Photomedia Capstone
In this unit students explore new opportunities for photomedia practice through research, development and application of concepts, skills and knowledge acquired in previous units such as digital video production, concepts and narratives, commercial photography and visual storytelling. Students are expected to articulate complex visual ideas and generate highly individualised outcomes, culminating with the production and exhibition of a significant and cohesive body of work. Students are exposed to historical and cultural precedents, theories of practice, contemporary methodological approaches and media platforms for visual storytelling in diverse contexts. Students are encouraged to integrate varied media, such as photography, projection, digital video, documentary, sound, participatory design, immersive and performance art into their projects to reach the intended audience. The major outcomes showcase their ability to synthesis social, creative and/or community intentions through critical reflection and innovative studio practice.
© 2022 Photomedia students and Swinburne, School of Design. Photobooks: Alysha Magro, Rachel Prentice and Issy Caldwell.
Alysha Magro, Deeper than Thirst. Click on image to activate link.
Victoria Lee. Fermata: A pocket of time. A photomedia project that explores the effects of sound, motion and imagery on our emotions and cognition. Click on image to activate link.
Rachel Prentice. Legacies. A multimodal storytelling project that combines and weaves narrative photography, audio-visual montage, 360-degree video and participatory art and journal entries.
Lucinda Keating. Kinsugi. Participatory documentary, that combines audio interviews with still and moving imagery in a blog format.
Hayley Little-John. A Cure For Humanity screenplay. Set in 2052 this feature film challenges and mirrors the audience’s own moral codes and impact on society and the environment. With humans being the source of the world’s problems, the film looks to technology to cure humanity of its flaws.The central premise is that AI can “cure” people and save the planet.
Sarah Wright. 2020. Bridging the Distance. Reconnecting and reconciling loss and disconnection through cooking. Participatory collages, cooking journal, recipe sharing and cooking video and demonstration platform.
Davzon Toy: Self-portraiture and Mental Health Awareness Podcast.
Student Testimonials
Sam is undoubtedly one of the best mentors I have ever had, she is an incredibly passionate teacher who continually inspired me to push the boundaries and challenge myself as a creative. Undertaking the Photomedia Capstone unit during the peak of the global pandemic was an overwhelming task. Sam's bubbly personality and genuine care to see you succeed made attending class the highlight of my week.
The quality of Sam’s teaching throughout the photomedia capstone unit was next to none. She provided insightful guidance and detailed feedback, allowing me to produce a body of work that I am incredibly proud of and has achieved international recognition.
Throughout my time at Swinburne and beyond, Sam has played an instrumental role in my career progression. The skills and knowledge I developed through the capstone unit led me to land my dream job! Her advice and knowledge sharing led to significant growth in the way in which I approach research and discovery and explore creative techniques of engagement.
Alysha Magro, 2020 Photomedia Major Graduate
Sam’s mentoring has led me to where I am today and I would not have achieved what I have without her support and guidance."Excellent communication, inspiring and motivational. empathic when necessary. A fantastic teacher all around, wonderful communicator, enthusiastic and effective.
I found this to be a really intelligent, articulate, well thought out class. It's very mature in that it knows what it is doing as a unit and what it is trying to be.
Sam has been amazing, offering constructive, honest feedback on my creative work throughout this unit.
She created a supportive, inclusive, positive environment.
I appreciate your assistance and guidance with all this and whilst I found it very challenging at times it is something I am very proud of and wouldn't have believed I could develop and design something of this nature and scale so thank you, for your support as well.
She listens and is genuinely engaged to everything being said in class. I couldn't be happier to have had this experience. I grew as a creative person. All information was presented clearly, plenty of time was given to the students to ask questions. This unit is the reason I love being a creative person. I looked forward to each class. I was engaged in every class. The way Sam organised and presented this unit forced me to push myself creatively.
Sam's teaching in this unit was exemplary. She was supportive of every student, and provided clear, constructive, and helpful feedback at every opportunity. Classes were well structured to provide the right amount of peer feedback, teacher feedback/support, and general class instruction. Her positive attitude and bubbly personality made me look forward to every class, even when I was struggling or unhappy with my work.