Hello Students,
Creating a photo series is an exercise that can happen spontaneously or deliberately. It is a process that can take days, weeks, years. Your long term assignment is to create a photo series as a final project and present it to the class during finals week.
What is a Photo Series?
Most photo series will have a continual theme that is pre-defined and all images in the series will revolve around that theme. Some series are created deliberately, some are collections of works that take years or decades to develop and are pulled from a photographers body of work as a definitive series collection.
Photo Series from a body of work:
Take for instance Philip Halsman, famous portrait photographer who shot everyone from Albert Einstein to Marilyn Monroe. After a photo session with the Ford family he asked one subject to jump for his camera, soon he began to ask other subjects to jump for his camera at the end of their photo sessions, and so began the creation of an important photo series of celebrities jumping. Halsman released a book entitled "Jump" in 1959. Halsman believed that even the most stoic photo subject might be able to hide behind a stern facade, but that their true face is revealed when they are jumping.
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| Then Future president Richard M. Nixon. (Copyright Philippe Halsman Estate) |
As another example of a photo series consider the work of Photographer Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek. They have been working to document the distinct styles in their hometown of Rotterdamn and elsewhere. Often shooting subjects they find on the streets, this pair find individuals that follow a distinct dress/lifestyle and shoot them in consistent poses and arrangements in order to show the similarities among these unique individuals. They call their body of work "exactitudes", a mix of exact and attitude. Their work is so exacting it is essentially a display of visual cultural anthropology, a documentation of the styles that are heralded as unique, but how unique are we really? Their work brings into question the very idea of that value that we hold so high... individuality.
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French Touch - Bordeaux 2006
By Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek
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Other Photo Series to Explore for Inspiration
Photo Series Assignment:
- Create a photo series that follows a theme, pre-approved by instructor
- Shoot as many examples that you can as long as they fit into the theme, there is no maximum limit, minimum is 15 final images
- Create enough images to have a strong series, 3 or 4 examples will not suffice, the final result should be impressive and follow a central or underlying theme
- Images must be properly exposed, composed and show creativity, good application of all photography principles such as composition, lighting, subject
- Post processing is allowed, however most of the work done to the image should be done before the shutter is clicked. Post processing should enhance in a deliberate way.
- Series concept must be approved before work begins
- Post final 15 images to your blog along with a contact sheet
- Create a powerpoint or keynote presentation for your project to display your images during presentation to the class. During the presentation be prepared to discuss your work, concept and how you achieved your results. Be prepared to discuss the themes involved in your work and how you translated your concept into imagery, what is the deeper meaning behind your work if there is one? Is your work a commentary or observation, what does it mean to you?
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| "Meme yourself" Photo series by Seth Wilson 2013. Models were shown popular meme images of the President of Uruguay, Yao Ming and the "Ermagerd, Gersbermps" meme and asked to recreate those expressions. |
Have fun! - Mr.W
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