Paper Cameras Study Pack

A deck of cards for supporting critical study of photographs, written, designed, and hand-assembled by Katie Giritlian. 

Newer Copy

Paper Cameras Study Pack is a set of cards for critically studying photographs and articulating the relationships that make, and are made by, our images. Grounded in the belief that photographs are social objects that live in exchange, the cards translate a myriad of frameworks, scholarship, and practices into scaffolded prompts printed as tactile viewfinders. Invited to closely study one photograph at a time, participants can use these cards as a jumping-off point to develop inquiries and practice discerning documentary approaches rooted in loving observation and refuse extractive capture.

Older Copy
Paper Cameras Study Pack is a set of cards for critically studying photographs and articulating the relationships that make, and are made by, our images. Grounded in community-driven imaging practices and anti-imperial studies, the cards translate a myriad of photography theories into scaffolded prompts printed as tactile viewfinders. Invited to closely study one photograph at a time, participants can use these cards to develop observation-based inquiries, and practice discerning documentary practices rooted in care and divested from exploitation.

[ update photos once prototype finalized ]

1 Physical Deck

• 21 printed cards
• 2 instructional booklets
  
• carried together in a 4 x 6” case
• 1 card deck can comfortably be shared between 1-2 participants
• Purchase of 1 card deck comes with 15% discount on advising sessions
• [ might make 55 again ] / purchase of deck will make it so that more digital decks can be free and available down line 
• [ funds help support the production of press and research ] 

Group Order

Want to share the cards with a group? Let us know what you need, and we can figure something out! 

Offerings

[ might make deck sliding scale ]

[ now that i’ve added the kraft paper background, I thnk I like this panel more!! ]

The cards are intended to be used in a myriad of learning environments, from the classroom setting to the dispersed schools we make inside of our own communities:

• photo studio classes—the cards can be brought to adult photography classes to facilitate critiques, help learners articulate personal intentions for their photo practices, and offer a tactile tool to hold themselves and each other accountable to agreed intentions.

• photo history, ethnography, and visual studies classes—the cards can be applied to college and/or graduate curriculums to help learners access difficult conversations about power and visuality.

• photo-journalism classes—the cards can be used to analyze case studies for training practitioners to identify care-centered approaches to documentation and unlearn exploitative tendencies in the industry. 

• one’s artistic practice—practitioners can use the cards at their own pace, to reflect on their photographic processes.

• archives and libraries—the cards can activate image collections through public workshops and programs.

• liberatory study—organizers can use the cards to study movement archives and identify strategies for self-determined documentation that they want to carry into present practices.

• around the kitchen table—families and loved ones can use the cards to read the weekend paper and improvise DIY media literacy games.

[ create instructional video once prototype confirmed AND embed here ] 

[ add specs: add somewhere any deck can be used between 1 - 2 people / handmade!!  ]

[ NOTE: I have removed rate per KJR feedback but wondering if a starting rate should be listed somewhere? ]

[ NOTE: I am thinking of free offerings, like study halls, but not yet going to put that on site ] 

Rehearse the Cards

Imagine you are studying the photograph on this page; click-and-drag each card, and see what the captions illuminate for you.

[ confirm if using this photo/ add citation ]