jason machinski

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MA Done!!! & New Projects

I found out today that I have completed my MA in Visual Communication. It has been two years of hard work and I am happy it is over but a little sad to see it go too. My daughter was starting pre-school when I began and now she is in junior kindergarten, so weird.

Now that my studies are over I am dusting off a project idea from two years ago, the History of Photo Podcast. Researching and interviewing subjects for my MA studies was one fo the highlight of my studies, a good skill set to apply to podcasting. Currently, I am unsure what the focus of the podcast’s first season will be, I was thinking about the history of New York photography or the birth of photography. I am starting to research first by reading and rereading some books that will give me an overview of the history of photography. A little nugget of history might jump out at me and give me something else to run with, here is my list:

  1. Photography: A Cultural History: A Cultural History

  2. The History of Photography

  3. A New History of Photography

  4. Photography: A Concise History

  5. A World History of Photography

  6. A History of Photography. From 1839 to the Present

  7. A History of Photography in 50 Cameras

These are some awesome reads, the first five I use in the History of Photography course I teach. They are excellent reads and great bookshelf ornaments to flip though every now and again. The last two are great coffee-table books and great gifts for those in your life who love photography.

I will be posting some highlights, research and deets on the podcast as things unfold. This is not going to be a short project but I am definitely looking forward to the challenge and what I will learn along the way.

There is also a new photo project I am kicking about but for now I am keeping it under wraps. This will be another long term interview and photo project. I like the format and enjoy how longer projects develop and I am looking forward to not having the constraints and deadlines of the MA to content with. This project, like the Migrant Narrative book will examine migration, but from a different angle.