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Photography Dissertation Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 4th, 2023 , Revised On August 11, 2023

If you are an avid photographer and wish to spend your life doing something that you love, which is obviously photography, you must be thinking about pursuing it further. To become an expert and professional photographer, you will need to study it formally. While many people claim that they can become experts without admission to an institution, you must remember that the basic things you learn from an expert teacher and practice it under his guidance will help you understand and explore photography more than your imagination.

Anyhow, if you have made the right decision of being admitted into a photography course, you must be anxious to graduate and practice it professionally. Hold up! You will need to go through one final phase of writing a dissertation.

If you are supposed to write a photography dissertation but do not really know where to start, you can have a look at some of the most exciting and debatable photography topics suggested by experts.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting a  brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the problem,  research question , aim and objectives,  literature review , along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  example dissertation  to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

You can review step by step guide on how to write your dissertation  here .

Want to know what essay structure and style will work best for your assignment?

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2022 Photography Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: an evaluation of the impact of digitalisation on the altering conceptions and communication of contemporary photography..

Research Aim: The research aims to evaluate the impact of digitalisation on the altering conceptions and communication of contemporary photography.

Objectives:

  • To analyse the concept of contemporary photography.
  • To evaluate the influence of digitalisation photographic conceptions and communication.
  • To evaluate the impact of digitalisation on the altering conceptions and communication of contemporary photography.

Topic 2: Investigating the influence of digital photography evolution on the photography methods and affinity towards the profession.

Research Aim: The research aims to investigate the influence of digital photography evolution on the photography methods and affinity towards the profession.

  • To analyse the impact of digital tools and technologies on photography as a profession.
  • To identify the evolution in photographic methods and the perceptions towards photography as a profession.
  • To investigate the influence of digital photography evolution on the photography methods and affinity towards the profession.

Topic 3: An evaluation of the present technologies and cultural methods associated with snapshot photography.

Research Aim: The research aims to evaluate the present technologies and cultural methods associated with snapshot photography.

  • To analyse the concept of snapshot photography and identify the available technologies.
  • To evaluate the cultural and social contributions to snapshot photography.
  • To investigate the impact of present technologies and cultural methods on snapshot photography

Topic 4: Evaluating the impact of visual storytelling on the changing landscape of mass media and society.

Research Aim: The research aims to evaluate the impact of visual storytelling on the changing landscape of mass media and society.

  • To analyse the concept of applications of visual storytelling.
  • To examine the alterations in the mass media and societal landscape due to the new forms of photography and presentation.
  • To investigate the impact of visual storytelling on the changing landscape of mass media and society.

Topic 5: An investigation into the impact of mobile technology on the choices of photojournalism and its associated professional values in society.

Research Aim: The research aims to investigate the impact of mobile technology on the choices of photojournalism and its associated professional values in society.

  • To analyse the impact of mobile technology on the scope and extent of photography.
  • To investigate the photojournalism choices of invidious and the accepted professional societal values.
  • To critically evaluate the impact of mobile technology on the choices of photojournalism and its associated professional values in society.

Topic no.1: photojournalism during Arab spring

Research Aim: Arab spring was a series of anti-govt protests that spread all around the Arab countries in the 2010s. The role of photographers was exceptionally crucial at that point when they were continuously informing the world about the ground realities of the conflict. The aim of the research is to study the role of photojournalists in disseminating accurate information during the Arab spring.

Topic no.2: Scope of photography in the age of social media

Research Aim: Photography was a supplementary hobby and interest, but today it is a full-fledged profession that many aspire to pursue. Photography has gained immense importance, especially in the age of the internet, given that it provides many channels for sharing. The main aim of the research would be to examine and evaluate the scope of photography in the age of social media.

Topic no.3: Photography and ethics

Research Aim: No matter what you take as a subject of photography, you must never avoid the basic ethical norms suggested for photography. The aim of the research will be to study different cases in which the photographers followed and violated the ethics to understand the consequences of each regard.

Topic no.4: Photography and the reflection of culture

Research Aim: Each photographer has his own style, which is usually influenced by many things. This research will study culture as one of the determining factors that affect the style of photography. The research will thoroughly explain the reflection of the photographer’s culture in his photography.

Topic no.5: Photography and advanced editing trend

Research Aim: There are many tools that help us make an image more appealing by making significant modifications. The research aims to explore and identify the impact of advanced editing software and tools on the essence of photography.

Topic no.6: Impact of photo manipulation and self-image

Research Aim: Artificial intelligence has gone so far ahead in advancement that it is able to do anything, merely anything. The prompt changes in the physical features while taking photos are exciting, but on the other hand, they are very harmful. People make themselves look appealing through filters, but when they look at themselves, in reality, they lose their self-esteem. The research will aim to study photo manipulation and its impacts on self-image.

Topic no.7: Art of photography in the 1800s

Research Aim: The main aim of the research would be to discover, understand, and evaluate the art of photography in the 1800s. It is evident that photography would be completely different back in those times, but how much different is a question that the research will address.

Also Read: How to Write Dissertation Aims and Objectives?

Topic no.8: Role of director of photography in a movie

Research Aim: When we watch a movie, we heap praises on the actors, story, and songs, but we do not realize the leading individual behind the lens who makes it look the way it does and connect to the audience. If the audience feels emotional, it is the art of camera work that makes a scene emotional, and it goes for all scenes such as dramatic, happy, and anxious.  The main aim of the research is to vastly study the role of the director of photography in a movie.

Topic no.9: Photojournalism during the pandemic

Research Aim: The current pandemic posed severe threats to humans economically, politically, and societaly. People were circumscribed to their homes due to the surging infected toll. The main aim of the research would be to find out how photojournalists documented covid-19.

Topic no.10: Instagram; a photo-sharing medium

Research Aim: The broad aim of the research would be to study and evaluate Instagram as one of the most popular photo-sharing mediums. It will explore and analyze the thriving trends and the nature of images that are considered instagrammable by photographers.

Topic no.11: Photography and storytelling

Research Aim: Photographs are not merely images but are capable of telling stories if they are being taken rightly. The researcher will take a sample of a few images and critically analyze how they are capable of delivering impactful stories. 

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

Topic no.12: Risks of wildlife photography:

Research Aim: While wildlife photography is one of the fascinating types of photography, it requires lots of guts and passion for pursuing. The research will identify the most common problems wildlife photographers face and what security services are offered to the photographers working for an organization.

Topic no.13: Photography vs. painting

Research Aim: The main aim of the research is to compare and contrast photography and painting and figure- out the similarities and differences. It will also determine the best one amongst them with respect to different variables such as depth, story, flexibility, etc.

Topic no.14: Trends in wedding photography

Research Aim: Wedding photography has improved and has become creatively advanced in the last few years. The aim of the research would be to identify and analyze the current trends in wedding photography and forecast the ones for the upcoming years.

Topic no.15: Nature photography:

Research Aim: Nature photography is a vast field that incorporates multiple types. The aim of the research is to study nature photography in detail and explore the features and techniques of each type. 

Topic no.16: Evolution of camera

Research Aim: Nowadays, we use our smartphone cameras; some years back,  digital cameras were commonly used, and in that way, it goes way back to giant cameras. The main of the research would be to critically analyze and evaluate the evolution of the camera over the period of time. 

Topic no.17: Photography lenses and specialties

Research Aim: Lenses are the hearts of cameras, and therefore, cameras are unuseful without lenses. The research will aim to check and evaluate the different types of lenses and offer true insights into their capabilities.

Topic no.18: Improvements required in photography

Research Aim: The research will aim to identify and discuss the major problems in photography that need to be addressed. The researcher can survey different photographers and figure out the improvements that they spire to see in the field of photography.

Topic no.19: Photo manipulation and their repercussions:

Research Aim: Photo alterations and manipulations have become very easy with the different tools and software. They,  on the high levels, are used for political gains and propaganda. The aim of the research would be to explain the repercussions of photo manipulations and alterations. The researcher can conduct case studies to find the most accurate results.

Topic no.20: War photography:

Research Aim: War photography is not less intimidating than wildlife photography; in fact, it is more dangerous. The aim of the research would be to explain photographs taken in war situations. The researcher can pick a couple of different wars from the recent timeline and provide critical analysis.

Conducting photography research can be one of the most exciting things, but when it comes to writing, students become dreadful. But do not worry, we have got your back. Whether you want a section of the dissertation to be written impeccably or the whole of it, we are here. Don’t wait; click here.

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  • Explore genres, history, or techniques.
  • Examine contemporary photography issues.
  • Investigate cultural or societal impacts.
  • Analyze the intersection of photography with other fields.
  • Consider personal passion and relevance.
  • Choose a unique and feasible research area.

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  • Apr 6, 2023

Photography dissertation topics

It is no more a secret what photography has done to the world. Photography had progressed gradually in a positive direction for a very long time. If you have a keen interest in photography, you must opt for photography dissertation topics . However, do you know what a dissertation is? The dissertation is an academic writing piece that focuses on students’ independent research. If you want to know more about photography dissertation topics, how to structure a photography dissertation, and much more, then Keep Reading!

This Blog Includes:

How to structure photography dissertation, how to choose photography dissertation topics, ethical and cultural issues on societal photography , digital photography dissertation topics, photography evolution dissertation topics, dissertation topic ideas on photography and global politics.

Another basic thing that you must focus on in order to write a photography dissertation is the basic structure of a photography dissertation. Thus, here is a basic structure of a photography dissertation; 

Title – The title of your Photography Dissertation. You can opt for a photography dissertation from the topics given below:
Abstract Introduction 
Review of Literature 
Methodology Results of Photography Dissertation
(Conclusion)
Recommendation
References 
Appendices

Also Read: Dissertation vs Thesis

So now the question is how to choose photography dissertation topics that make your dissertation stand out. 

  • You are first required to choose a relevant photography dissertation topic as it contributes to your future goals. Do remember to opt for a photography dissertation as per your interest and topics that offer you loads of content.
  • Dissertations are usually meant to be a lengthy piece that includes all the required information about the given topic. However, you are suggested to add only the required portion about the photography dissertation and avoid adding information that is vague for readers. 

Here are some topics to consider:

  • The Perspective of Photography in the Digital Age and Mass Surveillance
  • Digital Image Integrity
  •  Connections between pictures, objects, and general photographic representations in cultural and social settings
  • An Examination of Visual Ethnography and Photographic Cultural Representation
  • Examining contemporary challenges in cultural photography with compassion, ethics, and the media
  • Image ethics: The ethical rights of subjects in photographs, films, and television shows
  • Professional photography and privacy: Are a professional photographer’s personal ethics sufficient?

Covid-19 Photography Dissertation Topics

Coming up next are a couple of these themes:

  • How are world-renowned photojournalists documenting the effects of Covid-19 on society?
  • Photojournalism: Reporting on the effects of Covid-19 has ethical repercussions.
  • What are the responsibilities and tasks of photojournalists during the current pandemic?
  • An examination of how photojournalists reported on the Covid-19 pandemic

If you’re taking a media class and are interested in photography, the following digital photography dissertation topics might be helpful.

  • How has digitalization affected photography’s place in society?
  • A look at modern snapshot photography technology, cultural approaches, and social activities A look at the development of digital photography and its implications for photography techniques How has visual reporting affected the landscape of news reporting and journalism?
  • Visual Storytelling in Post-Industrial Journalism: An Investigation

Some of the photography evolution dissertation topics ideas are as follows:

  • What role has photography played in the development of communication and social media platforms?
  • The Relationship Between Hyper-Realism Art and Photography: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice In what ways have recent photography trends altered news reporting and the documentation of significant social events?
  • The rise and fall of photography: How has photography’s development affected law and culture?

Also, Read; 90+ Dissertation Topics for Students in 2022 

Consider the following subject areas in this area:

  • What impact do photos and visual portrayals of political occasions have on worldwide governmental issues?
  • An examination of the rhetoric and subjectivity of images in the political landscape Photography and Politics: Politics and photography: how do images and other visual artifacts serve political ends?
  • A talk investigation of how photography might be utilized in the Unified Realm to help political misleading publicity.

Ans. You need to think about how much research has been done on the subject, whether it’s worth doing more research on it, how original your choice might be, and whether or not it’s relevant to the field.

Ans. Most expositions are 100 to 300 pages long. Chapters, main divisions, and subdivisions may be required for lengthy dissertations, as should be the case with all dissertations.

Ans. The quality of your written English for an upper-first-class dissertation should be up to par with what is expected of any serious academic research project, or absolutely perfect. Your familiarity with the academic register ought to come naturally to you, lending a tone of constant assurance throughout.

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Photography Dissertation Topics

Photography is an art form worthy of critical attention, so it’s no surprise that many Arts and Culture students choose to write a photography dissertation. In particular, the technological innovation of photography coupled with its varying sociocultural impacts has encouraged many students to want to write a dissertation on photography. But how you should you go about choosing a topic for your photography dissertation? The following sub-sections provide suggestions on the most recent trends and innovations in photography, particularly concerning technological developments, ethics, and the evolution of photography trends.

Digital Photography

Photojournalism and communications, photography, ethical, cultural, and societal perspectives, the evolution of photography, photography and global politics, photojournalism during the covid-19 pandemic.

Digital photography emerged as a technological innovation during the 1990s, and since then, it has developed into a computer mediated approach to photography. The old methods of taking pictures have, therefore, been improved and enhanced by digital technologies. Also, it has not only replaced the silicon chips and old photography methods, but it has also introduced more advanced methods, as photography has now adopted the use of information technology. This could be an interesting subject area to examine if searching for topics related to technological trends and developments in photography. Examples of topics in this area are listed below:

  • How has digitalisation modified the position of photography in society?
  • The evolution to Digital Photography and its impact on photography methods.
  • A review of the current technologies, cultural methods, and the social practices of snapshot photography.
  • How has visual reporting transformed the landscape of news reporting and journalism?
  • An analysis of Visual Storytelling during the current era of Post-Industrialist Journalism.

