Major research task for YEAR 9
You need to research a famous photographer and create a presentation or report about the photographer. It can be presented as a digital presentation, poster or typed report.
It needs to answer all of the following:
-
Full name of individual
-
Date and place of birth & indicate years of life (and if still living)
-
How influenced-by others in field of photography
-
How influenced-by circumstances in life
-
Awards, fellowships, grants, etc. (explain nature of award)
-
Typical subject matter of photographs made by this artist
-
What this artist is trying/ tried to communicate
-
Typical style of work
-
Geographic places this photographer shot
-
Significant contribution(s) to photography (or the art world)
-
What they themselves said/say about their work (quotes OK)
-
What others have said about the work
-
Include 2 examples of this person’s photography, either photocopied (from a print source) or computer generated images (from an electronic source). These visual images need to include the photograph’s title, year made, must be of good visual quality (i.e., readable-not overly pixelated)
-
List at least 3 sources you used for research. Please do so in the following manner:
print source: title, year of copyright, author, publisher
electronic source: address [complete http], title, author, copyright year
Need help selecting a photographer: THE TOP 10 Photographers of all time
1. Ansel Adams is probably the most easily recognized name of any photographer. His landscapes are stunning; he achieved an unparalleled level of contrast using creative darkroom work.
2. Yousuf Karsh has taken photographs that tell a story, and that are more easily understood than many others. Each of his portraits tells you all about the subject. He felt as though there was a secret hidden behind each woman and man. Karsh’s portraits communicate with people.
3. Robert Capa has taken many famous war-time photographs. He has covered five wars, even though the name “Robert Capa” was only the name placed to the photos that Endre Friedman took and that were marketed under the “Robert Capa” name. He was often in the trenches with soldiers when he took photographs, while most other war photographers took photos from a safe distance.
4. Henri Cartier-Bresson has a style that makes him a natural on any top ten photographer list. His style has undoubtedly influenced photography as much as anyone else’s. He was among the first to use 35mm film, and he usually shot in black and white.
5. Dorothea Lange took photographs during the Great Depression. She took the famous photo of a migrant mother, which is said to be one of the best-known photographs in history. In the 1940s, she also photographed the Japanese internment camps, and these photographs show sad moments in American history.
6. Jerry Uelsman created unique images with composite photographs. Being very talented in the darkroom, he used this skill in his composites. He never used digital cameras, since he felt that his creative process was more suited to the darkroom.
7. Annie Liebovitz does fine photographic portraits and is most well known for her work with Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone magazine. Her photographs are intimate, and describe the subject.
8. Brassaï is the pseudonym for Gyula Halasz, and he was well known for his photographs of ordinary people. He was proof that you don’t have to travel far to find interesting subjects.
9. Brian Duffy was a British photographer who shot fashion in the 1960s and 70s.
10. Jay Maisel is a famous modern photographer. His photos are simple; he doesn’t use complex lighting or fancy cameras.
Download a copy of the assignment here:
Extension task:
Short essay
Critical question: What is art? How has arts purpose and methods changed over the years?
You will need to do some research to answer this question and answer it with reference to one of Patricia Piccinini’s photographs.
Question:
After the invention of photography, an artwork no longer had to fulfill the purpose of recording reality. The art object changed again when Marcel Duchamp used found objects in art. Discuss how the development of computer manipulated photography has once again changed the idea of ‘what is art’.
Minimum 500 words
Tips to help you plan:
Research the following 3 points to write a short paragraph on each topic.
-
Research how photography was able to record reality when it was invented and artworks could become more experimental and not be all about recording events and scenes.
-
Research Marcel Duchamp and how he used every day objects and called them art. This raised the question of what is art.
-
Research the development of computer manipulated images and discuss are these art? Discuss with reference to one Patricia Piccinini’s photographs.