The Project

The brainstorming of my Honors Thesis began in early 2009 when I enrolled in my Honors Colloquium 300 class. After considering possible thesis projects I came up with two solid ideas, one involving photographing elderly people and capturing their unique identity and story in photographs, and handwritten accounts by the subjects (in an exhibition and book). In the other project I would teach small children in an art class how to photograph and have an exhibition of my documentation of the project and of their photographs. Eventually I will pursue the second idea as it will be very enriching and also an incredible experience, but overwhelming positive feedback for my first idea led me to undertake it for my Honors Thesis and Exhibition. 

I asked Vaughn Wascovich to be my thesis advisor and we began fleshing out the details of the project. Here is my final draft of the Thesis Contract:

THESIS CONTRACT

Vaughn Wascovich – Advisor

Rebecca Rainsberger – Honors Scholar

In order to fulfill the responsibilities of adviser and scholar in the preparation of an Honors Thesis, we propose the following:

·      We will meet once a week during the fall semester of 2009, on the date jointly decided on by both Scholar and Advisor.

·      Using a traditional historic photographic process, large-format 8X10 camera and handmade palladium contact prints, I will be photographing elderly people who have made significant contributions to their community. Oftentimes communities overlook the elderly but each person has significant insight to pass along to the younger generation. I would like to convey what I have learned from each person in my images and process journal. In addition to what I have above stated, I will be documenting the printing process with video and audio- because of the historic significance of the palladium printing.

·      That the student will read works suggested by the advisor and other works that the student might find relevant to the study, including: Historic Photographic Processes, Nadeau, Paul Strand: Essay on His Life and Works, Emmet Gowin: Photographs, Harry Callahan, Josef Sudek, Stiegletz, Fredereck Summer, Edward Weston, David Plowden, Robert Adams: Why people photograph, John Berger: ‘About Looking’, ‘Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos,’ Dick Arentz: Platinum and Palladium Printing, Luis Nadeau

·      That during weekly meetings the student will solve technical issues related to the film camera, film processing, and hand-coated printing process, and research historic photographs and photographers in order to formulate ideas for the project

·      That our goal in the thesis readings course will be to photograph 15-20 people, have a photographic exhibition of the final framed photographs, as well as documentation of the photographing and process, and a website and or book. I want to build a relationship with these people- not just take their picture- whom I otherwise might never know or learn from.

There have been changes to the contract since its initial completion. The changes aren’t extensive but affect the type of negatives I will produce. After feedback from my advisor, other faculty members and my peers I decided to photograph the images with a digital 35 mm camera instead of a large-format film camera. Instead of producing film negatives to print from I will be making digital negatives from transparency paper.