Photojournalism refers to the process of reporting using either still or changing images. The development of photojournalism has been closely aligned with evolving technological trends, and photojournalists have adopted more enhanced approaches for reporting events. Nonetheless, the major core value of photojournalism remains significant, as photojournalists continuously search for the opportunity to witness significant events and share the evidence of such events. Photojournalism also focuses on highlighting important social topics and encourages discussions about public response. Therefore, this is an interesting research area if you are fascinated with journalism and photography. Some relevant topics in this area are listed below:

  • The impact of Mobile Technology on the significance and role of Photojournalism in the Society.
  • The challenges of Photojournalism: Realism, the nature of news and the philanthropic narrative.
  • How has the current era of network media and social media websites impacted on the Photojournalism?
  • Is Digitalisation destroying Photojournalism?
  • Exploring the relationship between the professional values of photojournalism and the process of digital photo editing and the generation of online news videos.
  • Reconsidering Photojournalism: Investigating the constantly shifting work routines and professionalism of Photojournalists in the Digital Era.

Since its early days, photography has prompted several debates with regards to its ethical application and misappropriation in society. Nonetheless, the creation of images has aided in the creation and communication of cultural identity and history. The current ethical, cultural, and societal perspectives about photography would be an interesting research area. Below are some suggestions of topics related to this area of photography:

  • Digital age and mass surveillance: The ethical perspective of visual photography.
  • The Integrity of digital images: The current principles and practices of image manipulation in document photography and photojournalism.
  • A study on visual photography, particularly the relationship between images, objects, and general photographic representations within the cultural and social contexts.
  • A critique of Visual Ethnography and Cultural Representation in Photography.
  • Compassion, integrity, and the media: Examining current issues in cultural photography.
  • Image ethics: The ethical privileges of the subjects in pictures, movies, and television.
  • Truth or Fiction? The impact of ethical and societal perspectives on media imagery during the digital era.
  • Professional photography and privacy: Are the personal ethics of a professional photographer adequate?

The field of photography has evolved over the past decade, with vast technical and theoretical developments to the standards of photography since it was created in 1839. Therefore, this is an interesting research area, as it gives you the opportunity to investigate the source of a specific innovation or method and examine any historical implications. The suggested research topics in this area are listed below:

  • The evolution from camera obscura photography and the era of photographic illusions to the current use of modern, digital, cameras for photography.
  • The effect of photography on historical events, including the Civil War.
  • The transformation of photography: How has the development of photography impacted Law and Culture?
  • An examination of the realism of Landscape Photography.
  • How has the use of modern photographic trends transformed news reports and the recording of significant social events?
  • What is the impact of photography on the evolution of social media websites and communication systems?
  • Closing the gap between Research and Practice: The Interrelationship between Photography and Hyper-realistic Art

Considering the current visual and digital era, it is apparent that images shape worldwide events and the society’s perspectives about them. Also, factors such as television programs and photographs impact on global politics as different phenomena are viewed, including wars, economic downturns, election advertisements, and humanitarian catastrophes. Therefore, visual politics have become the norm, with the use of digital platforms across the political spectrum, from extremist recruitment campaigns to social justice movements. Thus, this is an interesting research area, with a wide range of topics. Some of these topics are listed below:

  • A discourse analysis of how photography can be used to support political propaganda in the United Kingdom.
  • How does images and photographic representations of political activities impact global politics?
  • An exploratory review of the discourse and subjectivity of photographs within the political landscape.
  • What are the political functions of images and visual artefacts?
  • Photography and Politics: The impact of photography in the Political world.

The current Covid-19 pandemic has become one of the most severe pandemics of this era, with significant economic, societal, and political impacts. Therefore, this would be an interesting area of research, with a wide range of topics that can be investigated. Some of these topics are suggested below:

  • How are leading Photojournalists worldwide documenting the resulting impact of Covid-19 on societies?
  • Photojournalism: What are the ethical issues of reporting the impact of Covid-19?
  • What are the roles and responsibilities of photojournalists during the current pandemic?
  • A review of the approach to news reporting by photojournalists during Covid-19 pandemic.

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The Lesley Art + Design MFA in Photography and Integrated Media program ran from 2011 until 2024, under the leadership of Christopher James.

From its inception in 2011, our MFA in Photography and Integrated Media program at the Lesley University College of Art and Design has been designed and nurtured as a collaborative work in progress, created to emphasize craft and concept driven photography. It is comprised of an artist / scholar community of faculty, Visiting Artists and candidates, all of whom share a passionate respect for the hand-made traditions of photographic practice while embracing, with equal passion, what is rapidly being recognized as “the new photography” … a marriage of contemporary analog and digital photographic technologies emphasizing rigorous studio practice, art and cultural context, critical and professional studies, and the fluid integration of inter-disciplinary and contemporary media. Our philosophy embraces the concept that photography is in a state of flux and no longer a single entity. It is unique in the visual arts in its ability to merge established and contemporary technologies in the art of making impressions with light and is an ideal nexus of art and culture. We invite you to join our thriving community of contemporary photographic artists who will be defining the future of photography.

Browse through the thesis descriptions below, or use Ctrl+F / command+F to search for specific keywords.

If you find a thesis you want to read, click this link to the Online Thesis Folder  and browse by year and then name.  

To submit your thesis to a global database of theses and dissertations, go here and find your program area. You'll get reports telling you how often it's downloaded, and from where around the world!

Beth D’Elia   – RECEPTIVITY IN PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE     – 2024

In the past two years, I’ve become particularly interested in what I define as the “receptivity" of photography, whereby the photographer is in a position of collaborating with the camera and other photographic materials to receive, rather than take, an image. My acceptance and openness to this collaborative process — not passive or acquisitive, but empathetic — marks a recent shift in the traditions of photographic practice. Chance, possibility, and the courting of the accidental, whether in or outside of the darkroom is reflected more frequently in contemporary aesthetics

Caroline Waterman   – A reckoning     – 2024

The north side of Dublin is my home. It is where I grew up, where I learned to love, to  play and dance. It is also where I was raped. I have spent the past 30 years of my life shutting  out the assault from my memory… and learning to forget. Although I’ve made my life on  another continent, I’ve returned to my home many times over the past three decades, never  allowing the demons to take away my joy of returning home and my love for Dublin. Now, in  this work and narrative, I have decided to remember, to confront….to heal.

Dominic V. Iacopino   – Between the Solitude in Us     – 2024

The act of operating a radio is, understandably, generally solitudinous. And yet, it is entirely about the  connection between people, as well as their places, ideas, and imaginations. Secluded in an old Massachusetts barn in the woods, on a farm from the 1800s, valuing self-reliance, nature, and wisdom,I would be remiss to  not see the ties to New England Transcendentalismphilosophy; and that is how I have come to summarize the  result of this two-year, technology-centric, ontological journey. I became intrigued by amateur radio during the summer of 2022 after reading about an eight-year-old  girl who had the opportunity, skills, and knowledge required to contact astronauts aboard the International  Space Station. This encounter between “scientists of consecutive generations” piquedmy curiosity enough to  pursue the role of participant observerin the ham radio community.I began an introspective journey, seeking  to define, through my artistic practice, what exactly it was to which I was drawn

Jp Gibson   – In the Shadow of this Mountain     – 2024

I think that practice has come to occupy an even larger role in my life  than it ever has before: both in the making of new images, and also the making of the  prints. Photographing and print-making serve as an escape from the listless void that is  unoccupied time and the things I’ve made since the summer are evidence of my  continued will to exist. I have found physical and emotional comfort in my work making  things by hand. I’ve also learned that coping with the magnitude of this loss is as much  about reassuring those who care about me… as it is about healing myself. I did not  realize I was participating in the mortality of the person I thought I’d spend the rest of my  life with.

Nat Sturzl   – FROZEN INEVITABILITY    – 2024

In my thesis work I am interested in the preserved physical remains of people who have been  excavated by archeologists. The corpses found in peat bogs, preserved by naturally occurring  compounds in the mire, and the contemporary plaster casts of the victims of Mt. Vesuvius, have more  than simple preservation in common. Long dead and buried, they still carry an undeniable look of  viability and personhood. The “bog-men” and the citizens of Pompeii were once real… until  something inexplicably tragic happened to them and they became trapped in a moment in time. Their  decay and expression function as surreal self-portraits, surrogates for myself when I’ve felt stuck in  time due to my own personal tragedies. Like stone carved representations of otherworldly people  unearthed from ancient civilizations, these manifestations stay true to nature while expressing  something even more profound, to me, about the human psyche and the metaphorical preservation  of the spirit. Added to this collection are medieval magical symbols known as staves, compiled in  Iceland by an eccentric magician who called himself Skuggi. Considering all these elements, I’m  creating photomontage, placing figures of death into the surreal Icelandic landscape and coupling  them with the staves. By practicing what Joseph Campbell called “creative mythology,” I join a long  line of artists using fiction, stemming from the vast collections of those who came before, to propose new worlds. My role is that of a curator and amateur archaeologist. I strive to de-code, represent and  illustrate, through a book of spells inspired by my innate fascination with magic, as well as the ideas,  obsessions, and questions that have fascinated me since childhood.

Samantha Barthelemy   – EYE STRIA   – 2024

My thesis stems from coming to terms with the deterioration of my eyesight. When  revealed, I was encouraged to make photographs that would relate to my  circumstance.  I struggled with this challenge and tried making work that was not solely focused on  my eyesight — the deterioration is one piece of the whole, a layer…a part of the  collage. Another consideration was thinking about how to translate my distorted vision  when the image the camera was seeing was complete and representational. Close up, I see double…a fractured viewpoint with multiple blind spots. Adjustments in  my life and artistic practice became essential as I’ve had to learn to accommodate and  shift simple lifestyle habits which I used to take for granted. Driving is no longer what it  used to be; I can not drive long distances at night. On a sun filled day it’s hard to see  anything as I’m literally blinded by the light. Reading is difficult; I now listen to audio  books, and read on a Kindle in order to increase the font size. Injuries caused from  tripping and falling have increased as I frequently miss details, like a step up or down.  Shadows and light constantly trick my eyes, causing things to move when they  shouldn’t, like a hallucination. Nothing appears truly accurate. Both my eyes and camera perceive subject matter differently. While the camera  faithfully records what I direct it to, my natural way of seeing diverges from its  perspective. My camera is my paintbrush, the multiple exposures are layers of paint, I  purposely obscure the representation that my camera sees…painting a story. It’s the layers that speak to one another to create a whole — slivers of my life. 

Adam Finkelston   – NOW YOU SEE ME   – 2023

Now You See Me, is an ongoing series of photography-based linocut self-portraits. The title alludes to  the familiar ending of the axiom, “now you don’t”— implying that while you see me… my body, my  experiences, and perspectives on my life, there are many parts of my existence that you don’t see in these  images. The storytelling aspect of my images illustrates only moments and pieces of my truth. The images are  about me, but they are also about a character I play. The character represents a man who inhabits constructed  spaces acting out the dramas and moments of reflection in everyday life. In this thesis, I intend to make a  connection between the indexicality of photography and the gestural aspects of printmaking. These two ways  of making images – photography and printmaking – are emblematic of the balance between reality and fiction  in my work. My prints seek to show visualizations of my own thoughts and feelings. By starting with a  photograph, I can capture my poses and surroundings in a realistic way, but by departing from the photograph  into drawing and printmaking, I can add or subtract from the original photograph, incorporating details and  quasi-surrealist imagery to enhance the impact of the images. Editing out personal details allows for clarity  and a deeper connection to the universal, harnessing the totality of human experience. The gestural  expectations and nature of drawing and printmaking add a fictional element to the reality of the photograph. A drawing is always necessarily removed from whatever it represents. Even in a direct observational drawing, the artist is a filter between reality and its interpretation. In these prints I am rooted in photographic reality  but adding my own interpretations and reveries through the addition of drawing and printmaking

Harrison Irving Loomis   – American Moments   – 2023

I see the spectacle of society. Brady’s photographs of civil war battlefields haunt my mind as I  walk across the grounds of an American fort in Maryland, where history is performed by reenactors as though trapped in time. As I photographed tourists performing for their own images at Niagara Falls, I question whether their digital keepsakes hold any value, a bad picture  becomes a forgotten experience, but a great experience should be remembered. In Times  Square, tourists stare at the billboards of New York advertising, thinking they’ve found the  beating heart of a city, when the local office workers just try to avoid it. Those same office  workers might be happy to go to a baseball game, but they’ll be focused on their laptops more  than the game, like the suits I found in box seats at Comerica Park. The structures of most  stadiums organize people like a mini city, each person in their place, at levels determined by  class. While everyone is free to walk Boston Common, only the privileged will get to look out on  it without stepping outside, divided by apartment walls and glass windows. Yet everyone comes  together to enjoy the fireworks show on New Year’s Eve, the dazzling lights and concussive  blasts remind them they’ve been alive for another year and ask what they’ll do in the next. My  photographs claim that it doesn’t really matter, the spectacle will still be there, in different  forms, in different colors, in different American Moments. Sometimes I wish I could just enjoy  the show...

