Hello Ligon students!
I am looking forward to our residency, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words March 18, 22, and 23. You will be frontloading the photography part of the residency with your teachers and taking photographs on your own.
I believe every photo tells a story and a great photo demands a story to be told. I am looking forward to seeing the photos you take and seeing the photo you choose to write about. You will select one photo to write about during our three day creative writing residency. You are going to write about a photo you took in the genre of your choice, whether it be a fiction story, a series of poems, an essay, or another genre. When you take photos on your own, do not be afraid to experiment with angles, light, and zooming in and out. Pay attention to what is interesting to you.
I have included quotes about photography, videos, and examples of photographs in this blog post. Feel free to email me with questions before our residency. My email is [email protected]. You can also leave comments on this blog post of things that stood out to you or photographers you follow on social media too.
Below are some photos I took at Ligon Middle School.
I am looking forward to our residency, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words March 18, 22, and 23. You will be frontloading the photography part of the residency with your teachers and taking photographs on your own.
I believe every photo tells a story and a great photo demands a story to be told. I am looking forward to seeing the photos you take and seeing the photo you choose to write about. You will select one photo to write about during our three day creative writing residency. You are going to write about a photo you took in the genre of your choice, whether it be a fiction story, a series of poems, an essay, or another genre. When you take photos on your own, do not be afraid to experiment with angles, light, and zooming in and out. Pay attention to what is interesting to you.
I have included quotes about photography, videos, and examples of photographs in this blog post. Feel free to email me with questions before our residency. My email is [email protected]. You can also leave comments on this blog post of things that stood out to you or photographers you follow on social media too.
Below are some photos I took at Ligon Middle School.
Quotes about Photography | |
A beautiful aspect of photography is that it means something different to everyone. What’s your favorite photography quote?
“One should really use the camera as though tomorrow you’d be stricken blind. To live a visual life is an enormous undertaking, practically unattainable. I have only touched it, just touched it.” – Dorothea Lange
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” – Aaron Siskind
“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” – Paul Caponigro
“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment. This kind of photography is realism. But realism is not enough – there has to be vision, and the two together can make a good photograph.” -Robert Frank
“Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man.” – Edward Steichen
“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” – Ansel Adams
“Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask ‘how’, while others of a more curious nature will ask ‘why’. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.” – Man Ray
“Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.” – David Alan Harvey
“Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness.” – W. Eugene Smith
“ Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” – Imogen Cunningham
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt
“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” – Marc Riboud
“I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them.” – Bruce Gilden
“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.” – Alfred Eisenstaedt
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt
“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” – Marc Riboud
“I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them.” – Bruce Gilden
“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.” – Alfred Eisenstaedt
“A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know.” – Diane Arbus
Ligon Middle School Courtyard
Photo by Megan Oteri
Photo by Megan Oteri
Some of my favorite photographs. Photos by Megan Oteri
Video (below) about Alex Currie -- a sixteen year old photographer. Alex fell in love with photography at eleven years old and also loves videography. Read more about him and see more of his photos by reading this article about him in Photofocus.com.
Alex’s Advice for Young Photographers:
“Set aside any excuses and limitations in favor of creating. Do what you love, use your imagination, and push yourself. Shoot with a purpose.” - Alex Currie
Alex’s Advice for Young Photographers:
“Set aside any excuses and limitations in favor of creating. Do what you love, use your imagination, and push yourself. Shoot with a purpose.” - Alex Currie
Hong Kong in the 1950's Captured by a Teenager
Click on link above to read an article about a teenage street photographer. These stunning photographs of Hong Kong in the 1950s are captured beautifully by a teenager named Ho Fan from Hong Kong. Pay attention to the light, angles, and perspective in each photo. This photographer does a great job using black and white photos and natural light to create a mood in each photo. Pay attention to what the photo makes you think about when you view it. What do you notice?
Click on link above to read an article about a teenage street photographer. These stunning photographs of Hong Kong in the 1950s are captured beautifully by a teenager named Ho Fan from Hong Kong. Pay attention to the light, angles, and perspective in each photo. This photographer does a great job using black and white photos and natural light to create a mood in each photo. Pay attention to what the photo makes you think about when you view it. What do you notice?
Great video with tips to make great photographs.
Do you like Legos? I love legos!
Legographer, Andrew Whyte does a great job illustrating the technique of perspective and point of view in photography.
"UK-based photographer Andrew Whyte has documented the adventures of a brave lone LEGO photographer in his “The Legographer” photo series.
The process behind Whyte’s photos is so simple that almost anyone could do it. He carries the Legographer with him wherever he goes and, when he finds a good location, snaps a picture of him in action with his Iphone 4S. The Legographer has traveled all around the UK and the world in Whyte’s pocket." Click here to read more about this photographer and his process as a photographer.
"UK-based photographer Andrew Whyte has documented the adventures of a brave lone LEGO photographer in his “The Legographer” photo series.
The process behind Whyte’s photos is so simple that almost anyone could do it. He carries the Legographer with him wherever he goes and, when he finds a good location, snaps a picture of him in action with his Iphone 4S. The Legographer has traveled all around the UK and the world in Whyte’s pocket." Click here to read more about this photographer and his process as a photographer.
Mood and Tone in Photography -- Video with black and white photos
Links to articles, photographer galleries, and photography slideshows:
- Smart-Camera Photography: Enrich Students' Creative Writing Skills
- 30 Magical Examples of of Natural Light Photography
- Masters of the Camera: Renowned African-American Photographers
- Ansel Adams -- famous for his black and white photography
- African American Photographers To Know
- 11 Teens You Should Follow on Instagram
- Mood and Tone in Photography (Quotes and Photos)
- Megan Oteri -- Featured Photographer on Talenthouse (article about my photographer and what inspires me as a photographer). Link to my Talenthouse portfolio of Cowboy, Rodeo and Wyoming Photos.