WEEK 11
Due Wednesday, April 1st 1pm
PICTURES THAT MATTER NOW
“A work of art is good if it has arisen out of necessity. That is the only way one can judge it.” – Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
It can be a challenge under our current circumstances to feel like art matters. Yet, as Rilke and other artists and philosophers have reminded us, great art arises out of necessity. As they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” What do you think the role of art and photography is during this time and how might it reflect your experience? Post a series of pictures you have taken recently that show us your perspective on this time of: uncertainty, change, vulnerability, cabin fever, hope, and ______________. The subject matter can be of your home environment, the people you are with, self-portraits, something you make, or something you find. These can include pictures you’ve taken in the past month showing your transition, what you left behind, and where you are now. These photographs can respond to this time and your current circumstances in either a direct or indirect way. They can be diaristic, documentary, poetic, or abstract.
Shoot at least 50 jpegs and upload a selection of 10 jpegs and one paragraph statement to the blog
WEEK 12
Due Wednesday, April 8th 1pm
PART 1: MAKING IT REAL
Continue with the Making It Real assignment using your digital camera or iPhone. If you are at home, how can you take this time to make believe, to make the invisible visible? Depending on your individual circumstances, this could be an opportunity for playful collaboration or solitary self-reflection, to be creatively resourceful with what you can find at home.
Shoot 50 jpegs. Post a selection of 10 jpegs on blog with one paragraph statement.
PART 2: FEEDBACK ON YOUR CLASSMATES’ PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LAST WEEK
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WEEK 13
Due Wednesday, April 15th 1pm
FINDING AND MAKING YOUR OWN WINTER GARDEN PHOTOGRAPH
responding to Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida
PART 1
Read Camera Lucida, by Roland Barthes.
Try and find your equivalent of Barthes’ Winter Garden Photograph.
Locate family photograph collections you have access to either in printed form (boxes, albums, etc.) or in digital form (hard drives, online, etc.). If you have access to a physical family photograph collection, I recommend you search through those. If not, search digitally. Choose one family member to look for. Try to find a photograph that reveals the essence of that family member. Write three paragraphs about this process, and post the writing. Post at least one image with your writing. Whether or not you post the picture is up to you.
PART 2
Photograph your mother. If your mother is not with you, make photographs that are about her. You could photograph any subject as a stand-in for her. Shoot at least 50 jpegs, and upload a selection of 10 to the blog.
PART 3: FEEDBACK ON YOUR CLASSMATES’ PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LAST WEEK
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WEEK 14
Due Wednesday, April 22nd 1pm
PART 1: RESEARCH
Post 10 sources of inspiration that you found this semester that deepen your understanding of photography. Post your sources on the page labeled with your name on the “Research” menu. Feel free to begin posting anytime before the due date. Each source can be an image, text, or link. Use the list of resources provided to guide your research. At least half of your sources should be individual photographs. At least two of your sources should be photo books. At least two of your sources should be scholarly essays or magazine / newspaper articles. Label each source with artist/author, title, date, medium, dimensions (if applicable) accompanied by two sentences describing your interest or questions about it.
PART 2 OPTION 1: I LOVE IT SO MUCH I HAD TO MAKE ONE MYSELF
Choose one photograph to copy. Do not choose it based on how easy you think it will be to reproduce in your present circumstances. Choose it because it’s really your absolute favorite. The point of this assignment is to work in a makeshift way, showing your desire to replicate a photograph you love, despite the current limitations. If it’s taken on a tropical island, or at a party, how can you approximate those inaccessible subjects? Shoot at least 50 jpegs and upload a selection of 10 to the blog with a statement.
PART 2 OPTION 2: SLOW SEEING REVISITED
Reread Rebecca Solnit’s Slow Seeing essay. Photograph the same thing at many different times. Watch the light coming in the window, the shadows cast within a room; the TV, computer, or lights on and off; the view from the window changing; yourself or housemates in the same place at different times. How do your surroundings shift subtly over time? (Uta Barth)
Shoot at least 50 jpegs. Post a selection of 10 jpegs on blog with one paragraph statement.
PART 3: FEEDBACK ON YOUR CLASSMATES’ PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LAST WEEK
PART 4: Final Project Proposal. 1 page proposal about your final project plans. Would you like to make a Blurb photo book, or do you have another idea to propose? Refer to the final project proposal guidelines.
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WEEK 15
Due Wednesday, April 29th 1pm
PART 1 OPTION 1: FINAL PROJECT: BLURB PHOTO BOOK PDF DRAFT
Create a blurb photo book. Bowdoin Department of Visual Art will reimburse you $30.00 for this project.
PART 1 OPTION 2: FINAL PROJECT OF YOUR OWN DESIGN WORK IN PROGRESS
PART 2: FEEDBACK ON YOUR CLASSMATES’ PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LAST WEEK
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WEEK 16
Due Wednesday, May 6th 1pm
PART 1: FINAL PROJECT: BLURB PHOTO BOOK PDF and Order confirmation receipt
OR Self-directed project.
PART 2: Self Reflection #2. 1 page about your experience in Intro to Photo this semester. What have you learned? What has challenged you? How has your work evolved over the course of the semester, and in response to current circumstances? What would you like to continue with in the future?
PART 3: FEEDBACK ON YOUR CLASSMATES’ PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LAST WEEK
DUE Friday, May 8th
FEEDBACK ON YOUR CLASSMATES FINAL PROJECTS