User:Mu Am Spring 2008

Muschlitz Photo Essay- Faces of Athens

1. Objective I have two ideas for this project but I'm leaning towards this one: I propose to create a photo essay on various people belonging to different social classes, possibly just focusing on the lower class. I'm interested in doing a series of portraits of people in each class. In the caption info I'll include which class he/she is in, how they came to be in that class (whether they were born into it or achieved it on merit), and give a brief overview about their everyday life (profession, family, interests, hobbies, etc.). I've already taken some portraits of middle and upperclass persons and am planning to do some portraits of lower class persons Thursday evening through an organization I volunteer with.

Should this idea not work out, I will instead focus on social groups and social interaction between groups on campus. I've also begun doing some shooting on this topic.

1. Interest This is interesting because as a photojournalism major I'm always looking to tell the stories of interesting characters. The portraits of lower class Athens residents have been something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I think my essay idea will allow me to bring some new insight to viewers about the lives of people of each class and how they came to be in that class in an interesting visual way.
2. Background reading I will read wikipedia, text book and other basic sociology texts on the following topics: social classes, social groups and group interactions, stratification systems, and status.
   1. I will also find scholarly research on the general issue of class/status and social groups/interaction. Posting links here.
   2. I will find popular press discussions of my topic. Perhaps Wikipedia articles, blog entrys, newspaper and magazine stories, etc.
3. General Plan I plan to make a flickr accout for the project and start editing the portraits of my upper and middle class persons this week and next. I will begin photographing my lower class persons of interest this Thursday night when I go in to volunteer. After shooting all of the photos I'll do a quick edit, a final edit, and will write captions before posting the project on flickr.
4. Collaborators I will be working alone.