This blog will help inspire students to take better photographs and improve their writing.
Friday, June 20, 2025
Monday, June 2, 2025
Canva Final Photo Presentation
Steps Needed for Photo Slideshow
Monday, May 26, 2025
Tues May 27
FINAL SLIDESHOWS DUE MON JUNE 16 and Tues JUNE 17 in class no exceptions!!!
Mon/Wed
Term 4 Writing
- Conflict: Print and hand in
- Photo Poem: Print and hand in
- Object story or poem
- 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
- 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
Mon May 26: Last writing assignment
Poetry Assignment
Theme poem: your poem should be on a theme, 8 lines or longer, include poetic devices, edited by the teacher. (10 marks)
poem topics to help youpoetry classics
cool short poems to read
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.
Sample poem, one of my favourites!
This Is Just To Say
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Mon/Wed
Term 4 Writing
- Conflict: Print and hand in
- Photo Poem: Print and hand in
- Object story or poem
- Choice poem : on a theme 8 lines or longer
- Free write: put in your term 4 photo folder
- Photoshop: WANTED POSTER
- 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
- 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
Photos by Avery Sauve
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Conflict
Conflict Writing Assignment
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.
Human vs Human Human vs Nature
Human vs Self Human vs Technology
LINK to story conflict ideas: Creating Conflict IDEAS
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.
LINK to how to write conflict: How to write Conflict
Monday, April 21, 2025
Tues April 22
TERM 4 Assignments Photo
- 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.
Monday, April 14, 2025
Mon April 14
TERM 4 Assignments Photo
- 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.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Which system works Best?
NEW TERM 4 ASSIGNMENT: You are going to take photos three ways:
- 2 Photos on auto with the digital SLR
- 2 Photos on Priority shutter with manual focus
- 2 camera photos
Monday, March 31, 2025
March 28
NEW SHOOT: CAMERA ANGLES at the SKATEPARK
- 10 shots edited
NEW: Take a photo that you can write a poem about
Medium Shot
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
- Headshots -5
- Snow/Choice -5
- Step Down -5
- Hunt 1- 5
- Reflection -5
- Candy -10
- 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.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Wed/Thurs March 12 and 13
Complete in order of priority:
- finish up any writing that needs to be handed in ( setting/dialogue)
- Take and/or edit candy or reflection shots
- ( Shoot candy photos inside please!)
- 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 Mdrive: 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 Mdrive folder.
Monday, March 10, 2025
March 10
Dialogue: Here is the info you need to do the assignment properly. Dialogue is a conversation between two people. In writing a story or novel, good dialogue will do one of two things; move plot or develop character. Your task is to create a dialogue between two characters that does one or the other or both. It might help to create a conflict between the two characters.
The minimum lines of dialogue are 8 lines per character. Marks:10
( Rough copy due before the break)
- Say the dialogue out loud.
- Cut small talk when writing dialogue.
- Keep your dialogue brief and impactful.
- Give each character a unique voice/character.
- Add world-appropriate slang.
- Be consistent with the characters' voices.
- “Dialogue should stay on topic.” ...
- “Use dialogue as you would actual speech.” ...
- “Avoid long speeches.” ...
- “Show what the characters are doing while they're talking.” ...
- “Keep characters' speech consistent.”
Tips for writing good dialogue
Monday, March 3, 2025
Mon Mar 3
Understanding Composition in Photography
Understanding the Importance of Backgrounds and lighting when shooting up close.
Each person composes and takes their own photos!
- DO NOT SHOOT ON THE BARE TABLES
- choose a variety of interesting backgrounds, make sure you make the background work with the colours of your candy
- edit on your phone
- use lighting to enhance the photos
- set up the shot using elements of composition
- upload photos
- edit photos using IMAGE ADJUSTMENTS brightness/Contrast and Crop
- KEEP YOUR COMPOSITIONS SIMPLE
Thursday, February 20, 2025
week of Feb 24-28
Some cool things people are doing with Photography
Flickr Moments: Teen Photographer uses mirror to create an Illusion
Flickr Moments: Photographer Lands Job at Coca Cola
Assignments to date
Writing:
- Bio
- Bucket List
- Fav Place/Setting
- headshots-5
- Mon: snow/rain-5 Tues: Choice
- stepdown-5
- Hunt #1 with digital slr camera -5 labeled
- Head Swap
- NEW 5 reflection shots
1. Find a photo of a person on the internet. When using google to find the image, get the largest size photo possible. ( ie superman, famous model or celebrity) no animals or cartoons. Right click COPY, open Photoshop, File NEW, edit PASTE
3. Bring in both photos to Photoshop. Go to IMAGE, IMAGE SIZE and change the photos to both be close to the same size. Height 11 INCHES. If one is way bigger than the other it will be difficult to do the assignment.
Note: It is probably more interesting to put the student head on the celebrity body, but it does not matter which head goes where. Also if you do not have a head shot that works for the swap, simply go out and take a shot of someone in a similar pose and distance away from the camera.
7. When on the next photo, click on EDIT, PASTE. This will put the head on the page. Then to resize the head, click EDIT, TRANSFORM, SCALE. This will put a box around the photo and allow you to change the size of the head, you can also slightly rotate the head if you go to ROTATE under TRANSFORM tool.
8.. Then you want to tweak the image by moving into place with the pick/move tool, or use the eraser tool to clean up the edges.
Note: SAVING the file: If you need to continue working on the head swap, save as a COPY Photoshop file so you can come back and work on the image. It is always a good idea, to save your edited photos as Photoshop files as a backup in case you need to go back and make changes. However, if you think you are done you can save as a JPEG ( which is save as copy).
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Friday Feb 14
Review Photo Composition
- Leading lines
- rule of odds
- fill the frame
- centered composition
- Simplicity
Take 5 Step Down Phone Photos: you are to take 5 different photos using this technique. 10 marks. Put in folder called STEP DOWN
Photo by Meredith Holser
The best part about this picture-taking tip is you can execute it by yourself. For the best outfit pics, use the .5 wide angle option on the iPhone’s back camera. Place your phone down low (can touch the ground), making sure you’re in-frame with some test shots. You will need to put the timer on, try 3-5 sec. Once you've found the best perspective, pose by kicking a leg out towards the camera, reach your hand toward it, or lean down to look at the camera lens. Capturing with the wide angle setting adds a level of distortion to your pics for added personality.
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 to create an atmosphere or feeling. Make the reader be able to visualize your scene in their mind.
- 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. (10)
- 1 paragraph or slightly longer, typed, edited, and then good copy handed in
- show not tell
- be specific in your writing
- use the senses when you write
- make the reader feel they can be right there with you in the setting
- Use the senses – sound, smell, sight. How do the senses combine to give a setting its atmosphere?
- Use comparison and metaphor: Tolkien personifies the light as reluctant and unwilling. This is an effective example of showing using metaphorical language