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Choose 2 of the below 4 questions and write TWO SEPARATE essays in ONE document. When planning your essays, refer to our lecture slideshows, readings, course site, and your class notes. Write in complete sentences and include an introduction and conclusion. NOTE that this exam ONLY covers material from the second half of the semester, i.e., from Spring Break or Class Lecture 9.2 on; it is NOT commutative.
For each essay, choose 5 photographs (note artist, title, date for each, which can be found in the lecture/slideshow PDFs posted on Blackboard) by 5 DIFFERENT photographers to engage and weave into your discussion and construct a cohesive argument. You may choose works from the Study/Review Images document posted on Blackboard OR from any lecture
(you can also discuss non-photographic objects, but those do not count towards your total).
Note that I am increasing the number of options to 40 to allow for more choices. As in
Exam #1, it is important to situate each photograph, photographer, and project within their specific historical and cultural contexts as well as discuss relevant ideas and issues (and, of course, engage the selected theme). For each essay, weave in at least ONE reading per essay. Remember: the essays and exams are about making connections and demonstrating synthesis.
Use THIS document to type in your answers — please keep the prompts for your selections (you can delete the rest) and type your essays using single spacing — and do NOT include the actual image files in your document (I know to what you refer). When finished, print your take-home, staple it, and drop it off IN PERSON on Thursday, May 16th, the period assigned by UMass Boston; I’ll be in our classroom from 3pm to 6pm to collect them. NB: there are NO extensions and at this time, I will have your graded research papers ready to hand back.
A few logistical notes: When citing your selected readings, you can use parenthetical citations or footnotes. Do NOT use the same image for both essays. You can, however, utilize the same photographer for both of your essays as long as they are different images (but be sure to NOT repeat a photographer in the same essay). That said, REMEMBER that it is best to cover and address a variety of images, makers, eras, and areas – and thus, it is to your benefit to NOT repeat photographers across both essays.
As far as length for each essay, aim for one paragraph per image and 7-10 paragraphs total
(in addition to an introduction, ideally include one paragraph to discuss the theme/s after the introduction, one paragraph after your image discussion to discuss all works together, and a conclusion). The exact page length will depend on how your structure it and what you discuss.
~ REMEMBER: Do NOT do outside research (i.e., googling and/or using outside sources)
and do NOT use AI or ChatGPT (see syllabus). As stated above, limit your take-home
discission to the second half of the semester as well as notes from class and our readings ~
1.) Create your own history of PHOTOJOURNALISM and PRESS photography by choosing 5 images by 5 different photographers. Construct an essay addressing the changes in and issues raised by news photography as well as those related to various situations (war, conflict, tabloid, etc.) and circumstances (freelance, newspapers, agencies, collectives, etc.). Consider also technological and textual issues (reproduction, distribution, editing, captions, text, etc.), contexts and audiences, as well as final presentation and format. Some questions to consider: In what formats were these images, stories, and text presented; who chose, designed, and authored them; and how did these factors affect their meaning, reception, and transmission?
2.) Discuss the meaning and intertwined roles of REPRESENTATION AND RACE in documentary photography by selecting 5 images by 5 different photographers. Who gets to document and tell stories matters and their emphases and our understandings change over time. At the same time, counter-narratives and other voices — minority, marginalized, overlooked, or otherwise — often operate against the grain and try to raise awareness or affect social change via photography. In your essay, engage both the photographer as well as the sitters or clients, including activists who used photography in unique ways. Some questions to consider: How do these images reflect or react to their specific eras and cultural contexts? How are these subjects and photographs used in history, then and now?
3.) Discuss questions and themes of whether to SHOW or HIDE certain happenings
or subjects and/or how TRUTH or PROOF function in photographic work by selecting
5 images by 5 different photographers. Include examples from different areas and eras as well as by and of individuals and groups in your essay. Closely connected to these themes are manipulation, selective editing of the image or series, and issues of inclusion/exclusion. Consider too the role of documentary and documents in the display and creation of “truth,” master narratives, and propaganda in your essay. Some questions to consider: When is it okay to intervene in a situation and when and what is simply recording? Do some of these works epitomize or trouble what we have come to think about as documentary photography?
4.) Discuss the purpose and function of the LARGE BODY OF WORK or ARCHIVE and/or PHOTOBOOK or PHOTOESSAY by selecting 5 images by 5 different photographers. Choose a variety types (projects, agencies, archives, exhibitions, albums, books, stories, page spreads, etc.) and be sure to consider their format, order, technology, layout, and purpose. Some questions to consider: Who commissioned and/or sponsored the work/s or project/s and what were their goals? How do selection and sequence as well as individual or multiple images work together as opposed to individually? Do the photographs reaffirm or rewrite the goals of those organizers, editors, authors, and/or series and, if so, how?
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