Jessica Bonifas   – Filmmaking is a River: My Journey Towards the Camera   – 2023

I use filmmaking as a tool to alleviate suffering. During difficult times in my life I turned to the  camera as I am able to express myself freely without explanations or words. The camera acts as  a bridge between myself and others, allowing people to cross into the mind of the filmmaker.  I’ve titled my most recent film, Fulaing is a Gaelic word meaning to suffer. I use the Gaelic  language as a homage to my Irish heritage and for the preservation of the language itself. This  short experimental film was shot on Super 8 analog film and projected in the gallery. I use fulaing  to describe how I feel sometimes as a mother, filmmaker, and human struggling to survive in the  world today. Fulaing is a piece of my story told in a loose experimental style to express the  adversities that I have faced, and overcome, in my life

J udit German-Heins   – A MONSTER IN THE SHAPE OF A WOMAN   – 2023

This work is centered on my experience as a woman, a survivor, a host. It acts as a  proof of my existence. My photographic images are drawn from stories, dreams, and  feelings about my own experiences and illustrate struggles that I and many women  face through their lives. I am interested in the complexity of being a woman biologically,  socially and historically. My photographs are made with the wet-plate collodion technique, commonly used in  the late -19th century. The slow process of pouring the sticky, volatile, and flammable  emulsion, which records my experiences for centuries to come, allows me to embrace  my past gradually. As I carefully mix acid, alcohol and salt to let the molecules work  together to bring the latent images alive, I wonder about and consider my body as a  collection of cells that encompass my ancestral history and that also carry traces of my  children — dead and alive. For me, noble metals I use interpret and capture the  intrinsic value of a female body and soul.

R. Kevin Combs   – The Milltown   – 2023

In this thesis, I will introduce you to the Town of Fries and many of its characters. The  characters include me, some of the residents, and even the fog. We may find that the fog  obfuscates certain truths about small town life, and occasionally, represents the differences I believe we have in this country. I will tell you stories about how the town was built from the  ground up at the turn of the twentieth century to use the natural resources in the area and to  exploit the tendency for wages to be lower in the Appalachian Mountains than in other parts of  the country. I will tell you the story of the Town of Fries through my photographs and narration.  You might even call it a performance. The story will provide a lesson in tolerance in a divided  age and may assist in lifting the veil of fog that is a metaphor for our society and culture.

MFA Photography and Integrated Media Thesis Menu (2013-2022) Online Thesis Folder

Cotton Miller – The Limbo of Loss -  2013

Our entire lives we spend counting, counting up and counting down. The good things we count down to, and the bad things always seem insurmountable. When we are young, we think more is almost always better. As we get older in age and experience we begin to realize less is almost always more. Counting isn’t always about quantifying; it’s about identifying patterns. Counting is an attempt to find order or structure to gain understanding about the thing being counted. The myelin sheath is the protective layer of the axons in the brain, similar to the insulated coating on electrical wires, and in MS the immune system breaks down this protective barrier. When myelin is lost, and the brain-blood barrier is broken, the axons can no longer effectively conduct signals, which will manifest as a variety of symptoms including physical and cognitive disability. After the demyelination occurs, the symptoms that are experienced might subside, but never be fully extinguished. The possibility of loss, the inevitability of loss, and the uncertainty can be equally as powerful and life altering as the actual loss. According to Kübler-Ross, who introduced the hypothesis of the Five Stages of Grief, “The limbo of loss is in itself a loss to be mourned. Uncertainty can be an excruciating existence. It is the loss of life, going nowhere or going nowhere slowly without knowing if there will be a loss. This has become the foundation of my work, the idea that the mind is distinctly different than the brain.

Tommy Matthews 2013

If I ever build a house I will make it very skinny and tall with all the rooms built on top of each other, strung together through each other’s dreams as we slept. What about the person on the bottom then? Who was holding me in their dreams? Maybe this is what it means to grow up, to care and to provide instead of to receive. I grabbed the framed family photos and laid them flat on their backs, and carefully stacked one on top of the other till they made up a half-foot of thickness. Stepping on the frames I was conscious to keep my weight on the outside edges of the stack where it felt more secure. With time enough to make one last move I followed Vitus to the path that careened down a dirt embankment and bottomed out in a small opening of trees. The forest floor was hidden by arching ferns rising as high as my waist. An old felled Douglas fir was there; having collapsed long ago it was now a nursery log. It was half hollowed out inside and I crumpled my body in its opening. Vitus wedged himself alongside me and curled up in the shape of a scallop. As consciousness began to slip away I was eased to know I’d wake here, happy to be held in the grace of this great nurturer of the forest.

Nikki Seggara - Thalassophobia: A Philosophical Narrative On Congenital Fear – 2013

Though I have no recollection of it, it took years for my mother to get me to willingly bathe. She recalls that, even as an infant bathing in the sink, I would scream to the top of my lungs - even harder at the prospect of getting my head wet to wash my hair. It was the thought of deep water terrified me; the thought of what lies beneath - this trepidation of being pulled under, either trapped and unable to surface, or overcome by a creature where my vulnerable body, drifting in the vast sea, gave me no fighting chance. They could feel the pounding of my heart and the panic I struggled to contain for fear of giving myself away.  It was the thought that my body could forever be lost in the lower depths, never to reemerge.  I could never escape the feeling that this was...my fate.  This question of shared phobia has enveloped the deepest corners of my mind. As an artist, I choose to make work that is symbolic of my quest for reasoning behind my fear. There are many who claim that innate fear exists, without any presence of personal history as a factor. These proclivities have been analyzed at great lengths for at least 50 years within the field of Ethology. Ethologists are particularly concerned with innate behavior, and believe that such behaviors are the result of genetics and in the way genes have been modified during evolution to deal with particular environments (Eibl-Eibesfeldt and Kramer) Konrad Lorenz, often described as the ‘father of ethology,’ spoke about this V-shaped shadow as a releasing mechanism for an innate fear response.  The same fear response is witnessed in apes, who are all congenitally frightened of snakes, one of the few innate animal-based fears to also be widely present in humans. It is a grandiose notion, that my fears were ingrained into my brain from ancient genetic blueprints, passed down from generation to generation.  She paradoxically loved what she also feared, as do I.

Angelina Kidd – Imagining the Unknown - 2013

I believe there is a soul and that it is energy manifested as light. We are connected to the cosmos through the very calcium in our bones and the iron in our blood, which originated from stars that died billions of years ago. My belief is that the earthly body is separate from the soul and that our light energy returns to the cosmos. Energy will not cease to exist, as it cannot be destroyed according to Laws of Thermodynamics. Therefore, if the soul is light energy, then it does not disappear and is instead transformed. Twenty-three years ago, my mother’s life was transformed by cancer. As I approach the same age of her departure, I am constantly aware of my own existence. This is why my investigation into the unknown is relevant and personal. I have no evidence for the human soul or the afterlife, as my research does not set out to prove this. Instead, my consciousness chooses to have faith in having a soul and this leads me into an artistic investigation of how I perceive the afterworld. With my light constructions, I do not seek to exploit this emotion; rather, I aim to provide a visual salve and to encourage my viewer to consider that after death, life will be unknown.

Anna Yeroshenko - Enduring Peripheries

An analysis of 1980’s architectural aesthetic and a physical thesis portfolio of re-photographed folded paper abstractions of architecture in the Boston area.

Anne Eder – Myth as a Semiological Language

Thesis dealing with nature, myths, magic, talismanic objects accompanied by a physical portfolio consisting of an outdoor installation in the Emerald Necklace featuring her giant moss-men made of objects and materials found in nature.

Danielle Ezzo – The Intentional Object

Thesis focused upon the concept of intimacy and its relationship to her professional work as a re-touching artist. This was supported by large scale photographs of only the actual re-touched elements of fashion model portraits and bodies.

E V Krebs – so-totally-ev.tumblr.com

A thesis that is a total interactive experience, different for every “reader” depending upon the links the “reader” elects to follow. A traditional thesis felt too static, whereas the Tumblr venue allowed her to create avenues for exploration through the use of hyperlinks; developing a sense of depth as the “reader” clicked, going deeper and deeper.

Lanai King – Clot: A personal Exploration of Blood as Myth and Medium

Thesis analyzing candidate’s personal psychosis and fear of blood and her exploration of using blood as a medium in artistic expression. Thesis was supported by a video illustrating short vignettes of her explorations.

Natalie Rzucidlo – 2,364 Cuts

A these that explored the relationships and differences between hand-made and industrial objects by mirroring the automatic repetition of a machine through the process of paper cutting and realization through lithography. Physical work were monumental paper abstractions graphically illustrating sound.

Nicole Carriere – The Big Picture

Thesis dealing with the dissection of family photographs through visual language, symbols, and performance of gender.

Tabitha Sherrell – Untitled

Thesis focused upon three generations of women within a single family and supported by large scale photographs of tableaus illustrating reconstructed domestic spaces. Writing dealt with the analysis of posing, and the way photography is used to represent the self and family.

Taylor Singmaster – My Father’s Daughter

Thesis written as an autobiography to document values instilled through childhood and realized in adult life. The thesis was supplemented with a video of the candidate’s work with Down Syndrome afflicted children and how her future career would be dedicated to a foundation dealing with this disease.

Tomi Ni – Wu Xing

Thesis about the lives and existence of illegal aliens, living in building and room-sized communities and their sacrifices to pay off the fees for smuggling them into America and keeping their family healthy, educated, and hopeful. Physical work in the form of photographs of this life.

Crystal Foss – Seeing the self Through the Forest of Judgement: Self Portrait & Power

Thesis engaged in a representation of her life being judged by others for being an overweight young woman. The visual work supplemented the writing and consisted of video, music, and uncompromising mural sized self-portraits.

Katie Doyle – 13 Ways of Looking at X

Thesis analyzing Wallace Steven’s poem, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. The thesis deconstructed the poem and then reconstructed it in the form of a journal to represent how the identical sentiments related to her present life. Physical work existed in the form of a video illustrating the relationships of words and images.

Kwangtae Kim – Soul Scape

A thesis discussing non-representational forms of photography as an invitational bridge into a state of meditation. The physical work took the form of massive scaled photographic abstractions of natural objects, such as his child’s hair, or water, seen in a way to obstruct identification. These works were painted upon in the style of a Sumi calligrapher.

Maryam Zahirimehr – In the Name of God, The Beneficent, The Merciful

A written thesis telling the stories of her life growing up female in the strict Muslim culture of Iran and how those experiences shaped her future. A video illustrating one particular story enhanced the reader’s experience by bringing the story to life. This thesis was subsequently accepted and shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Maura O’Donnell – Untitled

This thesis considers the female as it is contested in American culture. The work speaks to the confusion of specific roles of woman, and the communication of contradictory views of femininity. The work and the manner in which it is shown translate the ugly encounters she experiences on a regular basis. Physical work consisted of short vignettes in video format.

Natalie Titone – The Excavation of Meaning

Thesis exploring the immigrant experience in America through the memories, textures, and materials used by the people building a life for subsequent generations. Writing dealt with a narrative story-telling experience and physical work was realized by laminations of photographic images from family albums onto porcelain and ceramic materials. Techniques were learned while in an internship at Harvard University.

Traci Marie Lee - The Implications and Consequences of the Snapshot and the Constructed Image

This thesis documented her search for knowledge about a southern aunt who was a pioneer in women being active in politics. The thesis was based on an envelope of pictures and newspaper clippings and was resolved in the thesis through paper constructions and video, with a strong concentration on sound.

Alicia Turbitt – Hearing what Seeing Says

This thesis documented the degeneration of sight of her sister’s boyfriend and his efforts to remain in a normal life in spite of his increasing loss of sight. The physical thesis work was in video form and featured vignettes such as all of his friends taking turns teaching him how to drive a car down a dark road in the winter.

John Dearing – Chemical Geometry - 2017

Dedicated to a 19 th c. path of investigation following Herschel’s Anthotype process, John made hundreds of combinations of food sources and chemistry and painted the solutions on papers exposed to UV light over time. The thesis included research into chemical additives to our food, the effect of UV rays on those solutions, and the nature of abstract expressionism and constructivist painting, the forms he created for his tests on paper.

Natalie Schaeffer – Trust - 2017

A series of lengthy video vignettes in an installation that illustrated the state of a multi-year relationship in the midst of a decision to go forward. The written component supported the process and analysis of the video investigation.

Noelle BuAbbud – Triduum - 2017

This thesis involved a trinity of videos revolving around the visual perception and recognition of the human body in a state of suffering or sorrow. Research detailed the paintings and sculptures she felt were emotionally profound because of the ways in which artists such as Caravaggio, Picasso, Goya, and Kollwitz depicted grief and suffering through the physicality of the human figure. Videos illustrated the research and were in the subjective forms of shadows, as in the parable from Plato’s Cave.

Xiao Zhao – Ferryman - 2017

This thesis focused on the parables, spirituality and theology of Zen Buddhism and that belief system’s impact upon him growing up in China, and his relationship with his grandmother who was a shaman. Visual components were photographic abstractions.

Sara Bonnick - Acts of Almost Touching (And Other Short Stories, Poems, and Analysis) - 2017

This thesis explored the aftermath of intimacy and was represented through a series of videos, photo-sculpture, and installation. Her work formed a language of clothing as it related to emotional connection of direct physical contact. She investigated the concept through repetition, mending, healing, repairing, and attaching. All alterations to an article of clothing displayed a psychological repurposing interaction and compromise between two bodies. The written component was formed via short stories and free verse poetry.

