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= Capture the Moment Photo Project: Sundays in Milford =

Lesson and project idea adapted from //New York Times// Learning Network: Just a Moment: Photographing Ordinary Life at []

The New York Times [|Lens blog] recently invited people all over the world to take pictures at one “Moment in Time” (15:00 U.T.C., Sunday, May 2). Over 10,000 photographers responded.

You may see the results online in a fascinating [|interactive global gallery.] As the Lens blog puts it, “make no plans for the rest of the day.”

What if Jonathan Law students took pictures on the same day and uploaded them to one digital album? Where are you usually, and what are you usually doing, on a Sunday?
 * Your assignment ** is to take a photograph on Sunday, May 23, 2010 and submit the photo to the wiki page at http://mspphotographypage.wikispaces.com/

Submit your photos on this link: Sundays in Milford Photo Gallery.

Next to your photograph, type your first name only, place of photograph, time of day photo taken, and a caption.

Your photograph should capture the essence of a day in Milford, CT. Think about how these categories as you decide on your photograph: religion, play, nature and the environment, family, work, arts and entertainment, community, social issues.


 * As you are taking photographs, ask yourself: **
 * What is unique about this photo? How does it capture the essence of a day in Milford, CT?
 * How often do you use cameras (including cellphone cameras)?
 * What do you photograph?
 * Do you share your photos online with friends and/or family?
 * How do you feel about non-friends, and even strangers, seeing your photos?
 * Do you try to take “good” pictures?

> >
 * After all photographs have been posted on the wiki page, ask yourself: **
 * What do the images tell about what was happening around Milford on this day?
 * Do you want to know more about the people and places behind any of these photos? If so, which ones, and why?
 * Which photograph do you find most visually interesting? What elements make it so?
 * Do you think that 10 years from now, looking at these photos you will know what life was like in early 2010?


 * Do the photos reflect the lives of Milford residents?

--Consider the following elements of great news photographs: --Composition (background, foreground, placement and framing) --Lighting and color --Focus and depth of field --Timeliness --Point of view/objectivity/subjectivity --Storytelling or narrative
 * Tips for using a camera: **

For more information about photography, you may wish to consult Photography.com’s [|“Basic Photography Concepts”] and [|About.com: Photography].

**From NYTimes.com**

 * [|Times Topics: Photography]
 * [|One in 8 Million: New York Characters in Sound and Images]
 * [|Multimedia and Photo Archive]

**Around the Web**
. Read about [|qualities of good photos] at this site.
 * [|“Day in the Life” Photography Book Series]
 * [|A Minute in the Life]
 * [|flickr: Explore]

Evaluate the photos submitted using the [|Critiquing a Photograph] handout.