Process Paper

As we searched for a topic for the 2014-2015 History Fair, we realized that, since Leena, one of

our group members expressed an interest in a few journalists, we would to follow her lead. As

part of her coursework for a journalism class, Leena selected three journalists she thought would

be promising History Fair topics. We concluded that Margaret Bourke-White would be more

relatable because not only was she a pioneer photographer but a pioneer woman photographer as

well, a subject dear to our hearts. Bourke-White led a very intriguing life, and our group was

excited to learn more about this leader in photojournalism.

Initially, we conducted research by collecting both primary and secondary sources to acquire

background knowledge on the life and work of Bourke-White. For our preliminary research, we

each found two primary sources and two secondary sources to share with the group. After we

learned about her life and photography, we began searching more seriously for relevant primary

sources and the necessary secondary sources. Hayley, one of our group members, has access to

the USF Library, and she checked out several books related to the topic, thus gathering

information about her life story. Then we divided the work evenly between the group members,

with Hayley and Taylor researching context, short term leadership, and wartime photography,

while Leena and Breanna explored long term leadership and social realism. Chandni was

assigned building the aesthetics of the website, adding information, and creating the

bibliography. A large portion of our research focused on galleries and collections of Bourke-

White’s photography to accumulate primary sources that would tell a greater story than any

words could.

As a group, we wholeheartedly agreed that our presentation category would be a group website.

We participated in History Fair in both eighth and ninth grade, and we were successful in

creating group websites for both competitions. We decided from the beginning that since

Chandni, one of our group members, was skilled at creating websites and using computer

software, we should apply her skill to the competition. In addition, a website can be easily

accessed by all group members, so the category seemed practical in this sense. A group project

meant that we could collaborate and combine each of our individual skill sets to the advantage of

one cohesive, creative project.

Our topic, Margaret Bourke-White, connects with this year’s theme in a variety of ways as

Bourke-White was a pioneer in industrial photography, which was no small feat due to the

obstacles she faced as a result of her gender. She received many awards for her meaningful

photography and is a member of the International Photography Hall of Fame. As evidenced in

the care she put into completing her work, her daring and considerate personality, and her

approach to the tabooed topic of serious illness, she emerged as a true leader. Her work left a

legacy that exists in the strategies used for photography, the styles of photography she

popularized, and the path she paved for women.

Word Count: 499