Walk and write, first pages of Zines

More games to stimulate the imagination and work on descriptions.  Today we start really thinking about storytelling.  The walk is retraced with notecards in hand and students work together to generate writing back in the classroom.  In the afternoon we produce segments of our class Zine.

Choose Your Own Adventure

We took a walk and took some pictures, but when we chose certain routes we were given a specific way of taking photos.  On some paths we were given two choices of things to photograph and we could only pick one, like water or land, buildings or grass, people or shadows, colorful things or grey things.  There were also stretches of blocks where we probably looked very odd because we took photos one foot from our subjects squatting down or we leaned up and back as if we were taking a photo of a giant or down and forward like we were photographing ants.  There were other blocks where we took pictures of our classmates or counselors only.  We also had to photograph empty or "negative space" or fill the frames of our cameras with stuff and capture reflections or text.  Can you tell what rules we followed by looking at our pictures?

Connor:

Aiden:

Garrett:

Katy:

Kobe:

Toby:

Zachary:

Reflections of Our First Day in Class!

Katy:
Colorful; lots of things; pretty bright blue sky; bright bright sun; buildings.

Toby:
On my walk I observed all different shapes: windows, doors, trash.  And lots of plants: green trees, flowers, bushes, mostly green.

Kobe:

Connor:
There were many interesting things I saw and I didn't even take pictures of.  I wasn't thinking at first but after I stopped more often to look around.

Zachary:
Another man's trash is another man's treasure.  Which means trash can become a beautiful photo.

Aiden:
Today we went on a photo walk.  We saw a lot of different things.  We saw plants,

In this picture the plant is silhouetted against the city in the background  

buildings, dogs, some trash and illusions.  What I mean by illusions is pictures that boggle the mind like these water pipes.  Are they on a wall or on the ground?

Garrett:

How to Know for Sure You're in San Diego

Some friends are driving across the country to come visit you while you’re at camp – but all the signs along the highways have disappeared. How will they know for sure when they have reached San Diego? Use all your senses – what are the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, textures that you can describe to your friend so they will recognize San Diego? Make sure the details are specific enough that the place you describe couldn’t be mistaken for any other town.

Aiden:
Tall buildings, people, lots of people, beaches, palm trees, coastal, museums, zoo, zip: 92115

Toby:
Welcome to So Cal, beach, nice weather, lots of Mexican food- but don't go to Rubio's, go to world famous zoo or Comic-Con, also Lego Land

Zachary:
There are some beaches, there is a lot of dry air, there are tall buildings, there is a lot of salty air, there are a lot of nice people, it is hot most of the time, there are a lot of hills, there are a lot of museums and sculptures, a lot of parks, there are a lot of dogs, there are a lot of bars, there are a lot of people who smoke, their are a lot of children

Kobe:
Cars, planes, bus, roads, beach, people, bikes, buildings, zoo, trains, dogs, art, taste the pancake

Garrett:
Fishing, ugly people, trashy, unclean, stinky, smoke, cars, Toyotas, bikes, sky scrapers, restaurants taste good, kayak, pets, gassy, robbers

Katy:
Smells like a batch of warm cookies, looks like a big tray of sweets, tastes like your favorite type of cake, feels rough and smooth, sounds like loud music, San Diego is really pretty

Connor:
Stuff

Learn your camera and take a walk

Students will be introduced to the class goals, schedule, rules, etc., and to us and each other.  We will also present the basics of digital photography, show them examples of work from an artist who uses walking and a process-based method, and play a game that simulates the whole process of creating that the students will be engaged in throughout the week.  In the afternoon we’ll take a walk around downtown, allowing the students to choose their own route at designated points along the way.  They will be photographing with certain guidelines based on their directional decisions.  The route they map out will be retraced throughout the week.