Please complete all writing work and any old assignments before moving on to this new assignment. Check in with the teacher to make sure all of your work is complete.
New Photo Assignment: Skate Park shoot - In this assignment students should focus on taking shots from different angles. The skate park makes an excellent backdrop for photos, so make sure you have a focal point in all of your shots. You could shoot people, skaters/bikers in action, objects or even the skate park itself...just make sure you remember your rules of composition while shooting. Try a variety of different types of shots. Also if you take any objects out to shoot they must get returned.
( 10 shots = 20 marks)
Criteria: 10 well composed shots focusing on angles. You may need to take up to 30 photos to get 10 really good ones. Please edit your photos!
top down: looking down at your subject or object
looking up: up from the bowl at the person's feet hanging down
at ground level: get on your stomach and shooting
dutch angle: please do not do more than one of these. Shooting on a tilt
horizontal: camera is horizontal
vertical: camera is in a vertical position
MAKE SURE ALL SHOTS HAVE A FOCAL POINT AND WATCH FOR CLUTTER IN THE BACKGROUND
Please make sur all of your work is backed up/saved on your ONE DRIVE
Please check your folders to make sure the following is fully completed and labeled. Make sure your name is on ALL writing
WRITING
Bucket list: 20 items, typed and handed in to teacher in paper form
Photo poem: handed in to teacher in paper form or in digital form as a jpeg in your folder on M drive
Bio: a description and info about you written in third person printed and handed in to the teacher
Setting: In progress, handed in to teacher for editing and then final copy
PHOTO
Headshots: 5 including one of yourself cropped and edited
Scavenger Hunt:10 shots (see Sept 11 post for details) make sure you label the photos
Step Downs: 5 different step downs using your phone
Videos: 5 see assignment below in progress
NEW assignment: ONLY COMPLETE THIS IF EVERYTHING ELSE IS DONE
5 phone videos SHOT HORIZONTALLY
someone walking toward the camera, someone walking away from the camera, opening a door, unlocking a locker, taking books out, and locking the locker back up. Each shot should be separate, not a running shot. UPLOAD to a folder called VIDEO 1.
NEW Writing ASSIGNMENT SETTING: You are going to write about a favourite place using the 5 senses. As you describe the place, I want to you to use words that create visuals, sounds, tastes, and a sense of touch. The idea here is to write creating an atmosphere or feeling.
You may need to build a fictional story around this place or simply begin describing it. In this assignment students are to focus on the elements of setting ( time, place, description) using the senses and the concept of show not tell. Be specific instead of saying the red car, try the 1970's red corvette, instead of running shoes try his purple air Jordan's.
Criteria:
use show not tell
use the senses, sight, smell, touch, sound
3/4 of a page minimum, typed
hand in to teacher for editing, then fix up
use specific language
Example of SHOW VS TELL
“Show, don’t tell” is using descriptive language to allow your reader to experience the story world, rather than explaining it to them with exposition. It allows the reader to visualize what the writer is communicating. For example, saying a room was cold is “telling.” Mentioning the frost on a windowpane or the thick socks your characters wear is “showing” the cold, but without saying it.
McSorley's bar is short, accommodating approximately ten elbows, and is shored up with iron pipes. To the left is a row of armchairs with their stiff backs against the wainscoting. The chairs are rickety; when a fat man is sitting in one, it squeaks like new shoes every time he takes a breath. The customers believe in sitting down; if there are vacant chairs, no one ever stands at the bar. Down the middle of the room is a row of battered tables. Their tops are always sticky with spilled ale.
When describing a place in fiction, think about the sounds, smells and other sense details that distinguish it from others. Here is Dickens describing the industrial city of Coketown.
It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood, it was a town of unnatural red and black … It had a black canal in it, and a river that ran purple with ill-smelling dye, and vast piles of buildings full of windows where there was a rattling and a trembling all day long, and where the piston of the steam-engine worked monotonously up and down, like the head of an elephant in a state of melancholy madness.
AND from Harry Potter: The first several chapters of the book take place at the Dursleys' prim house on Privet Drive. The Dursleys' home may look polite and regular, with its "tidy front garden" and its inhabitants' emphasis on behaving just like everyone else, but that doesn't make it a nice or welcoming place to live. In a way, it has just as much darkness and unhappiness as you might expect from a magical landscape. Nephew Harry is forced to live in a "cupboard under the stairs" while the son of the house, Dudley, enjoys two bedrooms to himself. The Dursleys' house might look cheerful from the outside, but inside Harry sees only bleakness.
Writing Assignment #3: Students are to write a bio telling about themselves including: interests, hobbies, likes/dislikes, favourite foods, fav. books, foods etc. This assignment should be written in third person. Ex. Jane is a shy girl who lives in Comox with her two cats named Goofy and Mittens. Jane enjoys knitting in her free time ……Length 1 paragraph
Criteria:detailed, specific writing ( 10 marks) When finished, you are to find a partner in the class to read your paragraph to and get them to help you improve the piece by offering suggestions. Make sure the assignment is typed and has your name on it.
