SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

ActivitysheetTEACHERSSPORTSPHOTOGRAPHY

Activity sheetSPORTS PHOTOGRAPHYContentsACTIVITY 1: DOCUMENTING YOUR WORKThe history of sports photographyExercise 1: Sports photography and the historyof photographic techniques3Exercise 2: Discovering historical sports photographs4ACTIVITY 2: DECODING AND CREATINGSports photography, art and messagesExercise 1: Exploring photomontage5Exercise 2: The messages of sports images6ACTIVITY 3: COMPLETING A PROJECTSports photography, fieldworkExercise 1: Sports journalism7Exercise 2: The sports photography exhibition8APPENDICES1. Reference historical sports photographs92. The sports photography timeline113. “Story” cards124. Guide to analysing photographs145. Selection of photos fromthe Olympic Games Rio 201615CREDITS17Editor CIO, The Olympic Museum, Lausanne1st edition, 2017AuthorMathilde JomainGraphic DesignDidWeDo s.à.r.l.This document is also availablein French and German.English TranslationIOC Languages ServicesImages CopyrightsSee Credits, p. 17It can be downloaded fromwww.olympic.org/education.1

Activity sheet2SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHYHow to use this sheetSports photography is about sharing a moment, an instant in time. It capturesthe intensity of sports competition, and freezes a fleeting moment. It relieson the talent and creativity of the photographers, as well as on the technicaladvances that have made it possible to capture those ephemeral events.This activity sheet gives an insight into these differentaspects through a series of exercises. They will helpstudents to develop their ability to document their work,understand, create and carry out a project.The exercises can all be done separately. Once you have completed all theseactivities, you will be able to mount your own sports photography exhibition.An information sheet gives all the elements to familiarize with sportsphotography and to discover the keywords used when analysing an image. Download from: www.olympic.org/education Teaching materialsAn educational video explains how to shoot with short exposures, andprovides the tools for conducting a practical in-class workshop on thevisual image. Available in french from: www.olympic.org/pedagogieThis documentshould be usedin conjunction withthe information sheeton the same topic.

Activity sheetSPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY3ACTIVITY 1: DOCUMENTING YOUR WORKThe history of sports photographyEXERCISE 1The sportsphotography timelineAIMSEQUIPMENT To test your memory. Scissors. For older children, tounderstand the chronologyof different innovations. Print out appendices1, 2 and 3.Analysing sportsphotography also involvesidentifying its place in history,within a context strongly influencedby technological developments andthe historical situation.This exercise will introduce thestudents to the history of sportsphotography, and test theirmemory with a game.Discovering the timelineThe teacher introduces the class to the timeline, using thevisuals and other materials included in the appendix. Acopy of the documents is given to all the students, whoshould take some time to familiarise themselves with it.GameWorking in pairs, the students try to match the “image”cards with the appropriate “story” cards. The studentstake turns.The student with the most correct pairs wins.For older children (12-15 years)comprehensionWorking with the teacher in small groups, the olderchildren try to place the card groups (image story) onthe timeline.

Activity sheetSPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY4ACTIVITY 1: DOCUMENTING YOUR WORKThe history of sports photographyEXERCICE 2Discovering historicalsports photographsAIMSEQUIPMENT To compare and analysethe photographs. Printout of appendix 1.Students are invitedto analyse 14 historical sportsphotographs, choose theone that makes the biggestimpression on them,and present theirchoice to the class. To think about theirmeaning and the messagesthey convey. To explain the emotionsthey provoke and buildan argument.Discovering historicalsports photographsThe teacher distributes the sets of photographs in theappendix to the class. The class analyses each photographtogether. For each photograph, the class describes thephoto and what it represents, and the students give theirinitial impressions.Group discussionThe students break off into small groups and discussthe photograph that has made the greatest impressionon them. They need to make a final choice of photo topresent to the class.Presentation to the classEach group presents its choice to the rest of the classand explains what they think about it.For older children (12-15 years)technical argumentOlder children can be invited to defend their favourite photoon the basis of specific criteria: composition, capturinga decisive moment, viewpoint, message, technique, etc.

Activity sheetSPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY5ACTIVITY 2: DECODING AND CREATINGSports photography, art and messagesEXERCISE 1ExploringphotomontageAIMSEQUIPMENT To absorb various differentartistic fields. Paper, scissors, glue,coloured paper, felt pens,paints, crayons. To work on imagecomposition. To experiment witha variety of artistictechniques.This exercise introducesthe principles of photomontageand invites students to createtheir own photomontage. Sports photographs andmagazines, photos printedoff the internet.Discovering photomontageA photomontage is a composition made up of severalimages or parts of images, put together to create a newphotograph. Photomontage can be accomplished withcollage, through the developing process itself or usingsoftware. The meaning of this new creation is thus differentfrom that of the original photograph.Berlin-based artist Jens Ullrich has a highly originalapproach to photomontage. At the 2012 Olympic Gameshe created a series of works where the bodies of athletesin motion were partially replaced by photographs ofstatues in a similar d-works.htmlArtistic practiceFollowing Jens Ullrich’s approach, students are invitedto create their own photomontages, combining modernphotographs with images of ancient statues.Careful: like Jens Ullrich, you have to try to match up thepositions of each of the photos in the photomontage, likea jigsaw puzzle!Collage sample createdby the artist Jens Ullrich.

