P10: Atmosphere

A Piece of Heaven

Tags: sun, clouds, rays
This is a picture I took while Sheila Blocher and I were watching her son at baseball practice. We both took very similar pictures. However after seeing how she edited her picture, I decided to use this picture for my submission for atmosphere. Bethany in my group also liked this picture much better than the one that I had settled on. This picture is very inspirational for me. I have always enjoyed watching the rays from the sun reach out from behind the clouds. I think it is one of the most amazing sights in the sky.
I took many pictures of different types of clouds and atmosphere. In fact, the one I had considered submitting separated the sky into a day and night impression of the sky. However, it did not look as amazing as this photo did to me. I cropped this picture and adjusted the saturation and contrast to achieve a majestic glow. I took this shot in several different modes. I tried landscape, auto, and the evening mode trying to see the differences it made in the pictures. The landscape mode took the brightest shot.
This picture could be used in a weather unit. We teach a cloud unit and we could take pictures similar to these to illustrate the clouds. It would be hard to plan to do based on the weather, but I could actually take my kindergarten students out to take pictures of different clouds. They could take pictures to show their understanding of the different types of clouds. We could then take the pictures and then discuss about what type of weather you see when these clouds are present. I think it would make the unit on clouds and weather more meaningful and interesting.

Article Summaries

We had to complete two article summaries. One had to deal with the privacy rights and rights of photographers and the other was about copyright issue and photography. both articles were very informative.


Article Summary of Privacy Rights and Rights of Photographers

Kantor, A. (2009). Legal rights of photographers. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from http://www.andrewkantor.com/useful/Legal-Rights-of-Photographers.pdf.

Andrew Kantor was a news reporter in 2005. He wrote this article based on the fact that he never knew what photographs were legal or not legal. He decided to set out on his own to discover the legal issues of taking pictures. First of all, he states, “if anyone can see it, you can shoot it” (Kantor, 2009). This means if it happens in public then it is okay to take a picture of it. This article taught me legal issues come into play in the publishing or selling the photos. Basically, you can not publish or sell photos that break privacy laws, tarnish someone’s character, or use for commercial purposes. These are all common sense type of laws to me.



Article Summary about Copyright Issue and Photography

Devon, M. (2009). Copyright infringement and web content. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from http://onlinepublishingresources.suite101.com/article.cfm/copyright_infringement_and_web_c ontent.

Michelle Devon (2009) stated that “once something has gone from imagination to fixed form (paper, computer, online, etc.) the law protects that work with a copyright. This is something that I was not aware of”. She talks a lot about how the social networking sites and hotlinking are changing the legal issues of copyright. As an avid Facebook member, I can see where these issues would cause concerns. There are several times that I tag people in my pictures and they tag them again for friends without my permission. From what I understand, just because it is posted in a public domain doesn’t mean that it is public domain. You have to gain permission from the author for any text or pictures used. Basically, Devon suggested playing it safe and always getting permission.

Digital Storytelling Project

We created a digital story to teach kindergarten students about community helpers. Please click on the link to view the movie.

http://stu.westga.edu/~kbowen1/7466_digitalstorytellingproject_klb

Collaborative Lesson Plan

Our collaborative lesson dealt with taking pictures to illustrate vocabulary words. The students then created a glog as a final project to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of these vocabulary words.

http://stu.westga.edu/~kbowen1/7466_clp_klb.docx

P9: Worm's Eye View

A Sunny Day

Tags: sunflower, leaves, sky, bugs
This is a picture of a sunflower that I took in a former student’s yard. He wanted me to come and take pictures of his flowers with my new camera. He thought it was funny that I was lying on the ground and chasing dragonflies and butterflies. He directed me to take many pictures and of all the pictures this was one of my favorites. It is more a bug’s eye view than a worm’s eye view.
I took many pictures of the sunflowers. I put my camera on the ground at the stalk. I took pictures from the ground at the bottom of the retaining wall and while I was lying on the ground. When the camera was on the ground next to the stalk, the only picture I could get was the leaves. So, this picture was taken while I was lying on the ground up under the plant. I sharpened the picture and increased the saturation of this picture. By making the colors brighter and the picture sharper, the sunflower seemed to be a little more interesting.
I could use this picture as part of a plant unit. In fact, I could have taken pictures of this plant in different stages of growth for a sequencing activity. My students would benefit by seeing the leaves, stalk, and flower of the plant. I could use this picture to show how plants need the sunshine and air to live. This picture would also make a great writing prompt or for a math lesson in height. The ideas seem to be endless for this picture.

