RESEARCH PROJECT CRITERIA
You will write a research paper on a historical or contemporary photographic artist/photographer and the significance of their work to photography as an art form. This is a simple three page essay (it’s okay if you go over) written doubly spaced in a size 12 font. You will include 5 images of the photographer’s work, either throughout or at the end of your paper.
Websites full of photographic artists for your reference include https://lenscratch.com/., https://www.photoeye.com/gallery/. https://masters-of-photography.com/.. . The extremely well categorized organization of Lenscratch allows you to search artists based on subject or on genre – it’s an incredible resource on contemporary photography. Photoeye does much of the same, yet, it functions more like an online gallery space where artists submit portfolios they can sell. Masters of Photography has more of a historical lean and includes a lot of original black and white film based work. All three are wonderful resources, however, you’re welcome to hunt for photographs wherever you’d like!
As I will always say, it’s so important to research someone whose work speaks to you. If you’re intrigued by the individual and the images they make, it will be a form of inspiration. You may not choose an artist that has already been thoroughly presented in class. Contact me if you have any questions regarding your choice. Be sure to include an bibliography documenting your sources.
100 points
INFORMATION TO INCLUDE: Note – You are to write a narrative essay paper – please do not simply answer a bulleted point list of a-k as you will not receive credit. You must write a paragraph by paragraph research paper.
a. Photographer’s date and place of birth.
b. Education and photographic training.
c. How did the photographer make a living?
d. Type of photographic equipment utilized? Camera model? Film? Digital?
e. Describe the subject matter in the photographs – include 5 images at the end of the paper for reference
f. Describe the creative and contemporary influences in the work
g. Describe the working method to make the photographic images
h. Select one photograph by the photographer and discuss why you think the image is a good photograph by discussing composition, lighting, balance, color, tone, contrast, etc. Why did you select that particular image?
i. Quotes by the photographer about their photographs.
j. Quotes by others about the photographer’s work.
k. Where is the photographer’s photographic work displayed and/or published?
l. Bibliography siting sources (format is up to you)
Be sure to do a thorough edit including grammar and spell check!!!
Be sure to submit a double spaced paper in a size 12 font and do a thorough spelling/grammar check!
TIPS/ADVICE FOR A SUCCESSFUL PAPER:
1. DID YOU INCLUDE ALL CRITERIA?
2. IS THE FONT SIZE 12 AND DOUBLE SPACED? DID YOU BREAK UP YOUR RESEARCH INTO PARAGRAPHS?
3. DID YOU PERFORM A THOROUGH SPELLING/GRAMMAR CHECK? (THE WRITING CENTER CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS IS YOU NEED EXTRA RESOURCES!)
4. IS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER DEFINITELY ONE THAT HASN’T ALREADY BEEN COVERED IN CLASS?
5. DID YOU INCLUDE THE IMAGES? (MAY BE INCLUDED AT THE END OF THE PAPER OR EMBEDDED THROUGHOUT – BE SURE THE IMAGES AREN’T DISTORTED AND ARE IN PROPER PROPORTION).
5. IS YOUR PAPER PLAGIARIZED? CHATGPT AND BLATANT PLAGIARISM ARE EASILY DETECTED AND I HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR IT. EL CAMINO CAMPUS POLICY WILL BE APPLiED AND CONSEQUENCES WILL BE ASSERTED. HANDING IN A PAPER THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE COURSE FROM A DIFFERENT SEMESTER IS DETECTED THROUGH CANVAS – DON’T DO IT. BE SURE TO INCLUDE PROPER CITATION AND ENSURE THAT YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF YOUR PAPER. YOU’RE DEVELOPING YOUR VOICE – TRUST YOURSELF. EVERYONE STARTS SOMEWHERE!
6. DID YOU INCORPORATE THE CRITERIA INTO A NARRATIVE CONGRUENT WITH A RESEARCH PAPER FORMAT? GREAT! DID YOU POST EACH INDIVIDUAL CRITERIA AND MERELY POST YOUR RESPONSE BENEATH IT? NOT SO GREAT – THAT’S NOT A PAPER AND IT WON’T BE ACCEPTED FOR CREDIT. YOU MUST WRITE THE CRITERIA INTO A FLUID NARRATIVE, NOT MERELY ANSWER QUESTIONS.
