• Warm-up: Review selected student compositions from the last lesson; reinforce how composition contributes to meaning. (10)

• Read and discuss the following quote made by Lewis Hine: “Photographs don’t lie, but liars may photograph.”

• Show the class William Klein’s Gun 1, and begin a conversation about the picture by asking students to make inferences about the photograph: “What is going on in the image? What do you see that makes you say that? Why do you think Klein chose to have the boy make that gesture?” Following the initial conversation, show the contact sheet and compare the chosen image with the second image on the sheet. “What do you imagine happened in the time between the two exposures Klein made? How are the two images different? How are they similar? Do the two images tell different stories? Why do you think the photographer chose the image he did?” Show the students the contact sheet as it was shown in a museum exhibit of Klein’s work. “Why do you think the photographer chose to display the contact sheet instead of just the image?” (20)

• Ask students to work in pairs and discuss the image. William Klein said, “It’s fake violence, a parody. I asked the boy to point the gun at me and then look tough. He did, and then we both laughed. [I see it] as a double self-portrait. I was both the street kid trying to look tough, and the timid good little boy on the right” (2011). Ask students to consider, “Does editing affect the meaning of an image? What types of choices does a photographer make? Which image would you have chosen? Do you think photography can tell the truth?” Ask students to share their thoughts with the class.

• Introduce the concept of editing and selection in photography. Discuss editing in-camera and the choice of subject, and introduce intention. (15)

• Photo exercise: Ask students to work with a partner and photograph opposing opinions about a subject or scene to explore fluid meanings. For example, students could photograph a cafeteria trash can overflowing with unappetizing, discarded food, or a friendly lunchroom worker offering a warm bowl of soup. Both photographs are true, but they offer opposite commentary on the same place. (30)

Staff Follow-Up: Download images from the photo exercise and form a slide show for the next lesson.

Going Further: Watch video of William Klein discussing his contact sheets and editing choices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q75HuLN9FjA

Materials Needed: William Klein images and contact sheet, computer, digital projector, digital cameras, and workbooks. Masterwork: William Klein Gun 1, New York, 1954 and contact sheet

Students will: • Know: Photographers make choices; they

“edit” what is in front of them. Photographers and subjects can interact to create content and meaning.

• Understand: Photographers use the factual appearance of photography to construct different “realities.”

• Do: Students will be able to look at photographs and ask questions regarding their meaning and the photographer’s intent.

Lesson Plan: (1 hr, 15 min)Lesson 7 CONTENT: Photography and Truth