P8: Creative Filter

Neon Daydreams

Tags: butterfly, neon, wings, colors
This is a picture of a butterfly that found while visiting Callaway Gardens. Sheila Blocher and I went to visit the gardens on our hunt for some interesting pictures. I took. many pictures of butterflies and almost passed out due to the humidity at the Butterfly Center. The original picture of this butterfly was not very colorful. So, I decided to play with the filters to try and find one that added more color
After spending many hours at Sheila’s house working on college work, I think we stumbled upon some very creative filters. Sheila first discovered this filter and I was very pleased how it made my butterfly look. I also enjoyed using the polarized filter. After applying this filter, I played with the saturation and contrast to achieve the colors for the butterfly.
My students would love this picture. We could use this picture in the discussion of life cycles of insects. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle takes the children through the metamorphosis of a butterfly. I could use this picture and have children try to create their own through paint or chalk. If I had the time I could take different butterfly pictures and work with children one on one to create their own picture in Photoshop. Just a few ideas that I could implement.

P7: Reflection

Over the Edge

Tags: feet, water, dock, reflection
This is a picture of my children and some of their friends. Their father is a member of a hunting club and he took us there to take pictures. This was a dock located on the lake. Our children were sitting on the very narrow walkway leading to the dock. They were actually lying down on the walkway to capture this picture.
This was a tough picture to capture. I tried this shot from many angles. My first impression was to take it from the bank. However, the reflection of the dock was more prevalent than the feet. So, I decided to go to the walkway. However, the walkway was so narrow that I had to take it at an angle. In fact the children needed to lie down so I captured only their feet. They also had several imperfections on their legs, so I had to use the replacement tool to touch up the picture. After posting my colored picture, my group members suggested that I turn this into a black and white photo and I agreed. Overall, I was very satisfied with the final product.
I could use this picture in the discussion of families and in a math lesson talking about pairs. I could call upon my students’ inference skills and ask them who, what, where, how, and why questions about the picture. They could them write stories based on the recorded responses to these questions. I could also this picture and picture like this one to teach about pairs. I could capture several pictures with pairs and the students could identify how many pairs that they see in the picture. It is amazing what I could do with this picture.

P6: Rule of Thirds

I’ve Got My Eye on You

Tags: flower, grasshopper, eye
This picture was taken in front of the Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens. I went there to look for a different type of picture. I was actually hoping for a good light and shadow picture. However, while I was there a summer storm blew in. Just before the rain I looked down and saw a grasshopper sitting on the flower. He stayed on the flower no matter how close I got.
My original picture seemed blurry or had very soft edges. I took this in macro mode and the grasshopper allowed me to get close enough to capture his picture. It was not until I got home and started to edit the picture that I realized what the grasshopper looked like. I was so pleased!! It fit the rule of thirds and it even had a touch of light and shadow. By increasing the contrast, I was able to show detail on his body.
As a kindergarten teacher, I could use pictures like these to show how insects camouflage themselves because the grasshopper has a leaf covering exterior. The students could discuss or write about why this is important in the insect world. I could also use this picture with a writing prompt. The students could write about what they think the grasshopper is thinking or what he is about to do. This picture would be great to help integrate language arts and science.

P5: Light and Shadow

Park it Here

Tags: bench, sidewalk, park
This picture was taken in downtown LaGrange. I was walking around with a friend in hopes of finding a great picture. I took several pictures that day, but none that I felt that would make a good picture. However, after uploading the pictures to my computer I loved the way this picture stood out. I clearly showed the light and shadow effect that I was looking for.
My original picture was full color and not very exciting. The light and shadow could be seen, but nothing seemed to pop. I took this picture in several different modes. I think the one I chose was the one I took in landscape mode. It was not until I changed this picture into a black and white picture and played with the contrast that I became completely satisfied. I had to find that perfect balance of light and dark. Too much light made the bench shine and too dark made it gloomy.
As a kindergarten teacher, I could use pictures like these with community vocabulary words. It is amazing the different words kindergarten students have for the objects around us. It is our job as teachers to teach them the proper names for these objects. We could discuss where this object could be found and where it would be located. I think pictures like these would make a great photo file for community vocabulary words.

