The Big Idea:

How do artists construct stories using visual means?

Activity overview

Study the work of the photographer Dorothea Lange and think about how she tells a story. Then, work individually or in teams to produce a short photo-essay on a school or local event as it takes place. The primary medium is should be photography, but you will complement your pictures with work in other media such as text, drawings, or video clips.

Look closely

Click on each artist button at right to view detailed screens about the artist and his or her works. Be sure to click on all images, view all videos, read all documents, and look closely at the works of art.

New terms:

object label

In this activity you will:

1. choose an event to document
2. plan your documentary
3. document the event
4. present your work to the class

You will be graded on:

1. effort in planning photo essay
2. creativity and thoroughness of documentary
3. class presentation

New terms:

documentary, photo-essay, point of view