Sample Photo Essays

So our new unit is about places . . . A "photo essay" is one way of writing about places, and I need you to read/look your way through the following examples:

1. A Time photo essay by photographer James Natchwey, "Sept. 11, 2001"
2. Another by photographer Herman Krieger, "Mall-Aise: A Look at Shopping Malls in America"
3. Another Time photo essay, unattributed, "The End of Cabrini-Green"
4. An iPhone photo essay by Tui Snider, "Chandor Gardens, the Secret Gardens of Weatherford, Texas"
5. Another one on "The Making of Ethan's Viola" (I know it's not a place, but it's still interesting).

As you read/look, think about what their PURPOSE seems to be. Try to think about the variety and type of IMAGES we get and their ORDER. Think about the WRITING that's done to accompany the photos. And importantly, use what you learned from Horowitz's book: what vantage point or perspective seems to be driving each of these?

At-Home Activity (due 9 AM Thursday, 3/10)

I know you're busy tonight with finishing up your profile drafts for our deadline, but before we leave for Spring Break I really need us to start our next unit. In preparation for that I have an article for you to read. It provides an overview of a book called On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes, by cognitive scientist Alexandra Horowitz. Rather than read the book, this article will give us a quite in-depth discussion of what it's exploring.

I will warn you that it's not something to scroll through; nor is it something you can zip through in a few minutes. Mentally prepare yourself. That said, it's fascinating, and it's about psychology: and how our brains notice (or not) the world around us. In the book, Horowitz takes a walk around her New York block, and in each chapter, she brings along a different expert--one is her toddler! and one is an artist. Others include a a geologist, and a graphic designer. In each case, that expert notices completely different things. So you'll read about some of those differences (and what's going on that our brains work that way).

Here's the survey, due 9 AM Thursday. Do the reading. We're shifting gears, slowly, away from merely writing about ourselves or writing in more popular genres, and toward the more intellectual pursuits we arrive at in college.

And here's where we're heading with this. You'll be touring your own neighborhood and putting together a photo essay. Just like the experts in Horowitz's book have a "perspective" that allows them to notice certain things, we'll define a perspective for you to have on your own walk. I'll have that assignment posted for Thursday's class, and then you'll have time over break to do some initial thinking, planning and exploring.

At-Home Activity: Writing and Objects (Due Thurs., 1/27)

For Thursday's class, we're going to move on from seeing examples of photographs about objects to reading some examples of writing about them.

Just so you know, you have the ability to view the first project's official requirements. They are posted under the menu at the top of the blog: Project Requirements, but you can read them right here, too. So please, take a look at that first, and then move on to these two readings:

• "Ode to an Orange," by Larry Woiwode
• "Life without Go Go Boots," by Barbara Kingsolver

There will be no survey, but I want you to bring some writing to class. For both of these pieces, I want you to write down the following (and typing it would really be helpful):

• For each essay, what are some of the most vivid details (the ones you could really picture in your mind and "see")?
• For each essay, what do you think the writer was trying to focus on, exactly? There are lots of details and bits used for different reasons, but what do you think the "real" subject matter was that the writers were exploring here?

That's it: read the assignment, read the pieces, and bring writing to class in response to the above. See you Thursday!

At-Home Activity: On Photography (Due Tues., 1/26)

Here's what I'd like you to work on for Tuesday's class, as we delve more deeply into the idea of composition—regardless of whether it's visual or written (heck, we should think about music, too, don't you think?). The reading material I talked about in class Wednesday is HERE. It's from a book on photographic composition by photographer Jim Miotke.

I recommend right-clicking and choosing to download the reading, since it's nearly 3MB, but try clicking anyway, and just be patient if you have a slow connection. The file is a PDF. You should be able to view it, but if for some reason you can't, it's possible you don't have Adobe Reader (a free download). That's the way it goes sometimes as we get started with tech things :D By all means print up the reading (it's only 15 pages, much of it photographs) so you can mark it up with your own notes and comments. You can bring that to class next time, too, so you can reference it if necessary. It's not a requirement to print it, but marking it up physically helps you engage with and remember things better, and that's a good strategy.

We'll also do what is ultimately Survey #3 this time, too, which you can find HERE. Remember that this needs to be completed by 9 AM Tuesday.

FINALLY. I'd like you to come to class with a photograph on your phone. Use Miotke's advice, and take a photo of some OBJECT of yours. It doesn't have to be special. It could just be something that is interesting-looking to you. It can't be a living thing. Take as many versions as you need in order to find your favorite to share in class.

So to recap, you have READING to do, a SURVEY, and a PHOTO to take. It's not a lot, and you'll likely enjoy it all a great deal. Have fun!