P4: Picture of a Flower

Mimosa Fireworks

Tags: fireworks, flower, plants
This is a picture of a Mimosa flower. I chose this picture because it looked like fireworks to me. The funny thing about this picture is that I drove all over the county to find this flower to photograph only to find this tree in my yard. Like my Depth of Field picture, I believe that my picture on the web was a better picture http://picasaweb.google.com/kbowen88/P4PictureOfAFlower#5483969308096502818. The picture actually turned out better than I had imagined it would.
My picture was taken in macro mode. It was late in the day and I had to avoid creating a shadow, so I had to use a tripod. In the editing process, I was able to crop the picture and increase the saturation. Some of the suggestions were to crop it closer but I found that the greener made the colors pop a little more. I was very impressed with this function on my camera.
As a kindergarten teacher, I could use this picture in a picture file for living and non-living things. I could acquire many pictures similar to this for the children to sort. Older students could use it as a reference of plants that grow in our area and in Georgia. They could research the tree and find its origin. This picture was a little more difficult to find activities for.

P3: Depth of Field

Beginning of a Journey

Tags: woods,forest,trail
This a picture of a trail located in Pine Mountain, Ga. I chose this picture for my depth field to show the depth of the trail going into the woods. I think it is much clearer on the web page http://picasaweb.google.com/kbowen88/P3DepthOfField#5485238899131932226. I am thankful for my group members and their comments. I think this picture turned out to be better than my previous pictures.
My original picture was dark and the sign could not be read. Andy’s suggestion made me work with the editing software more and I finally discovered how that could be done. I also played with the contrast, saturation, and brightness to improve the photo. Overall, I was very pleased with the edits and love the final picture.
As a kindergarten teacher, I could use pictures like these to help in developing describing words or as a story starter. Kindergarten children could brainstorm words that describe the trail. They could take the words and then create a story. They could also use it as a story starter. This is a good way for teachers to see the experiences of their students in the woods.

P2: Landscape Pictures

Busy Branch

Tags: water, rocks, branch
This is my photo of a branch that I discovered on an outing with my family. We were traveling down a road called Seven Branches Road in Harris County. I was focused on trying to find a landscape picture where I could use my editing skills. This picture seemed to have a lot of color variation that I could play with.
My original picture did not show the color that I wished to see in the final product. I used the saturation and hue tool to enhance the color. I also used the light and shadow tool to lighten up the darkness in the trees. I was able to achieve the redness in the rocks that I saw that day. Overall, I am very pleased with the final results.
As a kindergarten teacher, I could use pictures like these to describe things. Kindergarten children could come up with describing words for the picture. They could also use it as a story starter. It could also be used as a picture for sequencing. I could take a couple of different shots and the children could put them order to tell a story. There are many ways that this and other photos could be used.

P1: Portrait

Miserable Hospital Stay
Tags: mom,hospital,sad

My portrait photo was of my mom and her recent hospital stay. I focused in on her face because I felt you could see how she felt about what was happening to her. I was very amazed how this picture turned out. I have always thought the bigger more expensive cameras took better pictures. However, I have discovered it is the editing that can really make a difference. I was very lucky that my mom let me take this picture. She hates pictures of herself.
My original picture had color but my mom looked “washed” out. I took the picture from a distance and cropped it around her face. I then played with the colors and posted it to my photo blog. My group members made many suggestions and I played around with it until I got the picture that you see above. My group members suggested changing it to black and white and adjusting the color. The picture that you see is the result of all the changes.
As a kindergarten teacher, I could use pictures like these to help improve inferencing skills. Kindergarten children could write about how they think the person feels or what they believed happened to them. This is a very difficult skill for kindergarten students but with authentic pictures and a lot of practice over time I believe they could come up with some interesting stories. It would be interesting to see how many different stories that they could come up with one picture. I can’t wait to see.