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.