Just wanted to share a few good image sites that I’ve come across during my online wanderings.
Last year, as part of a joint effort with Life, Google began hosting an archive of the magazine’s photographs, most of which were never published. As is the case with the magazine, there is a strong emphasis on photojournalism.
Wide range of facial expressions on children at puppet show - The moment the dragon is slain, Guignol puppet show, Parc de Montsouris, Paris, 1963 Photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt
2. Worth1000
This is what is commonly known as an “image manipulation contest website”. Users or participants are invited to upload photographs which they have altered in some way or another using an application such as Photoshop. Contests are themed and organized in galleries such as:
The result is a huge bank of very creative and mentally stimulating images which are perfect for a whole range of speaking or writing activities.
(From If dogs ruled the world)
(’Holy Cow’ from Literalisms)
This is a great site. Full of tasteless gems such as Lucy in the field with flowers.
4. Amazon.co.uk
This is my all time favourite. I made a YouTube clip a while back to demonstrate its potential:
.
This photographer makes clever use of his website to exhibit his work. One piece titled “We’re all gonna die - 100 meters of existence” allows the user to scroll horizontally along a frieze of 178 people who were photographed over 20 days on a Berlin railroad bridge.
Other projects include Faces of New York (10 New Yorkers talk about their interesting faces) and The Thought Project which explores the thoughts we have when we walk alone in the street.
This site came to me via Nik Peachey’s Quick Shout blog.
6. London International Awards
This organization was set up to award exceptional creative work in advertising and design. It is really worthwhile looking through the 2007 and 2008 finalists, especially in the Poster & Billboard and Print categories. There are a lot of thought-provoking campaigns which might inspire teaching ideas
Advert for Funk Sunglasss. Caption reads: No one needs to know what you did last night. Now look carefully at the blood vessels coming out of the eye.
One of a series of campaign images for Amnesty International. The logo sits like an annoying fly on the noses of world leaders who have demonstrated dubious human rights standards.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Burcu Akyol // May 2, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Dear Jamie,
Thank you for this great post! I bookmarked all these links. I especially loved the idea of using book covers for teaching various structures, vocabulary, etc. Very creative and authentic!
“The words of language, as they are written or spoken, do not seem to play any role in my mechanism of thought. The physical entities which seem to serve as elements in thought are certain signs and more or less clear images.”
Albert Einstein
All the best,
Burcu
2 matt ledding // May 3, 2009 at 1:32 am
Hey Jamie…
While talking about images, there are a few of you from the TESOL Spain Convention at this address:
http://s604.photobucket.com/albums/tt126/jane_c_pa/TESOL-SPAIN%20Convention%202009_keynote_speakers/Jamie%20Keddie/?start=20
cheers,
Matt
3 admin // May 3, 2009 at 11:07 am
I love that quote Burcu. I hate the notion that we are all slaves to language - that if a word doesn’t exist in our tongue, then neither can the idea (The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). In fact it’s an old idea that was once very appealing but modern techniques in psychology have suggested that it is nonsense.
4 admin // May 3, 2009 at 11:12 am
Thanks for that Matt.
I’m not used to seeing pics of myself presenting. Must remember to tuck in my shirt next time!
Jamie
5 Lindsay Clandfield // May 4, 2009 at 6:29 am
Hi Jamie!
Nice list… and great sites to check out. Erm, any chance you are interested in cross-posting this or am I going to get my very own Jamie Keddie Six?
Lindsay
6 Karenne Sylvester // May 11, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Jamie,
This is great posting. I loved the video and hearing you talk too - what a nice accent! Plus you’ve got my mind racing on ways to use book cover images in Business English.
Thanks muchly,
Karenne
7 Karenne Sylvester // May 11, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Me again, was just off… but read Burcu’s comment and your response.
A long time ago I was in a remote part of China and the people there claimed to be the first to have a written language - they still had a couple of people in the village who could write it and it consisted entirely of images.
xxKarenne
8 admin // May 11, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Thanks Karenne
There are a few pdf lesson plans using Amazon book covers up in the ‘Lesson Plans’ page (see tab at top). It really is one of my favourite tools for teaching (second only to YouTube).
Jamie
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