Performance photography is a radical and unusual way to photograph. It is more of an art form and in some ways comes across as a political movement to try and challenge authority and the way we as a society think. Performance photography can tell a simple story in the way it is presented but a lot of the time these performances have deeper meaning. This style of photography is usually done outside where it can be viewed by the public. It is an act whereby the spectator will be whoever happens to be present when the performer decides to perform.
To me performance photography isn’t just doing something to entertain a large audience. It is doing something in the public eye but without drawing attention to yourself by calling people over but by just doing your performance and seeing how much of a gathering you manage to create and how interested people are in what you are trying to do. I think that we often need to find ways to challenge the way that society thinks and we need to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in our community too.
For this particular part of the coursework we are looking at the three words ‘chance, change and challenge’. To me this is exactly what performance photography embodies. In order to make a great photograph/film you need to take a chance and try to anticipate what your audience are going to think. You also need to change your perspective of photography and not do what is expected, something that isn’t conventional to photography. You don’t need to concentrate too much on the composition of the photograph just as long as your subject is in frame. Finally performance photography is a challenge as it challenges the way I think and how I plan a photo shoot. This style of photography is all down to chance and how you as an individual photographer can create something great just on the spot in the environment you are surrounded by. I am excited to see how this project turns out as it does challenge the way I think about photography. Your work can either be really great or something that only the spectators who were there are able to see.
