IN A MIRROR, DIMLY by KillAPuma

IN A MIRROR, DIMLY

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

CONTENTS VISION

BASIS FOR CLASS

CURRICULUM

7 - 27

MATERIALS

COST BREAKDOWN

VISION The vision of our YLD Photography Course is to: 1) provide students with sufficient technical skills and knowledge of camera operation in order to produce well composed photos 2) engage them in discovering, identifying, and articulating beauty, strengths, and assets of their individual urban communities through photography.

BASIS FOR CLASS The Thai Peace Foundation Youth Leadership Development program works with youth and young adults from an urban-poor, and predominantly Thai-Buddhist background. The goal of this Foundation program is to facilitate the students’ discovery of their own agency and leadership capacity as they become transformational members of their own communities. The photography course is designed to present the students with an environment in which they will reflect upon their world and think about it critically. The course challenges the student to verbalize their reflections, to vocalize their unique perspective, and to express these insights visually, through both illustration and photographic essays. The course is also designed to stimulate the students’ observation of beauty already innate in the world around them, including the urbanpoor communities from which they come. The course involves a larger conversation about recognizing the strengths and beauty of the students’ communities as something of value. Exploring one’s community through the lens of beauty challenges the societal view that urban-poor communities and their residents are ugly, impoverished, and of marginal value. The discovery and documentation of beauty in the students’ own communities, paired with external validation through a public exhibition, challenges this deadly rhetoric. Lastly, the Foundation values the asset-based community development approach, namely the approach that reframes the initial question from, “What are the community’s needs?” to “What are the strengths, resources, and assets already existing within the community?” Critical reflection about one’s own community is necessary to identify community assets; this course is designed to begin this process of reflection, identifying assets, and articulating them through visual art to a broader audience. In time, this reflection has the potential to produce hope and transformational energy. This photography course can function as an onramp into the Seeds of Hope curriculum. 5

CURRICULUM TEN-WEEK OVERVIEW

Week 1

Introduction to the camera

Week 2

Perspective in photography

Week 3 SLR operations Guest Photographer Week 4

Composition in photography

Week 5

Final Project Brainstorm Black & White Photography

Week 6

Community Visit 1 Black & White Photography

Week 7 Community Visit 2 Portraits Week 8 Community Visit 3 Macrophotography Week 9

Final Project print selection Scavenger hunt review

Week 10 Mock exhibition/presentations Class Assessment Affirmation

WEEK 1 WELCOME NAME TAG Students decorate a name tag with their nickname, leaving space for future illustrations, present. CLASS NOTEBOOKS Provide students with class notebooks for all note taking. Collect these at the end of each class. RULES No phones in class Participate Arrive on time (10 min. leeway) LIGHT/PERSPECTIVE EXERCISE Select an interesting object with some reflective surfaces. Have students select an angle from which they would take a photo, explaining why. Provide them with feedback, mostly regarding light source, reflectivity, shadows, highlights. PHOTOGRAPHY: CAPTURING LIGHT The Simple Camera: Discuss the roles of each of the three parts in relation to capturing light in photography. • Lens • Film • Box PINHOLE CAMERAS Construct simple matchbox pinhole cameras, pointing out each of the three parts needed for a camera. Instruct students in proper use of the camera and exposure time. HOMEWORK Give the students one week to expose all their film, capturing scenes from their everyday life. This can be assigned with a prompt, like the Thai Lifestyle. 9

CURRICULUM - WEEK 2 WELCOME RULES DRAWING EXERCISE Students use a blank portion of their name tag to draw a picture of something they see everyday that they think is beautiful. Share. PINHOLE CAMERA DEBRIEF • How was it? • Review parts of the camera. • Review capturing light. PERSPECTIVE & POINT OF VIEW Prepare various photos using different perspectives. Discuss with the students how each perspective changes how the audience feels. PERSPECTIVE FIELD SHOOT Take the students to an interesting location nearby to practice photographing subjects from different perspectives. Have them select five subjects, photographing each subject from five different perspectives. [INSERT] REVIEW Review the digital photos. Have each students select their favorite and explain why.

