High School Studio Lesson
Photocollage
How can you bring photography to your class
when you don’t have a
darkroom? A few years
ago, I was introducing my students
to David Hockney’s Pearblossom
Highway photo collage when I
decided to try his technique myself.
It turned into an assignment that
my students love and request.
Hockney states that Pearblossom
Highway gives “a sense of closeness
to everything yet at the same time
depth can be achieved.” In his photo
collages, Hockney moves around a
space in order to show an object in
movement or as we see it when we
move or interact with it. Playing
with our sense of depth and photographing objects as we move forces
us to look at space and our subject
in a different way, shifting our focus
from re-creating what we see into
the realm of fantasy and distortion.
After teaching this lesson for
several years, I’ve come up with
a series of steps and hints for students. However, I strongly suggest
that the teacher create an example
because the most difficult part is
getting started once the photographs are in hand.
movement, and how they can
make the subject interesting to
the viewer.
Objectives
• Create an artwork effectively
using multiple photos of one or
two different subjects.
• Utilize and
critique your
knowledge
of color,
perspective,
space, line,
emphasis,
repetition,
and distortion to create a new
space with multiple photographs.
Getting Started
Students look at teacher examples
and photo collages by Hockney
and ask where the photographer
was standing. Did the photographer change positions? How do you
think the photographer changed the
original scene or model? Students
decide what subject they would like
to distort or exaggerate through
Photography
Use a disposable camera or a SLR
camera using ASA 400 film. If you
choose to take black-and-white
images, have the
photos developed
using the color
process for timely
return. Try to
take between
twenty-seven and
thirty-six expo-
sures. Digital cameras can also be
used, but if you do, have all your
images printed. Take your photos
outside or with as much artificial
light as possible. If you are taking
photos indoors, open all the shades,
turn on all the lights, and open all
the doors.
After you choose a subject, take
a series of photos while moving
the camera around to get the entire
subject. I suggest starting at your
feet and slowly moving the camera
up to the sky, taking photos as you
Playing with our sense of
depth and photographing
objects as we move forces
us to look at space and our
subject in a different way.
