Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Badrou.

I hope that you are all doing well.

I'm really looking forward to teaching and learning with you today.

Our learning outcome for this lesson is I can review the range of ways photographers have been inspired by inside and outside.

Our key words for this lesson are space, threshold, barrier, and framing.

Let's explore each one in turn to find out what they mean.

Space, the area around between and within objects.

It can be physical, like a room, or it can be visual.

Threshold, a point of change, a space between two different areas.

Barrier, things that block, separate, or divide spaces, people, or ideas.

Framing, how an artist chooses to surround or crop a subject in a photograph.

So those are our key words, space, threshold, barrier, and framing.

Okay, our lesson outline, inside and outside in photography.

So let's begin our journey with our first learning cycle, photographer spotlight: inside and outside.

Let's begin with this question.

How do you think the theme inside and outside can be a powerful topic in photography? Pause for a moment here and brainstorm some quick ideas that come to mind.

Then resume when you are ready.

There are many ways and reasons why inside and outside can generate ideas and further themes in photography.

Photographers might explore inside and outside in many different ways using varied techniques and approaches.

Some of the ways photographers use inside and outside in their works include the following.

Inside and outside are central theme, inside and outside spaces, thresholds between private and public spaces, internal feeling or anatomy and external bodies, physical and psychological boundaries and barriers.

Some photographers examine inside and outside through recording interior and exterior spaces.

Photographers might include a view into or out of a space.

How does this make us think differently about the space we can't fully see? Pause for a moment here and brainstorm some quick ideas in response to this question and resume when you are ready.

The windows in this work can act as a threshold, a point of change between two spaces.

It is a way for photographers to tell us about the change of spaces.

Okay, let's have a check-in for understanding.

Which is the most likely way a window is used as a threshold in a photograph? Is it A, a barrier to separate time periods? Is it B, a border between inside and outside areas? C, a tool for measuring perspective? Or D, a way to add more colour? Pause for a moment here and think about your answer and we will resume shortly.

Which one do you think is the answer? Let's have a look.

The answer is B, a border between inside and outside areas.

Photographers depicting inside and outside spaces in their work include the following, Tom Roche who explores inner and outer spaces by documenting people in places and considering spatial boundaries.

Marwan Bassiouni photographs mosque interiors whilst framing views of the surrounding streets, merging internal sacred spaces with the external everyday world.

Minnie Weisz uses camera obscura to project exterior street scenes onto walls of interiors, turning rooms into layered spaces where outside and inside co-exist.

For some photographers, the theme of inside and outside opens up opportunities to talk about the threshold between the personal and the public life and spaces.

What could be the threshold between these spaces in this photograph? Pause here for a moment and think about your answer in response to this question.

A threshold means the point of entry like a doorway.

But in photography, it can be any boundary or point of transition between two spaces.

Can you think of any other things that could work as a threshold? Pause for a moment here and write down your answers in response to this question.

Let's check in for understanding.

What does a threshold refer to? Is it A, a specific type of material used in sculpture, B, A tool used to measure distances in a painting, C, any boundary or point of change between two areas, D, only the entrance to a building like a front door? What do you think the answer is? Pause here for a moment to think about your answer and we will resume shortly.

Let's have a look.

And the answer is C, any boundary or points of change between two areas.

Which of these thresholds tell us more about public and private life? What do you think? Spend a moment or two here thinking about your response to this question.

According to Izzy, the first image shows abstract thresholds, but the spaces aren't clearly defined.

In the second image, the phone acts as a threshold suggesting how private spaces can be shared.

How come mobile phones bring the outside world into your home? Let's have a look.

So Aisha says, We've always got our phones on us.

It's like our way of staying connected to everything, even when we are just at home.

Alex says, most people post the best bits of their lives, so it can make me feel like I have to compare my real life to their best bits.

And John says, my phone sometimes stresses me out because I never really get a proper break from it.

Photographers depicting the threshold between private and public spaces include the following, Horace Ove captures everyday life, public protests, and intimate community gatherings showing how interior cultural identity meets the external social landscapes.

Misan Harriman creates powerful protest images and intimate portraits, bridging the intimacy of indoor settings with a collective energy of outdoor activism.

And Martha Rosler juxtaposes images of domestic interiors with scenes of war and social unrest.

Confronting questions of how sheltered internal worlds connect to external conflict.

Inside and outside can be about ourselves and our bodies.

This could be physical appearance, internal anatomy, internal emotions and external expressions of these.

Can you think of any other interpretations? Pause for a moment here and jot down some ideas.

Resume when you are ready.

Photographers reviewing inside and outside using the body, the sense of self include, Khadija Saye, who explored personal and spiritual identity through portraits in confined domestic interiors.

Dafna Talmor manipulates landscapes into composite images that blend memories of exterior places with imagined interiors.