CURRICULUM - WEEK 3 WELCOME RULES DRAWING EXERCISE Students use a blank portion of their name tag to draw a picture of their happy place. Share. REVIEW PERSPECTIVE Review perspective and film photos from previous week. Have students choose a photo they like and explain why. GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER Introduce the guest photographer, have them share what they like about photography and how they got into it. Have them share a portion of their work. The goal of this is to inspire and to broaden the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understanding of photography. SLR & DSLR OPERATIONS Instruct the students about camera settings using the same breakdown of the simple camera: lens (aperature, or size of hole, and focus), film (ISO, or speed of film, and how to load film), and box (shutter speed, or the speed of opening and closing the box). http://camerasim.com/ has a useful SLR simulator to project for class instruction. PRACTICE EXERCISE: STICKY EYES Provide each student with a pair of stick-on, googly eyes. Take them to an outdoor location with interesting objects, and have them apply they eyes to for faces. They will practice using the cameras on manual to gain better understanding of camera settings and the relationship between them. The exercise is also aimed at getting them to take notice of mundane objects and seeing them in new ways, namely as faces. [INSERT] REVIEW Review the digital photos. Have each students select their favorite and explain why.

CURRICULUM - WEEK 4 WELCOME RULES DRAWING EXERCISE Students use a blank portion of their name tag to draw a picture of something they see everyday that makes them feel sad. Share. REVIEW OPERATING A CAMERA Review controlling camera settings and film photos from previous week. COMPOSITION Instruct students on basic composition techniques, including rule of thirds, negative space, leading lines, subject isolation, cropping, and symmetry/ asymmetry. PRACTICE EXERCISE: COMPOSITION Provide each student with a helium balloon attached to a string and a sufficient weight. Take students to an interesting, outdoor location to practice each of the six techniques. Instruct students to take many photos in order to produce six good examples of each technique, the main subject being the balloon, or a person holding the balloon. REVIEW Review the digital photos. Have each students select their favorite and explain why.

CURRICULUM - WEEK 5 WELCOME RULES DRAWING EXERCISE Students use a blank portion of their name tag to draw a picture of their favorite place in their community. Do not share yet. REVIEW Review what the students have learned thus far, including parts of a camera, perspective, camera settings, composition. SHARE PERSONAL WORK I selected photographic essays to demonstrate how photos can be put together to to tell a story or to capture an emotion or concept. Include variation of perspectives, subjects, and concepts. I selected black and white photos, since that was the format that the students will use in their final project. INTRODUCE THE FINAL PROJECT Begin with a discussion about the drawing exercise. Each student will share their favorite place in the community. Continue by listing out what resources communities have: people, places, buildings, things, relationships, organizations, etc. The final project will involve the students identifying strengths of their community. Each student will list three things that they identify as a point of strength, a point of beauty, or a point of importance. The strengths need to be something that can be captured during the time and day of the community visits. Have each student choose one of the three to photograph, and begin to discuss how they would want to capture that in a series of photos. What subjects? What perspectives would they use? What emotions would they try to capture? PRACTICE EXERCISE: BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY Explain the difference between color and b/w photography and what to look for when shooting in b/w, including patterns, highlights/shadows, darks/lights. Take the students to an interesting, outdoor location to practice capturing good b/w photos, keeping learned techniques in mind. 17

CURRICULUM - WEEK 6 MEETING AND TRAVEL TIME COMMUNITY VISIT 1 Have the resident students take the class on a walking tour of their community, highlighting the strengths and points of beauty that the student identifies in week 5. Ask appropriate questions to further reflection and critical thinking. PRACTICE EXERCISE: B/W PHOTOGRAPHY Visiting students continue to practice good composition and correct exposure while thinking in black and white as they explore their new environment in pairs. Keep an eye out for good light, contrasts, shapes, patterns, and highlights/shadows. FINAL PROJECT PHOTO SHOOT 1 Teacher works with the student(s) to capture a photographic essay of the selected community strength. Continually remind the students to think about exposure, focus, and composition prior to executing a photo. Challenge students to take photos up close to their subject where appropriate.

