Memento Mori Unit Plan

Course: Digital Imaging 1

Grade Level: mixed high school grades

Aim/Goal of the Lesson/Unit:

This unit has both technical and conceptual goals. Students should feel more comfortable with the manual
camera controls, and learn to use lights to make a photo composition. Students will also learn to use
Photoshop to make an image composition. Conceptually, students will explore the theme of Memento
Mori, by deciding what objects to photograph, and manipulating the lighting to affect the composition.
Essential Questions:
How can lights be used to enhance a photograph?
How can an image express an idea?
How can being aware of your mortality affect the way you live?
What reminds you to live your life to the fullest?
How can mortality be represented in a photograph collage?
Fine Arts Goals Met by the Objectives:
27.A.4b Analyze how the arts are used to inform and persuade through traditional and contemporary art
forms.
27.B.4b Understand how the arts change in response to changes in society.
26.A.4e Visual Arts: Analyze and evaluate how tools/technologies and processes combine to convey
meaning.
Objectives: Students will be able to
Explore the topic of Memento Mori in their art through symbolism and other techniques.
Compare the Memento Mori theme from various points in art history, to pop culture today.
Create five still life photographs that explore the topic of Memento Mori and use studio lighting
techniques.
Make an image in Photoshop using their photographs and other photographs combined using multiple
layers.
Vocabulary/language:
High Key lighting: an image where most of the tones are light/white.
Low Key lighting: an image where most of the tones are dark/black.
Harsh lighting: lighting that produces hard shadows. This is achieved using a direct light that is relatively
close to the subject and not diffused.
Soft lighting: lighting that produces minimal/soft shadows, allowing more detail for more of the image. It
is achieved by diffusing the light source, and/or keeping the light farther away from the subject.
Layers (in Photoshop): the most powerful function of Photoshop, which allows editing each layer of the
image separately.
Learning Activities
Dutch Still Life / Memento Mori presentation
Memento Mori Jigsaw Cultural Artifacts group discussion
Lighting demo
Adobe Bridge/Lightroom demo
Adobe Photoshop demo on how to use more tools, building from what was learned in the GIF project.
Studio work time to make still life photographs.

Individual Lesson Plans for the Unit:

LESSON PLAN Lesson #1 (Oct. 8/9)

Title: Memento Mori #1 (From Dutch Vanitas to Now)

Essential Questions:
How can an image express an idea?
How can being aware of your mortality affect the way you live?
Objectives: Students will be able to
Compare the Memento Mori theme from various points in art history, to pop culture today.
Summarize the important aspects of the form and content of their assigned artwork.
Explain how the artwork relates to the Memento Mori theme.

Vocabulary/language:
Form: qualities of an artwork related to how it looks and what materials are used to make it.
Content: the concepts behind the artwork.
Symbolism: objects or images that represent concepts other than what they literally are.
Memento Mori: Latin phrase, literally translates to remember that you must die. The concept was used
to urge the viewer to keep in mind the fleeting nature of life, and that one must focus on morality instead.
Vanitas: Latin: vanity. Genre of still life painting that was popular in the Europe, especially the
Netherlands, from the 16th-18th centuries. Used objects that were symbols to communicate a moralistic
message, alluding to the fleeting nature of material possessions and the brevity of human life.
Carpe diem: Latin: Seize the day! / Pluck the day [as it is ripe] / live for the moment. Similar to
contemporary phrase YOLO / You only live once.
Materials:
iMac computers
Files in the Google Drive: assigned images
Manual digital cameras (one for each group of 4 students)
Continuous LED lights (2 lights with stands for each group of 4 students)
One tripod per group of 4 students
Learning Activities
Dutch Still Life / Memento Mori presentation
Memento Mori Jigsaw Activity (students will discuss one artwork in depth in small groups, then briefly
share out a summary of their assigned artwork to the whole class).
Introduction to Memento Mori Still Life Photography assignment and materials
Procedures:
Dutch Still Life Memento Mori presentation. This presentation will set up the Vanitas/Memento Mori
theme by showing how various Dutch painters used still lifes to promote a moral life, including the use of
symbols of mortality.
Memento Mori Jigsaw Discussion
Breaking up into groups, viewing, discussing and analyzing an assigned image.
The images will be a variety of contemporary works of art. The images will all have something to do with
either memento mori specifically, or death more generally. Each image will go with a short article or
statement to provide background information.
Student will first view the image and write their thoughts in a notebook without reading about the piece.
Next, students will be instructed to read the statement quietly on their own, and add to their thoughts in