Britney Segermeister - 2018

In a dissection of social media, its features and influences can often be misinterpreted as an assortment of symptoms associated with a variety of mental illnesses. The ability to rapidly change personas, and impulsively construct personalities, could be a description if Dissociative Identity Disorder or nothing more than editing pictures of yourself on a number of unrelated sites. My thesis project is a visual depiction of signs and aspects of mental illness interpreted by the unique etiquette, trends and algorithms of social media.

Casey Cullen 2018 – 22 Poplar - 2018

My thesis, 22 Poplar, is a partial collection of the many memories my childhood home inspired, and in a very real way, a thank you to the people here, and gone, who raised me in it. I am interested in how memories, old and new, personal and familial, coalesce to fill and define personal domestic spaces. My investigation questions how memories, and the events associated with them, are affected by the removal or change of a key component in that moment. My memories, of our home, and the objects within, are now the only things I have left of my grandfather. After he passed, could some part of his being have gone to the same elusive space where memories reside? Probably not, but I would like to think my interpretation of the faux colonial house on 22 Poplar Street will get me a little closer to wherever his beautiful spirit rests.

Candice Inc 2018 – She Knows Me Now - 2018

In collaboration with my mother, my thesis explores the complexities of communication within a mother-daughter relationship following the death of her husband… my father. Throughout our life together, my mom and i were able to talk about anything and everything without conditions. The traumatic death of my father completely altered our dynamic and we became strangers to each other. Unable to recognize the unique pain and loss that the other was experiencing, our ability to understand one another reached a point where spoken language failed. The only way for me to speak at this point was through the trust in my art and visual expression. Words were useless and so I turned to images. In our recent past, this created an even greater problem because my visual approach to telling the story of my suffering was even more incoherent to her than speech. I was forcing her to learn my side of the story, my truth. Children need to recognized by their parents and my mother’s resistance to that adjusted view of her adult daughter continues to be a constant battle for myself. It is a struggle being an artist and a daughter. She Knows Me Now is a test for us. Testing my responsibilities as her daughter, testing us both to not attack or point a finger of blame, and testing my responsibilities as an artist where telling my truths is my priority.

Rebecca Chappelear - 2018

My work explores the evidence that contributed to my family’s dysfunction and ultimately its collapse, brought on by my stepfather’s own separate trauma and depression—complications that had been ingrained into his personality long before we entered his life. My images are constructions based the events that took place during the period that he and my mother were married, in which time I had gone from my mid-teens to my early twenties, and my sister from kindergarten into eighth grade. A photographic narrative allows me to select the memories that are crucial to my and my audience’s understanding of the events that took place; moments that of course were not photographed, as a family reserves the taking of pictures for times meant to be remembered and looked back upon. With the creation of these photographs, I am able to investigate my experience with a man whose role as as my father deteriorated as he was engulfed by his alcoholism and depression.

Samantha Nieto – Catholic Girlhood Narrative - 2018

Growing up, I idolized everything Disney; Mickey Mouse was my god, The Sensational Six were my saints. Disney movies became my homilies and scriptures, they taught me life lessons and helped me imagine that I could be anything I wanted to be. My Lady of Guadalupe, Pocahontas, was my hero as a child and brought strength to me as an adult. She was the only Disney “Princess” I figured I could be due to our similar dark hair and complexion, which I eventually learned to appreciate. Because of her, I knew I was my own heroine princess who didn’t need a prince charming to save the day, I only needed to have faith and believe. My work is interested in the idea and systems of belief as it occurs in my life and in the objects that represent my values and what I believe in. I am expressing my beliefs from the past, and the present. Each piece represents a time in my life, with reference to a foundation of the Mexican catholic faith I grew up with and have transformed from. I am interested in the connection that one has with faith, symbols and objects of value stemming from childhood memories and experiences testing faith. With time, all these elements look different and change meaning as we age.

Brittney Callahan – Paradise Entertainment Feature of the Week: Splint – 2018

Watching television has been part of my daily ritual since childhood. Every time it was turned on, I was able to enter into new worlds that were exotic compared to my house. Each story on the screen filled me with hope, inspired me with passion, and took me to a place where everything, no matter how terrible, seemed to have a purpose, an arc, and an end. These visual narratives birthed the idea of an equational life, one that seemed simple and mathematical. After I realized that life couldn’t be firmly calculated, I decided to invent my own alternative realities of which I could control through photography and video. My primary interest is in self-construction, how identities and personalities are formed, how they manifest and shift, and the characterization of “self”. With my current work, I am utilizing the techniques of cinema and theater to construct a fictitious reality, that emulates the surface of a world that I have long-envied and idolized: Hollywood. The process of performing in my designed space is cathartic because, instead of being a passive spectator to someone else’s constructed narrative, I create my own and actively participate in it.

Gretjen Helene – Susurrus – 2019

I am currently working on a 24 minute linear video titled ‘Susurrus’ that will be exhibited within the interactive installation ‘Lost In Thought.’ ‘Susurrus’ is a collage of moving imagery which I am calling a living collage mindscape. This projected video is central in the installation and will be introduced by 11 paced photographs titled ‘Framed,’ and accompanied by a resin sculpture titled ’60% water’. For the sake of this introduction to my work, I will concentrate on the video ‘Susurrus’ alone. A discussion about the other installation elements would disrupt their intended affects.

JiSun Lee – The planet, LOVE – 2019

Art allows me to express unexplainable emotions and feelings I have never felt before. Meaning by emotions, for example, sadness and happiness have to co-exist to reveal each other’s existence and the value they have.I always had a hard time controlling my emotions. It may be because I’m a sensitive person; I feel my emotions in huge waves. Many incidences happened to me because my inability to express and control my emotions, Love, relationships, avoidance, jealousy, hatred, anger, and happiness, aresometimes hard for me to express this with words. But I am learning from these contradicting emotions like the light and the dark. After creating my art, I have discovered myself in the process of expressing emotion through art. And I learned to control myself. This is the way I protect myself. The only way to express my sensitive emotions that cannot be created in words because there’s no words for them. My language -I speak through my art.

Kristen Matuszak – Confined In My Skin – 2019

When deciding to create my book, “Confined In My Skin,” I was distinctively thinking aboutcinema, and film reels in particular. The viewer experiences my book the way they would acinematic film, I am continuously manipulating the perception of the viewer. They see what theywant to see, then as they flip through the pages, they get a sense of something much darkerand deeper than their original intake of the work.

Molly Meador – RabbitRabbitRabbit – 2019

The main conceptual focus in this work is obsession, but it has become clear that my living definition of this word is different than the normal interpretation. This is not a project about how obsession can affect a person, and it’s not about obsession as a direct, generally temporary mental state in relation to a specific topic. It’s about how it affects me and the resulting compulsions that occur as a way to live with and control these fixations. It’s about how the obsession can be used and dealt with, but it’s not a solution. An obsession, though intense and consuming, can be finite and have a course. There is a difference between an obsession and an obsessive personality. A life defined by obsession cannot sustain itself with any sort of harmony unless an order is established. That necessity is where this project comes from; and to establish an order to something, you must sometimes first tear it apart.

Vanessa Fischer – This Way Through The Darkness – 2019

I still desire to create a space to preserve and experience my past, only now these memories live outside of my mind in my art. This Way Through the Darkness stems from the Memory Box I created as an adolescent while mourning the loss of my mother. Looking at household surfaces has been my way of connecting to the memory of my mom, because these were the surfaces she touched every day, the same surfaces I have in my life today

Will Harris – Evelyn Beckett – 2019

In this work I confront the complexities of my Nana, Evelyn Beckett’s dementia, by fabricating the pieces that have gone missing.  Within my Nana's mind, history and fiction collide, creating something strangely new, haunting and at times painfully beautiful.  Ten years ago was now ten minutes ago.  There were no seasons; the clocks stood still. My grandmother was both lost and reborn. Fragments of the person I used to know would come to me now and then, but she was no longer my Nana and there was no one to hold our familial history together.

Byron Hocker  – Red Sky Morning – 2020

I have found ways to escape the daunting task of everyday life. I can use photography to play. I am able to convert the seriousness of life to my own comedic circus. Roland Barth in Camera Lucida said it more eloquently than I when he wrote, “What pricks me is the discovery of this equivalence. In front of the photograph of my mother as a child, I tell myself: She is going to die, I shudder...over a catastrophe which has already occurred. Whether or not the subject is already dead, every photograph is a catastrophe.” Because of this truth, I must play and create because it is all too serious. I can also transform these people, my family, into anyone I want when I am in control of the photograph.  

Ge Wang   – A Reluctant Citizen – 2020

Photography has been a narrative tool for my family. I did not have much of my own voice in the family narrative because my parents were the photographers. I picked up photography soon after I left China and started to live alone in the US. I became the executor behind the camera, recording my very own story. Even still, I still lose my sense of time here very often. The memories I have formed in America have never managed to dig themselves a deep hole in my mind.

Lys Ciani  – Field Notes – 2020

I practice camera-less photography  and  assume  the  rights  to  these  elemental  processes in hopes of gaining a more grounded and intrinsic understanding of the landscapes I observe, interpret, and create.  I’ve adopted this type of field work as a personal collection of visual-mappings of uninhabited environments.  Field notes are composed of two components: descriptive information and the observer’s reflection about the study that is being conducted. Each print carries light, minerals, and contaminants of the water; literal recordings of the environment they took form in. Untidy records recalling weather conditions, time of day, and where on the bend they were made. They coalesce to form a portrait, a trace of the shifting identity of a riverbed.

Matt Klos  – Field Notes – 2020

In the last four years I have been acclimating, building, and modifying my life. Creating a new normal and reestablishing what it means to be me both physically and psychologically. Paralysis is the metaphorical-well of inspiration I draw upon to create my images, sculptures and studio working environment. I utilize my paralysis as both coping mechanism and visual source, documenting and interpreting my body’s devastation within the fine lines of reality and fabrication.

Anna Clem  – To the Garden and Back – 2021

To the Garden and Backconsists of four distinct series—The Perennial Garden, Floating Petals, Tucked into the Garden Bed, and Visitor—and a video piece called In Her Garden, through which I have examined from all sides my longing for the impossible return to innocence, obsession with preservation, and my present-day “gardens.”

Faith Ninivaggi  – Present History – 2021

I’ve stared into the eyes of murderers and abusers. I’ve studied and documented the masterful kinesics of great athletes, influential politicians, and infamous public figures. Through my lens, I’ve captured victories and tragedies. I’ve documented the literal forces of nature. I’ve talked to thousands of strangers, tapping on shoulders, stopping people in the streets, and knocking on doors...all for the chance to tell their story through photographs.

Fangwei Xu  – The Sun – 2021

The Sun is a series of works that touch on ideology and its relationship to social context, gaze, and subconsciousness, represented by various media. Ideology for me is nothing but a framework, and it requires the context of media to deliver the meaning. Humans have countless ways to explain an idea, like in China, there are multiple words to define snow, or rain, and each method of expression, each medium corresponds to a different kind of cultural interpretation: superficial or cognitive, conscious or unconscious, temporary or permanent, literal or connotative.

John Nanian  –Chepiwanoxet  – 2021

This thesis will explore the idea of place by trying to un-derstand what a small spit of land in Narragansett Bay called Chepi-wanoxet was before colonial ownership. After visiting the area countless times with and without a camera, I am, in collab-oration with the island and the sea around it, attempting to make drawings and light-markings, using organic and light-sensitive materials, and imperfection to show its essence and its meaning to me.

Wenshuai Shi (Ace)  – Isolation – 2021

I have made a series of photographic and video works using "isolation" as the theme. From my initial project “HOME,” completed in Shanghai in 2018 and 2019, to my recent project, “My Fear Journal,” made in Boston this past year. This past year, my intention was to illustrate to the viewer not the state of my loneliness, but the process of my thinking, reflecting on isolation.

Zachary Hayes  – Seeing is Believing, Looking is Loving – 2021

In Seeing is Believing, Looking is Loving, I shall discuss the internal complexities of being able to relate and empathize with others and how photography acts as a vehicle for me to be able to do these things. Here you will be introduced to I (Want To) Love You, a body of images that I have pulled from my personal catalogs of people that I choose to commit myself to.

Abigail Egan   – In This Home  – 2022

My thesis, titled In This Home, is about documenting experiences with my family that are reshaped by the passage of time and the evolution of technology, while navigating my conflicting ethical responsibilities to my art and to my family amidst a world of digital obsession. Sharing my art with a wider audience for the first time, this body of work investigates the layers of emotion within the family home, exploring the intricacies of loving one’s family unconditionally.

Ariana Sanchez   – From Here to There – 2022

My move to New England was a complete 180 from what I had known in Florida. Once settled, I explored my new neighborhood and started photographing its characteristics, searching for ways I could connect both as a person and a photographer. There were days that I wished I could go back to Florida and experience that environment once more. Here in Cambridge I once again felt like an outsider, wondering if this was just another temporary place for me. I still don’t know. My images simultaneously represent my comfort and discomfort to where I am; to where I hope to belong. My desire for “home” is strong. It’s difficult to put down roots in shifting soil.

Jill Bemis  – Homing Instinct – 2022

Homing Instinct is an exploration of walking and the physicality of film photography as it mirrors a poetic and visceral connection to the land.  An ephemerality lingers within the work–a longing to experience and hold on as larger forces cause land and home to change forms.  The work holds space for lightness but also defies it through an ominous representation of the cycles of loss within nature.  I am especially drawn to the birds that live between land and sky, between rooted experience and unmoored wonder. I have a yearning to understand what it is like to be a bird, and a simultaneous acceptance of knowing that I never will.  There is both a separation and a closeness between us.  I do not pretend to understand why, but the observed experience of a bird feels wildly linked to my own returning to the marsh.

