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Kelly Chi
UWRT 1102-047
March 12, 2015
Ms. Ingram
Reflection
For my multi-genre project, I made a digital photography portfolio and a personal letter
to the editor, Jonathan Jones at The Guardian. The purpose of the genres I chose were to show
that there was more to a photograph than meets the eye. These are going to show the work put
into making the photo and of course, the final product itself. The hope is to demonstrate to
people who are still learning and those that do not believe it is an art, that photography, like any
other art form, is an art form. It has many skills and techniques that have to be mastered to be
successful, and that makes it an art.
The audience was chosen because I, not only, want people to see what I see as art, but I
want there to be a continuous interest in the subject. I chose the two genres because I can
incorporate the information I want well with an example, as well as, write the thoughts I had
when I read the editors article. Since the multi-genres should be all made by us, I thought by
telling and showing my experience would make my argument more authentic. I mean, who
would believe me if I didnt actually do the work? I wouldnt. The genres that were made should
appeal to my audience because it included all of Aristotles appeals. Logically, my case is both a
textual and visual form, starting from reading the letter to get the terms and then seeing the terms
in action from the photos of my portfolio. The letter, by reading it first, I feel should begin to stir
something up inside the audience and to get some quick background information and
understanding before they can begin looking though the photos and analyze or appreciate.

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Emotionally, the viewers can connect to the photographs as well as understand the contrast in
both mine and the columnist I wrote to in the letter. I would hope they feel what I felt when
reading quotes I pulled from his articles. The purpose of getting the quotes for the readers is to
evoke a disagreement. Lastly, doing all of the work makes me credible. Showing my final
product after the whole process, I believe, makes it credible rather than just reading about it. I did
many drafts in my mind for the letter and analyzing the articles to pick the right quotes to
discuss. I spent hours taking photos as well as editing. I spent 3 hours editing one photo to
incorporate. I had to go back to the location to take pictures of the same subject because what I
had, I ended up disliking. Everything seemed back and forth. I brought a lot of personal
experiences and emotions creating the two genre pieces.
In the letter, I wrote about how I disagreed with Jones, and I had chosen certain points in
his articles to discuss such as Photography is not an art. It is a technology. ($6.5m Canyon 1)
and made with time and difficulty, material complexity (Flat, soulless and stupid 1).
The sources from him were the main reason for starting this project, so it was appropriate to
address them. Conducting interviews and reading what different people had to say about
photography and art itself really helped me understand and word my letter better. I gathered
insight from art students, art admirers, and a professional. It was incredible to see that they all
agree although they all reside at different levels of interest and familiarity. I also found sources
that discussed the importance of an emotion and message being attached to a photo as well as
the vital skills to a photographers career (Graham 1). They helped add depth to understanding
and arguing the process and the work into the production of photo art. Instead of saying that it is
a lot of work, I was able to provide examples using terms that a photographer would use to state
his or her claim. I thought the personal letter was relevant to this audience with this information

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because it gets to them, directly. They dont have to go find it, or reach someone. It goes straight
to them, so there is no dodging it.
While creating my digital photo portfolio, I was able to inspired by the knowledge and
advice from what photographers had to say about a good photo from Ed Grahams Top
Photographers Answer, What Makes a Good Photograph? I felt encouraged to try creating
pieces of my own. I strolled through some of the artists works online and briefly studied their
methods. I took note of what appealed to me from their photos. The parts to the process of
photographing were, photographing, editing, and to be inspired throughout. Each were tedious,
but in the end the work was well worth it. The portfolio itself included an artists statement that
tells about myself and what my work is about, the final photos, and a small description of each
photo. These are made from Google Slides and is shared on my e-portfolio as a HTML link. The
audience would need the message conveyed this way because we are in the modern and digital
age where we Google what we are curious about, and I want this to come up in the search.
These genres would exist straight to the recipient and online for anyone with a link to see
or to a real life person to read, or both. The digital portfolio can be accessed with a link, so if I
were to post it on my e-portfolio or social media, anyone can click, look, and share it. The letter
would be sent to Jonathan Jones to (eventually) read, and since he is a writer he could write on
his column about it if he wanted to, which has the possibility to gain recognition and also be
shared.
The modes of communication I used are all but aural or gestural, unless I were to talk to
speak and read about my genres. In my letter, linguistics were prevalent. The words and tone I
used to get my point across was humorous to people who it is not addressed to, and its a little bit
sarcastic. The important part is that I use the recipients words against him by quoting. I broke

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down each quote and inserted my own explanation. I also rely, heavily, on the interweb. It is
such a powerful way to communicate and without being face-to-face. One share can send
something on a long feed to be seen for days or weeks, and can be shared an infinite amount of
times. It can easily be trendy multiple times throughout the years.
Overall, I hope that the two genres have people thinking. Between, both, the empowering
and thought provoking aspects of the letter and the visual that the portfolio will provide, I am
confident that my genre pieces will be successful in changing and enhancing the minds of my
audience about the idea as photography as a strong, complex, art form.

Ethos- what I brought to the project

Pathos- emotions I want to evoke- disagreement
Logos- talk some about the letter
Modes of communication- linguistic word choices of the letter.