I found that during my research, I discovered plenty of interesting topics however they differ greatly from one another. From reflections and landscape to domestic abuse, they are topics in which i would like to experiment with however i’m not quite sure as to how i can connect them. Thus, i have decided to predominantly focus on the issue of domestic abuse specifically looking at the photographer… She created staged images representing those who have been victimized by domestic abuse.

I find her work particularly interesting due to the fact that she stages her images and she has full controll of what she is doing and why. She tends to use various staged images in a collaged manner and although rare within the photographic community, i find it particularly powerful when applying it to her work.

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I have found a few inspirational photographers during my study and research of domestic abuse, one of those artists is called Valérie Mesquita .

Her project entitled ‘Just Between Us’,  is an independent photography project. She produced this body of work because she was someone who has had enough of hearing stories about women who are victims of violence inside their own homes — stories often about very close and dear people. After she researched the subject and conversations with many women. Conversations about suffering acts of violence and not telling anyone, about suffering and speaking about it about the devastating effect these events have in a person’s life, about seeking help, about fear, about guilt, about feeling impotent, about silence, about all the complexities which this theme englobes — this project was the way Valerie took a stand to say “I don’t agree”.

She stated clearly that her intention wasn’t to offer answers but in stead to distribute and generate discussions on the subject. Thus she therefore stated that her work wasn’t a campaign, but a reflection on  theme which isn’t given enough attention in her home town (in Brazil).

Something that i have personally emphasise within on of my first blog posts about domestic violence is the fact  that there are also children, elderly people and men who suffer physical abuse at home. However, this particular project emphasises and deals exclusively with domestic abuse against women. It occurs in all social spheres and in all age groups and Valerie states that it is often closer than we can imagine, which i believe to be very true. ‘ The numbers are frightening.’

All women  photographed within this body of work are actresses, but they are portraying real life situations. ‘We aren’t talking, therefore, about specific people, specific cases. These characters are a representation of a huge and complex context which affects many people and which must be discussed.’

These images are a form of protest.

This is exactly what values I want to portray throughout my own body of work. Her work and representations fit accordingly to my ideas and plans and Valerie has inspired me greatly when connecting to her work contextually.

On this website, I found some statements that Valerie had obviously heard before and they are all upsetting and just unbelievable. Here are a selection of them :

It’s ok. It was my fault.

I have nowhere else to go.

I’ve waited for him to change. It’s been eleven years now.

It started when I first got pregnant.

My mother asked me what I had done to cause this.

I haven’t told anyone.

I’m afraid to go out, to walk the streets.

I still love him.

https://d10rp68l4anj4z.cloudfront.net/projects/22086-just-between-us

Her images are simple portraits of the women who have been victimized, still with injuries noticeable on their faces and bodies. These image I find are very powerful and although they are all portraits, they are portraits in which show the victims story through their expressions, and they are portraits in which show the reality of the aftermath of these domestic situations.

Here are a selection of her images:

https://www.lensculture.com/articles/valerie-mesquita-just-between-us-domestic-violence-against-women#slide-8

As well as looking into documentary photography, I have decided to look at staged photography. I find that this topic is particularly interesting and when researching into it, I found a photographer called Jeff Wall who’s work I find quite interesting. Although Jeff Walls differentiates contextual from what  I would do,  there is something about his style of work that captivates me. When considering my own work, I would consider contextually focusing on the issue of domestic abuse an thus create staged images representing particular situations victims have been through/are still going through. The video below is about Jeff Wall explaining further into his style of photography. He states that staged photography is a way in which is expressive and challenges social conventions. It can be conducted in order to analyse or descriptively access an analytical point of view, in order fully comprehend the audacity and severity of specific subjects. I find his work particularly interesting due to the fact that he portrays essences of documentary styled photography in a manner that visually represents that of a documentary style.

