Honours Dissertation, 'Working Title'

So I thought I should maybe update and let people know what my dissertation will be based on/ about/ exploring... etc., as I plan for it to directly feed into the reasons of choosing photography as a medium for my studio practice.  The current title is a working title, so I may change it to alter where my research/ interests take me, but I hope it provides you with an insight as to (roughly) what I will be researching/ thinking/ writing about over the next few months;

"Life/ Death; the paradigm is reduced to a simple click, the one separating the initial pose from the final print." - Camera Lucida, Roland Barthes.
An exploration into the similarities between the practices of (film) portrait photography and the processes surrounding death and the loss of loved ones.

Sketchbook Notes - Summer 2012

A scan from my sketch book;

Notes taken from "Secure the Shadow; Death and Photography in America" by Jay Ruby.  Click on image to enlarge.

I think I'll be focusing on the idea of lost family relatives amongst the living family, and the symbols people use to represent them, but I am not entirely sure yet.

I am itching to get back to college and get into my studio space!