CURRICULUM - WEEK 7 MEETING AND TRAVEL TIME COMMUNITY VISIT 2 Have the resident students take the class on a walking tour of their community, highlighting the strengths and points of beauty that the student identifies in week 5. Ask appropriate questions to further reflection and critical thinking. PRACTICE EXERCISE: PORTRAIT COMPOSITION Introduce students to guidelines for taking good portraits, including eye placement, rule of thirds, subject isolation/background selection, inward facing subjects, and framing/cropping. Challenge students to take portraits up close to their subject. FINAL PROJECT PHOTO SHOOT 2 Teacher works with the student(s) to capture a photographic essay of the selected community strength. Continually remind the students to think about exposure, focus, and composition prior to executing a photo. Challenge students to take photos up close to their subject where appropriate.

CURRICULUM - WEEK 8 MEETING AND TRAVEL TIME COMMUNITY VISIT 3 Have the resident students take the class on a walking tour of their community, highlighting the strengths and points of beauty that the student identifies in week 5. Ask appropriate questions to further reflection and critical thinking. PRACTICE EXERCISE: MACROPHOTOGRAPHY Visiting students are provided with macro-capable cameras and examples of good macro photos. Students are sent out to explore their new environment through a macro lens with attention beauty to beauty in the details. FINAL PROJECT PHOTO SHOOT 3 Teacher works with the student(s) to capture a photographic essay of the selected community strength. Continually remind the students to think about exposure, focus, and composition prior to executing a photo. Challenge students to take photos up close to their subject where appropriate.

CURRICULUM - WEEK 9 WELCOME REVIEW Review photos shot over the past three weeks of community visits, including b/w, portrait, and macro photos. Have each student choose a favorite photo and share with the class why they like it and what makes the photo a good photo technically. PHOTO EXERCISE: SCAVENGER HUNT Prepare a scavenger hunt, on which the students will capture photos demonstrating certain techniques and other fun assignments. Review the scavenger hunt results and award points according to their success. Have actual prizes as well. REVIEW CONTACT SHEETS Have students review their contact sheets and select three photos that are technically good and capture the strength and beauty of their community. Students then write a statement about each photo or about the set as a whole. EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT Announce the location and expected date of the student exhibition.

CURRICULUM - WEEK 10 WELCOME MOCK EXHIBITION Prepare the classroom exhibition style, displaying their artwork accordingly. Invite the students to view the work on display. One by one, invite each student to speak about their work, the strength of their community, and how each photograph exhibits that strength. CLASS ASSESSMENT Discuss together what each student learned about photography, about their community, and about themselves. Disperse class assessment forms, having students write down what they learned along with a course assessment. AFFIRMATION The teacher provides feedback for the students noting on strengths of each student, general tips for future technical improvement, and encouragement. This world is full of beauty, and photography is but one way of capturing it and expressing how we see the world. Each student has a unique voice and an important perspective. Each community has strength and beauty already present. Share how proud you are of their work and of them as your students.

MATERIALS CAMERAS 35mm SLR camera DSLR camera Digital point-and-shoots FILM 35mm color film (10) 35mm b/w film (5) ADDITIONAL Notepaper/notebooks Mounting paper Googly eyes Balloons

COST BREAKDOWN VENDOR CKV Photo CKV Photo Photo Lab, Bangkapi

GOODS/SERVICES Kodac color film Process, scan film Kodak color film

COUNT 3 rolls 2 rolls 7 rolls

Photo Lab, Bangkapi

Process, scan film

1 roll

150

Photo Lab, The Mall

Process, scan film

3 rolls

450

IQ Lab

Process, scan film, contacts 9 rolls

2996

IQ Lab

Ilford b/w film

5 rolls

1000

IQ Lab

8x10 b/w prints

21 prints

1573

The Mall Bangkapi

Mounting paper

3 packs

246

Ikea

Frames

20 frames

TOTAL

COST 345 230 665

2000

THANKS Special thanks to: Sarah Hanks Antique Cafe Cole Montgomery Amanda Hearle Rebecca Sedillo

NOTES