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COMPOSING A DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK

purpose of this assignment
This assignment will give us an interesting opening into a rhetorical process for composing texts and will also get us started working in depth with visual arrangements and compositions.

what do do
You are going to make your own documentary photography book on a topic (related to your social issue) of your choosing.

• You will need to take—or collect—at least 10 photographs on your topic. (We will discuss issues of copyright and fair use in class.)
• You’ll arrange the photographs in an order that builds into an argument on your topic (which means you will probably need to use captions, which we will discuss).  You may also use sound if it serves to build your argument.
• You will create your “book” as a series of slides in Powerpoint.

steps to the assignment

1. We will read chapters in the textbook on posters and documentary photography in order to develop vocabulary and concepts for analyzing and producing photography books—and to start us into using a rhetorical method for analyzing and composing.
2. You will work through several possible topics for your book in order to choose one that will work best visually.
3. We’ll look at quite a few samples of documentary photography books so that you can get some ideas for your own books.
4. You’ll develop a statement of purpose and then a design plan for your book to help you think through the possibilities of the book before you commit yourself actually to making the book. (We’ll be discussing statements of purpose and design plans in class.)
5. As a class, we’ll develop a grading rubric for the photography book.
6. You’ll bring in a draft of the book for class feedback and for feedback from me.
7. After you get feedback, you’ll develop a plan for revising the book.
8. You will turn in the final draft.
9. We’ll make time for you to reflect on what you learned from producing the book, both in terms of what you learned about a process for developing communications and in terms of how you have strengthened the communication abilities you identified with the first class writing you did. 

Questions? You know my email address and office hours.