Surrealistic Self Portrait

Performance indicators:
1. Student will learn to use digital camera.
2. Student will demonstrate framing choices.
3. Student will take digital photographs.
4. Student will import photo into Photoshop program.
5. Student will enhance photo digitally.
6. Student will assess own work and identify surrealist techniques utilized in creating photograph.

Day1
What does a portrait say about the person?
“Mona Lisa”, six of Dorothea Lange’s portraits from the Depression Era, digital cameras, discs, and different lighting.
Make a list of things seen in Mona Lisa’s portrait. Then ask what the artist might want us to know about her.
Put a Lange photo on each table. Have each group make a list of descriptors about the photo. Have each group present to class and compile list of similar descriptors. Talk about how Lange manipulated our view of these people in her photos. Ask the students to pair up and talk about how they would like others to see them. At the end of class introduce some of Magritte paintings such as "Son of Man." Talk about surrealist techniques such as juxtapostion and scale.
Day 2
Find a background in a magazine so that thought about a pose can be done. Then procee to camaera work.
What do you know about the digital camera? What about framing? Take a quick quiz of individual students to name the parts of the camera: lens, storage device, shutter, camera strap, on/off button and lcd panel.
Give demo on using the camera…safe practices. Have each pair take at least two pictures of each other.
Day 3
Go to computer room. Show how to scan and import images into Photoshop. Each student should have a scanned background file and a photo taken by another student.
Day 4-6
Demostrate techniques in Photoshop to use lasso tools to move photgraphed image into background. Help individual students as necessary.
Day 7 Print and evaluate the pictures using rubric. Have students reflect on good and bad uses of the Photoshop program.