LO4 Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences Students demonstrate regular involvement and active engagement in CAS:
Today, during our CAS block, we were given time to pursue one of our creative activities this year and to try and do something creative. In my original goals blog post, one of my creative (Plan B) goals was to photograph/paint sometimes once a week, and I figured that this time would be a great time to do so. Since we were also doing online learning, my family decided to stay with a few other families at the beach for the weekend and do one day of online learning at the beach. Because of this, I found myself with amazing inspiration for my CAS creativity today. The beach and surrounding scenery were amazing beautiful canvases for photography, so my classmate Ben and I decided to walk around and take some photos of anything that inspired us.
This shows commitment and perseverance in CAS experiences, and I am continuing to work towards meeting my creativity CAS goal and keep engaging in photography, painting, and other creative means (like participating in the SGA), weekly. This is regular and active engagement in CAS.
Since we both did not plan on this nature photography, we both did not bring proper cameras and were using our phones instead. However, our phones had really good quality photos, and after some quick colour editing, I was really happy with the outcome of many of the photos.
First, we began to take some photos of the garden of the villa, outside the beach. I took photos of unique and interesting greenery and trees. Since I wanted to stray away from more conventional nature photography, I decided to try to take photos of unique plants to me, in close-up, or unconventional angles. To do this, I took really zoomed-in shots of plan trees, and coconuts, and I also took photos of the underside of mangrove tree roots.
Then, after exploring the garden a little bit, Ben and I decided to head towards the beach, to take photos out there. Again, I tried to stick to more unconventional photos, taking closer shots of different corals and hermit crabs, and the different water plants. I took many photos of crabs, seaweeds and sea rocks. Here are a few of my favourites.
LO7 Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and actions in planning and carrying out CAS experiences:
Ben and I knew that many of the rocks had live coral next to them and that there were very alive plants, sea creatures (such as small fish, snails, and many more), as well as sand aminals, like crabs and hermit crabs. We took extra care, and special precautions to avoid going near anything alive, as not to harm or injure any animals of their surrounding environment. We are aware that when many people photograph reefs and their wildlife, there are consequences on the environment, as people degrade it by stepping on it. However, we consciously made an effort to completely avoid any sea life or plants that we could harm if we stepped on them. Even though we did photograph some sea life, we stayed well away from stepping on them. We also made sure not to wear damaging sunscreen to the surrounding environment, or mosquito spray, to not harm the wildlife.
Then, I decided to take more photos of the general scenery, including the rock tunnels, the seawater and ripples, and even some garbage and trash that we found on the beach. I think that contrasting the sea life with the garbage that harms the sea life may inspire people to try to help save it, and get them to stop littering the beach. Also, I found the composition of the photos with the sea in it really engaging, as I had to stand in the sea, and get a little wet to capture some of these photos.
Then, since my phone camera is water-proof, I tried my hand at underwater photography, by dipping my phone camera in rock pools and trying to capture some wildlife in there.
These are all of my favourite photographs that I took on my mini-CAS photography expedition.
LO1 Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities and skills, of which some are more developed than others.
I think that some of my photography strengths lay in the way I see the world. Even without a camera, or my phone, I am always looking at the different landscapes, and composing miniature photos in my head. I also always try to look at a unique side of things, with a different angle or close-up perspective than I would see these objects in life. This is a strength, as it makes my photography more unique, and it helps others see the world from different perspectives. This is the more developed aspect of my photography.
Having said this, there are loads of different ways I could improve my photography and photo skills. One of my main areas for growth is my photo editing. Currently, I only use the default editing software on my iPhone. However, using proper computer-editing software to enhance the colours will definitely improve the quality of my overall photos. I can also improve my camera knowledge, and improve the photos I take on cameras. Part of doing this would include remembering to bring a camera with me more often. This will help me take photos whenever the scenery inspires me. I also could work on composing different landscapes and trying to take photos of other objects, such as people. This will widen my photography horizon and help me enhance my skills are areas for improvement.
Learning Outcomes:
LO1 Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities and skills, of which some are more developed than others.
LO4 Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences Students demonstrate regular involvement and active engagement in CAS.
LO7 Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and actions in planning and carrying out CAS experiences.