COM 215 PHOTO ARRAY

COM 215 (Niman) PHOTO ARRAY # 1
Fall 2010

Assignment Description

Students will create a collection of 17 photos affixed to or printed on paper. Photos must be shot by student during this semester (a friend may shoot the photo if the student is appearing in it and has directed the shoot). Photos should be stapled or taped to 8.5"x11" paper. Do Not Use photo albums, plastic pages or poster board– I need a space to write comments. And lots of thick photo albums add up to a large awkward pile for me to carry. I will not accept arrays electronically.

Please be prepared to provide original negative or digital photo file (including other photos in sequence with digitally embedded metadata) if questions of plagiarism arise. Photos you did not shoot, including copies or full frame photos of pictures you did not shoot, constitute plagiarism and will result in automatic course failure and college disciplinary action.

Number each photo and label as per instructions (no number or label = no grade). Affix photos in order (I'm assuming they are in numerical order when I grade). Grades will reflect demonstration of comprehension of theories we've discussed in class and you've read about in the reading pack. Grades will be based upon how clearly and creatively photos demonstrate principles. Text may accompany photos, but the photos should clearly demonstrate the theory without depending on the text. The theory demonstrated by the photo should be clearly evident (for example, almost any photo demonstrates occlusion -- your photo should use a minimum of objects). Do not use examples from class or readings (e.g. footprints in snow, handicap or stairs symbol, etc.). Your grade reflects originality in your choice of examples, with a more original example earning a top grade. Remember, however, that the more original and unique your example, the greater chance of your blowing it altogether and earning an unsatisfactory grade. As will all college-level work, be sure to balance risks against what you perceive as empirical certainty.

REMINDER (1): DO NOT VISIALLY PARROT EXAMPLES DISCUSSED IN CLASS
REMINDER (2): THINK!

Assignment time allotment: 18 hours

Photo Pair (photos #1 and # 2) Set of two photos clearly demonstrating the principle of Occlusion (a.k.a. "interposition") with a minimal number of subject objects in the photo. In Photo # 1, the third dimension is not clearly visible without occlusion. Your second photo will demonstrate how moving one object or camera angle from the first photo confuses depth of field (third dimension) perception.

Photos # 3 & 4 should show different Iconic Signs. The pictures themselves cannot be your iconic signs. They must be a picture of another iconic sign. Do Not Use photos that also include indexical or symbolic signs in the image (how do I know what to grade when you include both in one photo?). You may use scissors or markers to remove non-iconic signs from your photo if your photo contains a variety of sign types. Label your photos as to describe the iconic signs (e.g. "no smoking allowed" or "beware of sharks"). Remember not to use examples we discussed in class.

Photo # 5 & 6 should show different Indexical Signs. Do not use photos that also include iconic or symbolic signs in the image. Circle your indexical signs if they are not clearly evident as the subjects of your photos. Label your photos to describe what these indexical signs indicate (e.g. weather, "aftermath of party").

Photo # 7 & 8 should show different Symbolic Signs. Do not use photos that also include iconic or indexical signs in the image. Circle your symbolic sign if it is not clearly evident as the subject of your photo. Label your photos to describe what these symbolic signs indicate (e.g. "Buddhism," "Nike brand" or "Cuba").

Photo # 9 should be a photo with subjects composed in a way as to direct the viewer’s attention off to the right of the actual photo (as in, not on the right side of the photo, but to the right of the actual photo as in off of the photo). Left is not right -- think of how the image will print.

Photos # 10 and #11 should be a pair of photos of one locale that together show the passage of time with # 10 clearly preceding #11. Time passage should reflect a period of at least three minutes (180 sec.). Longer is fine. (In other words, two photos of someone walking or driving, a few seconds apart, do not work). Time passage and the direction of time passage should be clear and irreversible (night follows day, which follows night, so how do I know if a night photo precedes a daytime photo or follows a daytime photo? -- in a similar vein, clean rooms become dirty, which often later become clean, and people who fall asleep eventually wake up, so both of these examples do not work).

Photos # 12 and #13 should be a pair of photos that show human thought or emotion by juxtaposing a facial close-up portrait shot (#12) with an appropriate contextual clue (#13). The clue is usually something the face is looking at. Identify the emotion in writing. The emotion, however, should be clear without the caption, and it should be an appropriate response to the contextual clue. Your grade will be based on this self-evident clarity. (e.g. crying person looking at dead pet -- which should clearly be dead and not simply sleeping).

Photo # 14 should show depth (third dimension) demonstrated by a clear texture gradient change that dominates the photo.

Photo # 15 should feature at least four subjects that together demonstrate the Gestalt principle of Common Fate in a coherent graphic presentation. Label your photo to describe how the subjects share common fate.

Photo Pair (photos # 16 and 17) should demonstrate Point of View (P.O. V.). Photo # 16 should show the face of a person, complete with background environment visible. Photo # 17 should be shot from that person's point of view (what they are looking at). It should be clear that the point of view in photo #16 belongs to the person in photo #17 -- your contextual clues should make this evident. The person, and what they are looking at should not both be in the same photo, since a person cannot see themselves within their own point of view. The key to this assignment rests with the contextual clues in photo # 16, which inform the viewer (think movie) that the POV of photo # 17 belongs to the person in photo # 16.

WARNING

In at least one documented instance, Wal Mart<tm> photo processing workers violated customer privacy and reviewed student photos, inappropriately calling in law enforcement officers when the context of the photos confused them ( Read more here). At this time I am unaware of any invasion of privacy instances in the Buffalo area.