Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Use strategies to critically analyze a photographer’s style and method.
• Analyze images from museums about daily life.
• Write responses to the images based on their descriptive, reflective, and formal analysis.
• Apply photography methods to capture images about contemporary daily life.
• Write artist statements to accompany photographs. 

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

• Slide: Photography: From Theory to Practice
• Capture Sheet: Formal Art Analysis
• Rubric: Photography, From Theory to Practice

Websites

• “Madre e hija de Plaza de Mayo”
• Formal Visual Analysis: The Elements & Principles of Composition
• “Lincoln on Battlefield of Antietam”
• American Gothic, Washington, D.C. by Gordon Parks
• In Your Face: Portrait Photography
• “Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange
• Dorothea Lange and Migrant Mother

Artists 

• Alexander Gardner, ​​Shirin Neshat, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Seoung Won Won, Adriana Lestido, Carrie Mae Weems, Harness Hamese, Graciela Iturbide, Raghu Rai, Margaret Bourke-White, Seydou Keïta, Hildegard Rosenthal, Miyako Ishiuchi
• Google Arts & Culture Photograph Collection
• Google Arts & Culture Artist Collection 

Virtual Field Trips 

• National Gallery of Art
• Google Arts & Culture Photograph Collection
• The MET

Teacher Background

This lesson can be adapted to enhance learning on virtually any theme, topic, or historical period that is expressed and/or documented in photography/sculpting/painting/cultural artifact making. The photographs in this lesson can be adapted to highlight a unit of study about the Civil War, the Great Depression, American presidents, historical and current events, common literary themes (i.e., innocence/experience, life/death, love/hate, etc.), or a specific photographer. 

If you intend to take the students to a museum or virtual museum, review the collection ahead of time to find pieces that would work best for your class.

Students will need a digital, disposable, or mobile device camera. 

Student Prerequisites 

Students should be familiar with taking photographs with a digital, disposable, or mobile device camera. 

Accessibility Notes

Modify handouts and give preferential seating for visual presentations. Allow extra time for task completion.

Engage

1. Show students the photograph, “Madre e hija de Plaza de Mayo,” from the Slide: Photography, From Theory to Practice. Ask students to share what they notice or wonder about the photograph. Tell students they will be learning how to analyze works of art. 

2. Distribute the article, Formal Visual Analysis: The Elements & Principles of Composition, to students. Revisit the photograph, “Madre e hija de Plaza de Mayo.” Ask students: How do the techniques from the article help you analyze and interpret the photograph now? 

3. Model formal analysis methods by analyzing the photograph, “Lincoln on Battlefield of Antietam,” by Alexander Gardner, from the slide, Photography: From Theory to Practice. Do not share who is in the photograph or when it was taken. Model formal analysis methods by analyzing the photograph. Descriptions should remain objective, discussing what can be seen without drawing conclusions. For instance, when looking at Lincoln on Battlefield of Antietam, it would be appropriate to say, “The tall man in the middle is wearing a somber black suit,” but inappropriate to say “the tall man in the middle is dressed as if going to a funeral.” This sort of subjective comment should be reserved for the “reflection” section. A description can begin anywhere, but generally, it is easiest to begin by discussing the subject matter. For example, a description of this photo might begin with the basic statement: “In this black and white image, three men stand in front of a tent.” Once you have stated the subject matter, simply elaborate on what you can see: the man in the middle is the tallest, and is posed with his hands down at his sides, wearing a formal black suit with a bowtie and a tall stovepipe hat. The man to the left is wearing a worn dark suit and a bowler hat. The man to the right is dressed in a military uniform with bright buttons and epaulets. The tent is pitched on a grassy clearing with trees in the background. 

Note: The photographs in this lesson can be adapted to highlight a unit of study about the Civil War, the Great Depression, American presidents, historical and current events, common literary themes (i.e., innocence/experience, life/death, love/hate, etc.), or a specific photographer (Alexander Gardner, ​​Shirin Neshat, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Seoung Won Won, Adriana Lestido, Carrie Mae Weems, Harness Hamese, Graciela Iturbide, Raghu Rai, Margaret Bourke-White, Seydou Keïta, Hildegard Rosenthal, Miyako Ishiuchi, Google Arts & Culture Photograph Collection, Google Arts & Culture Artist Collection). 

4. Discuss as a class which elements of the photograph of Lincoln are most strongly represented. Tell students that the photograph’s very distinct lines and geometric shapes are immediately apparent. Upon closer inspection, it is clear that these lines and shapes function to frame and to move the viewer’s eye towards the central subject, President Lincoln. For instance, note the way that all of the lines in the image draw us towards the figure of the president. The tent forms an inverted “V” shape directly behind Lincoln, while the vertical tent post and tree trunk in the background further elongate Lincoln’s already tall figure, creating a clear emphasis in the composition. There are other strongly represented elements as well. Consider the stark contrast between the white of Lincoln’s shirt and his black suit, which further draws our attention towards the president’s face. There is also a sense of balance, with the figures standing to either side of the president in similar poses, like mirror images.

5. Discuss the tone or mood of the image with students as you see it, but stress that different points of view are expected and natural. For example, one analysis may describe the following: The tone of “Lincoln on Battlefield of Antietam” seems very bleak. The somber facial expressions of the men, coupled with the barren grass and sparse trees give an overall impression of death and dying. There is also a sense of loneliness about the figure of President Lincoln. Although standing next to two men, he seems totally isolated. He is unresponsive to the camera; rather than making eye contact, he stares distantly off into space, increasing the sense of isolation.