Monica Philbin   – Otherworld  – 2022

I began this thesis as a journey to find myself and to piece together evidence of the spirit world in my photographs to show my mom. I soon realized that it would probably be impossible to make a photograph of an actual ghost and subsequently turned my focus up on the mysteries found in my secular and manageable world. Photography has become my way to express myself and to communicate with the world. 

Natasha Major   – The Outpouring  – 2022

The Outpouring is the title of this document that moves between memoir and musing, examining how I came to understand photography as a mediator between inner and outer life as well as how my process has developed and deepened over the last two years. Two artist books are connected to the written document: For an Anxious Mind (2021) and The Light Here and Elsewhere (2022), each is a vessel for communicating a particular feeling or an experience. The Outpouring discusses the organizing principles of each work, what led to their conception and the artists who have helped me locate my work in a larger context.

Quentin Gong   – One, And Two Stories  – 2022

Dramatizing what I have experienced allows me to turn my ordinary experience into a more interesting story. In this way I use my own personal life as a basis for my films. Snap Out of It and Mary were two short films I made in 2021 and 2022. These films are about ordinary people’s stories, and they are both created based on my personal life experience. We are all born ordinary, but we all have the potential to experience extraordinary lives.

Tiziana Meneghel-Rozzo   – The Power of Camera-less Photography to Communicate a Haptic Experience   – 2022

Through my projects, I am searching for a way to visually communicate a moment experienced in time through what it brings to light: a face, a tear, the physical act of leaving an impression or sharing an emotional gesture. I use photography as a way to connect and communicate a lived experience and to visualize bodily intimacies. In my images I like to wonder, imagine, and question what I am looking at — what I know and do not know. It is within the dark realities of a chaotic world that I, as an artist, feel compelled to respond with marks that carry meaning within them. In the two projects that follow, Haptic a nd Tears, I use a 20th-century photographic technique to focus on touch and contact, to convey meaning at the level of physical operation.

Travis Flack   – Lifelong Obsession With Oblivion   – 2022

As of right now, photography has been in my life for more than half the years I have lived on this planet. It has moved with me, and sometimes in spite of me, marking creative growth, existential frustration along with the very specific idiosyncrasies that I now realize are the traits that define me as an artist. In conjunction with this medium that I have chosen as a method of explanation and expression is this other entity, a need for extremes of varying intensities that I have come to realize is the driving force behind a lot of the subjects I choose.  These intense experiences  have broken down my existence in complex ways, making me feel like someone who is in a constant state of  repair or rebuilding. Lifelong Obsession With Oblivion started out as the calculated detonation of my life in order to review it. From this exploded view the work mutated,  from the very literal physical form to the figurative forensic symbolic investigation. Lifelong Obsession With Oblivion is a photographic survey about surrendering, about giving into something that completely consumes you to the point of complete, wonderful, beautiful deconstruction.

  • Last Updated: Aug 23, 2024 12:40 PM
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30 Interesting Photography Dissertation Topics And Ideas

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by  Antony W

June 28, 2024

photography dissertation topics

The photography landscape has been on an upward improvement for as long as it has been in existence. And the advancements have become so sophisticated that it invites an opportunity to explore existing concepts and add more knowledge to the field.

In this post, we give you 10+ photography dissertation topics ideas to help you kick-start your research in this area of media studies.

Photography, a branch of fine arts in the media niche, remains one of the most admired areas of studies in the technology segment. It started as a form of paintings in the ancient world.  Then it evolved, further developing into an emerging field and an art that many people have adopted as a profession.

Given how wide photography is, it’s highly unlikely that you won’t find a topic to cover. This guide includes some ideas to get you started.

Photography Dissertation Topics

In the following section, we’ll look at some of the best photography dissertation topics that you can start working on right away:

Ethical and Cultural Issues on Societal Photography 

Since its inception, photography has sparked several disputes about its ethical use and misuse in society. Still, pictures have contributed in the construction and transmission of cultural identity and history. A fascinating study topic would be the current ethical, cultural, and sociological attitudes on photography.

Here are some topics to consider:

  • The Ethical Perspective of Visual Photography in the Digital Age and Mass Surveillance
  • Digital Image Integrity: Current Image Manipulation Principles and Practices in Document Photography
  • Examining the connections between pictures, objects, and general photographic representations in cultural and social settings
  • An Examination of Visual Ethnography and Photographic Cultural Representation
  • Examining contemporary challenges in cultural photography with compassion, ethics, and the media
  • Image ethics: The ethical rights of subjects in photographs, films, and television shows
  • Professional photography and privacy: Are a professional photographer’s personal ethics sufficient?

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Covid-19 Photography Dissertation Topics

The current Covid-19 outbreak has developed into one of the most serious pandemics in modern history , with substantial economic, sociological, and political consequences. As a result, this would be a fascinating subject of study, having a diverse range of things to explore. The following are a few of these topics:

  • How are renowned photojournalists throughout the world recording the societal effects of Covid-19?
  • Photojournalism: What are the ethical ramifications of reporting on Covid-19’s impact?
  • What are photojournalists’ tasks and obligations during the present pandemic?
  • A look back at photojournalists’ approach to news reporting during the Covid-19 epidemic

Digital Photography Dissertation Topics

Many of us heard about digital photography in the 2000s, but the technology has been around since 1990s. Nowadays, specialists in the tech space use compute-mediated approach to digital photography.

People no longer capture moments the way they did in the olden days. Photography tech has so improved that silicon chips and old photography methods are obsolete. And given that photography has adopted the use of information technology, we now have more methods of taking photographs than it was in the olden days.

If you’re in the media class and you’re interested in the photography subject, you might find the following dissertation topics for digital photography helpful.

  • How has the place of photography in society changed because of digitalization?
  • The development of digital photography and its implications for photography techniques
  • A look at modern snapshot photography technology, cultural approaches, and social activities
  • How has the landscape of news reporting and journalism been impacted by visual reporting?
  • An examination of Visual Storytelling in the Post-Industrialist Journalism Era

Photography Evolution Dissertation Topics

Since its inception in 1839, the discipline of photography has progressed significantly, with substantial technological and theoretical advancements to the standards of photography. As a result, this is an intriguing study area since it allows you to look into the origins of a certain idea or procedure, as well as any historical ramifications.

  • How has photography influenced the development of social media websites and communication systems?
  • The Interrelationship between Photography and Hyper-realistic Art: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice
  • How have news reporting and the documentation of key social events changed because of the employment of contemporary photography trends?
  • The evolution of photography: How has the evolution of photography influenced law and culture?

Dissertation Topics in Communications and Photojournalism 

Photojournalism is the practice of documenting events using still or moving photos. Photojournalism has evolved in lockstep with technology advancements, and photojournalists have embraced increasingly sophisticated techniques to document events.

Photojournalists continue to seek for opportunities to see momentous events and communicate the evidence of those occurrences, which is a fundamental value of the profession. Photojournalism also focuses on bringing attention to critical social issues and fosters public debate.

As a result, if you’re interested in journalism and photography, this may be an interesting area to research.

Here’s a list of some of the most interesting topics that might be worth exploring: 

  • The influence, importance, and position of mobile technology on photojournalism
  • Photojournalism’s challenges: realism, the nature of news, and the charitable narrative
  • What influence has the present era of social media websites and network media had on photojournalism?
  • Investigating the link between photojournalism’s professional principles and the process of digital picture processing
  • Rethinking Photojournalism: Examining photojournalists’ work habits and professionalism in the digital age

Dissertation Topic Ideas on Photography and Global Politics

Given the contemporary visual and digital era, it’s clear that pictures influence global events and society’s perceptions.

Also, as diverse occurrences are perceived, variables such as television programs and images have an influence on global politics. With the usage of digital media throughout the political spectrum, from extremist recruitment operations to social justice movements, visual politics has become the standard in the modern world.

Here are some topic ideas to explore in this area:

  • What influence do photographs and photographic depictions of political events have on global politics?
  • An investigation of the political landscape’s rhetoric and subjectivity of images
  • Photography and Politics: The influence of photography on politics
  • How do pictures and visual artifacts serve political purposes?
  • A discourse study of how photography may be used in the United Kingdom to help political propaganda.

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Photography Dissertation Topics

Photography Dissertation Topics

Given photography’s critical status as an art form, it’s unsurprising that many students of Arts and Culture elect to write a photography dissertation. Photography’s technological innovation, combined with its numerous sociocultural implications, has inspired numerous students to write dissertations on the subject. However, how should you choose a dissertation topic for photography? The following sub-sections discuss recent photography trends and innovations, with an emphasis on technological advancements, ethical concerns, and the evolution of photography trends.

Editingarsenal  has compiled a list of some of the most popular and common dissertation topics from a variety of academic disciplines, so you can pick and choose what to write about. If you need  dissertation editing assistance  , don’t hesitate to contact one of our qualified and experienced editors and proofreaders.

Evolution of Photography Topics

  • The history of photography, from the camera obscura to the era of photographic illusions to the modern era of digital cameras.
  • The photographic impact on historical events, most notably the American Civil War.
  • How has photography evolved in relation to law and culture?
  • An examination of the realism of landscape photography.
  • How have contemporary photographic trends influenced news reporting and documentation of significant social events?
  • What impact has photography had on the development of social media platforms and communication systems?
  • Bridging the Research-Practice Divide: The Relationship of Photography to Hyper-Realistic Art.

Photography and Global Politics

  • A discourse analysis of how photography can be used to support political propaganda in the United Kingdom.
  • What effect do photographs and images of political events have on global politics?
  • A critical examination of the discourse and subjectivity that surround photographs in contemporary politics.
  • What purposes do images and visual artefacts serve in terms of politics?
  • Photographic and Political Influence: The Photographer’s Impact on the Political World.

Digital Photography Topics

  • What effect has digitalisation had on photography’s social standing?
  • The transition from film to digital photography and its impact on traditional photographic methods.
  • A look at contemporary technologies, cultural practises, and social practises relating to snapshot photography.
  • How has visual journalism impacted the news and journalism landscape?
  • Visual Storytelling in the Post-Industrial Journalism Era is examined.

Covid 19 and Photojournalism

  •  How are photojournalists documenting the effects of Covid-19 in various societies?
  • The ethical dilemmas inherent in reporting on Covid-19’s adverse effects.
  • What roles and responsibilities do photojournalists have in response to the current global pandemic?
  • A study that examined photojournalists’ coverage of news stories during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photojournalism Topics

  • The Impact of Mobile Technology on the Importance and Function of Photojournalism in Society
  • The Photographer’s Journalist’s Difficulties: The nature of news, realism, and the philanthropic narrative
  • How has photojournalism been impacted by the current era of social media and network media?
  • Is Digitalisation to Blame for Photojournalism’s Demise?
  • Investigating the relationship between the professional values of photojournalism and the processes of digital photo editing and online news video production.
  • Reconsidering Photojournalism: Examining photojournalists’ ever-changing work routines

Photography From Ethical, Cultural and Social Perspectives

  • The ethical implications of visual photography in the digital era and in the context of mass surveillance.
  • Modern image manipulation principles and practises in document photography and photojournalism protect the integrity of digital images.
  • A study of visual photography, with an emphasis on the relationships between objects, people, and photographs.
  • A comprehensive examination of the various facets of Visual Ethnography and Cultural Representation in photography.
  • Cultural photographs address a variety of contemporary issues, such as compassion, integrity, and the media.
  • Ethics of the image: Subjects in photographs, films, and television have certain ethical protections.
  • Is it real or is it a mirage? Ethical and societal perspectives significantly influence how media imagery is used in the digital era.
  • Professionalism and discretion in photography To what extent do a professional photographer’s personal values conform to societal ethical standards?

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Photography Dissertation Topics

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We have provided a selection of example photography dissertation topics below to help and inspire you.

Photojournalism

An interesting subject to look into if you are interested in journalism photography. The following are just a few topic suggestions in this area to get you started.

Example photojournalism dissertation topic 1:

The impact of photojournalism on charitable giving: An investigation into the sponsorship levels received by runners who run for the Wessex Autistic Society Run

Seeking to further the hypothesis that ‘all publicity is good publicity’, this dissertation evaluates the differing levels of sponsorship achieved by five runners who have participated in the Wessex Autistic Society Run in each of the last five years. Conscious of issues of confidentiality, it notes how some runners have been able to double their sponsorship levels and that this rise in sponsorship has been concurrent to their use of photojournalism to chart their training and preparations for the race. Noting their experiences and evaluating sponsors and other competitors reactions to the runners use of this new media, this dissertation seeks to formulate a guide to enhancing sponsorship levels for future runners (and other organisations) arguing that effective use of photojournalism should be an essential weapon in the fundraising arsenal of all charitable bodies.

Suggested initial topic reading:

  • Cookman, C. (2009). American photojournalism: Motivations and meanings. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
  • Paech, M. (2004). A photograph is worth more than a thousand words. Master’s dissertation, University of London.
  • Taylor, J. (2000). Problems in photojournalism: Realism, the nature of news and the humanitarian narrative. Journalism Studies, 1(1), pp. 129-143.

Origins and History

If you would like to write about the history of photography, including its origin and pivotal moments in time, then a subject based on the history of photography may be the way to go!

