Senior Thesis: A Photography & Psychology Workbook

The Goal
I want to show how important of a role photography plays in our life today. Whether it is taking a quick picture of a loved one or participating in a fully planned out long photoshoot, photographs are something we hold close to our hearts. I want to create a workbook that explains the information about photography and psychology that I have discovered through my research. Then by providing a photography and a journal prompt for the user to complete they will be able to learn more about themselves as a person and a photographer, as well as to make people think more in depth about photography’s relationship with psychology. 

Project
1) Create a substantial, independent, self-initiated design project.
2) Contextualize design work in society by engaging in robust research.
3) Translate research into a clear and convincing Prospectus.
4) Develop the concept for a design project based on research.
5) Present prospectus and project concept in a persuasive and engaging manner.

Programs
Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, & Adobe Lightroom

Class
Design Thesis I & Design Thesis II

Year
Fall 2020 & Winter 2021

The Big Questions

Why do we love landscape photography so much? Why do people return to the same places, and continue to take pictures of places where people have already taken pictures? What is the psychology behind the process of photography?

Using the Statue of Liberty as an example, why did it not just stop at the first person to take a picture of the statue? We already have a picture of the Statue of Liberty, why do we need another one? Many people have mentioned how they go to the same spots and take pictures every time they go, and often it is not much different from the first one. I want to look at the psychology behind this whole process. Looking at what goes through the brain and why we all need a picture, even if someone has already taken that photo before.

The Sections

This workbook is split into four sections, and each section is based on a few of my interview questions. The four sections are called Photography in General, Landscape Photography, Social Media, and Psychology. The sections start with two paragraphs describing the related information I found for that topic through my primary and secondary research.

Photography + Journal Prompt

After, I included a photography assignment to complete based on what that section is about, along with some quotes from the people I interviewed and information I found in my research. The section ends with a journal prompt to answer about the topic of that section.

All photos in this project were taken by me :)

Check out my photography website > eqphoto.co