Now that the students have learned to care for their pet and make it looks its best, it’s time to take great digital photos and create a pet photo collage.

1. Take digital photos
   Have students use a digital camera to take the pictures. Require students to wear the camera’s safety wrist strap at all times to prevent the camera from falling and breaking. If you start from the first day, it becomes just another function of operating the digital camera.
   • tips and techniques for pet photos
     Here are some tips for taking great pet photos:
     • Shoot Faces at Eye Level and Get Close
       • Raise the camera up to the subject’s eye level and get close.
       • Stoop to be at eye level position.
       • Lay down on the floor to get at eye level.
     • Turn the Camera Vertically
       • Hold the camera vertically to get the best angles for close-ups of faces.
       • Horizontal camera position looks better for a group or full body.
     • Capture the Eyes
       • Eyes tell the story.
       • Eyes capture expression.
     • Take Candid Photos
       • Shoot photos when pets are not looking directly at you.
       • Learn pet habits, be ready and photograph pets in act of doing something funny.
     • Watch Out For Background Objects Sticking Out of Heads
       • Pay attention to what’s in the background. There’s nothing more distracting that a foreign object sticking out of your pet’s head.
       • Take a second and glance at things in the background, maybe you want to add something you like into the background.
       • Think about a special background for your pet shot.
   • How to avoid blurred shots
     
     • Steady the camera
       • Hold the camera tightly in your hands.
       • Brace the camera by softly pressing it against your forehead.
       • Brace your legs, back or arms by leaning against any solid object such as a wall, table or furniture.
       • Push your elbows into your ribs to create a brace; don’t let your elbows float in the air.
       • Just before you take the photos, breathe a shallow breath and hold it gently.
     • Try to keep your pet from moving.
       • The dog wags its tail or a cat or lizard turns its head right when you click. Most point-and-click cameras don’t take photos fast enough to capture such movement. With digital, you can keep shooting until you the perfect picture.
       • Know your pet. Take photos the instant you pet calms down.
       • Do not use the Red Eye flash. It will flash twice, and by the second flash the pet will move.
   • More pet photography tips
     • Don’t worry about reviewing every photo, just keep watching your pet and taking pictures.
     • Even pro photographers take lots of photos to get a few good ones.
     • Use the LCD screen to help you compose the photo.
     • Shoot as close as possible, closer is better.
     • Observe the lighting effects (not too light on the details or too dark in the shadows). When photos appear too dark, you need more natural light, you need to add artificial light or you need to increase exposure time.
       • Controlling light with exposure options…
         • If your camera lets you adjust exposure, turn the dial or push the button to the exposure feature. Increase exposure by +.5.
         • Take a test shot using the LCD screen to review.
         • Watch out for deep shadows, they take away detail. If you see deep shadows, adjust the exposure setting to +1.0. Settings higher than +1.0 wash out fine detail.
         • If that’s not enough light try using the camera’s auto flash.
       • Using flash…
         • Controlling the amount of flash for close-up photography is tricky. Because you are so close to the subject, the fill flash often produces too much light and overexposes the picture. Auto flash will probably not fire because it’s NOT dark enough. Get to know the flash options on your camera to find out which works best in this situation.
   • Photos can easily be lightened using Levels in Photoshop Elements (see photo editing).
2. Organize and save
   Organize
   First, create a folder to store all photos by all students called Photo Library. Next, create a sub-folder inside Photo Library for each student. Next, create category folders inside the student folder, starting with “pets.” You can add new sub-folders using keywords of other assignments as they take place.
   
   Copy files to the computer
   Next, use a memory card reader to copy or download digital photos into the student category folder on the computer. This way, students will always know where their photos are stored on the hard drive.
   
   Burn a CD right away to protect the original photo files. These are your digital negatives, and if any thing happens to them, the photo cannot be replaced. Only after you’ve made a CD of the original photos are you ready to start editing.
   
   Launch photoshop elements and save As
   Never edit an original photo…only make changes to a copy of the original. It’s an important first step that is fast and easy. Here’s how:
   • Open the digital photos from the file menu. Choose File > Save As.
   • Rename the file: name files with a short meaningful description such as “dog1LK” to indicate the subject, the number of the photo and the student’s initials. This naming system can be applied to other assignments as well.
   • Choose a file format
     You have a choice of saving a file as a Photoshop (.psd) or JPEG (.jpg) document. Here are some guidelines for deciding the format that’s best for you:
     • When to Save As: JPEG (.jpg) format:
       • to send a photo as an email
       • to place a photo on a website
       • use these recommended settings or saving JPEG: set quality to 10, check baseline standard on.
     • When to Save As: Photoshop (.psd) format (advanced saving option):
       • to adjust and move photos and type now or later
       • to create a montage with photos and type
3. Edit photos:
   More often than not, photos need a bit of editing help…especially if you’re going to create a photo collage. There are a few steps you’ll want to take to make sure every photo looks its best:
   • Crop away unwanted parts the photo
     • Use the crop tool to cut off any unwanted parts of the photo.
     • Select the crop tool.
     • Drag a resizing box then release.
     • Drag the resizing handles out to determine the crop area. Any parts outside the crop box will be deleted.
     • Now, click on the crop tool again and click the crop button (short cut: double click in the middle of the resize box to crop).
     • To undo the crop, choose Edit > Undo.
   • Adjust color, brightness or darkness of the photo
     • Choose Enhance > Adjust Brightness/Contrast > Levels.
     • Move the middle triangle slider on the top bar to the left to make the photo brighter or to the right to make it darker.
     • Click OK when it looks right.
   • Adjust color
     • Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Hue/Saturation.
     • Move the saturation slider to the right to increase the color or left to decrease the color. Move the lightness slider to add light or reduce light.
   • Resize and check resolution
     • The higher the resolution, the better the print. But if you’re only going to send a photo via email, then a lower resolution is fine. Here are some guidelines for setting resolution:
       • Email—72 dpi
       • Print—300 dpi
     • For minimum print sizes, follow these guidelines:
       • 4x6—800x600 pixels
       • 5x7—1024x768 pixels
       • 8x10—1600x1200 pixels