Example origin and history dissertation topic 1:

The closure of Jessops and similar such stores: An evaluation of its effect upon older amateur photography enthusiasts with specific reference to those resident in Bangor

Formerly the country’s largest photographic supply retailer, the closure of Jessops has an unprecedented effect on the lives of amateur photographers throughout the UK. Focusing on that generation of photographs who both prefer not to use the internet and additionally prefer non-digital cameras, this dissertation provides a qualitative analysis of what the closure of Jessops has meant to them. Deprived of a specialist retailer upon the high-street this is a dissertation that charts not only the concerns and fears of amateur photographers but also questions what the longer term effect of the closure may be upon those, at the other end of the generational scale, who are just, in their early teens, developing a passion for amateur photography.

  • Buse, P. (2010). Polaroid into digital: Technology, cultural form, and the social practices of snapshot photography. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 24(2), pp. 215-230.
  • Cox, A. M. (2013). Information in social practice: A practice approach to understanding information activities in personal photography. Journal of Information Science, 39(1), pp. 61-72.
  • Wald, H. S., Norman, D. R. and Walker, J. (2010). Reflection through the arts: Focus on photography to foster reflection in a health care context. Reflective Practice, 11(4), pp. 545-563.

Example origin and history dissertation topic 2:

Charitable nude photography shoots: Changing opinions since the publication of ‘that’ Women’s Institute calendar

Where once the preserve of the garage mechanic and Pirelli, the nude female calendar has, since the publication of the Rylstone Alternative Women’s Institute calendar in 2000 and its immortalisation thereafter in the film Calendar Girls (2003), has seemingly changed public perceptions within the middle classes with regards to the acceptability of nudity in calendars – provided that it is ‘all in a good cause’. Since that date, the ladies of Oxford University’s colleges have similarly disrobed in support of the TravelAid cause; whilst in 2013, the ‘Gamebirds’ calendar and the Tynedale Hunt calendar depicted naked women in various country sports and hunting scenes to raise funds for the Midland and Great North Air Ambulance organisations respectively. Using both secondary sources and primary interviews with those who have been the subjects in the above mentioned calendars, this is a photography dissertation that addresses a range of issues and would also be suited to someone who wishes to further a career within the fundraising arms of the voluntary sector.

  • Floyd, C.C. (2005). Addressing nudity. Master’s dissertation, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia.
  • Renshaw, S. (2004). Naked breasts: Reading the Breast of Canada calendars. Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture & Social Justice, 29(1), pp. 93-98.
  • Turton-Turner, P. (2007). The role of ridicule in naked charity calendars. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 21(3), pp. 419-432.

Example origin and history dissertation topic 3:

The symbolic allure of the smoking cigarette: The decline of a photographic style icon, 1950 – 2012

Where once film stars and celebrities exuded sex appeal through the smoking of a judiciously placed cigarette betwixt parted lips, such imagery is now but a distant memory within mainstream fashion and art photography. Recalling classic images from the 1950s and 1960s this dissertation charts the decline of the cigarette as a photographic prop as well as the noting how societal attitudes to celebrities caught smoking by the paparazzi have changed. Combining photography, art history and social commentary this is a broad based dissertation that could, if the researcher wished, be focused on a specific country or genre of celebrity and/or film.

  • Distefan, J.M., Pierce, J.P. and Gilpin, E.A. (2004). Do favorite movie stars influence adolescent smoking initiation? American Journal of Public Health, vol. 94(7), pp. 1239-1244.
  • Gibson, B. and Maurer, J. (2000). Cigarette smoking in the movies: The influence of product placement on attitudes toward smoking and smokers. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30(7), 1457-1473.
  • Hope, C. (2013). ”Politically correct’ BBC ignoring Harold Wilson’s pipe in five hour tribute, says Lord Donoughue’. The Daily Telegraph, 12th February 2013.

Example origin and history dissertation topic 4:

The rejuvenation of a retro classic: The Polaroid Instamatic camera

Saved from obscurity through going bankrupt, the return of the Polaroid instant camera in recent years has seen the re-emergence of a cultural and photographic retro classic. Commenting not only on design but also the quality of the pictures produced as well as the elation felt by users at the ‘instant’ nature of prints, this dissertation charts the rise, decline and rebirth of this unique photography camera. This is a dissertation that would benefit from primary research being conducted in the form of interviews with Polaroid enthusiasts (young and old) as well as a thorough reviewing of existing secondary literature on the merits of the camera and its brand association.

  • Bonanos, C. (2012). Instant: The story of Polaroid. Princeton: Princeton Architectural Press.
  • Earls, A. R., Rohani, N. and Cosindas, M. (2005). Polaroid. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing.
  • Sarvas, R. and Frohlich, D.M. (2011). From snapshots to social media: The changing picture of domestic photography. London: Springer.

Photography Ethics

Ethics surrounding photography can be a particularly good route to take! Whether you choose to focus on celebrity photography, photography editing or the use of the photographs taken, you could find something you love to research within this subject!

Example photography ethics dissertation topic 1:

100% natural: A rejoinder as to the case not to ‘touch up’ celebrity glossy covers

Conscious of the negative effects that the ‘perfect, touched-up’ shot of celebrities may have upon adolescent teenage girls’ perceptions of body types, this dissertation queries whether the photography industry has a ‘duty of care’ to such vulnerable young adults. Using an array of case studies into eating disorders and self-harm (where there has been a causal link to body image), this dissertation also interviews professional photographs, beauty experts and models working within the industry. Combining primary and secondary data with an acknowledgement of wider societal concerns this is a cutting edge dissertation that has the potential, through the findings its presents, to impact upon legislating governing aspects of the photography and wider fashion industries.

  • Cortese, A. J. P. (2004). Provocateur: Images of women and minorities in advertising. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Emmison, M. and Smith, P. (2000). Researching the visual: Images, objects, contexts and interactions in social and cultural inquiry. London: SAGE.
  • Ruggerone, L. (2006). The simulated (fictitious) body: The production of women’s images in fashion photography. Poetics, 34(6), pp. 354-369.

Example photography ethics dissertation topic 2:

Privacy and the professional photographer: Are personal ethics sufficient?

Taking issue with the prevailing political and social climate that seems to suggest that greater regulation of the industry is needed so as to protect the privacy of persons such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, this dissertation seeks to rebalance the debate. Arguing that those who choose to be in the public sphere openly use photographers to further both their careers and their wider publicity profiles (as noted with regard to the 2013 performance of Beyoncé at the Super Bowl and the request to remove unflattering images by her agent), this study argues that such celebrities have, through their own actions, resigned their right to claim ‘abuse of privacy’ when a photo is published that they do not like. Accordingly, this dissertation argues that the decision as to whether or not to take a photograph and to thereafter seek its publication should rest on the individual ethics of the individual photographer rather than their needing to be a mandated and legislated code of ethics placed upon the workings of the profession.

  • Keith, S., Schwalbe, C.B. and Silcock, B.W. (2006). Images in ethics codes in an era of violence and tragedy. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 21(4), pp. 245-264.
  • Schwartz, D. (2003). Professional oversight: Policing the credibility of photojournalism. In, Gross, L. Katz, J.S. and Ruby, J. (eds), Image ethics in the digital age. Minneapolis/St Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Press, pp. 27-51.
  • Wheeler, T. H. (2002). Phototruth or photofiction?: Ethics and media imagery in the digital age. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Example photography ethics dissertation topic 3:

Protecting the vulnerable against photographic exploitation: Changing social mores over a thirty year period

In an interview carried out in early 2013, Kate Moss spoke of her having been exploited in her early career. Early pictures of the glamour model Sam Fox (she started her career as a Page Three girl in the Sun when aged 16), would now be deemed child pornography. This is a photography dissertation that seeks to understand the seemingly confusing and sometimes almost contradictory regulations governing photography with regard to erotica, the need for child models (by, for instance, Marks &Spencer), changing age restrictions upon nude modelling, the ability of parents to photograph their children without fear of prosecution, and the difference between choreographed legitimate shots and seemingly identical (but illegal) provocative posing.

  • Gross, L. (ed.) (1988). Image ethics: The moral rights of subjects in photographs, film and television. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Tester. K. (2001). Compassion, morality and the media: Issues in cultural media studies. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
  • Westerbeck, C. and Meyerowitz, J. (1994). Bystander: The history of street photography. London: Little, Brown.

Specialised Photography

If you have an interest for a more specialised area, then maybe writing about a more niche topic would be best. Whether you like taking photographs of trains, landscapes, architecture or crime scenes, specialised photography may be the best way to get your creative juices flowing!

Example specialised photography dissertation topic 1:

Capturing the ethereal beauty of landscape: A discussion of the merits of black and white photography over colour

Building upon the recent trends within amateur photography that have seen a renaissance for the use of sepia and black and white exposure, this dissertation presents an annotated portfolio of shots and opinions relating to the Cotswolds. Interviewing seasoned landscape photographs as well as the photograph-buying public (as measured at the food and craft fairs held within Stroud, Gloucestershire, over a four month period); this is a dissertation that provides an insight into current trends within photography as well as personal opinions. Using face to face interviews, it is envisaged that this dissertation will use both primary and secondary data in addition to presenting a portfolio of original landscape compositions.

  • Berdan, R. (2004). Composition and the elements of visual design. Canadian Nature Photographer. Torino: Cultor College.
  • Hedgecoe, J. (2005). Complete guide to black and white photography. London: Collins & Brown.
  • Hoffmann, T. A. (2012). The art of black and white photography: Techniques for creating superb images in a digital workflow. Santa Barbara, CA: Rocky Nook.

Example specialised photography dissertation topic 2:

The enduring appeal of railway photography: An analysis of steam train photography and passenger experiences upon the Weardale Heritage railway 2010 – 2012

Situated less than ten miles from the National Railway Museum depot at Shildon, Co. Durham, the Weardale Heritage railway that runs from Bishop Auckland to Stanhope is one of the country’s newest heritage railways ventures. Noting the appeal that steam locomotives hold for photographers who have a penchant for photographing trains, this dissertation evaluates the experiences of 20 keen amateur photographers who have charted the development of this heritage railway over the period 2010 – 2012. Mindful of the difficulties that weather can hold for such enthusiasts, when it comes to light, and lens exposure, this dissertation proffers a range of suggestions by which heritage railways could improve the life of the train photographer – from designated ‘photo hides’ upon routes, to the installation of variable outside lighting controls at key stations.

  • Garrod, B. (2007). A snapshot into the past: The utility of volunteer-employed photography in planning and managing heritage tourism. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 2(1), pp. 14-35.
  • Marien, M.W. (2006). Photography: A cultural history. London: Laurence King.
  • Solomon, B. and Gruber, J. E. (2003). Railway photography. Iola, WI: Krause.

Example specialised photography dissertation topic 3:

War photography: A record of the British military presence in Afghanistan, 2001-2012

There is a long-standing tradition of artistic criticism of American war photography, but relatively little has been written about the British tradition of battlefield photography. The Annual British Army Photographic Exhibition provides a glimpse of war as soldiers see it; this dissertation explores the photographs presented in this exhibition over the period of British involvement in military action in Afghanistan, and considers the differences between the battlefield photographs taken by soldiers, and those taken by journalists and other, non-military, photographers. Additionally, the thesis examines how British war photography resembles that by American soldiers, and speculates on the reasons for such variation.

  • Andén-Papadopoulos, K. (2009). ‘Body horror on the internet: US soldiers recording the war in Iraq and Afghanistan’, Media, Culture & Society, Vol. 31(6), pp. 921-938.
  • Taylor, J. (1991). War photography: Realism in the British press. London: Routledge.
  • Zelizer, B. (2004). ‘When war is reduced to a photograph’. In Allan, S. and Zelizer, B. (eds), Reporting War: Journalism in Wartime. London: Routledge, pp. 115-135.

For further guidance on dissertation topics see our guide on  how to choose a dissertation topic .

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  • Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures
Title: Aperture and Exposure: The Photography of Literature
Authors: 
Advisors: 
Contributors: Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures Department
Keywords: 




Subjects: 
Issue Date: 2015
Publisher: Princeton, NJ : Princeton University
Abstract: This dissertation considers the interplay between literature and photography as point of departure to articulate and reflect on issues such as memory, the archive, and the fantastic, as well as the limits of verbal (and visual) communication as representational modes. Comprised of three case studies, representative works by Julio Cortázar, Antonio Muñoz Molina and Javier Marias, this dissertation seeks to discern the specificities of photography as a motor for fiction, while it examines the ways in which photographs, either as a metaphor, as a reference or as images included in the texts, impact writing at the level of language. The first case study, "The Contingent Camera: Cortázar's on the limits of language and the ethics of seeing", focus on Cortázar's writing on photography and short stories, and inquires on the paradoxical relationship between photography's analogical nature and the fantastic. It argues that the interplay between literature and photography allows Cortázar to explore how literary writing can mirror the fast pace imposed by technological developments in the realm of communications, and poses questions on the possible consequences (ethical and political) of the use of technology and writing. "Opening Pandora's box: Antonio Muñoz Molina's photographic archive", the second case study, analyzes how photographic archives in Muñoz Molina's novels trigger a never-ending narration where private and collective memories intertwine with the work of fiction. The irruption of fiction enabled by the photographs ultimately leads to a revaluation of the concept of memory and its relation to history, where the past -understood as a ghostly presence- continues to interfere in the unfinished archival project of the present. Finally, "The portrait of Literature: Javier Marias and The Realm of Redonda" examines Javier Marías' uses of photography as a vestige of nonfictional aspects, in order to question the limits of fictional and nonfictional representations of historical references, events and characters, and as a introduction to a reflection on the self and time.
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Thesis Eleven Seven theses on photography

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Thesis Eleven

Christopher Pinney

Benjamin and Barthes provide the starting point for a series of inter-connected propositions which seek to return the theorization of photography to the primacy of the pro-filmic. The index is reclaimed as a trace of the photographic event, capable only of delivering what Barthes termed the corps. The resulting contingency and exorbitance are the basis of photography’s prophetic and ‘troubling’ potential which free us from viewing photography as simply a screen for the social. The argument is advanced largely using material from India and a case is made for a new conception of ‘world system photography’ which folds ‘belated’ histories into the ‘global’.

photography dissertation

European Journal of Cultural Studies

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Rosalind Morris

Benjamin, Barthes and the Singularity of Photography

Timothy Mathews

Benjamin, Barthes and the Singularity of Photography presents two of the most important intellectual figures of the twentieth century in a new comparative light. Pursuing hitherto unexplored aspects of Benjamin&#39;s and Barthes&#39;s engagement with photography, it provides new interpretations of familiar texts and analyzes material which has only recently become available. It argues that despite the different historical, philosophical and cultural contexts of their work, Benjamin and Barthes engage with similar issues and problems that photography uniquely poses, including the relationship between the photograph and its beholder as a confrontation between self and other, and the dynamic relation between time, subjectivity, memory and loss. Each writer emphasizes the singular event of the photograph&#39;s apprehension and its ethical and existential aspects rooted in the power and poignancy of photographic images. Mapping the complex relationship between photographic history and th...