their notebook based on the artist statement or background text. Then the discussion will open up within
the assigned groups of 3-4. Students will be asked to write about the form and content of the piece.
Form: How is the piece made? What is it made of? Where is it meant to be viewed? What do you think
the piece would look like if you saw it in person?
Content: What is the piece about? How does the artist express his/her idea? What does it have to do with
the Memento Mori theme?
The last part of the Jigsaw activity will be for each of the eight groups to give a brief summary of what
their group discussed about their assigned artwork. Students will be asked to give a 30 second - 1 minute
description of the artists technical and conceptual process.
Students will be introduced to the first part of the Memento Mori assignment: making five still life
photographs. They will be introduced to the still life materials, work space, and how to use the studio
lights appropriately.
Assessment:
Students will be expected to participate in their groups discussion. At least one student from each group
will be expected to share out in the whole class discussion. Students should be able to discuss form and
content, and how their assigned artwork relates to the theme. Students will not be formally graded in this
shareout.

LESSON PLAN Lesson #2 (Oct. 13/15, 16/19)

Title: Memento Mori #2 (Memento Mori Assignment & Studio Lighting)

Essential Questions:
How can lights be used to enhance a photograph?
How can an image express an idea?
How can being aware of your mortality affect the way you live?
Objectives: Students will be able to
Manipulate lights and objects to create a still life photograph.
Make use of different ways that artists express complex ideas (that we discussed when looking at the
art of others).
Continue using the skills they learned in the previous unit to manipulate the camera settings to their
needs/liking.
Make five still life photographs (per student) over the course of several studio days.
Vocabulary/language:
Key Light: the main light source used in a studio light situation. It does the most work in defining the
shape of the subject.
Fill Light: a secondary light that fills in shadows, helping to control the contrast and add detail to the
shadows.
High Key lighting: an image where most of the tones are light/white.
Low Key lighting: an image where most of the tones are dark/black.
Contrast: the difference between the light and dark tones in an image. A high-contrast image has dark
blacks and bright whites, with minimal grey tones in between. A low-contrast image is overall muddy or
grey, with less of a difference between the dark and light tones.
Harsh lighting: lighting that produces hard shadows. This is achieved using a direct light that is relatively
close to the subject and not diffused.

Soft lighting: lighting that produces minimal/soft shadows, allowing more detail for more of the image. It
is achieved by diffusing the light source, and/or keeping the light farther away from the subject.

Materials:
iMac computers
Manual digital cameras (one for each group of 4 students)
Continuous LED lights (2 lights with stands for each group of 4 students)
One tripod per group of 4 students
SD Card (provided by students)
Programs: Adobe Lightroom, Bridge and Photoshop

Learning Activities
Looking at examples of studio lighting
Lighting demo
Studio work time to make still life photographs.

