THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

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• ''rainy-day" activities, such as constructing a pin-hole camera, producing
photograms or manipulating Polaroid prints (which produce interesting
effects if scored with a stylus during the development process).
• the specific chemical processes that produce an image on photographic
(ilm and paper. What is the developer actually doing? The stop-bath? The
fixer? What happens, on a molecular level, when light strikes the film?
What are the components of color film and how do they work? This can
also lead to such basic questions as how our eyes enable us to see and
how our brains translate a two-dimensional image into a perception of a
three-dimensional scene. (There are actually some cultures in which a
photograph is incomprehensible, because their brains have not been
trained to process images in this way.)
Some topics will lend themselves to a traditional essay or book report
format, which may be read aloud or photocopied to serve as the basis for
discussion. Others, such as specialized or advanced photographic techniques,
will open opportunities for more interactive demonstrations.
For example, one or more students might be given an assignment to
research infrared photography, compiling basic information on films and filters,
locating some samples and, ideally, producing some examples of their
own. They might then provide basic instruction to the rest of the class in
preparation for an infrared exercise in which everyone participates.
Something similar might be undertaken for studio lighting. Arrange for
a group of students to spend some time in the studios of local photographers,
learning the basics. They might then present a demonstration that could lead
directly into a new exercise (again with full class participation), possibly
using equipment borrowed from (and supervised by) their sources.
An exciting further development of this concept is for one or more students
to prepare a "briefing" on a controversial topic, which would then be
discussed by the entire class.
Suggested topics for this purpose include the following:
• environmental concerns regarding the production and disposal of photographic
chemicals
• social issues such as the invasion of the privacy of celebrities (i.e., the
notorious paparazzi)
• the use of photography in generating public awareness or shaping perceptions
of wars and other world events
• the evolution of presidential "photo-ops" and their effect on the quality
of news reporting