MYP4 Interdisciplinary Unit

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words:

Understanding the Stories Shown in Photographs under the theme of Peace and Conflict
A. Reading Pictures
Walk through the photo exhibit. Try, at first, to avoid reading any of the information beside the
photographs.
Just wander around and look at the pictures.
Now choose three pictures which make an impression on you from different parts of the exhibit.
Reflect on why they have created an impression on you and explain.
Picture:
Picture 1:
Bulent Kilic

Section:
Spot news

Picture 2:
Pete Muller

General
News

Picture3:
Sergei Ilnitsky

1ST Prize
Singles

Reason:
I choose this picture simply because its representation of
Civil conflict in my country which happened very recently.
The reason for this conflict is rather political and it really
upsets me when I consider what the protestors have been
through.

This graphic photo reminds me of how extreme and severe

life could be. I see people not just suffering from the
challenges of poverty but also suffering from the worlds
most painful and unfortunately cureless disease. When I
think about the life Im living, I feel very thankful about
everything but I really doubt if life is fair.

This makes me think that as future generations we really

have to do our best to stop wars. It is extremely unpleasing
to look at the tiny meal of a soldier and know that with that
tiny portion of food he probably has to survive a day of
extreme adrenalin.

Choose one of these three pictures which causes you to feel something, to react. Stand in front of
the photograph, and without reading the accompanying information or the title, answer the
following questions:
1. Report your reaction: Can you find one or two words to describe what you feel or think
when you look at this picture?
Inhumane, thankful, impossible, terrific, horrendous, merciful

2. Make a prediction: What do you think is happening in this photograph?

Unfortunately the Ebola disease is at its upmost and it is slowly killing the people
with severe pain.

3. Make a connection: What does this photograph remind you of? Where have you seen
something like this before?
To be honest the only scenery this photo reminds me of are the scenes you get in
science fiction movies. Otherwise it is really hard to make a connection because of
the immense gap with the life of those people and my life.

4. Ask a question: What would like to know? What confuses you? What intrigues you? Come
up with three questions you have about this photograph.
1. How has the photographer been able to reach such locations, and has he/she done
anything help those people?
2. How do the Ebola inspectors feel?
3. Do the Ebola inspectors fear of getting Ebola?
B. Looking at the bigger picture
1.

Find a photo which you think is showing a problem that could become more relevant
in the years to come. Describe why you think so.
The picture which shows the fake sheep on a farm in China is frustrating about the
future of humanity. It is clear evidence that our world is in a slow process of
becoming artificial. Not just that, it is also the people who are starting to become
artificial as we see that government officials are trying to abandon the guilt of
destroying nature by replacing fake models of it.

2. Choose a different photo which can be used to raise awareness about a particular issue.
Why would this photo provoke action?
The photo which shows Messi nearing the world cup is a great source of inspiration.
This could signal people that in life nothing is impossible. It will also trigger people
to pursue their dreams and reach the line of success in life.

3. Find a photo which you think is trivial. Reflect on it for a couple of minutes without looking at
its description. Why do you think it is part of the exhibition?
The picture of Novak Djokovic lifting up the Tennis cup trophy is trivial. It is trivial
because the content it captures is so less influential compared to the other pictures.
It also does not raise awareness about any issue. I think that its only there to color
up the tone and mood of the exhibition.

4. Do you feel that photography is a good medium to expose conflict? Discuss why using
examples from the exhibit.
In my opinion after filming it is the best medium to expose conflict. The main reason I
think this is because I consider the potential audience who would be keen to find out
more about conflict. Simply this potential audience is every mature being in this
world. Photos therefore are something everyone can understand from whereas if the
same story was carried out with a piece of paragraph only those who have had a
good education could get a meaning from it. Therefore photography is the
fundamental to exposing a global message.

5. In writing, we talk about tone and mood and style, which is used to evoke certain feelings
when you read it. How do the photographers evoke feeling? Is it just about content, or are
there other elements? Choose three example to illustrate your point.
It is simply about content and any additional effects or shop on the picture. I think
this because a photographer could be in the middle of a war and still capture an
image of a little baby smiling. Therefore it is all about intention.