What is Ugly? Part Two

This month we started our second View Finder Project class. New students, new eyes, same lessons and neighborhood. Some of the students took pictures of the same subjects as the past students. Many students found other subjects they found ugly that were uniquely different from each other. In a neighborhood where ugly is sometimes too easy to find, these students were able to take the ugly and make it interesting to the eye.

Mayson: What is Ugly?

I like this picture because I do not know what it is. Also it goes from dark to light. I also think that it is pretty because how the light hits the thing.

Courtney: What is Ugly?

I like this photo because the flower is ugly to me (not to some) and the grass is all choppy and messed up and the bricks are a good background. The whole picture is a dirty picture which I like.

Alisha: What is Ugly?

I like it because of the background I got. It's still focusing on the van and the grafitti, but the background is cool. I get little parts of the van and then the grafitti.

Victoria: What is Ugly?

It was a spider web that had rain bubbles on it and the angle that I took the picture made it look unique and interesting. I like it, and the shadows and shades made it "pop" more.

Ryan: What is Ugly?

I liked this one because I got the rule of thirds in this piece.

Shapes and Patterns

On a rainy Monday we sent the students to the Woodruff Place Neighborhood to shoot shapes and patterns. A neighborhood near our own, but uniquely different. Looking for just shapes and/or patterns was challenging for some and others enjoyed the challenge it brought. With each session they are showing remarkable improvement.

The purpose of the shapes lesson is to "identify and photograph a variety of shapes that exist in our surroundings to better understand what shapes us as individuals." The purpose of the patterns lesson is to "train the eye to see specific aspects of the world in which we live, slowing down enough to notice these details."

Jeremiah: Shapes and Patterns

The reason I chose this picture for one it is perfect for this topic. Not only that it is very appealing to the eye, it does not matter what you are doing, your eyes are naturally going to look at it. The color contrast is very good.

Amir: Shapes and Patterns

I like how everything lines up in this picture. Also I like the white polie in front of everything breaking it up.

Ashley: Shapes and Patterns

What I love about this photo is the reflection in the window. There are so many patterns around. But to me this picture says, "nature and man combined make a beautiful place."

What is Beautiful?

Students went into the same neighborhood and this time took pictures of things they found to be beautiful. Some of them found that this was harder to do than find pictures of things that were ugly, others found it was easier. Each student took risks taking photos from different angles and perspectives. One student shared that he found when taking pictures of the same object from different perspectives, eventually he found something he liked in the picture.

The purpose of this lesson is: "To help students identify what they do like in their immediate surroundings and ultimately in their lives. To help students understand that there is beauty in everyone and everything if we look hard enough and with new eyes. To help students understand that both the ugly and the beautiful coexist all around us and that it requires a conscience CHOICE to focus on the beauty instead of the ugly."

http://theviewfinderproject.org

Ashley: What is Beautiful?

I love the image capturing and shadow of this picture. It makes me think of some sort of board game. It says to me, "Hey! There is beauty in even the simpiliest of things. Just take time to look, notice, and capture it."

Emily: What is Beautiful?

I chose the picture of the stop sign because I like stop signs, and because
I think without the stop signs, no one would stop. They'd probably just
keep driving and then there would be more wrecks.

Amir: What is Beautiful?

I liked this picture because I like the plants surrounding the "Windsor Park" sign.

Danielle: What is Beautiful?

This is my favorite because I get into the flower and it keeps you
guessing what is around it and what type of flower it is. It puts you in the position of a bee or another insect that may cross this flower.