Grade 10

Welcome to our photo website! My name is Rob Ackerman, and I teach grade 10 photography here at Thornlea Secondary School. The purpose of this site is to showcase some of the great work currently being done by my students. I hope that by displaying their own work, and viewing the work of others, they will begin to develop their critical analysis skills and improve their own photography.

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Following is a description of the various assignments with links to the image galleries. A few of the images are mine; most were created by the students.

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Selfies - An introductory assignment intended to encourage students to think about light, composition, and background. Since selfies constitute such a high percentage of the total images taken on a daily basis, most of us can relate to them. Later in the course, we will revisit selfies, and use them as a segue into portraiture.

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Lines - An assignment to introduce students to the elements of art. The goal is to photograph examples of lines, and to become aware of their characteristics. Are they straight or bent? Thick or thin? Horizontal, vertical, or angled? Rough or smooth? Bright or dark? We begin to explore how the elements of art affect the way we respond to an image.

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Texture - The goal of this assignment is to convey the texture (the roughness or smoothness) of objects while keeping the following things in mind: 1) What is the direction and quality of the light? How does this affect the image? 2) How does the steadiness of the camera and the choice of focus point affect the clarity of the resulting image. Students are introduced to the idea that the light and camera both influence the resulting image.

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Fall Colour - What better way to explore colour than to photograph mother nature at one of the most beautiful times of year? In this assignment, students are asked to create images of anything relating to the fall season, with special emphasis on its colours. Later on, we will use these images to introduce the concept of colour temperature and colour balance as it relates to photography. Having said that, monochrome (i.e. black and white) images are also welcome, especially if they have the ability to suggest a mood or feeling that relates to fall.

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Scavenger Hunt - One way to spark some creativity is to go on a "photo walk" in some location, with a specific set of "must get" photos in mind. When someone else is setting the criteria, some amazing ideas can pop into your head; add the right mix of motivation and resourcefulness, and some great work often results. In mid-October, students were given the opportunity to go on a field trip to downtown Toronto with a checklist of "must get" photos. A few of them were unable to make it on the trip, but were encouraged to try the list on their own time. Here is the result. I hope you enjoy!

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Culminating Activity - Towards the end of the course, students learned how to use digital SLR cameras in full manual mode in order to create images that fell into several categories. They finally had the tools, knowledge, and experience to create their own photographic art, and as you'll see, the results speak for themselves. It's quite impressive when you realize that each photo included a large number of decisions to be made (including: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, focus point, composition, lighting, and photoshop editing - to name a few!)

 

I would like to congratulate my students on their accomplishments this semester. Many of their photos convinced me that pursuing photography beyond grade 10 is an option that should be seriously considered. I not only enjoyed teaching them, but I ended up learning a lot about how artists develop, and how they can be motivated to create imaginative art. I'd like to wish each student the best of luck in the future. Thanks for a wonderful semester!