7. LAST BUT NOT LEAST – DID YOU CHOOSE SOMEONE WHOSE WORK INSPIRES YOU? TRUST ME, IT WON’T FEEL LIKE WORK IF YOU FOLLOW YOUR OWN INTERESTS! HAVE FUN WITH IT!
Websites for finding artists/photographers:
http://lenscratch.com/photographers/ (Links to an external site.) – Contemporary Photographers
https://www.photoeye.com/gallery/index.cfm (Links to an external site.) – Choose “Explore by Category/Genre” – Mix of both historical and contemporary photographers
https://masters-of-photography.com/ (Links to an external site.) – More historical/older work/photographers
If you need help with sentence structure, grammar, or general editing, don’t forget to utilize the folks at the Writing Center!
Writing Center website: https://www.elcamino.edu/academics/humanities/writingcenter/index.aspx (Links to an external site.)
*PLEASE REFER TO THE “LEARNING TO LOOK: A FORMAT FOR LOOKING AT AND TALKING ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS” HANDOUT copied below – This will serve as a guide to aid in your writing vocabulary. Be sure to cite your references and fully familiarize yourself with our plagiarism policy.
HANDOUT FOR ANALYTICAL REFERENCE:
LEARNING TO LOOK: A FORMAT FOR LOOKING AT AND TALKING ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS (Adapted from the Center for Creative Photography)
How do we discuss photographs? The beginning is quite simple. Ask yourself, “What am I looking at?” Describe the photograph briefly in a sentence or two, including size, black-and-white or color, and subject. Looking carefully at the photograph, discuss the four categories described here. As objectively as you can, address the properties in the each category that seem important for the photograph.
VISUAL ELEMENTS WITHIN THE PHOTOGRAPH – WHAT YOU SEE
LIGHT AND SHADOW: Does the light seem to be natural or artificial? Harsh or soft? What direction is the lighting coming from? Describe the shadows. Are they subtle or do they create strong contrasts?
VALUE: Is there a range of tones from light to dark? Squint your eyes. Where is the darkest value? The lightest?
FOCUS: What parts of the image are clearly in focus? Are some parts out of focus? Note: The range between the nearest and farthest things that appear in focus define the photograph’s depth of field (shallow depth of field vs. deep depth of field).SPACE: Do overlapping objects create a sense of space? Is the space shallow, deep or both?
SHAPE: Do you see geometric or organic shapes? Are there positive shapes, such as objects, or negative shapes that represent voids?
LINE: Are there thick, thin, curvy, jagged or straight lines?
COLOR: What colors are in the palette? Complimentary? Contrasting? Primary?
TEXTURE: Do you see visual textures within the photograph? Is there an actual texture on the surface of the photograph?
DESIGN OF THE PHOTOGRAPH – HOW THINGS ARE ARRANGED
ANGLE: From what vantage point was the photograph taken (where the photographer is located in relation to the subject matter)?
FRAMING: Describe the edges of the view. What is included? What does the framing draw your attention to in the photograph? Can you imagine what might have been visible beyond the edges of the image?
DOMINANCE: Close your eyes. When you open them and look at the photograph, what is the first thing you notice? Why is your attention drawn there? Are there other centers of interest? How are they created? How do the focal points help move your eye throughout the photograph?
CONTRAST: Are there strong visual contrasts – lights and darks, textures, solids and voids, etc?
REPETITION: Repetition of visual elements can create unity – a sense of order or wholeness that holds the work together visually. What elements are repeated? Do they contribute to a sense of unity?
VARIETY: Variety often creates interest. Can you see a variety of visual elements such as values, shapes, textures, etc?
BALANCE: Is the visual weight on one side of the photograph the same as the other? How about top to bottom and diagonally?
HOW THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS MADE – METHOD / EQUIPMENT USED
You can discuss anything you know about the photographic techniques, camera, or film that is pertinent in the work.
WHAT THE PHOTOGRAPH COMMUNICATES – FEELINGS / MOOD
Based on what you have see, what do you think the work is about? What does it mean or communicate? How do you know? What words would you use to describe it?

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