Overview:

• REAL OR IMAGINED

• How can you remember you childhood?

• How much of our memory of childhood is real and how much of it is imagined? How much is it is truly remembered and how much is pieces fabricated, not actually remembered but pieced together from stories and photos?

• Make a series of 4 photographs based on this idea. Write one paragraph about your project

  • What is your concept to this THEME? Explain how you approached the topic, what your concept is and you used photography to explore it?

Day 1: Inquiry & Ideation

• Brainstorming and developing a personal or conceptual angle on the theme.
  
  

1. Warm-up writing (in your journal or online): 

Respond to the questions:

• • • How do you remember your childhood?

    • What items from your childhood held special importance to you? What memories are connected to them?

    • Do family photos or written/verbal stories shape how you “remember” or shape who you are/how you see yourself?

2. Create an inquiry board/mind map (physical or digital) with:

• • • Words/phrases associated with childhood

    • 3–5 reference photos (personal/found)

    • 2-3 artists or photographers whose work evokes memory, narrative, or nostalgia 

      1. Take a look at Sally Mann, Nan Goldin, Lorna Simpson)

      2. Also, check out THIS link (Childhood Series Examples)

3. Write your personal inquiry question and concept statement draft (can evolve later).

• the concept statement draft helps you clarify your intentions before you begin shooting you photographs. You are trying to articulate your thinking: what your project is about, why you chose the topic, and how you plan to approach it visually.

• Struggling? Here’s a simple framework you can use to write your draft:

1. What is your theme or idea?

   • What about childhood, memory, or imagination are you exploring?

2. Why does it matter to you?

   • Is it based on personal memories, family stories, cultural ideas, etc.?

3. How do you plan to explore it visually?

   • What kind of photos will you take?

   • Will you stage scenes, use old photos, edit the images in a certain way? Why? What do you hope to achieve?

Day 2: Experimentation & Image Planning

• Begin planning and experimenting with photo concepts.
  
  

1. Visual planning process: create thumbnail sketches or photo storyboards for each of the 4 photographs.

   • • What do I mean? By creating sketches, you are intentionally planning the composition, lighting, mood, and symbolism of your images in alignment with your concept — rather than just taking random photos and hoping they work out.

     • TIPS: thumbnail sketches are quick and not detailed, they help plan:

       1. Framing / Cropping

       2. Subject placement

       3. Background / Setting

       4. Lighting direction

       5. Mood / Atmosphere

       6. Major props or elements

     • Example:

       1. Theme concept: fragmented memory

       2. Sketch concept: Blurred figure of child running in a hallway

       3. Notes: Motion blur added in editing, symbolic of fleeting or distorted memories

2. Choose your photographic approach:

• • • Staged vs candid?

    • Digital manipulation to blur memory vs reality?

    • Use of props, costumes, locations?

3. Optional: Practice with editing tools that can mimic fading memory (e.g. blur, overlay, color grading).

4. HOMEWORK: Begin shooting final images.

Day 3-4: Production & Editing

• Shooting and editing the final 4 photographs. 

1. Begin selecting final images.

   • Ms. K feedback

2. Begin editing photos to enhance your concept.

• Tip: Consider how elements like lighting, focus, cropping, and composition contribute to your narrative/theme.

3. DAY THREE HOMEWORK: Continue shooting final images.

4. DAY FOUR HOMEWORK: 

   • POST your best/final 4 images to the assigned discussion feed and write your SIQ/theme,

   •  Include an area you are struggling with/would like help/feedback on.

   • Then, COMMENT on ALL your classmates' posts. 

     1. When responding consider: 

        • What do you think the artist’s main idea or question about childhood is?(Does the concept feel clear and focused?)

          • “I think your concept is about…”

        • Which photo stands out the most, and why? (Is it visually strong, emotionally impactful, or conceptually rich?)

          • “This photo really works because…”

        • How do the materials and techniques (lighting, focus, color, editing) support the concept? 

          • "I really like how you used/incorporated/edited.."

        • How do the four photos feel connected as a series? (What ties them together visually or conceptually?)

          • "I can see how you tie the photos together based on..."

        • What is one suggestion you have for strengthening the series? (Could one photo be pushed further? Would a different angle or detail help?)

          • “One way to push your idea further might be…”

          • “I wonder if you could try…”

Day 5: Reflection & Artist Statement

• Reflect on your process and finalize your written work.
  
  

1. Read your peer review statements on the discussion board.

2. Finalize layout or sequence of the 4 images, and possibly make changes based on your peer review feedback.

3. Complete a written artist statement (1 paragraph):

1. • What was your concept and inquiry?

   • How did your idea begin and evolve? Include your process.

   • What methods or visual strategies did you use to communicate your theme/SIQ? Be specific!

Day 6: Presentation & Self-Reflection

• Present work and participate in a self-reflection.
  
  

1. Students present their 4 photos + statement to class.

   • I recommend creating a Google Slides presentation, and dedicating one slide to each work. You should also include your SIQ and *can* include your artist statement to the last slide. You don't have to read it to the class, but it's a good idea to have everything you are turning in/getting graded on in one place. 

2. You will complete a self-reflection based on the following critique prompts tied to AP SI language.

Self-Reflection Questionnaire (linked)

Directions: Make a copy. Update the SHARE setting so that "anyone with the link" can access your document.  Answer the following questions thoughtfully and honestly. Your responses will help you evaluate how clearly your work communicates a cohesive idea and how your creative decisions support that message.

 Part 1: Depth and Cohesion

1. What idea or theme were you trying to explore through your series?
   Example: I wanted to reflect on the innocence of childhood or the feeling of losing memories over time.

2. What question or inquiry guided your work?
   Example: How do we hold onto childhood memories? What does growing up feel like?
   
   

3. Does each photo in your series contribute to this central idea?

4. Are the four images connected visually or conceptually (or both)?

5. Do you feel the idea evolves or develops across the four photos? If so, how does the story or emotion shift or deepen?

Part 2: Process and Technical 

6. How did your use of lighting, composition, or editing techniques support the meaning of your work?
   
   

7. Did your choice of materials (camera, props, setting, etc.) help reinforce the concept?
   
   

8. What visual or technical changes did you make while creating the work (e.g., reshooting, re-editing)?

Part 3: Symbolism, Storytelling and/or Emotional Tone

9. What specific choices (objects, poses, colors, settings) did you make to evoke memory, imagination, or nostalgia?

10. How does the composition or camera angle affect how a viewer experiences the scene or message?

11. What symbols or metaphors appear in your work to represent childhood or memory? (Think about toys, clothing, places, gestures, etc.)
    
    

12. What emotional tone did you aim to convey (e.g., joy, longing, melancholy)? How did your color choices support that tone?

13.  How will this mini inquiry help you to make more informed choices when it comes to your own AP sustained inquiry? In other words, moving forward what will you do similarly or differently when working on your AP SI?