Still image

Duration

2 weeks

Driving question

How can a photographic artist create illusion?

Overview

Students will investigate how various images can be manipulated using Adobe Photoshop to create interesting and postmodern interpretations. In these lessons, students will develop their technical knowledge of digital photography following the video tutorial and associated image files on the technique (ZIP 10.29MB). Once they have mastered the techniques using the supplied sample images, students are then encouraged to take their own photographic images then apply the same techniques to them. This is a part of a lesson sequence that is designed to assist students in creating a folio of images.

copyright NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2004.

Content

Practice

• Students will develop their skills and knowledge of photographic practice using still digital images and manipulate them through the Adobe Photoshop program. They will use a digital journal or art book to document their experiments.

Conceptual framework

• Students will investigate the relationship between the artist, artwork, world and audience. They will explore the art agencies relating to their own art making as a digital artist and how it is connected to practicing photographers, audiences and the world.

Frames

• Students will use the postmodern and structural frame to establish different points of view about their photographic practice.

Assessment

All activities require students to demonstrate their learning and are all assessment for learning activities.

Teaching and learning activities

Making still images with Photoshop

Equipment required

• Adobe Photoshop software on a class set of laptops, or in a computer lab
• Headphones for each student (optional)
• Any device that can take a photograph.

Students will:

• go through the still image examples on the Harris effect Pinterest page
• discuss and analyse the images through leading questions such as:
  • what do you think the photographer has used to create this?
  • how many colours do you make up this image?
  • does anyone in the room know some of the Adobe Photoshop techniques the photographer used?
• watch the Creating a harris effect tutorial (00:10:53)
• discuss the key techniques used.

Allow students to watch the video tutorial again with headphones. This provides students with an opportunity to pace themselves according to their prior knowledge and level.

Students are to complete the tutorial using Adobe Photoshop and save the image for the teacher to assess.

Once completed, students will:

• take three images of a person or landscape.
• If taking a landscape take the three images that are only slightly different in angle to start with. This makes it easier
• If taking a portrait the photographer should place the person against a white or black background, such as a school white board. The photographer should encourage the model to move their head and arms while taking three different compositional images.

Students will:

• take an image in good light to avoid blurry photos or using the cameras ISO settings if possible to adjust for low light needs by increasing it.
• transfer the images from the camera. This can be done using a card reader, email or Bluetooth
• follow the Adobe Photoshop tutorial again using their images as a step by step guide
• flatten the layers through the Adobe Photoshop command before finishing
• save the image as a PNG file or JPEG, not a PSD.

Communicate

Students are to complete a digital or hard copy journal to document their ideas and processes required. This can be completed through one-note.

Teachers are encouraged to communicate online developing their google site or google classroom.

Process Diary

Students are to:

• document the process and technical shortcuts through practical classes in a process diary. This should be a journal, exploring reflections of each practical lesson or section investigating the different techniques explored. This can be their class workbooks, a photographic and digital media process diary, or an online blog through sites such as Class Notebook or Google classroom.

Differentiation

Extension

Teachers are encouraged to provide students with acceleration activities if required.

Students will:

• create changes in perspective using Adobe Photoshop techniques such as transform to modify the person and or the environment around them.

copyright NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2004.

Students will:

• watch the Creating a harris effect tutorial (00:10:53)
• use example files provided and attempt the Adobe Photoshop tutorial Teachers should give students extra time and support where required
• research a range of photographic images from the internet that use similar techniques, cutting and pasting into OneNote.

Evaluate

Formative assessment can be used to determine learning progress throughout the lesson sequences. Teachers should informally assess a student's level of understanding and adapt accordingly.

Summative assessment can be used at the end of the lesson sequences. Students could hand in a folio of finished images, either on google classroom or printed out. This could be marked as against a benchmark. Students could also hand in their journal for marking as well.

This sequence and accompanying worksheets are available as word documents below.

1. The Harris effect sequence (DOCX 53.5KB).

Reference list and resources

• Creating a harris effect tutorial (00:10:53)
• Harris effect Pinterest page
• The photography manipulations resource package
• Photographic and Digital Media 7-10 Syllabus copyright NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2004.
• Visual Arts 7-10 Syllabus NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) 2003