Students in the Contemporary Issues in Photography class created a collaborative book from their individual photos. The book is called ”

The Creativea�� difference.

For “The Creativea�� difference book project students could photograph whatever theme interested them.

Sheri Knutson is in the class. Knutson said the theme of her photos was a woman’s pilgrimage through life in search of answers.

Knutson said her photos feature a woman out in the middle of a forest whose face is shielded by her long hair and never fully visible. She’s dressed in an elegant evening gown, jewels, and long gloves. A ghost-like image becomes more and more visible throughout the series of photos.

Knutson said “The Creative Differencea�� photo book project was challenging but satisfying in the end.

Kenzie Bailey agreed. Bailey said many students in the class were unsure of their topic and struggled during the process. But, she said in the end the effort was well worth it. She said many students ended up with photos that really represented who they are. She said the project helped students grow as individuals, as friends, as a class, and as photographers.

Bailey said she wanted her photos to send a message about the unrealistic beauty standards in today’s media. She chose to photograph humans in the nude.

Bailey said she chose the topic in part due to her own body image issues, but mostly because in modern culture there are, “strange ideas that we have for our concept of beauty,” that are perpetuated by the media. She added that Photoshop has, “created unrealistic standards for beauty.”

So, she said, she tried to express that in her photos.

“I just kind of wanted to bring out these natural individuals and yet remove the human element so that way people would lose that judgmental attitude when looking at a photograph of a human,” said Bailey.

Themes in “The Creative Differencea�� photo book range from women on a mission to unrealistic expectations to just good old-fashioned people watching.

Take for instance Laura Howard’s photos. Howard said she took a voyeuristic approach to her photo theme and took pictures from the street of people gambling inside Deadwood casinos.

Howard said she wanted to capture the blank, trance-like look that people get while staring intently at a slot machine.=

Although themes throughout the book vary widely, Knutson, Bailey, and Howard all said that the individual photos did well on their own but they also blended nicely into the final compilation.

“The Creative Differencea�� photo book is for sale. For more information contact Steve Babbitt or Jerry Rawlings in the BHSU Photography department.