Photography: research and writing for Undergraduates

  • choose images
    1. explore museum collections
    2.  exhibition catalogues
    3. photography books  on the 4th floor of the library (shelfmarks 770 – 779)
    4.   image databases
    5. something special out of our collection of artists’ books and older books. We picked out these 5 remarkable photography books for you or choose another one from the hundreds of exceptional works available.
  • your emotional responses are valid, important aspects of learning about art “those items which I notice shape my mind– without selective interest, experience is an utter chaos.” (William James 1890)
    • practice embodied engagements to nurture a connection to the art
      1. what are the first words or sounds which come to mind?
      2. what is your soundtrack for this photograph
      3. if you follow the lines of composition what movement would you dance (go ahead and dance in the library you have permission)
      4. can you imagine a ‘before’ and ‘after’ story
      5. pick a detail and draw it for a closer look at an aspect of the photograph
      6. For an A-Z list of emotions across cultures please see Book of Human Emotions at St. Peters House Library a sampling of which are online thanks to the Guardian.
  • describe the image
    1. Lines, these define visual forms
    2. Shape and space; mechanical perspective is the geometric system of compositional lines giving an appearance of three-dimensional space
    3. Light and dark; relative levels of lightness or darkness of an area are its ‘value’
    4. Colour; tints and shades
    5. Texture
    6. Design — rhythm and repetition; balance; proportion; scale; unity and variety
  • identify the image
    1. what’s the title of the work
    2. who’s the photographer — if it’s anonymous are there any identifying factors which might indicate who the photographer was
    3. why and for whom was the photo taken
    4. how was it taken — are the subjects arranged or spontaneous; is something significant left out of the frame
    5. how was the photograph presented
  • ask yourself questions about the image and pen several possible answers; your hypothesis is a “tentative answer to an interesting research question.”
  • do the research

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