Jan 2021 - Present
Students gain an appreciation for shapes, forms, viewpoints and camera angles while creating a photo gallery displaying each letter of the alphabet.
The ease of access to cameras makes taking pictures a common activity. It also increases interest in learning the art of photography, both digital and traditional film.
Whether used as an introduction to the shapes in the alphabet for preschool and kindergarten students or a study of viewpoints and camera angles for older photography students, locating and photographing the different shapes of the alphabet in everyday objects is an engaging and easily displayed activity.
Key Elements of the Alphabet Photo Gallery Project
Creating an alphabet photo gallery requires access to cameras, a way to develop film or print digital copies, a place to display the work, and creativity. Any camera, from a cell phone to disposable film camera, can be used depending on the class, students' skills, and availability of equipment. The gallery display can be a classroom bulletin board, hallway wall, library display case, or whatever is available and has space for all 26 letters.
Students provide the creativity through the lens of the camera while looking for the upper and lowercase letters. They can investigate the classroom, school grounds, local park, home, and other areas to find the alphabet. Encourage students to walk around and study objects from different sides and angles, including from above and below, which brings in photography elements such as viewpoints and camera angles, since this will give them a new view from which to find the letters.
Displaying the Photographic Results
Displaying the results, whether a class collaborative or individual photography student's project, depends on the type of camera used. Traditional film can be developed in a variety of sizes, all of which can be displayed in a variety of ways, from alphabetical order to a collage. Digital cameras allow for photos to be printed on a wide variety of paper, or can be displayed in a slide show on a computer or digital photo frame.
The display can also be a mix of media, both paper and digital. Mixing the media allows for a greater range of cameras to be used as well, since it combines both hard copy and digital copy of the pictures.
Creating a photo gallery of the alphabet captured on film or digitally is a cumulative activity appropriate for a range of grade levels. For young students, it is an investigation of their world while looking for newly learned letter shapes. For older students, it is an activity that reinforces photography concepts such as viewpoint and camera angles.