Gluck captures domestic spaces as both working environments and personal sanctuaries for identity.

Photographers might examine barriers and boundaries they experience in the world.

These might be physical barriers or political barriers.

What other barriers do you think photographers could examine? Pause here for a moment and write down some ideas in response to this question.

A photographer might consider how people with disabilities navigate perceived barriers in daily life, says Jacob.

Social expectations can sometimes be a barrier to how freely people express themselves, says Alex.

Borders between countries can be a barrier to how easily people are able to move across them, says Sophia.

Did you think of any different ideas? Pause for a moment here and write down your ideas.

Resume when you are ready.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding.

Which of the following best explains how a photographer might respond to the theme inside and outside? A, there are a variety of interpretations of any theme, B, there is only one way to interpret and make sense of this theme, C, there are a handful of ways to respond to this theme, or D, there are no ways for photographers to respond to this theme? Pause for a moment here and consider your answer and we'll resume again, shortly.

Which do you think is the answer? Let's take a look.

The answer is A, there are a variety of interpretations of any theme.

Photographers exploring barriers and boundaries in their work include, Kurt Weston is a blind photographer who uses experimental photography techniques to invite viewers to consider how internal perception and external reality blur and overlap.

James Casebere explores architectural interiors such as prisons, institutions, cells, corridors, and rooms considering how these external environments shape the life inside.

Ampannee Satoh explores cultural identity, faith and individuality, challenging socio-political barriers through photography.

Photographers may also use inside and outside as a subject in photography to explore.

Reality versus social media, friendships and relationships, travel and exploration, internal workings of outside machinery.

Five senses help us understand the world outside our bodies.

Let's bring our focus and attention to task A, select two or free photographers or specific photographs and compare them.

Consider these questions.

In what ways are the photographs visually similar or different? Think about subject, composition, lighting, focus, exposure, colour, and style.

What themes, symbols, or ideas do the photographs explore? Are there any connections between them? Which techniques, processes, or creative choices in these photographs inspire you? And how might you use them in your own work? So pause the video here and work through this task.

Please resume when you are ready.

Okay, so you were tasked to select two or three photographs or specific photographs and compare them.

Let's look at potential feedback.

You may have said, according to Andeep, Marwan Bassiouni, and Minnie Weisz both merge interior and exterior within a single frame.

Bassiouni through mosque windows framing street scenes, and Weisz via camera obscura projections of the outside onto interior walls.

Laura says, Misan Harriman documents powerful protest images and intimate portraits.

His work explores indoor settings with the collective energy of outdoor activism, making the inside, outside boundary political and personal.

So continuing with our feedback, let's look at these two photographers and explore the differences and the similarities of both Khadija Saye and Dafna Talmor.

So Khadija's work is rooted in intimate domestic interiors, focuses on self-portraits and objects, and is more contemplative and contained.

Whereas Dafna's work is mostly outdoor spaces and landscapes, collage and digitally edited photos, blurring real and imagined.

So where's the overlap between the two? Let's take a look.

So it's relationship between internal state and external environments.

Okay, let's continue on our journey.

So let's move to our second learning cycle, photographic deconstruction, inside and outside.

What is the first thing you notice about this photograph? Photographers use various techniques to communicate in their work, composition, focus, lighting and exposure, the elements of art, line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, and texture, digital photo manipulation tools or other camera techniques, imagery and subject.

We can deconstruct these techniques to understand the work more deeply.

Okay, let's have a check-in for understanding.

True or false.

Photographers only use patterns, shapes, and composition to communicate meaning in their work.

Is the statement true or false? Pause here for a moment and think about your answer and why? We will resume shortly.

What do you think the answer is? The answer is false.

And why might this be? While pattern, shapes, and composition are important, photographers also use many other techniques like lighting, exposure, line, shape, texture, subject, and composition to share ideas.

How are photography techniques used in this work? The subject is backlit by a sunset, creating a strong outline with no interior detail.

Car windows act as a framing device separating outside and inside spaces.

Colour contrasts with warm orange and cool blue.

Texture is created through condensation streaks, subtly blurring the exterior.

The figure's head is off centre creating a dynamic position.

Lucas and Izzy are thinking about the meaning of framing in design.

Initially, we thought about the frames around the image.

Yes, we thought about the visual devices artists can use to create a framing effect like the curtain.

How has framing been used in this work? Window shapes create straight, angled frames separating inside and outside spaces.

The warm orange hue is used as a tonal framing device defining the silhouette profile clearly.

Let's have a check in here for understanding.

Which is the most accurate statement about framing in photography? Is it A only using black and white photography, B, drawing on top of the photo to make it look neater, C, using elements within the photo to guide the viewer's focus, D, using only a picture frame to display the image? Which one do you think is the answer? Pause for a moment here and we will resume shortly.

