Grade 11: Born Into Brothels Extended Cut

All information in this post has been gathered from the Amnesty International Curriculum Guide for the Born into Brothels documentary.

Gour, 13 "Running"

Kochi, 10 "Babai"

This lesson focuses on the power of art as a form of personal expression in the transformation of the lives of children who have suffered painful or traumatic pasts. Experiencing traumatic circumstances can lead to overwhelming feelings of chaos, helplessness and fear, and any form of art can serve as a means to overcome such feelings. In an interview with Zana Briski, co-producer of the documentary, she explained what this process meant to her. “For me personally, photography is a means of transformation. It is very personal and regardless of the project that I did—I taught photography because I am a photographer, it could have been music, it could have been dance, any form of art. And at Kids with Cameras, we really encourage people to take whatever skill they have, whatever knowledge they have, and to have it…[A]ny form of art can be used as a means of transformation…It isn’t really about how to earn a living. It isn’t about taking a formal portrait. This is expressing yourself and being open to what is around you and just learning.”


 Please read the case studies on this link.

(You may skip the last section on pg 34 about the "Fugees Soccer Team")

Using information from the film and the case studies complete the following activity. Post your responses in a new blog post titled "Photography with a Message".

Kids with Cameras Gallery



Kochi, 10 "Up the Stairs"



Grade 11: Help With Journal #4

Journal #4 is due today at midnight. I know some of you are having difficulty in understanding what I wanted, so here is an example using pictures I took over thanksgiving. Keep in mind you only need 3 pictures (one small, one medium and one large aperture pic)

Large Aperture pictures emphasize the focal point and blur a large part of the picture. Aperture is the setting on the camera. Depth of field refers to how the picture looks as a result. Large aperture settings have a very small depth of field, meaning only a small amount of the picture is in focus. It can be the closest thing or the furthest thing from you.

Aperture f2.8

Aperture f2.8 Notice it is the middle distance in this picture that is in focus.

 Aperture f4.5 (I was at ground level when I took this picture and I focused on the closest leaf to me. Compare to the leaves picture below)

Medium Aperture Settings create a picture where a large part of the picture is in focus and a smaller part is unfocused. This still emphasizes part of the picture but it is less obvious.

Aperture f8

Aperture f5.6 (I was standing over top of the leaves, because they are almost all the same distance away from me,about 3 feet, they are all in focus. Only the last few green leaves, which were slightly further away, are a bit less focused than the red ones.)

Small Aperture pictures will have almost everything near and far in focus. These are effective in pictures where the background is as important as the foreground.

Aperture f11 (I wanted the words on the Fenelon Cinemas sign as well as the water tower to be clear as well as the texture of the buildings and the trees)

f11 (I wanted both the leaves on the surface of the water, the reflection in the water of the trees and sky and below the surface to be visible at the same time)