P1: Portrait

Title: Champ

Tags: Grant, checkers, game

Reflection: I selected this photograph for Project 1. It meets the requirements for this assignment in that it is a portrait which attempts to reveal something about the interior of my son as well as the exterior. To me, this photo conveys that my son is cautious and that he is a critical thinker. He is also a little competitive! Here, he is contemplating his next move in a game of checkers in an effort to outfox his brother.

I really valued this assignment because I had never turned the dial on my camera for anything more than to view the photos I had already taken. This assignment forced me to turn the dial and explore a mode I had never used before: the portrait mode. I love the way the portrait mode allows the focus to be on the person by blurring the background. If I were retaking this photo, I would zoom in more on my son. I hesitated to do this because I did not want to cut his arm off or eliminate the checkerboard. However, I now understand that cropping out part of the person is fine. It adds interest to the photo.

I could use portraits in my kindergarten classroom for many purposes. I would begin by taking students’ portraits for display in the hall beside samples of their work. I would take portraits of students at the beginning of the school year and again at the end to show students (and parents) how much they have grown. I could use portraits in a picture file to be used as story starters. I could also use portraits to teach vocabulary (such as “custodian”), the story element of characters, community helpers, and about feelings. We could compare portraits and tell how they alike and how they are different. The possibilities are limitless!