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Lesson 10
: Self Portrait Shot List
music, money, air, life death, consciousness,
tap, love, flash, light, dark, limo, model, nerd, color, tone, art,
depth, 3-D, frequency
Chris Templonuevo, 6th grader, Deady Middle School |
| Goal
The goal of this lesson is to motivate students to reflect on who
they are and to think of ways to capture that in a photograph.
Lesson Outcomes
Students will:
- receive a detailed explanation of the Self-portrait Photo Assignment.
- identify in writing the personal qualities that define their sense
of their selves.
- create a detailed shot list for ten self-portrait experiments. |
Key terms
& Concepts
shot list
Materials
Teachers:
- Change the portrait photos on display.
Students:
- LTP journals and writing instruments
Lesson
Length
40 minutes |
| I. Journal Writing
and Brain Drain
- Write a ten minute Brain Drain to answer the questions "What
do I look like? What would I like to look like? How have I changed
over the years?"
- Student readings of Brain Drains
II. Introduction: Self-portrait Photo Assignment
The first roll of film will be used to take self-portraits. Before
clicking the shutter, it is important to think about who you are
and how you will show yourself. Each self-portrait must tell the
viewer something about you as an individual. How can you describe
yourself to a viewer? You are the director of your picture. What
do you want to express?
NOTE TO TEACHERS: Discuss
the following questions and suggest examples. Write student answers
on board.
- Where do you want to be photographed?
- Consider the significance of a light place, a dark place, being
inside or being outside.
- What do you want to wear?
- What attitude do you want to show?
- What mood do you want to show?
- What would you emphasize to show this mood?
- How would you show this mood through the position of your body?
- What or whom do you want in the picture with you? A pet, a picture,
a toy, a trophy--- you can include anything that tells us about
you.
- Think about the person deep inside of you that nobody has seen.
Try to make a picture of that person.
- Make a portrait of the person you think everyone sees most of
the time.
- Make a portrait of the person you might to be.
- Make a portrait of the person you don't want to be.
III. Brainstorm: Approaches to Self-portrait
Two methods are described. Choose the method that best fits the
level of autonomy of your class. The objective of both methods is
to create a LIST of SUBJECTS and BACKGROUNDS in a mix and match
juxtaposition that offers the photographer possibilities to express
his ideas.
| Method 1
Have students list one word responses in their journals to
the following prompts. If you give them these questions on
paper to keep, it will help them create their shot lists.
- How will you capture yourself in a photograph?
- Do you see yourself mainly in the present, in the future
or in the past?
- How many different jobs do you have? Daughter, sister,
uncle, brother, teacher, student, citizen, church member,
etc.?
- If you were a plant, what kind would you be? An animal?
A color?
- If you were music, what style would you be?
- What would you like the world to know about you that you
have never expressed?
- Do you have a hidden talent or ability that you would
like to reveal?
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Method 2
Prompt the students to define themselves in writing by asking
them to help you define yourself. Have them list their definitions
of themselves in their LTP journals. |
ME
teacher
mother
gardener
church choir member
driver
pianist |
YOU
student
sister
dog-owner
tennis player
roller-bladder
singer
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| Teacher Talk |
Many students were uncomfortable taking pictures of themselves.
This was an opportunity to talk about why they were uncomfortable.
The group gets very difficult to work with when they are uncomfortable
with the activity or discussion. A good exercise for this segment
is the interviewer/interviewee role play. Students are put into
pairs and asked to do an in-depth interview and then to either
write an article or report back to the group verbally. Another
slant on the same exercise is to do a talk show format. Excellent
for improving group cohesion and listening skills.
Terry
Weir, School intervention Counselor
Galena Park I.S.D. |
IV. Create a Shot List for 10 Self-portraits
You are many people rolled into one, so you will need to develop
a list of roles and important things to include in each one of your
self-portraits.
NOTE TO TEACHERS: If
you used method 2, ask the students to suggest poses to show who
you are from your list. For example: teacher and her children, teacher
at her computer, teacher playing piano, etc. They can then extrapolate
from their own lists. Make sure to include specific references to
the defining elements of a portrait in each shot. You may wish to
refer to the Shot Checklist in the Appendix.
- What will you wear?
- Where will you pose?
- What emotion will you convey by your facial expression?
- Who or what else is in the picture?
- What will be in the background? Will there be any props?
- Do you want a head-and-shoulders shot or a full body photo?
- Will there be bright light or shadows? Where will the light
come from?
- What do you want the viewer to think of you?
Ask for volunteers to share details of the shot that expresses
their ideal self-portrait.
| Teacher Talk |
| My 1st period class is usually slow starting, so I chose
to prompt them on the Pre-Writing exercise. I used chalk talk
and wrote one-word descriptions of myself on the board. I
asked them for suggestions for portrait photos that would
show all my different identities. Then I set them to the task
of developing their own personal shot list. The results were
exciting. They had many unique approaches to showing who they
are and created shot lists that were useful and provocative.
I took a different approach with my 2nd period class. They
are usually self-starters so, instead of the prompt with myself
as the model, I launched into a generic "What might a typical
student do to show himself?" They came up with possible photos
of the student with his friends, with a pizza, in an athletic
uniform, with favorite tennis shoes, etc. The students, for
the most part, copied the typical student shot list from the
board and adopted it as their own. Every time I teach this
curriculum I get a better idea of what to do the next time
around.
Signa Segrest, Language Arts teacher
Deady Middle School |
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