PROJECT: "The Photographic Essay"
OBJECTIVE:
Unlike most of the other visual arts, photography has the ability to communicate in both very direct and very obscure vocabularies. This flexibility of photography's vocabulary allows it to be widely used to express idea, concepts and visions. An very common use of these communicative qualities is the extended essay. Like literary essays, photographic essays are individualistic points of view. The sharing of the viewpoints can be as direct or as obtuse as the photographer deems appropriate. You are to prepare a set of images to be presented as an essay.
REQUIREMENTS AND CONSIDERATIONS:
1. Although an essay can be similar to a short story, essays usually don't have story lines or plots which "drive" the series of images. Rather, the reasons behind an essay are usually not understood until the entire set of images is viewed. Each image of the essay contributes anther component to the whole. Only upon viewing all the parts does one have an appreciations of the project.2. Like any written essay, a photo essay should have a specific topic or theme. The "style" of the photographs and the methods of presentation should all be chosen on the basis of what you want to share about the selected topic. Your approach to the topic determines the types of pictures you make. You can be serious, sarcastic, humorous, acerbic, mysterious, happy, sad, or even sexual with your approach. The important thing is that the presentation shares your own personal observations and considerations of the selected topic.
3. Methods of presentation can be the usual mounted prints. However, you might want to consider a book format, a collage/montage composite, or a mosaic-like wall piece. Further, you may consider using the photographic images in conjunction with other media. You can present the photographs with other objects to evoke ideas of a situation, a certain place, or special use. An example would be an alter or shrine display. Another idea might be to present the images of objects in place of the actual objects. For instance, the whole idea of paper dolls with interchangeable paper clothes is an example of using photographic images as stand-ins for the real thing.
4. Another interesting aspect of photographic essays is that the images are often combined with words. The images could either have the words in the picture or the words can be presented in combination with the picture. An example of words in the picture might be a picture of a situation in front of a sign or graffiti on the walls. You may even find writing on the prints themselves as an interesting alternative. Pictures used with texts might be to combine the images with poems or quotations.
5. Another possibility would be to use the your images in a pre-existing textual format. Substituting your images in magazine covers or newspaper articles would be an example.
6. As you can see, the photo essay can be more than just a collection of images. The whole premise of the project is to share a vision with the viewers while conveying some sense of how you, the creator of the images, feel about the images you make.
7. Since this project can be very diverse, exactly what you are to submit for grading can not be specified. In essence, you are to submit whatever you feel best presents your essay topic.
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