This weekly post has everything you need for completing this week’s self-paced content and readings, plus an outline at the end for what’s covered during class meetings. This week is about the origins of photojournalism, and how the motivations of documentary photographers have changed over time.
About the First Quiz
The first quiz for this course will open Friday morning on Blackboard, and is due on Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. like all other assignment. Every week, this course has either a photography assignment or a quiz, on alternating weeks. The quizzes in this course are not typical quizzes with a short list of multiple-choice questions. It may be helpful to think of them more like worksheets or assignments, because we’re using the quiz format to check for participation and understanding of material from the previous two weeks.
Here’s what to know about preparing for the first quiz:
- Quizzes are about comprehension and participation, not memorization. They are always “open book,” meaning you can use course materials and notes.
- Once you begin the quiz, the time limit is set for 3 hours. It is very unlikely it will take the full time, but that way there is time built in if you get interrupted or need to take some time for writing answers. It is not meant to be stressful.
- Many questions include images, which don’t always display correctly on Blackboard. If that happens to you, just send the instructor an email. No need to panic, we’ll work it out.
- Most questions are short answer or multiple choice. Many written questions have more than one correct answer, and they’re evaluated by whether you effectively explain and justify your answer using concepts and vocabulary from class.
- Questions on quizzes will closely align with the questions included in weekly posts and discussed durint class meetings.
- To do well on quizzes, keep up with course material and build notetaking habits that work for you. You should not need to study ahead of time if you’ve been keeping up with class material.
Early Photojournalism & Documentary Photography
This week’s material is framed around an academic journal article on your reading list, “I believe in faking”: The Dilemma of Photographic Realism at the Dawn of Photojournalism. This is an award-winning and highly cited article that examines not just the methods and market for early photojournalism, but also how attitudes and ethical standards have evolved around capturing “truth.” It’s a great article, but one of our more dense and challenging readings.
First, set aside some time to read the article. A reading guide for breaking down the article will be posted ahead of group discussion on Friday. View the guide here or download the Word doc.
Review & Reflection
- How was the debate about retouching news photos around 1900 similar to modern debates about Photoshopping images? How was it different?
- Why was “faking” seen as a good thing for consumers? Why did photographers want to be associated with this skill?
- Photography started becoming common by the mid-1800s, so why was there no profession of “news photographer” until around 1900?
- How did news photographers differentiate themselves from other types of photographers, and what type of reputation did they want to have? Does that reputation still exist today (like in the readings from Week 1)?
- News photographers can only capture what happens directly in front of their camera lens. How did attitudes shift from considering this a limitation to considering it a unique virtue?
- Journalists today still balance the technical and artistic sides of their work. What qualities and skills do you think are most important for modern photojournalists?
Evolution of Camera Technology
This course is more focused on how people use cameras, rather than how they mechanically work, but some understanding of camera technology is helpful for understanding the work of early photographers. Watch this video for a primer that packs in all the key turning points in camera technology evolution.
Jacob Riis: Social Advocate
One of the most influential early documentary photographers was Jacob Riis, who advocated for better living conditions in the tenements of New York City where many immigrants lived. This presentation was created for a museum exhibition, based on a transcript of a lecture Riis delivered in 1891. At the time, there was no easy way to widely share photographs:
Jacob A. Riis delivered his first lecture, “How the Other Half Lives and Dies in New York,” on January 25, 1888, at the Society of Amateur Photographers of New York. Using an early form of projector known as a stereopticon to display images of the slum and its residents, Riis took his audience on a visual tour of the tenements. The lecture’s success resulted from his ability to entertain with colorful anecdotes while simultaneously delivering a spiritual message.
This presentation shows his photos and the perspective he brought to his work.
Review & Reflection:
- How did photographs support and draw attention to his message?
- What views does Riis express about the residents of tenements? How does he treat them?
- What are ways Riis had to problem-solve to take these photos given the constraints of photography technology at the time?
Charles Libby: Commercial Hustler
The other reading this week is a narrative story about Charles Libby, the most prominent photographer in Spokane history. Most other cities had similarly prolific local photographers in the early part of the 20th Century whose photos are largely responsible for our contemporary ideas about what life at the time looked like. Before or after the reading, please browse this collection of digitized Libby photographs.
Review & Reflection:
- Charles Libby saw photography as a business. What impact did this have on the subjects and styles of his photographs?
- Do you think any of Libby’s photographs could be considered photojournalism, even though he never saw himself as a photojournalist?
Monday
• Optional class meeting for weekly content overview
Wednesday
• Photo share: Five Days personal favorites
• Photo critique: Pandemic photos
• This week’s Find-A-Photo topic and how to search
Friday
• Going through the “I Believe in Fakes” article
• Discussion: What defines photojournalism?