Objectives: Syrian photographer Osama Esid’s moving works explore notions of his own personal identity and the communities he is a part of. Learn about his process and how he connects with individuals to bring their story to his photographs.

Tools/Resources: Pen, paper and a camera.

Activity

1) Partner up with a student you don’t know very well and photograph them.

2) Before you take a photo, ask your partner some questions about themselves:

a. What is the biggest challenged you’ve overcome?
b. If you could be anything in the world, what would you be and why?
c. What is the best advice you’ve ever received or given? Why was it meaningful?

3) After your partner has answered the questions, use your camera to photograph them.

a. Be sure to photograph your partner in a way that expresses their answers to the questions and who they are as a person.

4) Once both partners have taken photos of each other, in a large group express what you learned:

a. What was the biggest takeaway from this activity?
b. How did you choose which photos to take and why?
c. What emotion and power do your photos express?