Taking Pictures

Before this activity, put a line of tape on the floor.

Have students work in pairs. Each pair should stand facing one another, with the tape line between them. Have each partner make camera “frames” by holding their fingers in front of their faces, like this:

Now have each partner “take” a close-up picture of the other, then step backwards until they are far enough away to take a medium shot picture. If you have room, have them move back to take a wide shot picture.

Next, ask students how they would feel if somebody took a picture of them without asking.

How could you tell if someone didn’t want you to take a picture?

Highlight that there isn’t any way to know except asking!

Have students practice different ways of asking their partners permission, such as:

• “Can I take your picture?”
• “Is it okay if I take a picture of you?”

Now ask: once you have permission, can you take pictures whenever you want? Can you take as many pictures as you want?

Make sure students understand that when you give permission, you only agree to one picture being taken. We need to ask every time!

Does the camera angle make a difference?

Remind students of the wide angle shot of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Would you have to get permission from both of them?

The closer the shot, the more important it is to get permission.

If a shot is enough of a wide angle that you can’t really tell who someone is, you don’t need to get their permission.

If a person isn’t the focus of a wide shot (like Snoopy in the example) then you might not need to get their permission to take the picture – but you would still want to get their permission before sharing or publishing it.