Plan to take a photo that has some space around it, (or use one you already have) focus on a subject that you think you can write a short poem on. The poem should be a least 6 lines long. Focus your poem on meaning not rhyme. I really do not like poems that have no meaning and meaningless rhyme.
Your poem needs to be about something.
Think about the concept of simplicity with regard to the poem and the photo. Make sure your text is large enough to read. Below are 3 poems I wrote from photos to show you as an example. SIZE 8.5 wide x 11 PLEASE PRINT OUT to Library Colour printer and place in your folder.
1. Create a folder on Mdrive under CHASEphotoandwriting9
What is HEIC? HEIC is the file format name Apple has chosen for the new HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) Standard. This new file type, however, may not be compatible with all devices.
To set your Apple devices to take photos in JPEG/JPG instead of HEIC:
Go to Settings
Tap Camera
Tap Formats
Tap Most Compatible
2. Rule of Thirds
What is the rule of thirds? The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots. But, once you know this rule and practice it a bit, you can break the rule.
3. Questions to ask yourself before taking a photo: 10 QUESTIONS
4. Composition : the way in which something is put together or arranged : the combination of parts or elements that make up something.
Photo Assignment 1: Headshot Criteria: 5 shots
background clean
good eye contact with camera
edited head and shoulders
pleasing to the eye
in focus
speaks to subject's personality
all headshots should be consistent and cropped
These do not have to be uploaded today. If there is a student who does not have a phone have them partner with someone who does and take them on their phone.
Writing Assignment 1
Students can begin brainstorming 20 things they would like to do/experience before they turn 25. They can put this into a word document and call it BUCKET LIST
Saturday, August 30, 2025
Creative Writing/ Photo 9
Overview Photo/Writing 9:In this class you will learn much about how to see from a different perspective, how to improve your ability to take artistic photos and how to edit photos in Photoshop. There is much to know in the field of Photography and I am a learner as much as a teacher. This class will allow a fair bit of freedom, but with this freedom comes responsibility. Along with photography you will be learning how to improve your creative writing skills by way of various exercises and assignments.
( Class GuidelinesTo be discussed)
Students initially will be encouraged to use their phones for taking photos, however everyone should experiment with and use the digital SLR cameras. School cameras will be available for student use in class. Techniques on how to use your phones will be taught in class. Students may want to download the Flickr App on their phones, ( not mandatory) but should also carry their phone charge cords with them as well to upload onto school computers. Students will be expected to disinfect all school camera equipment used periodically and take good care of the equipment by putting it back after use.
Students will be encouraged to find a phone photo editing app that works for them.
( You can try free apps VSCO or Snapseed)
Assignments, links, videos etc will also be posted on this blog regularly which can be accessed from home/phone.
Requirements for success in this course:
a positive attitude and a willingness to learn and push beyond the level you are at
your own cell phone and charger cables
using class time effectively and a respect the freedom you have in this class
realizing the benefits of taking photos outside of class occasionally
be a good model for your peer/help out others when you can
SHOOT OUTSIDE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
Core Competencies
Critical and Creative thinking
Self and Social Responsibility
Visual Communication skills
The First Steps
Create a folder on the ONE DRIVE called Photo 9 and a folder called writing 9 ( all writing is to be done in a word document NOT google docs!!!!
Open Photoshop and drag it to the desktop of your computer
For ease of uploading, you may want to create a Flickr Account and install the Flickr App on your phone ( not mandatory)
All cameras and cards are to be signed in and out in the sign out book at the front of class
2. Move photos from phone to Mdrive personal folder
3. Open Canva with your school login credentials
4. Go to Video Project 1080p
5. Pick a front template, change it so it has your name on it, use the text tool to change the text
6. Go to UPLOADS on the left and upload all of the photos you need from your M drive folder. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THIS YOU CAN WORK ON IT AT HOME.
7. Drag and drop each photo into the video template DO THIS BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING else.
8. On the bottom of each photo there is a button to add a transition in between each photo CHOOSE A DISOLVE no crazy transitions, and no more than 2 different transitions.
9. To shorten each photo, grab on the right side of the photo and drag left to shorten or right to lengthen. The first slide should be 5-8 sec and all of the other slides should be 3.5-4 sec in length.
10. You can add Audio two ways: 1. by choosing a song from Canva, go to ELEMENTS and choose a song. or 2. Import an audio file from the files I have on the M drive. Let me know if you need help with this.
