Essay Notes

Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.

Sources

• Kelly, A. (1998). ‘Self Image: Personal is Political’ in Photography: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge.

Essay Question

• Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
• Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.

Some examples of Personal Study essays from previous students:

• How is ‘narrative’ used in Tableaux Photography?
• In what way does Francasca Woodman and Yury Toroptsov use a narrative response to portray their story?
• Can personality and identity be expressed in a portrait?
• How Can Photography Reflect Inner Emotions Such As Fear and Isolation?
• Does a portrait tell us more about the person portrayed or the photographer?
• ‘How do Paul M Smith, Ben Zank and Rut Blees display emotions through self- portraiture and environmental photography?’
• In what way is movement captured in surf photography?
• Can photography truly capture the essence of a moment, ultimately questioning why we take photographs?

Edits of questions suited for my project:

• How do Shannon Taggart, Lieko Shiga and Ralph Eugene Meatyard display emotions through self-portraiture and environmental photography?’
• In what way does Shannon Taggart, Lieko Shiga and/or Ralph Eugene Meatyard use a narrative response to portray their story?
• In what way is movement captured in Surreal photography?

Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph

• Essay question:
• Opening quote
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question? Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can re-formulate the essay question. You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study, e.g. what area of photography, or subject-matter are you exploring? Which artists/ photographers are you going to investigate/ analyse/ interpret? Why does this subject/ work interest you? What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument? What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within? Include at least 1 or 2 quotes for or against. What links are there with your previous studies, if any? How has this subject and chosen artists/ photographers inspired your own images/ responses? How will your work develop? What camera skills, photographic techniques or processes have you experimented with, or are you going to experiment with?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

• Essay question:
• Opening quote:
  
  ‘To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed.’ (Sontag 1977:4)
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

More Notes

• shapes society and reflection not just mood
• what if the moment was staged? would that still be a true captured moment or a fake one? does the mood change?
• essence – mood of the moment
• taggarts reason for taking photographs is due to her deep curiosity about the mysteries of life, death and the unseen – documenting spiritualism and these themes.
• photographs only vaguely preserve the full depth experience of that moment. however people still take photos as a record of these experiences for personal or historical reasons. they also use it as a way to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings
• images help convey messages and tell stories which words alone might be hard to describe with.
• photography reflects a human desire to document, share, and interpret experiences even with it’s limitations
• an essence of a moment is accompanied by emotions, sounds and other sensory experiences.
• its mood also depends on subjective interpretation
• susan sontag says images are mere shadows of reality – Medium article
• Memorabilia –  Things that stir recollection or are valued or collected for their association with a particular field or interest : mementos.
• Spiritualism photography was a way to document visual evidence of the supernatural.
• It’s this occult perspective she tries to capture in her images of spirit visitation. “It’s impossible to photograph this stuff conventionally because the interior element is so huge,” she said. “It’s unphotographable.” Nonetheless, lengthening exposures and allowing other products of “accident and error,” into the work allowed Taggart to photograph it.  “I’m not really looking for proof,” she said. “I’m looking to go deep into the experience.” Think of Garforth and the big hand — whatever explanation you prefer, Taggart’s images capture her experience precisely. I found them deeply unnerving.
• 1950
• Meatyard haunted the world of inner experience, continually posing unsettling questions about our emotional realities through his pictures.
• A desire to document his growing family led to his purchase of a camera in 1950. From the 1950s onward, he would photograph exclusively in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky and the surrounding countryside. – Meatyard