Need some creative input for a term project

[bigtwinky]

Other than my intro post, I think this is the first thread I actually start.

I am very new to photography, really learning the craft, both technically and artistically. To help me, I’ve enrolled in a program at a local university, continuing education, to help me learn and progress.

I’m in my first course, already handed in a project that had to due with proper framing and exposure. Have 2 more projects due, one for depth of field and one for motion.

However, we have a term project that is due late November that I want to get a head start on as its worth 60% of our final grade. I’m not in this for the grade, more for the knowledge, but I want to do the best I can.

Ok…enough with the intro stuff. The term project consists of doing a minimum of 3 pictures (no maximum), printed on 8.5 x 11 paper, put on presentation boards and presented in front of the class. We need to chose a theme (totally open, but interesting) and a style – either photojournalism style, purely artistic or marketing / advertisement.

I decided to go with a photojournalism style. The overall theme I would like to explore in my visual essay is “cultural change”.

I need some artistic inspiration as to what types of images I could capture. I’d like to shoot as many as possible and then pick and chose the best.

I would like the first few photos to be more “happy”, progressive changes and as I go through them, they get a bit darker. Here is what I have so far:

- I have some friends in the gay community who would be willing to pose (I assume they would hehe). One is a trans-gendered woman and the other a lesbian. I was thinking of having them post with a backdrop of the pride flag or something similar

- Another shot will be of a somewhat empty church. We have a few nice ones, bright colours, interesting architecture. Maybe with a few people sitting in the pews to show the change in religion, or lack of interest in.

- As a darker tone picture, I was thinking of having a kid, ages 8-10, with a cigarette. I know a few nephews / nieces who smoke and are younger. Not that young, but I’ll see what I can work with.

Those are the main 3 I have thought of. Other ideas for cultural change are along the lines of how we have become a culture of waste, garbage, water bottles and so on. A video game culture, a desensitised to violence culture.

I’d love to tap into your collective artistic sides to see if you can inspire me for something else.

Also, if you have tips or what not, that would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the long text, I felt it all needed to be explained to get a good idea of what is going on.

Many thanks!

 

[Stogie]

You picked an interesting subject. If your doing cultural change, why not shooting some photos of some old farm houses, maybe some with cattle, horses what ever and then progress in time until you reach the modern world. Back in the day, people lived with very little appliances, their cars were very basic, everything was very basic. Now days we machines that do everything for us. You should not have any problem finding things to shoot in this category. Good luck with your assignment.

 

[craig]

First you need to define cultural change. Generally speaking I think the subjects are too broad. You are definitely on the right path just be more specific.

Love & Bass

 

[bigtwinky]

Wow, thanks for actually reading through my novel. haha.

Define cultural change more? Hmm..good one. Not sure how to put it, but I'm aiming for a change in tolerance, change in values. My original idea was the 8 year old smoking I saw and made me think "you know, when I was young, I was playing to GI Joes at that age".

So its not strictly a change in how we do things, but a change in how we see things and how we act on things..and changes over the last 20 years say. 20-30 years ago, gays and lesbians weren't as tolerated, churchs had more of an impact, kids didn't smoke or have sex at 8.

Not sure if that makes any sense...


I'm liking your idea Stogie. Doesn't fully fit into what I'm thinking, but maybe something like how people are leaving old style jobs for new, big city, suit wearing jobs. There are many locksmiths, farmers, and other trade style jobs that are getting harder to find as the people doing them don't have anyone else coming up to hand their business over when they retire. My father worked as a consultant for a while helping families who wanted to hand down their business to their kids, and helping them prep the kids, giving advice and so on to ensure a smoother transition.

 

[pabloec20]

i think maybe some kids playing psp or tetris, assembled in a park or some public place, but not talking or looking at each other, just playing.

 

[bigtwinky]

haha, I like it. Thanks for the inspiration

 

[smellytittybiscuit]

Why not go a different (more pessismistic) route and show how little some peoples attitudes have changed in the last few hundred years.

For example 3 photos showing racial Intolerance over the years. Each one jumping about 50 years (i dont know how you would show this, maybe one photo very worn another slightly less worn and the third brand new?) showing a similar scene involving racism.


Although i quite like your idea so far.

 

[unitekweld]

This sounds like an interesting and challenging project. You have some good ideas, but I think it would be better to stick to one subject since you only have 3 pictures to tell the story. I mean, keep it to the theme of gender issues, or kids doing things at younger and younger ages, or the decline of spiritual interest, rather than all three at the same time. It would be good if you could show the progression with the photos, for example the kids with the GI Joe toys, then with violent video games, then with cigarettes.

Anyway, it sounds like you have a great start already.

 

[bigtwinky]

Its a minimum of 3, so I could add some more to help tell the story.

I've been thinking of what you guys have said, narrowing down the subject. I'm also thinking of time, and shooting conditions. Project is due Nov 19. Still plenty of time.

I'm thinking of going with a theme of "Fight for space". Or something like that. I was walking around over the weekend and saw a nice park with people playing and accross the street was a huge factory. Would of loved to see the smoke pipes going, but it was Sunday.

Picnic table in a downtown area, over-crowded parking lot, condos going up in recently deforested area...

 

[cherry30]

I llke your ideas. You could also do a person using the old reliable typewriter doing his/her work and then to the one using the latest computer. Maybe someone from a newspaper of magazine company?

 

[unitekweld]

It's been over a month since the due date, how did the project go? What subject did you decide on?

 

[djacobox372]

Wow, thanks for actually reading through my novel. haha.

Define cultural change more? Hmm..good one. Not sure how to put it, but I'm aiming for a change in tolerance, change in values. My original idea was the 8 year old smoking I saw and made me think "you know, when I was young, I was playing to GI Joes at that age".

So its not strictly a change in how we do things, but a change in how we see things and how we act on things..and changes over the last 20 years say. 20-30 years ago, gays and lesbians weren't as tolerated, churchs had more of an impact, kids didn't smoke or have sex at 8.

Not sure if that makes any sense...


I'm liking your idea Stogie. Doesn't fully fit into what I'm thinking, but maybe something like how people are leaving old style jobs for new, big city, suit wearing jobs. There are many locksmiths, farmers, and other trade style jobs that are getting harder to find as the people doing them don't have anyone else coming up to hand their business over when they retire. My father worked as a consultant for a while helping families who wanted to hand down their business to their kids, and helping them prep the kids, giving advice and so on to ensure a smoother transition.

First, LOL at the idea that kids "smoke" and "have sex" more often today then 20-30 years ago... that's a good one.

Smoking among youth as declined MASSIVELY--not even close--ALL of my friends smoked when I was a kid, it wasn't even considered a big deal.

Also, teenage pregnancy is 30% less then it was 20 years ago (FACT). So teenagers are either having less sex, OR they are more responsible/smarter these days--you pick.

Perhaps a focus on how "perceptions" have changed would be more interesting.

Good luck with your project!