Summer time and photo time go together like pita-
falafel. Without the schedules of school, it is the
perfect time to do a photo journal of the highlights of
summer vacation. It is a wonderful family project. Mother and
grandparents can do it with their children or grandchildren
very nicely but in all honesty, the honors go to teenage
girls who have made it into a true art form.
Putting together a photo album of this nature can be a true
challenge for a hand graphics, computer graphics student or a
pro. Or it can be an enjoyable and artistic way for those
untrained in art and graphics to spend a summer's afternoon
recapturing the sights, smells and activities of vacation.
A photo journal can be about almost any subject. For children
it is usually about family, friends and places. For teenagers
it is usually about themselves, friends, loved ones or
places, also, but with a greater social consciousness and
developing awareness of the world. For instance, a teenager's
journal would mostly likely include shots of friends perched
on a rock in front of the trained seal pool at the zoo. A
group of girls on a school outing will pose with smiles and
arms around one another in front of a sparkling blue
cascading waterfall. The companionship and the excitement of
the place call for a photograph. The bus ride also calls for
a few photos and so does the group gathered together before
and after the trip. They especially like taking photographs
of their travel, where they dormed, summer camp and weddings.
Teenagers tend to keep scrapbooks and photo albums more than
any other group, possibly because they are so social and
world conscious and have the time to do it. Even if they
don't like to take photographs (exceptions do exist), they
may like to save a souvenir or two for at least one
season.
In Jerusalem, the most cherished spot is the Kosel.
The Kosel is beyond comparison. Other places in Israel
are impressive but only the Kosel carries a message
that penetrates our hearts completely. For tourist spots
around the world take your pick. The world is made small by
airplane travel: see the largest, biggest, the oldest, the
tallest, the longest sights of your choice for the same
amount of time it would take someone to commute to work
during rush hour traffic, depending on where you start out
from.
I don't think that snap shots in general should be overdone
as they often are these days but should be kept to the
essential minimum to save money, time, space and energy. Who
needs four different shots of the same rock at Gibraltar? But
for teenagers, especially girls, taking photos of friends and
places can never be too much. Girls who studied graphics will
know how to do an album with flair. A girl who is taking
computer graphics in the higher grades or in Sem. may make up
a page of professional looking correspondence to send off to
the girlfriend she visited. She may even scan and reproduce
photos and make a pictorial collage (a composition of several
pictures, photos and words on one surface). Chana did a photo
album of the places that she and her friend Mimi visited when
Mimi came to spend time with her in Jerusalem. The finished
project took her a few months of working, on and off, with
the help of her friend Yocheved who is talented in graphics.
Each page or two had a different theme. Here is what she did.
You can do the same or make up your own themes using the
lists that follow.
MATERIALS:
Large Photo Album 12" x 12" (30cm x 30cm) with clear plastic
cover on each page.
Scissors. Glue stick. Several favorite photographs printed in
several copies and in a few different sizes.
(Note: some photo developers give a free blow up with each
role of film.)
Post cards of sights and places visited.
White or colored paper.
Optional: pencil, ruler. Optional: a computer scanner (use
the one at school with permission).
To make a very impressive and fancy (or good, plain and
simple) photo journal album, the main point or trick here is
to make several copies of one photograph in small, large and
medium sizes (or use several similar views of the same
postcard scene) and cut out and glue in a pleasing
arrangement on the album page. Optionally, scan a cutout
photo of relatives or friends over a scenic postcard. Add the
name of the sight, the date, the people in cut out letters,
computer printed letters or hand lettered in a decorative
fashion that `moves' with the rest of the layout. A photo of
a balloon or a wineglass can be cut and used as a pattern for
several balloons or wineglasses on colored pieces of paper.
These are then glued behind the original photo to give a
shadow effect or to make the impact of repetition. Once one
knows how to do this on the small format of a photo album, it
is easy to make posters for the walls from large scanned
combination photo-posters or photo-posters that are glued
together to look like one poster.
