Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 4: Compiling Your Research, 2012

Research materials need to be compiled in such a way that they are user friendly, so that you, as well as other interested researchers, can make the best use of them. 

Each photographer will have a different method or system for compiling their research. There is no right or wrong way – you need to find the approach that works best for you. The way you choose to store or catalogue your research does not have to look pretty, but it does need to be accessible enough to inform your work; it will require some additional effort to organize and structure your research materials. If your research is in a manageable order it will be easier to create a clear and organized project. p 109

This is a rather thin chapter in which the authors suggest using physical or digital notebooks in which to record research, everything from the odd musing to actual data collection.  For those keeping physical notebooks and other material records, the idea of preservation through long-term storage is to be considered, and for keepers of digital data suitable backups.  (The authors fail to mention digital redundancy.)

Another case study from Caruana’s career is showcased, though no specific information is presented on how the research for her clown project was recorded and collated in journals or blogs.  The chapter concludes with a blogging exercise in which the reader is asked to create a blog and do a one-week research project in order to become familiar with blogging and “how much research you can gather in one week.”  This looks like another exercise created specifically for the book, and not something that a classroom teacher would suggest, nor particularly suited to practicing the chapter contents.  How do you practice compilation and archiving except on an ongoing or completed project?

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