Activity sheetSPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY6ACTIVITY 2: DECODING AND CREATINGSports photography, art and messagesEXERCISE 2The messagesof sports imagesAIMSEQUIPMENT To analyse the means bywhich various differentmessages are conveyed. Selection of Olympicphotos from the Rio 2016Games, from the appendix.Print one set for eachstudent. The images couldalso be displayed digitally.Teachers may also use theirown selection of images. To give a reasoned personalanalysis of an image.This exercise focuseson students’ ability to readan image. They are given thekeys to decoding an image,and invited to label them. Glossary/key to analysingthe images. Print out appendix 4 and 5.Analysing imagesStudents work individually on analysing the images.For each photograph they have to answer the followingquestions from appendix 4:»» What is this image of?Creative work»» Is it a portrait? Is it an action photograph?Each student then chooses the image or images with thestrongest message, and thinks of a caption for this image orimages. The captions may be funny or thought-provoking,or they might contain a play on words. But they must addsomething to the meaning of the photos.»» What is the sport?»» What are the highlights of the image?»» What techniques has the photographer used?»» What are the photographer’s intentions?»» What is the context of the image?»» What is its purpose?»» What did the photographer choose not to show?»» What do you understand from this image?To help them answer the questions, students may referto the glossary from the information sheet on sportsphotography. See information sheet, p. 20:www.olympic.org/educationPresentation to the classIf they wish, students may present an image to the classalong with their chosen caption. They should explain theirchoice in terms of how they interpreted the image, focusingon the message the photographer is trying to convey.

Activity sheetSPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY7ACTIVITY 3: COMPLETING A PROJECTSports photography, fieldworkEXERCISE 1Sports journalismAIMSEQUIPMENT To conduct field research. Film or digital camera,mobile phone camera,colour printer, screen,projector, computer. To use a cameraindependentlyand correctly. To explore the mainelements of a fixed image(composition, colour, light,depth of field, pace,movement, field of view,planes, etc.).In this exercisethe students, working aloneor in groups, attend a sportscompetition at their school, in theneighbourhood where they live, oreven just another class’s PE lesson.During this fieldwork, they willplay the role of sports reporters,documenting the sports eventthrough images.On-the-spot reportingIn small groups, students pick a sports event to report on.Once at the sports event, they record it in photographs,as a reporter would, taking shots of the action, portraitsand images of the spectators.Analysing the data collectedBack in class, the students sort through the photographsand choose the ones that best convey the messages theywant their work to express.Post-production and presentationDepending on the tools they used and what is available,the students prepare their work for presentation. If thephotos are digital, they could be cropped and edited.They can print out the photographs on a printer, or in theschool’s photo lab if it has one. They could also preparea digital slide show.PresentationEach group is invited to present their selection of photographsduring class discussion time. This time is used to presentthe projects and compare different interpretations of thesame event.

Activity sheet8SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHYACTIVITY 3: COMPLETING A PROJECTSports photography, fieldworkEXERCISE 2The sportsphotography exhibitionExhibition projectStudents work on a sports photography exhibition project.This exhibition can be used to display all the materialscreated through this activity sheet (timeline, selectionof historical photographs, artistic decisions, alternativecaptions, on-the-spot reporting) or just some of them.There are two methods for staging this exhibition: studentsmay either work together on all the aspects, or they cansplit up into groups which each take responsibility for aspecific task.Don’t forget to think about the design and scenographyof the exhibition, how the photos are to be displayed,communication and publicity and, of course, dismantlingthe exhibition at the end!Curating the exhibitionThe students decide on the purpose of the exhibition.AIMSEQUIPMENT To take part in andcontribute to a groupproject. Scissors, colour printers,hanging materials,cardstock for labels,pens, computers, colouredcrayons and felt pens. To convey a message. To complete a project.This exercisegives studentsan opportunity to passon a message about sportsphotography, as a modern artform that bears witness to amoment in time, capturing thebeauty of the human bodyand its abilities.»» Will it be a retrospective of sports photography?»» Or will it show the students’ original creations,based on the techniques of chronophotographyor photomontage, for instance?»» Would they like to prepare a more journalisticexhibition of sports photographs?»» What ‘message’ about sports photographydo they want this exhibition to convey?Once the theme has been chosen they need to selectthe photographs and decide on how the exhibition willbe organised (e.g. chronologically, by theme, by artist).OutreachDuring the exhibition, visitors must be welcomed andguided. This is where the outreach team comes in: thesepeople must be thoroughly familiar with the exhibitionand eager to share what they know with the public.Guided visits could be scheduled for set times, and/or theexhibition could be open continuously, with members ofthe public able to find out information about the project.