I was asked by a biology teacher if I was interested in trying to get student photographers to take pictures in the Thornton Creek watershed that could be combined with writing from other students and made into posters.

Students did so, and an English teacher had his class look at the photos before writing some poetry. While no posters were ever made, photos and poems were combined as part of a presentation for the Thornton Creek alliance. For some of my students, this was valuable as a way to find a use for their work beyond just "fine art" photography. As an inter-disciplinary idea, I really like the idea of having students write in ways that enable them to combine images and writing.

Since my usual assignments are more open ended than this one, I might be more likely to make this an option rather than a requirement another time. I might also suggest the exercise to beginning students, as more of them are involved with Thornton Creek from the biology end of things.

Most of the responses were shaped by the students' perception of the need for an attractive landscape to go with a poem. Another time, the students might be encouraged to work as photojournalists who were trying to document the pressures put on an urban stream, or the efforts being made to restore Thornton Creek