Reminder: If you have not yet completed a breaking news story assignment (the Ukraine one-year anniversary, Phagwah parade, or the Trump arraignment) you must complete one by the last class of the semester (May 16). I have been trying to give options that will work for as many people as possible, and I will continue to keep an eye out for stories that would work for this assignment, but if you have not yet been able to complete one of these three options, you should start looking for a breaking news story that will work for you and your schedule and pitch it to me ASAP.
Photo Book In-Class Exercise
I’ve brought a pile of photo books from my personal collection. Today’s exercise will be about looking not at a photographer’s individual images or assignments, but at a larger body of work. Most of these might be classified as “documentary photography,” an umbrella term used to describe photography that captures a real moment as it happens, often conveying a message about the world. Sometimes this can include personal projects, a type of photojournalism that often ends up in gallery shows or photo books, but may be less likely to be found on a wire service.
Take some time to browse through the books and select one to read more in depth. Some of them are quite extensive so I obviously don’t expect you to read through them in their entirety but give it a good skim—enough to get a sense of what this photo book is about, who the photographer is (or plural photographers), how it is structured, and what it aims to convey. Some of these are more personal in nature, others involve more hard news reporting. Some are a sort of combination of both. Some were written by the photographer, and some were compiled after the photographer’s death.
Write a short blog post (250-300 words or so) about the photo book you chose, and be prepared to talk about it in Tuesday’s class.