Atreyee Gupta

Forma. Revista d'estudis comparatius. Art, literatura, pensament

Based on postcolonial theory and the deconstruction of the orientalist discourse, this article sets the problem of the representation of the ‘Other’ in photographic practice. A new form of orientalism seems to be guiding a large part of the cultural production today, where East is represented as polarized between darkness and light. By taking the example of representation of India, and analyzing the work of some contemporary documentary photographers who have worked on this country, the author tries to uncover the implications of this new discourse and finally advocates for an unorthodox use of the medium.

Michael S Roth

The Renaissance of Roland Barthes special issue - The Conversant

russell stephens

In November of 1977, a French translation of Walter Benjamin’s, Little History of Photography was included in a special issue of the prominent Parisian magazine, Nouvel Observateur. Re-titled Les analphabetes de l’avenir, the essay was only the second translation of Benjamin’s Kleine Geschichte der Photographie to appear in French, with the original 1931 German version having been published in the Berlin periodical Die literarische Welt during the last years of the Weimar Republic. In the late spring of 1979, roughly a year and a half after the appearance of Benjamin’s essay in Nouvel Observateur, Roland Barthes completed a manuscript subsequently entitled La chambre claire: Note sur la photographie, which delineated his own critical approach to the medium of photography. An English translation of Barthes’ text was subsequently published in 1981 under the title Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. When comparing Camera Lucida with this 1977 special issue, one is immediately struck by the fact that Barthes’s short book, which itself contains only twenty-five images, took six of its photographs directly from the pages of Nouvel Observateur. Recent scholarship has highlighted a number of other correspondences between the two works. However, these observations aside, there has been little attempt in the literature to follow the development, alteration, or continuity of Benjamin’s ideas within Barthes’ analysis of photography. Accordingly, this essay examines the ways in which aspects of Benjamin’s critical approach to the medium have influenced and shaped Barthes’ text.

History Compass

Ranu Roychoudhuri

Despite its long and layered histories, critical analyses of photography in India began rather late and remain comparatively limited in number. However, the burgeoining scholarship in the field illuminates photography's role in conditioning modern South Asian experiences, while also highlighting the global character of the medium that complicate the unmarked history of photography. Three intertwined historiographical threads are influential in narrating the colonial Indian camera cultures. The first thread emphasized descriptive histories, the second thread debated cultural essentialism, while the third thread inquired into myriad photographic genres to rethink colonialism. An inquiry into these three threads helps reflect on the intellectual scope of photographs from colonial India, while also directing to future archival and analytical possibilities.

Andy Fisher

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Photography Dissertation Topics

100 brilliant photography dissertation topics that you would secure you the best grade.

Photography is an art that most people take as a hobby. It is something that they consider a serious pastime while travelling. But for students undertaking courses in photography at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, it is more than a pastime. They have to make them acquainted with various terminologies, specifications and technological advancements. They have to stray updated with the most recent trends and innovations in photography, particularly concerning technological developments, ethics, and the evolution of photography trends. If you’re looking to draft and prepare a photography dissertation, the first thing you need to do is find a relevant topic. If you’re running out or short of ideas, here is the list of outstanding  Photography Dissertation Topics   from the professionals.

Photography dissertation topics involving current trends and technologies

  • Has digitalisation altered the concept and position of photography? Delving deeper into the matter
  • Is digitalisation having adverse effects on photojournalism?
  • The development of Digital Photography and its effect on photography methods.
  • An appraisal of the modern technologies, cultural methods, and the social practices of portrait photography.
  • How has photography changed the setting of news reporting and journalism?
  • An investigation of visual coverage during the current age of post-industrialist broadcasting
  • The advent of the digital age and its effect on mass surveillance: The cultural viewpoint of optical photography.
  • The Integrity of digital photography and image creation: Reflection on the modern values and philosophies of image manipulation in creating documentaries and photojournalism.
  • Research on visual photography, specifically the association between images, objects, and general photographic representations in the ethnic and societal background.
  • An analysis of pictorial ethnography and ethnic picture in photography.
  • An investigation into the present issues in cultural photography.
  • Image ethics: The ethical privileges of the images in pictures, movies, and television.
  • Truth or Fiction? The influence of ethical and societal insights on television images during the digital era.
  • Professional photography and privacy: Are the personal ethics of a professional photographer adequate?
  • The fruition and development of photography over the years
  • War photography: Taking a look at the coverage and reporting of British military presence in Afghanistan.
  • A comprehensive guide to black and white photography
  • Capturing the heavenly splendour of landscape: A debate on the benefits of black and white camerawork over colour
  • Shooting at a local event such as wedding, celebrations and much more: An analysis
  • War photography: Exploring the intricacies and challenges involved in the genre of camerawork
  • An assessment of the innovation and creative ways of refining photography in the new age
  • An exploration into designing shooting of photos in studios: Lighting, background, and much more
  • Assimilating human-computer interface and using computer vision/audition to automate image taking 
  • Application of specialised lighting in dynamic photography to accomplish contrasts as that of drama
  • An investigation into different aspects of professional 3D panoramic photography
  • An analysis on using extreme macro lenses for taking pictures of things
  • An evaluation of shooting pictures from rare or astonishing slants
  • A study on applying frames in frames to generate mesmerising compositions in images
  • An investigation to generate candid documentary 
  • A study on overlapping several photos from somewhat various angles
  • A review on the trends of wedding photography
  • A study into technical requirements needed in the art of photography
  • How war photography is different from other genres?

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Photography dissertation topics revolving around its evolution

  • The advancement from photographic illusions to the current use of modern, digital, cameras for photography: Tracing the growth of the digital camera
  • The influence of camerawork on the events of historical significance including the Civil War.
  • The changing concepts of photography: Looking back at the impact of law and culture
  • An investigation of the pragmatism of landscape photography.
  • How has the application of modern camerawork transformed reporting and the recording of significant social events?
  • An exploration of the effect of photography on the advancement of social networking sites and communication systems?
  • Ways to bridge the gap between investigation and practice: The link between Photography and Hyper-realistic Art
  • An exploration of the association between the professional standards of photojournalism and the method of broadcasting image editing and the creation of virtual videos on news
  • Re-evaluating reporting and photography: An examination on the relentlessly changing work schedules and professionalism in the area of photojournalism in this era of digitization.
  • Professional camerawork and confidentiality: Are the individual ethics of an expert photojournalist sufficient?
  • An evaluation on the scope of photography in the era of social media
  • An assessment of the sophisticated editing trends in photography
  • Tracing back at the art of camerawork in the 1800s

Photography dissertation topics concerned with international politics

  • An exploration of how the art of camerawork can be utilized to bolster political advertising in the United Kingdom.
  • How do pictures and photographic illustrations of governmental activities have an effect on international politics?
  • An investigative appraisal of the discourse and partiality of photographs in the political scenario.
  • What are the radical functions of pictures and visual relics?
  • Photography and Politics: The effect of photography in the political state of affairs

Photography dissertation topics dealing with Covid 19 pandemic

  • How are renowned Photojournalists globally reporting the subsequent impact of the pandemic on society?
  • Photojournalism: What are the moral issues of broadcasting the impact of Covid-19?
  • What are the functions and accountabilities of photojournalists during the present pandemic situation taking place worldwide?
  • An appraisal of the methodologies to news reporting and broadcasting by photojournalists during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • How the pandemic has transformed photojournalism?

Photography dissertation topics revolving around daily lives

  • Take a look at the art of selfies.
  • An analysis of the best places to shoot images.
  • An exploration of vital features of a decent camera.
  • Technology sophistication in taking images
  • An investigation into high definition technology in camera and functions in shooting images 
  • An investigation into the creator of the camera or features of shooting images
  • Photography as a hobby: How it leads to the development of skills and expertise?
  • An evaluation of the components that make a picture appear ugly

Photography dissertation topics dealing with professions

  • Photography – exploring its possibilities as a profession and hobby
  • Photography and its application in outdoor sports, news broadcasting, and other professional areas
  • Significance of photography in various areas of expertise
  • The growth of photography – tracing back at its growth
  • The sophisticated equipment of photography – How modern technology has transformed and upgraded the quality of taking pictures?
  • Delving deep into the different kinds of lights used in the photography
  • How to create the best photography – exploring the angles and methods?
  • An appraisal on the enhancements and additions that must be introduced in contemporary photography
  • The contribution of ethics in the taking pictures
  • Photography vs painting – focusing on the natural visionary aspects
  • Use of tilt-shift photography in football matches makes players look miniature: A survey

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Photography dissertation topics that are out-of-the-box

  • An investigation on combining images digitally to generate imaginary scenes and play with scale
  • An art of amalgamating various objects in surprising ways to generate somewhat novel
  • Delving deep into the method of cutting through photos to unravel other films of photographs lying below or underneath
  • An examination of the technique of creating layered collages
  • An investigation into how photography reflects culture?
  • How does photography refine and redefine the art of storytelling?
  • An exploration of the latest trends in wedding photography
  • A review on nature photography and the elements and intricacies involved in it
  • A study on photographic lenses and areas
  • Photography handling and their aftermaths on images
  • Ways to create pinhole photography
  • An exploration of the art of underwater photography
  • A study on the techniques involved in 360-degree 3D panoramic photography
  • An investigation on aerial photography and the intricacies associated with it
  • A review on High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDR Photography) with exposure bracketing, and then merging
  • The art of creating reflections instead of the objects themselves through the art of photography
  • An analysis of creating illusions with the concept of forced perspective in photography
  • A study on the application of the digital filter to generate an illuminating and graphical effect
  • An investigation into the art and technique of photographing objects through mottled or translucent screens
  • Research on making a photomontage through cutting, glueing, rearranging and overlapping
  • A review on creating a photographic collection by amalgamating focal point, middle ground and background
  • Overlaying two diverse but associated scenes above each other
  • An exploration of the technique of poking holes in images and enabling light to shine through it
  • A survey on night photography and creating an impact with it
  • An assessment on using fast shutter speed to restrict movements, similar to the action photography of Justin Grant:

Once you’ve finalized a particular one from the 100 Photography Dissertation Topics as per your requirements and interests, you can opt for our  dissertation writing services  from the subject matter experts with an introduction to the topic, research questions, literature review, methodology, expected results, and conclusion. Some exciting features of our services are timely delivery, 100% plagiarism-free content, unlimited free revisions, reasonable pricing and so on.

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Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

Aspects of street photography public deposited, downloadable content.

photography dissertation

One area of image-making activity that has risen to a position of prominence over the past forty years is the pictorial convention known as "street photography." Variously described as the presentation of a "slice of life" or “theater of the street, " this genre of photographic expression is the term which best describes my own work. It is that unique image-making mentality where artist and subject meet in a real time, one to one relationship. Street photography aspires to the recording of life's contingencies both common and extraordinary. In the preservation of human circumstance the photographer does not strain towards an illustrated, aphoristic kind of sensibility, but instead, attempts to measure the boundaries of what we presume to know about the world.

The conscious efforts of the street photographer spring from the necessity to see conditions as they unfold rather than construct a collection of assumptions as seen in the portrait of a person or place. It is this unfolding that offers the materials to the photographer that can be plied together into new photographic propositions. This process is consummated with the speed of a glance and a character that will not accommodate indecision. It is this context through which my photographic awareness plods in search of my ovm humanity and that of the outer world.

  • Hume, Richard P. (Sandy)
  • For access to any supporting images, CU affiliates may log into the Visual Resources Center collections and search for the author's name. Link: https://aahvrc.colorado.edu/luna/servlet
  • Fine Arts, Creative Art
  • Metz, Gary D.
  • Kunkel, Jerry W.
  • Hoag, John D.
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • Street photography
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Home > Photography > Photography Masters Theses

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Photography Masters Theses

Graduate students in the Photography program develop visual and critical expertise through course work, seminars, independent studio work and critiques designed to provide a deep understanding of contemporary art practices and criticism. Working in personal studios, students have access to state-of-the-art technical facilities that allow for the exploration of film-based and digital photography, digital video and multimedia production.

In the final semester, MFA candidates focus on creating a comprehensive body of work under the guidance of a thesis committee. All Photography graduate students produce a thesis book that includes a written narrative and a body of visual work. They also participate in the RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition , a large-scale public show held annually.

Graduate Program Director: Brian Ulrich

These works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License .

