The group photography project enables us as students to gain experience similar to working in an ad agency that develops campaigns. Group collaborations can end well, as in our case, because if every mind is a creative one and every member participates equally, then the end product will be a success. Having a “secret word” that we all could grasp and transfer into an artistic vision led to us all taking great photographs that work well together. A problem with group projects (that any ad agency must deal with) is time management; being able to find a time where every member of a team can meet to discuss the project is difficult.

Something that could be done differently next time would be to have a rubric available for reference. Having a standard set of guidelines for the project would help, even though having a loose set of guidelines allows the groups to have more creative control. The rubric would let students see that they were filling the requirements, rather than following a mold. Also, allowing the groups to work on the project for a little time in class would alleviate the stress of finding time out of class where all members are available. Other things to do differently include taking a wider variety of pictures so that there are more options to pick from, meeting with group members more frequently, and applying more of the Photoshop skills we learned.

What I like best about the project’s end result is how well each member’s contributions mesh together. Even though each member has their own perceptions on the secret word, all the photos still work to convey the message. Seeing how each member put their ideas into a photograph is beneficial because it makes one view things outside of their normal schema. Also, being able to see how advertising might work from the advertiser’s perspective is really interesting as well. It’s nice to feel that the pictures one takes will actually hold meaning and have a purpose, for instance in a campaign.

The most important items learned from this assignment were how to cooperate with a team, collaborate photographs to convey a message, and tell a story with a picture. Cooperating with a team includes having to manage time to schedule meetings, agree on photographs to put into the project, and decide on a format to display the project. Learning these skills is incredibly important because they are necessary for being successful in almost any field of work. Being able to cooperate with team members to pick photographs for the project is a great lesson because being able to set aside personal bias and pick the best photographs is the best way to guarantee a valuable end result. Learning to tell a story with a picture is beneficial in the line of journalism because photos can be just as powerful as words. With interest in broadcast journalism, gaining skills in photo journalism will only help in my field.

The photos above convey the group's "secret word". The picture works and uses visual concepts from Photo Idea Index. The focus is mainly on the lock, with the key in the background. The depth of field allows the relationship to be evident. The picture of the people works because viewers can relate to other people in a picture. Therefore, the word that the picture is describing is more obvious.