Click Happy 101

Week 6:

What now?

The Intent of the What Now Week

Here are some things we will be learning this week.

• Tech skills of the week:
• Which part did you most struggle with? Go back and give it another crack (get gritty)
• Composition Skills -
• Where did you struggle? - Go do more of that.
• Visual Poetry -
• Create a repository for your images. Hand make a photo album and print your images.
• Photo of the Day - Meditate on the details the pull back to the big picture
• Macro or detail photography vs. Big Picture
• Show us the details of things the juxtapose it with the Big Picture
• Create a video of you photographing and post it here
• Self Care: Finishing what you start
• Submit your work so that your energy is freed up for new adventures. Ground this work.
• Give the Click Happy team your honest feedback on the course (we will co-develop the next iteration of the course based on this feedback and your feedback helps us to get funding to keep running the courses so please do give us feedback.

What is the difference between an expert and a dabbler?

When an expert practices their craft they focus on what is out of their comfort zone that is not necessarily fun to practice on. They push themselves.

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An dabbler who often gets stuck just at the mediocre level just practices over and over again the parts that they enjoy.

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One grows… One usually stagnates at a certain level of skill.

Do you want to be an expert or an dabbler?

If you want to be an expert…think back this summer to the photography part that stumped you and hack at it again and see if you can get any forward progress. If you are happy with dabbling just keep playing.

A good read on this topic : So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

So What Now?

We have come to end of the first chapter of our time together. You have gotten a sense of what place photography could have in your life. You have learned hopefully a bit more about yourself and the gift that you are to the world.

So now you need to figure out where to from here. School is starting soon and you will be in for a big new adventure there which will take a great deal of focus and intent.

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But you also have a very special door opening here that you have earned the key to. The Click Happy Impact Academy. This program is for young photographers who have made it through the gauntlet of the Click Happy Summer Academy and would like to learn how to shoot documentary and editorial style. You will learn about how to use your art to make a difference in the world. You will choose a non profit to support and you will create content that they can use to help spread the word about what they are doing.

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You will also go deeper into learning creative Hauora skills that will help you to succeed in any career that you choose. The world is currently losing many of its careers to AI but innovative and creative professionals who can work well on a team are in high demand. These are the skills that we will be helping you to develop in the Impact Academy.

Visual Poetry Challenge:

Print and showcase your work

If you took a photo that you love but you don’t share it…did you really create?

Supplies to make your Visual Poetry Album

• A4 Unlined Artists notebook the thicker the interior paper the better acidfree
• Cardboard from an old cardboard box.
• Scissors
• Glue gun
• Mod podge or watered down PVA glue
• Tissue paper
• Paints
• Paint brush for detail work

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Steps to make the album

• If your book cover is too floppy you can glue a piece of cardboard to it to make it stronger.
• Cut out cardboard pieces to create a raised pattern for your book.
• Glue the design pieces on to your book.
• Wad up your piece of tissue paper
• Paint a section of your book in mod podge and put the tissue over the book and stick it down section by section until the tissue is glued over the book.
• Paint over the top of the tissue with mod podge to seal it and make it strong to paint over.
• Fold the edges around so it covers the backside of the front cover as well.
• You can do the back cover if you are feeling it as well.
• Paint it till you are happy with the result.
• Go to a printers and have your images printed for you.
• Fix them into your book with photo corners or double sided tape (acid free)
• Show off to all your friends :).

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Click Happy in Reflection | Camera Skills we learned

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• Aperture (the blurred background feature)

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By: Jacqui Jones

Shutter Speed

(freezing motion and blurring motion)

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Photos by: Amber Lee

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ISO

• (film sensitivity - what to use in bright light, what to use in the dark)
• The higher the ISO the higher the grain in the image.
• The lower the ISO the “cleaner” the image.

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By Kate Hernandez

Exposure compensation

(making it lighter or darker)

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By Sariah Fhyn

Focal Point adjustment

what are you focused on and how to change that instead of letting the camera decide

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By Lily Sang

Click Happy in Reflection | Composition Skills we learned

• Rule of Thirds + The golden mean
• Leading Lines
• Juxtaposition (making meaning of two different things)
• Colour Theory
• Framing

Photo a Day Challenge

Details. This week you are challenged to take a photo a day that celebrates the details vs. the Big Picture. You can do this in one image or you can do this as two images juxtaposed.

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Image Credit - Sophie Hansen

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Summary of Self Care

Head

Heart

Guts

Ground

Head

Inspiration

Creative Problem Solving

Where do you find that which lights you up

You have to begin and go on a search and by doing you begin to learn.

Heart

Inhalation - Self care

Exhalation - Creative Practice

What are our values and how does our work reflect that?

Creative relationship building is key to your creative path.

Do our most important relationships share and support our values?

Self compassion is the key that unlocks the creative power in this area.

Guts

Mana | Personal Power | Ability to hold space | Grit | Responsibility | Accountability

The crap sandwich of creativity - Holding space when it gets difficult and not quitting.

The importance of grit in creativity

Ground

Choosing wisely at the start to ensure that you finish what you begin. Creativity isn’t really creative if it isn’t shared.

It is important to understand that sometimes we have blocks and traumas that if we don’t take time to become aware of and give energy to healing, they can rob us of our ability to be fully creative.

Self awareness, Self compassion, And connection with what makes us calm centered and grounded are keys to our creative success especially if we are stretching out of our comfort zone.

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Summary of Challenges

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• Tech skills of the week:
• Dabbler - Play with what was fun only.
• Expert in the making - Which camera skill did you most struggle with? Go back and give it another crack (get gritty)
• Composition Skills -
• Dabbler - Practice what you enjoy
• Becoming an expert - Where did you struggle? - Go do more of that.
• Visual Poetry -
• Create a repository for your images. Hand make a photo album and print your images.
• Photo of the Day - Meditate on the details the pull back to the big picture
• Macro or detail photography vs. Big Picture
• Show us the details of things the juxtapose it with the Big Picture
• Create a video of you photographing and post it here
• Self Care: Finishing what you start
• Submit your work so that your energy is freed up for new adventures. Ground this work.
• Give the Click Happy team your honest feedback on the course (we will co-develop the next iteration of the course based on this feedback and your feedback helps us to get funding to keep running the courses so please do give us feedback.

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Copyright Notice

All Click Happy content is collectively owned by Mandi Lynn and Every Body is a Treasure Trust. Please contact Mandi or the trust if you wish to reproduce any of the materials that have been shared with you.

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Mental Health Links

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If doing any of the suggested activities has stirred up issues that feel too much for your mental health…here are some resources that can help https://themojolution.org/mental-health-help/