   Combine multiple photos to create a pet montage
   Making photo collages may seem like a challenge, but it’s really easy once you get working on it. It’s not necessary to have an idea of what the collage will look like before you get started. Sometimes the best creative ideas come when you’re actively working on the project.
   
   Here’s how to create your pet photo collage:
   
   Drag and drop one photo onto another

   • Open two or more photos (Choose File > Open).
   • Select the move tool (tool palette: top most tool on the right).
   • Click on a file and drag it to another file, then release (drag and drop).
     Tip: Watch for the highlight on the receiving file then release.

   Reposition photos (move them around)

   • To reposition the photo stay on the move tool, then click any visible photo.
   • See the bounding box, then click and drag the photo to reposition.

   Resize photos (scale photos larger or smaller)

   • Select the move tool and click the photo to select (see dotted lines).
   • To resize the photo stay on the move tool, press the shift key, click on a resize handle on the lower right corner and drag in (make smaller) or out (make larger).

   Tip: Tell the bounding box you are finished resizing by double clicking inside the bounding box. Move over the bounding box, see the black arrow, then double click (the box will switch from solid lines to dotted lines).
   
   Add captions

   • Select the type tool (click the T tool).
   • Click any where on the composition file with the type tool.
   • Select the desired font, choose 72 points to start in the option tool bar (just above the tool palette). This will create type that is 1-inch tall. (1 point = 1/72 of an inch).

   Resize type

   • Select the move tool and click the photo to select (see dotted lines).
   • To resize type stay on the move tool, press the shift key, click on a resize handle on the lower right corner and drag in (make smaller) or out (make larger).

   Tip: Tell the bounding box you are finished resizing by double clicking inside the bounding box. Move over the bounding box, see the black arrow, then double click (the box will switch from solid lines to dotted lines).

   Save as you go
   Choose File > Save (to update changes to the file)
   
   Ask students to print their photo.

   • Choose File > Print Preview.
   • Print Preview allows a photo to be centered and scaled to fit the page.
   • If the photo looks correct, they can now print the picture.
4. Present the collage on a computer monitor or send an e-mail file
   • If you do not have access to a color printer, create a PDF slide show.
   • Choose File > Automation Tools > PDF Slideshow.
   • Click this link to review the PDF Slideshow tutorial.
   • Attach the PDF Slideshow to e-mail and send. Slideshow may be displayed on the computer monitor using the Acrobat Reader.
   • If you have only one photo file to send, it can be saved as Photoshop PDF. Choose File > Save As > select the Photoshop PDF option.
   • Students can give an oral presentation and describe their project to the class. Some sample discussion questions are below.
5. Writing assignment to supplement the pet photo collage
   Students can write a narrative story or expository essay about their pet or the species and give a class presentation, along with showing the image on the computer screen.
   
   

• What is important for taking great pet photos?
• How do you find information about pet care and grooming?
• Where did you take the picture? Why did you choose that location?
• Why do pets and people depend on each other? How do we interact with our pets?
• What causes blurred photos?
  
  

Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.

• Three points: Students were highly engaged in class discussions; created a pet collage; presented a well-organized summary of their pet photos, supported with numerous details; actively participated in their presentation about pet photography and pet care, reflecting a exceptional understanding of pet photography and pet care.
  
• Two points: Students participated in class discussions; created a pet montage; presented a summary with a few details about pet photography and pet care; contributed somewhat to their presentation about their pet photos and pet care, reflecting an understanding of pet photography and pet care.
  
• One point: Students participated minimally in class discussions; did not create a pet montage; presented a disorganized summary without adequate details about pet photography and pet care; contributed little if at all to their presentation about pet photography and pet care, reflecting little or no understanding of the pet photography and pet care.
  
  

Expository writing: A type of non-fiction writing that explains an event or situation.

Narrative writing: A type of fiction writing that tells a story. Narrative writing can also be used for non-fiction.

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