High School Photography – International School Bangkok

The High School Photo show for this semester was a success. The show was made up of a diverse range of shots with representation from all photo students. Advanced students had the opportunity to showcase some of their portfolio work too. The example provided is a portrait from a series by senior Yael Clovyn titled ‘Seeing Red’.
Thanks to all those who visited the show.

Kylie Harter

On Sunday February 1st, 2009, 10 of our high school photo students, armed with their cameras, paired up with students (aged 12-14) from one of the schools in Klong Toey, the slum district of Bangkok. Working in collaboration with The Mercy Centre, our objective was to give these underprivileged children an opportunity to explore a new means of expression via the photographic medium, whilst at the same time forging friendships with our students. The ISB students also worked as teachers for the Klong Toey teenagers, showing them how to use their cameras as well as provide them tips about taking photos. For the morning, these pairs of students, some with student translators accompanying them, moved about district 17 in Klong Toey to document the environment together. Set just a few specific photo challenges, the students enjoyed the freedom to document their surroundings as they see it, from their respective perspectives and their respective vantage points.

We have a follow-up session planned for next week where the students are reunited for a session specifically designed for selecting work for their show which will take place in May here at ISB. The ISB photo students will teach their buddies about what makes a quality shot versus a weak frame and together they will select work to show. After that, games and snacks will be provided in efforts to strengthen the friendships that have begun.

The ‘Bi-Focal’ show in early August 2009 will provide these students an opportunity to showcase their work. Together with their ISB buddy, these Klong Toey students will be present at the opening of the show so they may receive recognition for their work first hand.

Below are a couple of examples of work from the February shoot.

Photo by Kwan (Klong Toey)

Photo by Bird (Klong Toey)

Photo by Krystin (ISB)

Photo by Nice (ISB)

For the first assignment of the year, Photo 2 students were asked to produce a portrait of someone they know. After exploring various approaches to portraiture in photography, students determined how they’d like to shoot their chosen subject. To help students establish a link between the analog photo process and the digital process, students first shot their subject with film, then scanned the selected negative. Then in Photoshop (for some students this was the first time), students manipulated their images to acheive their identified, desired result. As hoped, the results were diverse in nature.
This portrait example by Lisa Guest reflects her interest in Pop Art and whilst working on this assignment, she sourced a tutorial that showed her how to create this dappled, comic book effect made famous by Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and others.

My intention with this image was to capture a moment in dance that communicates to the viewer what is the essence of dance – what makes a dancer keep dancing? Is it the contact with the floor, the arch of the foot, or is it the anticipation of that next move and what that will look like and feel like?

Using the rule of thirds as a guide, I placed the feet off to the far right creating an asymmetrical balance in the composition. It also helped me place the line where the floor meets the backdrop, roughly a third up from the bottom of the frame. The large area of negative space occupying the center and left of the frame helps draw more attention to the feet. Additionally, it better shows the stage environment and the expanse of space in which the dancer works. I ensured I took the photo at a moment when there were no other dancers in that space because I wanted to focus more on the mindset and passion of the individual dancer rather than a collective group.

The thin line of blue light that separates the stage floor and the backdrop works well in directing the eye to the feet too.

The soft, warm lighting is important to the mood of the piece as it creates a comforting intimate feeling to the photo.

The light falls and reflects on the feet making them, in part, much lighter than the negative space, creating a nice contrast.

I chose a low vantage point as it was important to create a connectedness to the feet and emphasize their contact and connection with the stage floor surface.

Something that I didn’t plan on but love the result is the tape on the front foot. Tonally, it is similar to the foot, but the fraying tape creates a subtle textural contrast. More importantly, it emphasizes the dancer’s commitment to her craft.

If there were something I would change, I’d not have included the dancer in the background. I am a little bothered by the hand to the right of the feet, but not enough so that I would go into Adobe Photoshop and remove it.

Overall, I’m really happy with this piece. I’m no dancer but for me this image commands a respect for the art of dance and the commitment of the dancer. It makes me wish I could dance better than I do.