On Nov. 21, the class published “Pittsburgh 250”, a collection of photos taken around the Pittsburgh region. Seniors Morgan Boseman and Scott Conklin, and juniors Mcarthur Holloway, Marcus Jones, Brian Nikonow and Max Sudak each chose a different topic to focus on, such as sports, roads and railroads, and architecture. Each then submitted a minimum of 30 pictures from their subject area. The result is a 76-page book that looks at the city from many different perspectives.

The photo book project was the idea of Christine Holtz, instructor of the Documentary Photography course and associate professor of media arts. Holtz was inspired by the work of W. Eugene Smith, who, in 1955, began a project to document contemporary life in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Smith’s work,” said Holtz, “and since we're celebrating the city's 250th birthday this year, I thought it would be interesting to have the students follow in his footsteps. They did an incredible job on the project, and it’s really interesting to see how each of them told the story of Pittsburgh in a different way.”

The Documentary Photography class was the first in RMU’s new BA/BFA photography concentration. In addition to their contributions to the “Pittsburgh 250” photo book, the students also created their own photo books, using other photos they took of the city. (see links below)

To view a full-length preview of Pittsburgh 250, visit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmuphotos/sets/72157609663300422/

Links to student book previews:

Marcus Jones
http://www.blurb.com/books/458230

Brian Nikonow
http://www.blurb.com/books/435566

Max Sudak
http://www.blurb.com/books/439372

Scott Conklin
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/322363/96933b28a4ad377b849ac32fc51f33e1

McArthur Holloway
http://www.blurb.com/books/441785

Morgan Boseman
http://www.blurb.com/books/429638

(Home page illustration adapted from Scott Conklin's "The ABCs of Pittsburgh.")