THEMES:
THE OPENING PAGE: Make a solid cover of the opening page with
as many postcards as necessary of the flag, symbol or other
representation of the country or main theme of the photo
album. Over this glue on a photo (approximately 5" x 7") or
postcard (shaped like a star, a circle or a triangle) in the
center of the page. Over this, glue on a photo of yourself
and friend(s).
THE KOSEL #1
* One 3 1/2 x 9 1/2 long postcard of Har HaBayis (The Temple
Mount), one 5" long cut out drawing or photo of the Old City
wall (use from a travel brochure).
* One 9 x 10 large photo or section from a poster of a close
up of the stones in the Kosel Wall.
* Ten 1 1/2 x 1", 2" or 3" snapshots of you and companion(s)
at the Kosel.
Glue postcard of Har HaBayis at top of page. Cut out the Old
City Wall.
Glue and attach to one half side on lower edge of first
postcard. Cut away every second block from the top of the
Kosel Wall or leave as is and glue in position over
remainder of page. (Really, the top of the Kosel Wall
is level. The wall around the Old City has spaces at the
top.) Cut out small personal snapshots to fit evenly over ten
stones of the Kosel Wall. Arrange and glue photos in
place.
JIGSAW PUZZLE VIEW OF KOSEL
Take a photo of friends and family from one of the balconies
or streets that face the Kosel in the background. Make
a 6 x 7 print of the photo. Draw a jigsaw puzzle (use a few
pieces from a child's jigsaw puzzle to trace around on the
back of the photo). Repeat until you have drawn a complete
puzzle. Cut out pieces. Glue in place on album page, leaving
several pieces out of the puzzle and scattered around the
page.
POSUK FROM SHIR HASHIRIM OR OTHER SOURCE
One posuk.
One 6 1/2 x 7 picture of a beautiful scenic spot such as a
waterfall.
One 5 1/2 x l3" - 4 blown up photo of friends or
relatives.
One 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of a light colored paper.
Glue sheet of colored paper onto page at a tilted angle. Trim
off corners to fit. Center and position scenic scene and glue
in place. Write posuk by hand, use computer lettering
or press on letterset in an attractive manner.
SHIPS AHOY
Pictures from wrapping paper, travel brochures, etc. of ships
at sea, portholes, a ship's compass, a navigational map,
sailors with flags signaling directions.
Two or three 9 x 12 sheets of colored paper in three shades
of blue: a dark, light and a medium.
Favorite photos of yourself with friends or family.
Plan the arrangement and think out the ideas before
beginning. Cut out the people in the photos. Cut out the
other objects. Arrange the three shades of blue papers to
look like the ocean and waves. Arrange the blue papers to
resemble sky or clouds. If you have a picture of a porthole
(about 4 x 4), place a snap shot of yourselves in the
hole.
CARS ON THE ROAD
Photos standing in front of the car with the door or trunk
open, or waving good bye from inside the car.
Collect photos, pictures of road signs, traffic police,
traffic signs, autos for toddlers and little children,
crosswalks etc.
Draw the outline of a street on black paper that is as large
as the photo album page. It will run from the top of the page
to the bottom of the page and is about 4 to 9 wide. This will
fill up most of the page. Make the road wider at the bottom
and narrower at the top to suggest distance. Out of white
paper cut out one inch long by a half inch wide strips for
road dividers. From bright yellow paper cut out long pencil
thin strips for road markers that will go at each side of the
road.
Cut out, assemble and glue in place.
OTHER THEMES INCLUDE: * A RESTURANT OR CANDY SHOP * A DAY
WITH GRANDPARENTS * A DAY WITH LITTLE BROTHER(S) OR SISTER(S)
* GROUP CHESSED ACTIVITIES * ACTIVITIES AT CAMP * AT THE
AIRPORT or make up your own.