Procedures:
Viewing and discussing still life / studio lighting photographs
We will discuss some of the tools artists use to make still lifes, which students will be able to use in their
photos: leading lines, continuation, perspective, depth of field, repetition, color, and generally how things
are arranged in the composition to tell a story/create a mood.
Students will be given the opportunity to look through a slideshow of images shared in Google Drive to
decide which examples of studio lighting they want to talk about. We will discuss some of the possible
techniques used to create the photographs, and I will also discuss any images that were important that
nobody mentioned.
Studio lighting demo - Students will be reminded about important safety and technical information about
using the cameras and lights.
Studio time to make still life photos
Over the course of about two class periods, students will work in groups of four to construct and
photograph a still life using two lights per group.
Each student will be responsible for turning in five photographs, which can be variations of the same still
life setup.
Because they are working in groups of four, students must assist the lead photographer so that each
student has about 30-40 minutes to complete their photographs. Students will also work in groups to
ensure safe and technically proficient practices.
Assessment:
Each student will have to turn in five still life photographs after the studio sessions. The assignment sheet
will include a head-hands-heart rubric:

Head (Conceptual)
Explore the following questions in your photographs:
How can mortality be represented in a photograph with still life objects?
How would you convince the viewer to seize the day?
The objects you photograph, they way they are arranged in your composition, and the way they are lit
should contribute to your concept in whatever way you see fit, such as symbolism, creating a mood with
lighting, and the way different objects interact in your composition.
Each student must include a 3-5 sentence artist statement explaining their concept.

Hands (Technical)
Each photograph should be a good exposure, with rich detail from the use of lighting and a steady
camera.
Each photograph should be focused and clear: no shaky camera.
Each photograph should utilize 1-2 studio lights, with attention to the way shadows are cast and how the
light affects the shape, texture, reflectivity and depth of the objects.
Students should safely and properly use the equipment by using tripods properly and ALWAYS USING
SANDBAGS WITH LIGHTS! Students must stay near the lights when using them to ensure the chords
are safely plugged in, and must never leave a light on and unattended.
Heart (Effort)
Each of the five final photos should show thoughtful effort through their variety in composition, lighting,
and camera angle. (HINT: you should take a lot more than five photos and then edit down to your best
five.)
Students should help their group members with their setup when it is not their turn to shoot.

LESSON PLAN Lesson #3 (Oct. 20/21, 22/23, 20/21)

Title: Memento Mori #3 (Photoshopped Collage)

Essential Questions:
How can images and text be combined to express an idea?
How can being aware of your mortality affect the way you live?
Objectives: Students will be able to.
Edit original and found images in Photoshop using layers and various selection and blending tools.
Make use of different ways that artists express complex ideas (that we discussed when looking at the
art of others).
Continue using the skills they learned in the previous unit to edit/enhance photographs using
Photoshop and Lightroom.
Make a Photoshopped Memento Mori collage using their still life images over the course of two
studio days.

Vocabulary/language:
Layers (in Photoshop): the most powerful function of Photoshop, which allows editing each layer of the
image separately.
Selection Tools: a variety of tools on Photoshop that are used to select and edit (cut out, move, etc.)
specific pixels from a layer. Selection tools must be used effectively in order to seamlessly combine
images. Some of the tools are the magic wand, magnetic lasso, polygonal lasso, and the marquee tool.
Layer Masking: A way to select/block out parts of a layer without deleting them. A layer mask may be
edited later, as opposed to simply using selection tools.
Modifying a Selection: methods to modify a selection such as expand, contract, feather, and smooth.
These methods allow your selections to be more accurate, easier to select, and to blend better with other
layers.
Materials:
iMac computers

SD Card (provided by students)

Programs: Adobe Lightroom, Bridge and Photoshop

Learning Activities
Adobe Photoshop demo on how to use more tools, building from what was learned in the GIF project.
Studio time for Memento Mori Photoshop Collage project.
Short peer critiques

Procedures:
Photoshop demo
Review of Photoshop skills learned in the GIF unit
Layers: organizing and ordering
Layer blending modes
Better selecting: layer masking and modifying selections
Applying filters to unify your image.
Studio time: students will spend two class periods editing their Photoshop collages. At the beginning of
the two class periods I will give a demo/review any tools students are struggling with. Midway through
the second studio class, students will do a brief peer critique as a mental break and to get useful feedback.
Assessment:
Each student will have to turn in one final Photoshopped image. The assignment sheet will include a
head-hands-heart rubric:

