Examples of Discussion Topics
1. Teams develop a list of 5-10 criteria for judging, assessing, and evaluating photographs and apply those criteria to a set of photos, supplied by the teacher. Why did the group choose these criteria and what was the justification for the ways they applied them?
2. Given what you studied for this class, create a 10 question multiple choice quiz and be prepared to discuss why you chose the questions you did. Also be prepared to explain why you chose particular distractor options.
3. You are photographing landscapes on location in sunny Arizona. What process will you go through in order to determine equipment you will need and what camera settings you will use? Be prepared to explain your choice of equipment and camera settings for at least 3 different lighting situations. Describe how the camera settings will relate to the visual quality of the images you will capture. Also, supply sketches that represent 5 of your photos and be able to provide histograms for each image.
4. The teacher supplies the same set of 10 well known images to each group. Compare and contrast this group of supplied photos. Categorize them and create a timeline of when they may have been made. Finally, theorize who made the images and be prepared to support your theories.
5. You have been asked to photograph a wedding. What informational materials will you design and present to the bride and groom in preparation for the wedding and why? What equipment will you need for the wedding? How much will you charge? Be prepared to explain your decisions.
6. Your family and friends back home know that you are studying photography but unless you show them flattering photos of your love interest, sunsets, or snaps from your cousin’s wedding, they don’t understand purpose of your photographic practice. How will you explain to them the value of your image making and what your photography is about?
7. You are a photojournalist and your mission is to objectively capture events as they unfold in a third world war zone. You are bound by a strict code of ethics for your professional field to not intervene in the conflict and your “…ultimate imperative is to present accurate, trustworthy visual journalism to the reader.” (Bersak, 2006) You have no particular allegiance to either side in the war and it is your responsibility to show the world what is happening in this war. Your photos could have an enormous impact on public perception and ultimately how other nations respond. Please discuss your ethical thoughts around the following opportunities for making photos:
-A crying, wounded child is slowly walking toward you, through a field of gunfire for help.
-You are with two fighters, trapped behind a car with a large stack of guns. An overwhelming number of fighters from the other side are surrounding your position and will certainly kill you when they get behind your position.
-You have been captured and soldiers have demanded that you photograph the executions of several prisoners.
Note: See the NPPA Code of Ethics: https://nppa.org/code_of_ethics
8. Each group is given a contemporary or historical image in order to decode and analyze it from a semiotic perspective. The photographer of this image applied a particular visual syntax to effectively communicate ideas about the content. Describe the syntax used by listing referents in the photo. What are the signifiers in the image? What do the signifiers denote? What signifieds connote this image? Are further symbols or metaphors in the photograph? What would you title this image? What do you think the artist was trying to communicate when he/she made this image? How did you come to this conclusion? Each group will present their conclusions at the end of this challenge. Remember that referents are comprised of signifers and signifieds and those signifiers denote and signifieds connote. (Massey, 2015)
1. Teams develop a list of 5-10 criteria for judging, assessing, and evaluating photographs and apply those criteria to a set of photos, supplied by the teacher. Why did the group choose these criteria and what was the justification for the ways they applied them?
2. Given what you studied for this class, create a 10 question multiple choice quiz and be prepared to discuss why you chose the questions you did. Also be prepared to explain why you chose particular distractor options.
3. You are photographing landscapes on location in sunny Arizona. What process will you go through in order to determine equipment you will need and what camera settings you will use? Be prepared to explain your choice of equipment and camera settings for at least 3 different lighting situations. Describe how the camera settings will relate to the visual quality of the images you will capture. Also, supply sketches that represent 5 of your photos and be able to provide histograms for each image.
4. The teacher supplies the same set of 10 well known images to each group. Compare and contrast this group of supplied photos. Categorize them and create a timeline of when they may have been made. Finally, theorize who made the images and be prepared to support your theories.
5. You have been asked to photograph a wedding. What informational materials will you design and present to the bride and groom in preparation for the wedding and why? What equipment will you need for the wedding? How much will you charge? Be prepared to explain your decisions.
6. Your family and friends back home know that you are studying photography but unless you show them flattering photos of your love interest, sunsets, or snaps from your cousin’s wedding, they don’t understand purpose of your photographic practice. How will you explain to them the value of your image making and what your photography is about?
7. You are a photojournalist and your mission is to objectively capture events as they unfold in a third world war zone. You are bound by a strict code of ethics for your professional field to not intervene in the conflict and your “…ultimate imperative is to present accurate, trustworthy visual journalism to the reader.” (Bersak, 2006) You have no particular allegiance to either side in the war and it is your responsibility to show the world what is happening in this war. Your photos could have an enormous impact on public perception and ultimately how other nations respond. Please discuss your ethical thoughts around the following opportunities for making photos:
-A crying, wounded child is slowly walking toward you, through a field of gunfire for help.
-You are with two fighters, trapped behind a car with a large stack of guns. An overwhelming number of fighters from the other side are surrounding your position and will certainly kill you when they get behind your position.
-You have been captured and soldiers have demanded that you photograph the executions of several prisoners.
Note: See the NPPA Code of Ethics: https://nppa.org/code_of_ethics
8. Each group is given a contemporary or historical image in order to decode and analyze it from a semiotic perspective. The photographer of this image applied a particular visual syntax to effectively communicate ideas about the content. Describe the syntax used by listing referents in the photo. What are the signifiers in the image? What do the signifiers denote? What signifieds connote this image? Are further symbols or metaphors in the photograph? What would you title this image? What do you think the artist was trying to communicate when he/she made this image? How did you come to this conclusion? Each group will present their conclusions at the end of this challenge. Remember that referents are comprised of signifers and signifieds and those signifiers denote and signifieds connote. (Massey, 2015)