When finished...show teacher
then go to SHARE
then to DOWNLOADS (give it time to download), go to DOWNLOAD folder on computer
right click EDIT COPY
go to the file FINAL video folder and then click EDIT PASTE, right click RENAME, and rename the video by your first and last name
Theme poem : on a theme 8 lines or longer print and hand in
Free write: put in your term 4 photo folder
Photoshop: WANTED POSTER, printed and handed in
Term 4 Photo
10 Angle skatepark shots edited
5 Spring shots
6 System shots: 2 phone, 2 auto dslr, 2 Priority manual focus dslr all taken of the same subject
Slideshow: 30 shots ongoing, taken this term, only 10 can be assignment shots. Start pulling photos and putting them into this folder
10 Portrait shots
5 videos: walking toward, walking away, opening a door, 2 choice MAKE SURE THESE ARE SHOT HORIZONTALLY, and uploaded to a folder called video
Final Slideshow: Slideshow should include your best photos from the class. All photos should be in focus and well composed. There should be 30 shots total.
10 of these photos can be from before this class/assignment photos from the class, but the other 20 need to be recently taken photos by you.
Try to include a variety of different shots. Include: macros, landscape, portrait, and other creative shots.
You must include music that works well with your slideshow NO SWEARS!!!
Include your name on the first slide "Ms Chase's Slideshow"
time your slides 3.5-4 sec each and use a simple transition
You must save on the m drive under your folder AND the final slideshow folder for the class
Poetry has often reflected as a voice of time. Meaning, subject matter and language choices may change with everyday concerns in the current society’s expectations.
Poetry that lasts through the transition of time still connects with the reader in some way. In poetry, poems are written in lines, and groupings of lines called stanzas.
Poetic Devices to use in your poems.
Alliteration – words begin with the same letter: The wiggly wobbly wagon wheel Allusion – reference to something else outside of the subject of the poem: The open window alludes to the woman’s longing for freedom from her current situation. Imagery – descriptive, sensory words that create a mental picture. Metaphor – comparison between two unlike things without using like or as. Personification – attributing human qualities to animals or inanimate objects: The willow weeps Repetition – a recurrence of elements to create unity Rhyme – same syllable or word sounds, often occurring at the end of lines of poetry. There is also the possibility of slant rhyme. This is when words do not truly rhyme but have a similar sound or appear to rhyme visually (bridge/grudge, orange/forage, said/paid). Rhythm – repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables which create a certain sound and pace. Simile – comparison between two objects using like, as, or than. Symbolism – using one object to suggest another meaning: A window might symbolize freedom, release, or opportunity. Theme – the dominant unifying idea in a poem
In all of the poems try to incorporate poetic devices to try to get your ideas across. Using words that help the reader see images is helpful as is creating a feeling or mood in your poem. Make sure you have something to say in your poem...meaning is most important.
6 System shots: 2 phone, 2 auto dslr, 2 Priority manual focus dslr all taken of the same subject
Slideshow: 30 shots ongoing, taken this term, only 10 can be assignment shots. Start pulling photos and putting them into this folder
10 Portrait shots
5 videos: walking toward, walking away, opening a door, 2 choice MAKE SURE THESE ARE SHOT HORIZONTALLY, and uploaded to a folder called video
Wanted poster : printed and handed in
Final Slideshow: Slideshow should include your best photos from the class. All photos should be in focus and well composed. There should be 30 shots total.
10 of these photos can be from before this class/assignment photos from the class, but the other 20 need to be recently taken photos by you.
Try to include a variety of different shots. Include: macros, landscape, portrait, and other creative shots.
You must include music that works well with your slideshow NO SWEARS!!!
You must save on the m drive under your folder AND the final slideshow folder for the class
You are to create a conflict and then resolve it in this piece of writing. It does not have to be a great big long story just a situation involving conflict.
Conflict brings stories to life, though it isn’t important for what it is, but for what it does. What does it do? The answer to this question lies at the very heart of storytelling. Conflict forces characters to act in ways that reveal who they are – and nothing tells us more about characters than how they deal with their troubles.
When conflict exposes who a character really is, the reader is drawn in through identification. The more difficult the character’s choice, the more his true nature will be revealed. In great stories – Romeo and Juliet; Hamlet; Scarlett O’Hara; Frodo; Harry Potter – the heroes are forced to go all the way. The more pressure you put on your character, the more you make him reveal his true, inner self and the more powerfully your readers will identify with them.
So, stories are about adversity. Happiness can be the ending of the story, but it can’t be the story itself. Why not? Because happy characters don’t want to change. Happiness doesn’t force the characters to act and thus reveal themselves and, if the characters are having a good time, the reader is not.
To be forced to change, to act and reveal their innermost selves, characters need to be frustrated, desperate and at the end of their rope. The worse you make it for your characters the better it is for the reader. When the characters give all they’ve got, readers experience it deeply and powerfully.
