1. How do museums use photographs to tell a story?

You will probably want to have some photographs in your exhibition.

Watch curator Michael Reason talking about Museums Victoria’s Biggest Family Album

  • How does this BFA project help us understand the life of families in Victoria between 1890s to the 1940s?

In 1919 there was a pandemic known as the Spanish flu which was experienced worldwide. 

Black and white photo of nurse and children near a fountain
Nurses & Patients, Westgarth Fountain, Carlton Gardens, 1919

This photo shows the Royal Exhibition Building being used as a hospital.

Watch Michael Reason talk about another photographic collection

  • What was Bill Boyd's approach to documenting his daily life?
  • How could you use a similar approach in documenting life in lockdown?

Listen to Michael’s advice on taking photographs

Photos for your exhibition

  • Make a list of the types of photographs you would like to use for your exhibition.
  • Which photos will you use for which parts of your story?

Create a table with five columns and use the following headings:

  • Story element (e.g. Learning at home)  
  • Content of the photo(e.g Me at my desk)
  • Does it already exist? (Yes/No)
  • If not who will take the photo? (e.g. Someone at home)
  • Will the photo be a print or digital? (e.g. print)
Example table
Use a table like this to identify the photos you will use

 

Ready to start the next activity?