—Sheppard says!

Much like that playground favorite, you can only execute a command if SHEPPARD SAYS precedes it!

Event #3—Flip out the bird, flounder the fish, flop that frog, and lose the lobster!

Sheppard says get into trios! Everyone gets a rubber with a 1-meter string attached. When Sheppard says go, throw that squeaky hunk o’ rubber as far as you can—on the track, in the bleachers, over the fence! When it lands, your group must take 6 WELL COMPOSED pictures within the circle defined by the radial string attached to the animal! Remember, you are well-stretched and prepared for poses approaching yoga-tastic, so get ready to get up and get down!

Event #4—Scavenger Hunt

Haven’t had enough? On the way back in, find the following things…

Whew, what an exhausting week.

All the images were captured digitally, Kids were able to use point and shoot cameras, or their camera phones, and sharing was encouraged. We then edited the images together, during class in slideshow format. Students informally discussed, nominated, and voted for their favorite images, comparing them to the lists of “photo advice” that we had previously made.

Here are a few examples of the results of the “Photo Olympics,” as well as a few images from Beginning Photography students’ first rolls of film.