6. Divide students into small groups to analyze another photograph in the same way. Show students the photograph, American Gothic, Washington, D.C. by Gordon Parks, because of its strong formal characteristics, such as proportion and contrast. 

7. Ask students to sketch the image, paying attention to the lines and other formal characteristics such as contrast and shape. When the students have completed the sketch, they should analyze the image in formal terms, and record their answers in their journals. As they move through the process of recreating the composition on paper, students will come to appreciate how the formal characteristics contribute to the overall composition. For instance, in this image, students will notice how the vertical lines from the objects draw attention to the subject, Ella Watson. The broom and mop on each side of her create harmony and balance. Proportionally, Watson is very small compared to the American flag hanging in the distance. The contrasting white, gray, and black tones draw attention to Watson’s face, but the darkest point is seen in the flag, making its presence known. 

Build

1. Show the video In Your Face: Portrait Photography to explore the artistic choices of photographers. Lead students through additional visual analysis activities so they refine their skills and gain a deeper understanding of the process. You may wish to take students on a field trip to a museum so they can engage with works of art, or take a virtual museum field trip at the National Gallery of Art, Google Arts & Culture Photograph Collection, or The MET. If you intend to take the students to a museum or virtual museum, review the collection ahead of time to find pieces that would work best for your instruction. Note: This lesson can be adapted to analyze other art forms, such as sculptures, paintings, or cultural artifacts. 

2. Choose three objects from a local museum, virtual museum, print images, or digital images. Have students apply the same analysis principles they practiced in class. Each object will engage one method of analysis and emphasize concentrated looking. When using non-photographic images, emphasize to students that the tools they are learning can be used to analyze any work of art from anytime period. Students should record their written responses to the following methods of analysis in their journals or on the Capture Sheet: Formal Art Analysis. If students are using a journal have them divide their paper into quadrants, and label each quadrant with one part of speech: nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. 

3. Divide students into groups with four students in each group. Explain that each group member will be responsible for brainstorming words for one part of speech. The noun group member will come up with a list of nouns that they see in the photograph. The adverb group member will come up with a list of adverbs that they see, and so on. Allow time for students to analyze and make their lists. 

4. Have students visit other group members that have the same part of speech (nouns with nouns, adverbs with adverbs, etc) to share, swap, and borrow ideas. Once they are done, have students return to their groups to share and discuss what they brainstormed for each quadrant. 

5. Using the words from the four different lists, have students compose sentences that use at least one of the words from each of the quadrants. Some examples based on the words above might be, “The colorful clowns dance and sing noisily,” or “The fantastic band marches excitedly.” 

Apply

1. Inform students that they will examine a photograph and artist statement from a seminal photographer in order to assist them in writing their own statements. Examine the image “Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange. Before beginning, students should brainstorm questions they have about the photograph or photographer. These questions can be recorded on the board, and will ideally form the basis for the artist’s statements the students will write. 

2. Share the resource, Dorothea Lange and Migrant Mother. As a class, read Lange’s comments about the famous photograph. Ask students: What questions do you have about this image that was not answered in Lange’s comments? In her artist statement, Dorothea Lange deliberately chooses to give us some information and exclude other information. Why do you think Lange chooses to tell us that the migrant woman is 32 years old? Lange describes her attraction to the “PEA-PICKERS CAMP” sign as “magnetic,” a force she could not resist. Have you experienced a similar attraction to a subject? Lange uses words such as “hungry” and “desperate” to describe her subject. How do these words affect the way we view this photograph?

3. Tell students that they will be documenting daily life in their communities by taking photographs. Explain that large events such as parades or everyday activities are excellent opportunities to take fantastic pictures. Point out to the students that they can make their images more exciting and dynamic by changing their position in relation to their subject. For instance, students should experiment with looking down at an object from above as well as crouching down and looking up at an object from below. In addition, remind students that they can turn their cameras ninety degrees to frame their images like a portrait. Allow time for students to take photographs and print them. It is also crucial that students understand the difference between a snapshot they might take at a family party and a photograph that takes into consideration formal design elements. 

4. Students should select one image from their work that they find most captivating. Once students have selected a photograph, they should write responses based on the three methods of analysis. Students can apply the same brainstorming strategy used from the Capture Sheet: Formal Art Analysis to brainstorm ideas.

5. Distribute the resource, Artist’s Statement Guide. Review the guide with students, clarifying the criteria for each section. 

Reflect 

1. Have students create a gallery of photographs with artist statements in the classroom, a hallway, an area of the school where art can be displayed, or in a digital presentation. Allow time for students to facilitate through the gallery to analyze the photographs and read the statements. Use the Rubric: Photography, From Theory to Practice to evaluate students’ work.

2. Lead students in a follow-up discussion. Ask students, How is taking a carefully composed picture different than taking casual snapshots of family and friends? How did you use formal analysis when you composed your shots? Which elements did you find most strongly represented in your image? Was writing an artist's statement about your own work more or less difficult than writing about another artist's work? How did writing this statement affect how you viewed your photograph?

Extend

1. Have students write a Haiku about their photograph or from another photographer, such as Faezeh by Shirin Neshat or Fdr’s Warm Springs Funeral by Edward Clark. Have students assess and respond to the work of art on a personal level, analyzing the effects that the work has on its audience. Works should be chosen that have strong emotive characteristics. Ask students to write a haiku to express their thoughts. See the lesson, You Too Can Haiku, for more on the haiku form.