To create true conflict, two things are needed: a want and an obstacle. Your protagonist must want something, and there must be an obstacle (the antagonist) that’s trying to stop her from getting what she wants (Ahab wants to kill the whale, the whale wants to kill Ahab).
Both the want and the obstacle must be strong and determined. If either is weak, it will be impossible to create a good story.
Criteria: At least a half page in length, have it edited by Ms Chase before handing in final copy.
Skatepark Angles: 10 well edited shots with a focus on angles
Photo poem: You need to use a photo you have taken. Create a poem, Put the photo into Photoshop and type in the poem. You should resize your photo to 8.5x11 before putting in the text. Save on M drive in your folder and also print out and hand in to Ms. Chase
System: Using the same subject, take photos 3 different ways.
Signs of Spring: 5 shots showcasing signs of Spring...get creative.
Today: Freewrite: 10 minutes. Write about whatever comes into your head. Do not edit until you have finished writing. Try to keep a flow going in your head and be aware of your thoughts. Try to stay quiet and not let others distract you. Once finished, you can go through and do some basic editing. (10 marks)
Skatepark Angles: 10 well edited shots with a focus on angles
Photo poem: You need to use a photo you have taken. Create a poem, Put the photo into Photoshop and type in the poem. You should resize your photo to 8.5x11 before putting in the text. Save on M drive in your folder and also print out and hand in to Ms. Chase
System: Using the same subject, take photos 3 different ways.
Signs of Spring: 5 shots showcasing signs of Spring...get creative.
The medium shot may be similar to many of your typical photographs. A subject is captured from around the knees or waist to the top of the head. We can’t see their entire body, but we are close enough to establish a primary connection with the person. We can view aspects of the background that have been permitted to appear in the frame. Medium shots are the baseline of where we will begin. Not always the most interesting, but medium shots are fundamental.
Close Up
More intimate and ‘in your face’, the closeup aims at creating a stronger connection to the subject. Suddenly we can clearly see a person’s emotions and can easily connect with their humanity. If our subject is older, we may be able to see wrinkles of time, which tell a story within themselves. Close-ups are great when you want an intimate documentary style shot where the world disappears, and your subject is the clear focus.
Long Shot
Excellent for telling stories, long shots allow us to see not only our subject but also their environment. Depending on how a long shot is setup, we may find a person surrounded by their workspace, and thus we learn a bit more about their lives. Other times, a subject can be surrounded by seemingly endless isolated. Long shots help us to take photographs that establish a person’s position within the world.
Dutch Angle
Becoming increasingly criticized for its modern overuse in still photography, Dutch angles can help to tell us something about the photograph or its subject is not entirely right. Typically used to depict the world on its side, Dutch angles can be artfully utilized to tell us that something is wrong. Maybe the subject is in danger, or their state of mind isn’t properly grounded.
Low Angle
Taking a photograph from a low angle, also know as a ‘worm’s-eye view’, makes subjects appear larger than normal. The lens sees the scene from a point of humility while the subject towers over the world. A photograph taken from a low angle to help establish dominance or power.
High Angle
Looking at the exact opposite situation, the high angle can be used to make a subject appear small or vulnerable. Commonly known as the ‘bird’s-eye view’, shots like these may be used to signal that a subject is in danger or has lost dominance in their environment. Add a dutch angle and something bad is almost certainly about to happen.
The Extreme Close-Up
The most intimate of all shots, the extreme close-up, goes beyond the standard close-up by focusing on a single feature. We may see a drop of sweat drip down a subject’s check or the fear in a pair of eyes. Close-ups may be shot with macro lenses due to how close they are to a subject. However they are shot, extreme close-ups allow us to get emotionally under the skin of our subjects.
The Over the Shoulder
An over the shoulder shot can be used to show a relationship between another persona and our subject. We take a position next to the main subject getting close-up in their space and viewing the world as if we were standing with them. We may connect our model with a physical item or another individual within their space. The over the shoulder position places us within the world of the documented subject.
ONLY 2 classes until the end of term 3.
The following is due for term 3.
WRITING:
Bio
Setting
Bucket List
Dialogue
PHOTO:
Headshots -5
Snow/Choice -5
Step Down -5
Hunt 1- 5
Reflection -5
Candy -10
PHOTOSHOP:
Headswap 1-
Play - 1
Complete in order of priority:
finish up any writing and hand in ( setting/dialogue)
Take and/or edit candy or reflection shots
make sure all of your folders are labeled properly, have the right number of photos in them and any photos that are random are put into a separate folder called other or to be edited, I will be marking over the break.
Create two new folders on your M drive: one called Skatepark and one called Slideshow
NEW Choose any photo you have taken and using Photoshop and especially playing with the filter functions or bringing in another photo from the internet to go over top of your original photo, create an interesting edit. CALL it PLAY and save as a jpeg in your M drive folder.