Head (Conceptual)
Explore the following questions in your Photoshop image:
How can mortality be represented in a photograph with still life objects?
What is your Memento Mori message, and how will you communicate it to the viewer?
Hands (Technical)
Students must include at least 3 layers (of objects), and 1 adjustment layer in their Photoshop image.
At least one of the layers should be a still life photo you took.
Students must use selection tools/layer masking to SEAMLESSLY combine the multiple images in their
final composition.
Final image should be uploaded to Google Drive as a JPG file, although students will save their works-inprogress as a Photoshop file.
Heart (Effort)
Students should pay attention to the details that make their final image polished and neat by carefully
using and modifying the selection tools.
Students should use the full amount of class time to make their collages as good as they can be.

LESSON PLAN Lesson #4 (Oct. 26/27)

Title: Memento Mori #4 (Memento Mori Final Critiques)

Essential Questions:
How can images and text be combined to express an idea?
How can being aware of your mortality affect the way you live?

Objectives: Students will be able to.

Explain the conceptual meaning behind their artwork.
Interpret the artwork of their peers, using vocabulary learned throughout the unit.

Vocabulary/language:
Form: qualities of an artwork related to how it looks and what materials are used to make it.
Content: the concepts behind the artwork.
Memento Mori: Latin phrase, literally translates to remember that you must die. The concept was used
to urge the viewer to keep in mind the fleeting nature of life, and that one must focus on morality instead.
Vanitas: Latin: vanity. Genre of still life painting that was popular in the Europe, especially the
Netherlands, from the 16th-18th centuries. Used objects that were symbols to communicate a moralistic
message, alluding to the fleeting nature of material possessions and the brevity of human life.
Carpe diem: Latin: Seize the day! / Pluck the day [as it is ripe] / live for the moment. Similar to
contemporary phrase YOLO / You only live once.
All the technical vocabulary previously learned about lighting and Photoshop editing may be used to
discuss the works: high/low key, key/fill/back light, layers, selection tools, blending modes, etc.

Materials:
iMac computers
SD Card (provided by students)
Programs: Adobe Lightroom, Bridge and Photoshop

Learning Activities
Final Critiques

Procedures:
Students will be given a few minutes to make sure their submissions are organized in the Drive. Each
student will upload their final Memento Mori Photoshop Collage as a JPG file with their name.
Students will open their final image on their computer. The class will then walk around to see everyones
work, and then will be asked to stop, and sit at the computer they are nearest to. They will then spend up
to five minutes studying the work closely, and will be asked to write a reflection about the work. I will
provide questions to help guide their comments:
What aspect of the work makes the biggest impact?
How did the student artist represent mortality?
What works well? What could be done better?
We will view each students artwork one at a time.. The student who wrote about the work will make the
first comment or two, and then at least one other student will make a comment. The student-artist will
then have the opportunity to respond to any of the comments. Two minutes will be allotted for each
student to make sure we get through everyone.
If there is time remaining, students may fill out an anonymous survey to give me feedback on my
teaching since it will be my last day leading the class.
Assessment:
Each student will have to turn in one final Photoshopped image. The assignment sheet will include a
head-hands-heart rubric:

Head (Conceptual)
Explore the following questions in your Photoshop image:

How can mortality be represented in a photograph with still life objects?

What is your Memento Mori message, and how will you communicate it to the viewer?
Hands (Technical)
Students must include at least 3 layers (of objects), and 1 adjustment layer in their Photoshop image.
At least one of the layers should be a still life photo you took.
Students must use selection tools/layer masking to SEAMLESSLY combine the multiple images in their
final composition.
Final image should be uploaded to Google Drive as a JPG file, although students will save their works-inprogress as a Photoshop file.
Heart (Effort)
Students should pay attention to the details that make their final image polished and neat by carefully
using and modifying the selection tools.
Students should use the full amount of class time to make their collages as good as they can be.