on the run

Started Stranger than Fiction* class this evening....focusing on the narrative potential of photography. Fun to re-imagine everyday happenings as dramatic or cinematic moments....

*Every picture tells a story. But whether those stories are real or imagined has long separated documentary photography from fine art. Recently the boundaries between truth and fiction have blurred. At the same time, thanks to a reaction against the '90s trend of elaborately staged tableaux, photographers are rejecting lavish productions and digital trickery for a scaled-down approach to narrative that's more personal and reality based. We consider this merging of art and documentary by examining the work of David Hilliard, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, and Larry Sultan, as well as a new breed of photo artists like Dan Torop and Rinko Kawauchi. Discussions, shooting assignments, and critiques inspire students to discover their unique storytelling voice while producing a portfolio that reflects narrative photography's new emphasis on intimacy, ambiguity, and personal meaning."