For this assignment you will need to find a story that you can work on over a period of several weeks. It is important that you pick an idea that fits into your schedule. If you work on Sundays then a story about a church is a bad idea. My minimum expectation is that you will make four trips to your story – two before our first critique and two more before the final presentation. Fewer trips will result in points being deducted.
**If you are leaving State College after Thanksgiving, you’ll need to be done photographing your story by then**
You may NOT photograph a friend or relative without permission.
Stories may be about a character, place, or issue. You could document an interesting local business, follow a person through their routine, cover an issue by how it affects a person or group.
Think of the big three issues facing all of us this fall: The Pandemic, Protests over policing and race, The Presidential Election. Find a story idea from one of these three topics.
ASSIGNED: Tuesday, October 6, 2020
DUE:
- Proposal due Sunday,  October 18th by 10 pm – upload to Canvas – 50 pts (If you change your topic after submitting your proposal, you lose 25 points)
- First critique on Box by Wednesday, November 4th, by 10 pm – 100 pts (If you change your story after the first critique, you lose 50 points)
- Story due Monday, December 7th by 10 pm – 300 pts (You must turn in your completed story by the start of class)
PROPOSAL: Submit your proposal by 10/18 to Canvas. Â Your idea must be approved before you move forward.
Your proposal must include:
- A one-sentence summary of your story – focus on what is interesting about the story, not just the place or event or person. This should answer the question why is your story interesting – what makes it a story.
- The specific details – name, place, location, etc.
- You should have made initial contact with your subject and your presentation should include what kind of access you expect
- Your initial sense of the direction of the project including a rough shot list – you don’t want to totally preconceive your essay, but you should have some idea of the kinds of photos/moments you could expect.
- Why should we care? – what makes this story interesting to someone else
FIRST CRITIQUE:Â We will critique the work in progress on 11/5. At a minimum, you should have made two visits(90 minutes each or equivalent) to your subject. Turn in your entire take as well as an edit of 4-8 photos. Captions are not required at this critique.
STORY DUE: We’ll critique the finished story on 12/8. At a minimum, you should have made at least two followup visits(90 minutes each or equivalent) to your subject. (Turn in ALL your raws, and your final selection of toned/captioned images in the usual folders.
PLUS you must turn in a text file with an introductory short essay (1-2 paragraphs) that help explain and give context to your story. Â Typically your photo story would have 10-12 images – this is not an exact number, it depends on your story.
| NAME | IDEA | ||
| Sam Coffey | Cecelia Willi, in a nursing home | ||
| Jackie Colombo | Dancer Konnor Kelly | ||
| EJ Kerr | Pregame Barbershop | ||
| Zack Keffer | Navy Seal | ||
| Hailey Jennings | DJ | ||
| Anan Hussein | Typical student | ||
| Nikki DeCanio | Coping with Covid | ||
| Shelby Lincoln | Black student athletes | ||
| Melissa Manno | voters | ||
| TJ McCrystal | teachers and students during COVID | ||
| Grace Miller | Influencer | ||