Photography As Stimulous

Posted by Jo Murphy Sep 22, 2006

Surprise your students with an unusual photograph and kick start their writing by placing a time limit on their response. This will encourage free form association. Allow freedom of creative style. Example

Students might appear a little taken aback at first if they are not used to this kind of scenario. Sometimes newness can jolt us out of a safe artistic mode and open up insightful doorways of exploration.

Visual Journals are a great space to keep exercises like this together. Students can glue the photo into their journal and perhaps they will be inspired to further the imagery by drawing as an extension.

If this mode of expression seems to suite your class the exercises can be made more challenging by asking them to take turns with a camera. Each lesson a different student could provide a photograph that they see to be fresh, innovative and imaginative. The variety of response will speak to students about the way each individual sees the world.

Arts Education works best when it is steered by the students. Ask them would they like to find other creative ways to extend this modality. Perhaps they would like to form groups and create masked freeze frames or statue silhouettes. Perhaps they would like to create their own PodCast Album from the variety of responses to their stimulous material.

Be sure to support them in their risk taking when they offer their ideas. Talk them through if things don't seem to work out at first. This will help them persist until the art emerges from the scruffiness that often arises when students are being truly authentic. At the realisation stage invite an audience and record spectator response.

If you have artistry you would like to share. drop me a line I like to hear how art projects and ideas work out for others.