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Photo Essay Production Report
Though we took the photographs independently, the experience of the photo essay was quite collaborative in nature. Taking advantage of the technology available to us, we kept in constant communication and worked in innovative ways to come to a consensus as a group. At essentially every step along the way, the entire group had a hand in making the decisions, from the word chosen to how it was interpreted in the pictures themselves.
Yet this collaboration was also isolated, in a sense, which had both its benefits and its detriments. The benefit of this was that we each had an opportunity to be creative, to think for ourselves, and to make sure that our individual voice was conveyed in the final result. Rather than taking the photos as a group, we allowed every member to work at their own pace, in their own chosen environment and aesthetic. This greatly alleviated some of the tension that usually accompanies collaborative projects in that it did not require compromise or discourage input. Despite the fact that some members of our group were more experienced than others, we all had the opportunity to at least attempt to produce our own work. As someone who generally works better alone, I found this approach greatly appealing. Yet the aid of the other group members proved invaluable. Especially with the ambiguity of creative projects, it’s always helpful to have another set of eyes, or three, in this case. In that sense, the approach we took was almost the best of both worlds. It combined the self-expression of photography with the challenging but ultimately rewarding practice of group decision-making.
This is not to say, however, that everything went perfectly. Electronic communication, like any form of communication, has its drawbacks. Not every member of the group seemed as connected to the conceptual process as the others did. As easy as it was to share our work, there were inevitably situations where it seemed that meeting in person would have been more productive.
Regarding the work itself, I was able to put into practice some of the concepts and fundamentals learned from The Photo Idea Index, among other readings and presentations we have studied as a class. It was enlightening to finally realize some of the basics that distinguished a successful photograph from an unsuccessful one. Particularly helpful was the lesson about aligning edges when setting up shots, which is certainly key to creating an organized composition. Knowing these things helped take away some of the frustration I’ve had to deal with in the past when attempting photography.
All in all, it was a rewarding and relatively smooth process that taught me a lot about the benefits of collaboration and how to tweak the approach to diminish some of the tension. Both the process and the work itself were learning experiences that I’m grateful for.
