MA Done!!! & New Projects

History Of Photo Logo Social 02.jpg

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.

History Of Photo Project

The History Of Photo Logo, designed by me. Wanted to use something old school, the cable release, and also pay homage to some classic camera logos so I used red for the font. In the background is the names of some of the great photographers we will be looking at in this podcast.

I am currently doing research for a new project called the History Of Photo. It is a look at, yes you guessed it, the history of photography.

This idea has been rattling around in my head for years now. I have been teaching the History Of Photography for over 10 years and I have always wanted to delve deeper into different genres of photography and explore how they have shaped contemporary photography.

At the project’s core will be an ongoing podcast on the history of photography. This serialized podcast will focus on different themes each season and explore the facts, fictions and myths of photography and how they have influenced contemporary photography. This will all be retold by yours truly in a storytelling narrative.

My timeline to launch the project, 1 year. However, I plan to bring you along for this new adventure, letting you know what I find out about podcasting and share some of my research and updates. I am so excited to get started and share this new adventure with you all!!

For the first season I have a few ideas I have been thinking about:

  1. Photography, Who’s Your Daddy? - A look birth of photography through the lives of the fathers of photography.

  2. Photography and New York City - A history of photography through the lives of some of the great photogs to live and work in one of the greatest cities fo the world.

  3. Muybridge and Modernity - Exploring the ripple effects of Muybridge’s experiments in chronophotography.

Let me know in the comments which one you would like to listen to, thanks and stay tuned.