Describe the process of photographing the subject
Directions for each part are detailed below along with instructions for how to integrate the two in the essay’s final draft. Please read carefully the instructions for composing and submitting your essay.
Be sure to give yourself adequate time to finish and upload your essay. It is your responsibility to resolve before the due date any technical difficulties you have with this project. If you encounter technical difficulties that you are unable to problem solve, seek assistance from myself or university technical-support staff as soon as possible.
Assignment Overview: Select a subject to photograph. The subject can be an object, a person, or any other living thing. Take six to ten photographs of your subject as directed below. Then, write a short essay to accompany your photographs that explains why you picked your subject and describes the process of photographing it.
Instructions
Part I: The Photos
Using a digital camera (the standard camera feature available on most cell phones will suffice), photograph your subject in such a way that makes it appear a) other than what it is, and b) other than how it is. In other words, the composition of your photographs should be such that your subject is unrecognizable and appears to have qualities that it does not actually have. Finally, c) compose one photo in which your subject is recognizable.
The photo portion of your essay should consist of no fewer than six photographs and no more than ten. When arranged alongside one another, your photos should suggest a narrative that makes an argument about your subject. In order to accomplish this narrative effect, each photo should be distinctive from and also related to the other photos. Your photos should not be so abstract that they could be of virtually anything. While the specific subject of your photos should be unrecognizable, there should be a visible subject in each photo.
Part II: The Essay
Compose a 500-word essay to accompany your photos that accomplishes the following (not necessarily in this order): a) reveal the subject of your photos and explain why you chose it for this project; b) describe the process of photographing your subject and discuss how that process is similar to and different from the process of composing a term paper.
The purpose of the essay is to reflect on the art of composition and its relationship to persuasion. Do not use your essay to “explain” your photos or the narrative that they tell. The photos should “speak for themselves.”