The answer is C, using elements within the photo to guide the viewer's focus.

Let's bring our attention to task B.

Select one photograph and describe it.

Describe what you can see in this photograph focusing on composition, focus, lighting and exposure.

The elements of art, which include line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, and texture.

Digital photo manipulation tools or other camera techniques.

Imagery and subject.

How the photographer uses techniques to communicate with the audience.

You might record this as an idea shower around an image of the photo, write it as a paragraph, or create an audio or film recording of your ideas.

Pause the video here to complete this practical task and resume when you are ready.

Okay, let's look at some feedback.

You were tasked to select one photograph and describe it.

You may have said the mirror reflects trees and sky, bridging interior and exterior views.

Black-and-white photo removes colour, enhancing tonal contrast and highlighting visual textures.

The mirror acts as a framing device drawing us into the centre of the image.

Diffuse lighting avoids glare on the mirror and allows details to be seen.

Contrast of textures between smooth mirror and rough natural forms. And here we have another example.

You may have said.

The image is shot from indoors through a window using vertical lines to create framing and a layered composition.

Soft exposure shows gentle highlights and muted shadows without harsh contrast.

Balance and contrast between organic forms and geometric window frame.

There is natural back lighting, a sunlight filters through leaves giving a warm atmosphere and subtle lens flare.

Let's continue with our third learning cycle.

Personal connection, inside and outside.

How can looking at a photographer's work help us develop our own work? So Aisha says, photographs with similar themes can develop my ideas more than similar techniques or imagery.

Sam says, I'll look at techniques and compositions and try to apply them to my theme.

And Jun says, work that has similar imagery can inspire even if the idea is different.

Okay, let's have a check-in for understanding.

Fill the gap in this sentence.

We can look at other photographer's work to gain inspiration through techniques, imagery, and, helping to develop and enrich our own creative ideas.

Pause for a moment and think about which word needs to fill that gap.

What is the missing word? Let's take a look.

Themes.

We can look at other photographers work to gain inspiration through techniques, imagery, and themes, helping to develop and enrich our own creative ideas.

What deeper meanings around the theme of inside and outside are being communicated in this work? Do you think everyone would come up with the same meanings? Pause for a moment here and think about your own personal response to these questions.

Sam says, this work inspires my theme of borders as I will create images exploring the edges and thresholds of spaces.

Lucas says, I'm inspired by the wall, which looks like a portal to another world.

I want to create portals into the places my family live.

And Izzy says, I'm looking at faiths and will document the church I was baptised in.

I'll frame it using the aisle and arches.

Can you think of other theme interpretations? Pause for a moment here and jot down some ideas of your own.

Resume when you are ready.

Let's have a check in for understanding.

True or false.

We all interpret and understand the images differently.

So how photography inspires us is unique to each person.

Is this statement true or false? Have a think about your answer and why.

Let's see.

The answer is true.

And why might this be so? Images doesn't have one single meaning our experiences, emotions, and backgrounds shape how we see and connect with images.

What inspires one person might feel completely different to someone else.

Okay, let's bring our focus to task C.

Select one photograph and consider your personal connection.

What themes, symbols, or ideas does this photo explore? Are there any symbols, imagery, or connections that help create a narrative or show meaning? What techniques, processes, or creative decisions in this photo inspire you and how might you use them in your own work? You might record this as an idea shower around an image of the photo, write it as a paragraph or create an audio or film recording of your ideas.

So pause the video here to complete this practical task and resume when you are ready.

Okay, let's look at some feedback.

So you are tasked to select one photograph and consider your personal connection.

You may have said, from this example, theme, hope and resilience.

This image shows an interior space framed by a window, which shows the sun.

The solar lens flare it creates, illuminates the view and contrasts against the harsh contrast shadows.

For my photography project, I want to create images which inspire hope and resilience by capturing moments where opposites come together, such as light and dark or inside and outside to reveal something new and impactful.

You may have said, in our second example, theme of belonging.

This work shows a barrier between the land and the sea, using the stone wall as both a dividing and connecting form.

The lighter sea and sky areas are just beyond the wall, and it feels like there's a sense of separation from them.

This piece is about understanding spaces of belonging.

In my work, I'm going to use barriers as a framing device to look at thresholds.

By exploring spaces in this way, I hope to create images that explore different ideas of belonging.

So here we have arrived at our summary for inside and outside in photography.

Photographers can represent physical and psychological boundaries and barriers through interior and exterior spaces.

Photographs might use framing, perspective and scale to connect or separate inside and outside spaces.

Photographs can explore the relationship between personal, private spaces, and wider public or natural settings.

Some photographers explore the threshold between external appearance and internal appearance.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson.

I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Take good care.

Bye for now.