MY NATURE
PHOTO ESSAY
Activity time!
Read this first…
A photo essay is created by assembling a series of photographs in a certain
order with the goal being to bring about emotion in the viewer and to take the
viewer through a story from start to finish. This type of visual essay will often
show pictures that are connected by a central theme but vary in their subject
matter and composition. Photo essays can be made using only photos, or a
mixture of photos and photo captions which are short descriptions of what the
photographs are showing.
...then follow these instructions
Start this activity by thinking about a place that is nearby and in a natural state,
such as a forest or a park, or an animal or plant in your area with which you have a
special connection. Is it a bird that signals the start of spring every year? Is it a tree
that you pass by on your weekly walk that changes with every season? Is it a field
of wildflowers that blooms every summer?
Stop and think: Why do you have a personal connection to this living
thing? What is your earliest memory of it? How does thinking about it
make you feel? What does it remind you of?
Now that you have this living thing in your mind, think about what it needs to
survive in its habitat, how it contributes to the surrounding ecosystem and how
it benefits from that ecosystem. Visit the websites of local wildlife organizations,
or visit the Canadian Wildlife Federation for information on different species
across Canada!
Stop and think: What types of things grow or live around this living thing
or in this natural space? Why do these things grow and not others? Why
is this living thing important for the ecosystem in which it lives? How
could humans have an impact on this living thing or its habitat? What
would happen if this living thing disappeared?
Now that you have learned about your living thing and reflected on its personal
meaning to you and its importance within its ecosystem, it’s time to think about
how to convince others of its importance and the need to protect it. Get your
camera and start thinking like a photographer! Your task is to create a photo
essay that teaches others about this living thing, the importance of it to the
local ecosystem, and steps that can be taken to help protect it. Consider these
questions while planning your essay:
Subject:
Photography, Conservation,
Biodiversity, Language, Human impacts
Time:
90 minutes
Grades:
4-12
This activity was inspired by Jesse
Hildebrand’s campaign called Care
For Life which encourages people to
document living things in natural
habitats to which they have a special
connection. Care for Life is a storytelling
and photo project centred around the
hashtag #CareForLife.
What to know
before getting started:
There is a saying that a picture is
worth a thousand words. Have you
ever thought about how photography,
nature and conservation are connected?
Photographers, documentary
filmmakers and people from around the
world use photography and film to help
illustrate the effects of climate change,
the evolution of natural spaces due
to human and natural influence, and
the importance of natural spaces, wild
animals, and wild plants to different
ecosystems. Thanks to these images,
we are able to learn about plants and
animals from all over the world and
the threats they face. This can give us
a better appreciation of how our daily
habits, such as the products we buy
and the amount of trash we throw
away, can influence a country on the
other side of the planet. It also helps us
realize that there are living things in our
own neighbourhoods that are affected
