Design Project Proposal – Key Concepts & Contexts

Students will learn how to use a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, how to upload images to a computer, how to enhance images, and how share and present their work over the internet.  As our learners are grade 11 and 12 students who are 16 to 18 years of age, these learners are supposed to be more mature, independent and critical thinkers.  According to the literature, this target learner learns best through task-based learning and under a student-based environment.  Also, social learning theories are applicable with this age group as collaborative and cooperative learning is essential to achieve learning outcomes (Merrill, 2007).

 

Our personal view with regards to this group of learners is consistent with the literature inferring that grade 11 and 12 students as mature learners, who are capable of self-direction and able to think critically.  Consequently, the design of our course will take a project or task-based approach that will also focus on problem-based situation.  In addition, as we are leaning towards a discovery approach to scaffolding and constructing knowledge and experience, students will be expected to move through the content and share their ideas and experiences with the class in the social manner whether F2F or virtually through asynchronous and synchronous modes of communication.

 

Students will be able to discuss the reasons why people take pictures/photographs. According to Focal Point (2001), various reasons can be discussed including:

 

·         Sociological or anthropological observation

·         Creative outlet

·         Political statement (propaganda)

·         Historical record

·         Personal keepsake

·         Story telling

·         Religious statement

·         Irony or humour

·         Philosophical statement and/or questioning

·         Commercial

·         Experimenting

·         Class position

·         Art statement

 

Students will be challenged to know some basic terminology within the realm of digital photography such as:

 

DSLR – stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex.  These cameras can interchange other lenses at anytime.  What you see through these lenses is 95-99% accurate.

 

Composition which relates to how the photo is set up before taking it.  That is, how one needs to place and/or frame the subject while looking through the viewfinder before snapping the photograph.

 

Aperture refers to the size of the lens opening that light passes through when taking a photo.  Aperture measurements usually are 1.4, 2.8, 3.5, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32

The larger the number the smaller the aperture size (i.e. f/1.4 will let in the most light and f/32 will let in the least).  F-stop is the unit used to measure aperture.

 

Shutter speed is how fast the shutter opens and closes and is measured in seconds.

 

The depth of field in a photograph consists of foreground, mid-ground, and background. A good photo will have all three.

 

Contrast refers to brightness and colour.  High contrast (bright and intense) colours are bright and intense (e.g. red, orange, yellow, etc.).  Low contrast colours are mellow and calmer (e.g. brown, green, black, grey, etc.).

 

The golden rule of compositions is the rule of thirds and the use of power points. Imagine the frame being split vertically and horizontally in three equal sections. There are four power points in the frame. Power points are where the perpendicular lines intersect.  The closer the subject is to the power points the more attractive it is.

 

Mergers are objects that are protruding into the picture or are things that don’t fit.  They should not be there and usually take away from the subject.  However, sometimes hard to avoid – but with computer programs, mergers can be cropped out and/or erased.

 

Through this design project, students will be able to know how to:

·         To minimize the use of bull eye’s shots

·         Take the time to take the picture – do not be rushed

·         Think about and use the rule of thirds

·         Think about and use power points

·         Think about how to frame/place the subject

·         Think about and use contrast

·         Think about and use depth of field

 

Among many perspectives behind the perspective of “seeing, thinking, and acting” (Busselle, 1998), the following are some examples of a few significant ones:

 

Don’t try to include too much in a photograph – this is the most common cause of disappointing results. It is often better to take two or three different pictures of the same object/subject/scene than it is to attempt to record all of the details in one picture (Busselle, 1998).

 

When deciding the best way to frame the image, it is easier one first identifies an object, tone or colour which can be used as the main focus of attention. Once one has done this, it then becomes more apparent as to how the camera should be angled to position in the frame and how tightly the image should be framed in order to create the most balanced and effective composition (Busselle, 1999).

 

There is seldom just one best way of composing a photograph and a promising photogenic scene can invariably be framed in a variety of ways. One can learn a great deal about composition by shooting a few variations and the comparing the results; one may discover that the shot s/he thought would be the most successful is sometimes bettered by another (Busselle, 2000).