Theses from 2024 2024

I am becoming. , Dai Asano

Intangible shells , Elena Bulet

Winter Solstice , Jingwen Cao

The Day the Door Flew Open , Clara Delgado

Embodied Abstractions: Identity and Representation in the Digital Era , Srikar Hari

America, Dreaming. , Sarah Meftah

Theses from 2023 2023

Mistranslated , Hee Young Cha

In a Condition of No Light , Alana Perino

Coast to Coast , Zeyuan Ren

Garden Etiquette , Kai Wasikowski

Theses from 2022 2022

Rememory , Jonathan Mark Jackson

The great delusion , Beth Johnston

Mason & Dixon: History and Identity in the Borderlands , Drew Leventhal

Bewildering narrative , Ali Newhard

Dead Letter Room , Allie Tsubota

Theses from 2021 2021

Imaging "Interracial": performing racialized desire in "interracial" heterosexual hardcore pornography , Megan Christiansen

Becoming a precipice: the liminality of queer cruising , Chance DeVille

Wounds need air , Camilla Jerome

Martyr (in exile) , Xinyi Mei

I just can't get you out of my head : frenetic vortex, animal as image - field notes (1989-2021) , Steffanie A. Padilla

Fossil morphology , Leah Zhang

Theses from 2020 2020

The knots on the underside of the carpet , Lily Colman

Amor fati , Keavy Handley-Byrne

First sweet truth , Jessina Lynn Leonard

These inadvertent marks , Thomas Wilder

Make yourself at home , Han Seok You

Theses from 2018 2018

Between gods and animals : deconstructing heteronormative masculines pursuit to sustain power , Shawn Bush

Pretend power , Rosemary Engstrom

Theses from 2017 2017

Naturally occurring form , Margaret Kristensen

Theses from 2016 2016

Once there was there wasn't , Svetlana Bailey

Theses from 2015 2015

Mid- , Elise Kirk

The Void, The Mystery, The Vast Array, The Infinity of Unities, The Otherworld, The Absolute, The Hidden Order, The Randomness, The Infraworld, The Nothing, The Zone of Immaterial Sensibility, The Silence, The Hollow of Space, The Ineffable, The Emptiness, The Wild , Drew Ludwig

Theses from 2011 2011

Seven Seas Without , Ambereen Siddiqui

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Best 39 Photography Dissertation Topics and Ideas in 2023

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Creative and Imaginative Photography Dissertation Topics with Guidance to Make a Difference!

Students often ask, “ What should be the topic of our photography dissertation? ” Before asking the above question, they must know photography as a subject.

Photography:

Photography is a branch of fine arts and it has remained in one or another form throughout world history. In ancient times it was in the form of paintings that were made here and there. With a more advanced approach, photography came to the scene. And now it is one of the emerging fields. Many people around the world are adopting it as a profession. Likewise, the institutes have started degree programs in photography as well.

Role of Photography in the Current Era:

With so much higher activity levels in the current times, different developments are taking place more rapidly. In a blink of an eye, things become altogether different. Hence the eye of the camera captures these very scenes and keeps them preserved for the coming generations. The recent world cup of football in South Africa is one example. The heart-throbbing moments, the scenes of joy, sadness, and amazement were captured by the camera. This tells us all about the importance of photography.

Photography Dissertation Topics

Bearing the importance of photography, professionals write photography dissertation topics to highlight the positive and negative points of the profession. Moreover, the students are also asked to write a dissertation on a topic for the completion of their degree. Hence the following photography dissertation ideas will give the students a wide choice in their selection.

  • The impact of digital technology on contemporary photography
  • Street photography and the representation of urban life
  • The use of Instagram as a tool for contemporary photographers
  • The role of self-portraiture in contemporary photography
  • The representation of the body in fashion photography
  • The use of drones in landscape photography
  • The history of war photography
  • The representation of nature in contemporary photography
  • The use of artificial intelligence in photography
  • The impact of social media on the photography industry
  • The representation of gender in advertising photography
  • The history of photography in the 19th century
  • The representation of race and ethnicity in photography
  • The use of virtual reality in photography
  • The representation of the city in photography
  • The history of portrait photography
  • The use of 3D printing in photography
  • The representation of class in photography
  • The history of documentary photography
  • The use of mobile photography in art
  • The representation of poverty in photography
  • The history of landscape photography
  • The use of big data in photography
  • The representation of death in photography
  • The history of color photography
  • The use of machine learning in photography
  • The representation of mental illness in photography
  • The history of street photography
  • The use of AI in photojournalism
  • The representation of LGBTQ+ community in photography
  • Photography – as a profession and as a hobby
  • Photography in sports, journalism, and other fields
  • Importance of photography in different specialized areas
  • The evolution of photography – history up till now
  • The new equipment for photography – improvements as compared to older technology
  • The effect of lighting in the photography
  • How to produce the best photography – angles and approaches
  • What improvements must be brought to modern photography?
  • The role of ethics in the photography
  • Photography versus painting – emphasizing the natural aspect of the view.

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How to write a successful photography dissertation.

The selection of the photography dissertation topic is followed by a proper approach to the writing of the dissertation. Therefore the following steps would give a perfect way for approaching the dissertation.

Knowing the Topic:

  • Search about the topic and read the relevant material.
  • Make notes of important points
  • Apart from reading books, use search engines for the material search

Expand Your Limits by Knowing the Other Topics:

  • Read the various other works on the photography
  • Make a difference between good and bad photography

Emphasize On Your Points:

  • Make your arguments strong by emphasizing on them
  • There should be relevant in the arguments

Reading the Dissertation:

  • The dissertation must be read properly so that no mistake remains
  • Give the sources of your consultation

Thinking Out Of the Box:

  • The dissertation must not be orthodox in nature.
  • There should be justified criticism of precedent works and logical suggestions for improvements.

Photography dissertation has got its foothold in recent years, for it has now become a profession from a mere hobby. The institutes offer quality education in photography. Students of photography write dissertations on the subject. Therefore the above topics might help students in selecting their photography dissertation topics.

A guide for Photography dissertation topics

Building up a dissertation on a photography theme can be charming. There are numerous parts of photography to consider depending on what intrigues you the most. There are photography dissertation topics to consider based on comparable subjects you can pursue motivation. You ought to likewise keep venture rules close by to guarantee your theme idea is appropriate for what you have to deliver. Here are some ideas and topics you can use for your benefit.

Start with What You Know and Research

Writing a dissertation  may incorporate finishing a considerable amount of research. This may include taking a gander at different works identified with your subject. In doing so, you may think about whether you could accomplish something other than what’s expected that hasn’t been done previously.

When learning more about your idea, this is the point at which it turns out to be sure about whether you can show something else new. The best spot to begin searching for a subject is you and what you know.

Consider what you have realized up until this point and how to take it and make it into something novel. This can give leads on where to search for further understanding of your thought. Be available to review what you think of your teacher. They can likewise give knowledge on the best way to make your thought into a healthy subject.

Photo a Protest in some of these photography dissertation topics

Fights resemble nearby occasions. You will discover individuals; some will be standing; some will be moving; some will hold flags and signs. This is an incredible method to rehearse on a moving group. Attempt to catch the pith and air of the dissent itself.

There are numerous approaches to do such, and you should use every one of your abilities. Consider encircling, piece, and viewpoint. Hurry to the front and catch the leader of the gathering, pushing ahead at that point run towards the back to find the families strolling along. There will likewise be onlookers remaining on the sides watching everything unfurl. These difficulties will assist you in improving quickly.

Change Photo essay

Change is one of the most utilized photography dissertation topics, and that is because it is an extraordinary method to show the difference. The change can be moderate, for example, a lady experiencing pregnancy, or watching an infant transform into a baby and past.

As a photograph article venture, this shouldn’t be about individuals. A structure being torn down and reconstructed can make for an incredible time-slip by or arrangement of pictures.

This is an extraordinary method to rehearse how to show change through pictures. It would be best if you were imaginative and careful in your methodology. You should take a similar picture again and again, yet transform them enough to be intriguing.

Photo the Same Place

Have you seen the  film  ‘Smoke’ with Harvey Keitel? His character goes out each morning simultaneously and snaps a picture. The photograph is from the front of his shop. The individual prints the picture and stores them in extensive photograph collections.

Another character flips through these pictures to see all the various situations. These are some of the photograph dissertation topics to do as you go through a straightforward set. It may be a test to discover someplace available to you simultaneously consistently.

Make a Photo walk

As a picture taker situated in Budapest, you can give guided photography visits. The thought is that you go along for three hours, and at that time, check the avenues and the best way to photo them.

You will find out about your camera, how to utilize the creation and recognize what to search for. Nothing is preventing you from doing likewise in your old neighborhood. This can make for genuinely fascinating photography dissertation topics .

Have an away from what you need to accomplish and make it as though you were showing another person. See reflections to photo structures. Or on the other hand, change your point of view to photo individuals in various settings.

Follow the Change Photo Essay

This photograph article resembles the change paper yet on a transient premise. Consider men developing their mustaches for November. It can be somebody who needs to shave their head for a noble cause. You start by taking the above picture, and the final product of an afterimage, with numerous photos between.

This is an extraordinary practice in shooting individuals yet additionally recording their change. You should deal with your feet and find various approaches to catch a similar individual experiencing this change. This will be testing, particularly on the off chance that you are in a similar space.

Photo a Local Event

Regardless of where you live, there will be endless nearby occasions consistently. They may be pledge drives, ranchers’ business sectors, moves and celebrations or nourishment, and  music .

Their coordinators will require a picture taker, regardless of whether it’s only for web-based life pictures. They may considerably offer you cash, and if not, they will share the pictures for you, with your name joined. Here, you will catch sincere views of individuals approaching their direction.

Photo of an Abandoned Building

Urban investigation or Urbex is a thing. It is the place you enter a surrender working for (intrigue and) photography. It is an incredible social discourse and photography dissertation topic on the condition of our reality.

Surrendered structures additionally demonstrate to us how life used to be. It’s time to travel without a time machine. They make for incredible photograph exposition shoots as the measure of subtleties is exceptionally high.

Get authorization and enter; however, be cautious as these structures can be perilous . Photo the rooms and the subtleties. This implies you’ll need to work with various focal points.

The off-camera of a Photo Shoot

I used to help design photography studio shoots. This implies I had the incredible chance to perceive what will come around off-camera. For me, behind the camera is much more intriguing than what’s going on before it.

The model’s posture and many pictures are taken, so it very well may be moderate and dull. In the background, in any case, you have the beauticians chipping away at outfits, fixing hair, and cosmetics. This all occurs between the shoots and generally in a surge.

Catch Street Fashion

If you have ever understood Fruits, you will recognize what road style can resemble. If you have even known about a road in Milan where individuals stroll here and there, flaunting their best techniques.

You can without a lot of thought choose these styles, in a kind of road photography way. You will likewise catch pictures while being aware of your condition and environment.

Milestone Photo Essay

One photograph exposition thought that I have for a long while been itching to attempt to photograph one milestone from a wide range of vantage focuses. Consider it. Take a look at the famous Eiffel Tower, and what number assortment of pictures has been taken of it.

All are from a wide range of edges running from a wide range of separations away. This is an incredible method to rehearse your situating and piece through other points of view. You can fuse details and a down-up perspective, you can photo it from above using an automaton.

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University Libraries

Photographs and Images: Using Images in Theses and Dissertations

  • What is Fair Use?

Using Images in Theses and Dissertations

  • How to Cite an Image
  • Copyright and Publishing an Image in a Book, Journal, Video, etc.
  • Images of Albuquerque

Historically, images were reproduced in dissertations and theses without obtaining permissions from the copyright holders. Because of the clearly academic, non-commercial nature of theses and dissertations, and because access to theses and dissertations was typically confined to an academic, library setting, there seemed to be little dispute that the incorporation of such images into these or dissertations was a fair use.

As theses and dissertations began to be posted to online repositories, the publishers of those repositories sometime required that graduate students posting theses to their repositories obtain copyright permissions for images. While UNM's Digital Respository   does not have an institutional policy on the use of images in theses and dissertations, the  UNM Office of Graduate Studies  stipulates that students should obtain copyright.

The Office of Graduate Studies at UNM offers the following guidelines:  

Registering Your Copyright

Registering your copyright in your thesis or dissertation is optional. Under current United States copyright Law, the moment you reduce a work to a tangible medium (i.e., write it on paper, save on hard drive or other storage device, take the photograph, record the music, etc.) your thesis or dissertation is copyrighted. This applies to unpublished manuscripts as well. There is no longer the need to register your work for copyright to attach. Furthermore, there is no longer the requirement of putting a copyright notice on a work for it to be copyrighted. You may register your copyright either by having ProQuest do so (see above) or on your own by submitting a registration form, which you can pick-up at Zimmerman Library Government Publications or download from US Copyright Office's web page, with a check for thirty five ($35) dollars, and two copies of your thesis or dissertation. Additional information can be obtained by calling 202-287-8700 or going to the web site of the  United States Copyright Office .

Including Copyrighted Material in Your Manuscript

You should remember that if you quote or otherwise reproduce in your thesis or dissertation material previously copyrighted by another author, beyond brief excerpts, you must obtain written permission from the copyright owner. Keep in mind that if a work was created in or after 1989, there is no requirement that it have a copyright notice to be copyrighted This includes foreign works and foreign works for which the copyright has been reinstated pursuant to international treaty.

Copyright law is extremely complex and it can be difficult to determine what action you need to take and where to begin looking for permissions. The Office of Graduate Studies  Publishing  web site contains a great deal of information and has been helpful to students. The Office of Graduate Studies does not provide copyright advisement.

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