1. WHAT IS DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY:
Documentary photography usually refers to a type of professional photojournalism, but it may also be an amateur, artistic, or student pursuit. The photographer attempts to produce truthful, objective, and usually candid photography of a particular subject, most often pictures of people. (wiki) But, the documentation may also reveal a cultural or historical phenomena of a specific time and/or place.
Read more about the history of documentary photography at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_photography
Examples of Documentary Photography:
2. What is a DIPTYCH?
A diptych is any object with two flat plates attached at a hinge. Devices of this form were quite popular in the ancient world, wax tablets being coated with wax on inner faces, for recording notes and for measuring time and direction. The term is also used figuratively for a thematically-linked sequence of two books.
From the Middle Ages many panel paintings took the diptych form, as small portable works for personal use; large altarpieces tended to be made in triptych form, with two outer panels that could be closed across the main central representation. These are discussed with other multi-panel forms of painting at Polyptych. (wiki)
Read more about the history of diptychs at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diptych
Examples of Diptychs:
16th-century Dutch master
Pieter Coecke van Aelst the
Elder depicting both the
Annunciation and the Rest
on the Flight into Egypt.
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Some modern artists have used the term in the title of works consisting of two paintings never actually connected, but intended to be hung close together as a pair, such as the Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol (1962). |
FINAL PART 1
due: May 11
Decide on an event, place, person(s), thing, activity... that you will document with a series of photographs. For example, you may choose to document a building that has interesting architecture, or a park, or a personal or public ocassion or activity, or a meeting of some sort, or street shots in your community.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. POST YOUR DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHS
Whatever you decide to document from the fascinating to the ordinary you must generate at least 30 photographs and make them available online for me to see. These photographs will be the basis from which you develop the diptychs. When you document your subject matter try shooting using various angles, close-ups, and a variety of cropped photographic compositions.
If you choose to document a person or do not want to post the pictures online - then you can make a contact sheet (of small thumbnail images) in Photoshop. See the tool for making an automatic contact sheet under FILE>AUTOMATE>CONTACT SHEET.
2. WRITE ONE PARAGRAPH - You can just bring ibnto class and talk about.
Write one paragraph describing your photo shoot including information about who, what, where, when... any information that provides a description of your shoot.
3. CHECK OUT A GREAT COLLECTION OF DIPTYCHS @ FLICK GROUP: Two Is Better Than One
This flickr group features over 70,000 diptychs - you may consider posting your diptychs upon completion.
A few diptychs from FLICKR's GROUP - Two Is Better Than One:
4. CHECK OUT the below links for some additional information that may help you get started:
5. Bring your picture to class on May 11
PART 2 - FINAL REQUIREMENTS:
due: May 25 9:40 bring a print to class.
1. In this final assigment you will create three documentary photographic diptychs. Work in a horizontal or a vertical format no larger than 14' x 20' for each diptych. For example, a 14 x 20 format would allow each part of the diptych to measure 7x10. A smaller format is acceptable - the size you choose may well depend on if you wish to print it, or a smaller size with matting around it may make the diptych more intimate.
2. Photographic sources:
All of the source photogaphy/imagery must be your original documentation. Do not use internet graphics, do not use stock photography.
3. Format:
Each diptych may be the same size or you could work with different sizes as long as the three diptychs work and function together as a group. See below for possible diptych formats, you may choose to use others:
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4. Create three diptychs:
One diptych must demonstrate image development techniques covered in this class. Thus, you need to demonstrate compositing skills, color enhancement, and reviewed image development techniques that incorporate at least three source graphics in each diptych. This means that one half of the diptych must incorporate three source graphics, and the second half of the diptych must incorporate at least three source graphics - for a total of six source graphics for one completed diptych.
One diptych must include at least two source graphics one source which must be text. Create a typographic treatment that fits with your theme. In addition to possibly identifying who, what, where or when your subject matter was shot (you do not need to do this) utilize text in a way to provideinsight or context to your documentary photography subject. Consider using a quote, a phrase, a thought, a poem/partial poem, a word...
One diptych can be to your own specifications. Meaning you determine what techniques and type of imagery best works to unite the third diptych with the two other diptychs.
The following illustrates the above requirements:
5. Provide a title for your Documentary Photography Diptychs. Do not use the words: Documentary Photography Diptychs - in the title.
6. Develop a theme for your diptychs from which you will implement a color scheme and layout. Use excellent quality photographs/source imagery. You may also use scanned imagery, and or illustrative elements. Points will be awarded for creating a story with your graphics where each diptych functions individually but also works in harmony with the set of three diptychs that you develop.
7. Send me three nicely optimized diptychs in jpg format. In the subject field of the email put the class name, your last name and first initial with the number of the assignment.
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