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“In my time, I’ve been accused of being afraid to go out into the world to take pictures, like a so-called ‘real’ photographer does,”- Jeff Wall

Inspirations for topics to look at through the use of lens culture website:

-an interesting concept could be to produce work representing the fact that society is begging to take over our lives in a negative manner. Could represent the fact that a lot of children don’t actually know what to do with their lives and how most have perhaps forgotten the joys of being and playing outside: https://www.lensculture.com/articles/dan-wood-suicide-machine-is-bridgend-really-the-town-with-no-hope#slide-7 c543d099-5e53-4c5a-978b-80f52ae5fa13.jpg

-I quite like this concept of this is not real life as I find that we all have different views and opinions on what is real life and what isn’t. This idea could be represented in many different manners, from photographing everyday life, to everyday situations. https://www.lensculture.com/articles/dominika-gesicka-this-is-not-real-life …4325244c-29ca-4e2d-a8c3-e734f42a9c77.jpg

After conducting my research, I have found interest in a few different particular topics.

The first being The focus on truth behind relationships, and the truths being hidden in fear of someone. Focusing on domestic abuse is of particular interest for me because I find it such an emotional topic and the fact that many people are being victimised every day is horrifying. I also connect personally to this topic as I have a friend who has opened up and told me about her past abusive relationship, as well as two family members being affected by this issue. I would want to represent things that they have told in the manner of staged photography and for now, I plan on using myself as the subject.

Story to look at in more depth…

http://thebaffler.com/blog/battered-women-behind-bars-true-stories-on-stage

Artist to look at: Donna Ferrato

-http://www.donnaferrato.com/work                                                                      -http://www.iamunbeatable.com/the-archive/

Online, I came across an article which talks about ways to bring awareness to domestic abuse. Although my outcomes would look very different from the ones below, it sort of allows people to see the negative emotional and physical impact of domestic abuse, and this is something I would want to portray throughout my images.

Uploaded by YouTube user fero061982 , the video is titled “One photo a day in the worst year of my life.”

This is an extract from the page that explains what the project is about:

It starts out like all the other photo-a-day projects: we see a woman who apparently faithfully snapped one mug shot each day. As the video progresses, however, we start noticing that something is off. Bruises begin to appear and disappear from the woman’s face, with the injuries becoming progressively more serious. At the end, we discover that the whole thing is actually a Croatian public service announcement that’s meant to draw attention to the widespread problem of domestic violence. The sign held up at the end reads: “Help me, I do not know if I can wait for tomorrow.” No one was actually hurt in the making of the photographs and video (all the injuries you see were created with makeup), and the video is simply one that takes advantage of an online fad/meme to make a powerful point.

The Second topic that I would be interested in looking at would be landscapes. I quite like the simplicity within the images and the geometrical lanes and shapes within the images are quite fascinating and i feel like i could produce/replicate something similar. Jersey is quite known for its spectacular sunsets, however I like how these images are in black and white emphasising the fact that even though the pink and blue skies aren’y visible, it’s still breathtaking.

https://www.lensculture.com/articles/yvonne-boyd-rise-and-fall

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Lastly, the third topic I find interesting is this idea of reflections. I like this concept, and what is the truth in reflections?This has spiked an interest from me and i plan on experimenting this idea with inspiration from Lee Friedlander. I find his work particularly interesting as he creates imagery with a sense of abstraction, and I also find quite interesting how he decided to include himself in someway , shape or form. This could be something to apply when experimenting with this idea.

“It fascinates me that there is a variety of feeling about what I do. I’m not a premeditative photographer. I see a picture and I make it. If I had a chance, I’d be out shooting all the time. You don’t have to go looking for pictures. The material is generous. You go out and the pictures are staring at you.”

http://www.dodho.com/lee-friedlander-reflections-of-the-street/

When looking more in depth about the exam booklet, a lot of interesting concepts were addressed. Documentary photography and staged photography could be an interesting way to approach the exam theme and could be concluded in a way that uses representation as well as visual aesthetics to portray them. Focusing specifically on the Documentary aspect within photography, it could be interesting to conclude a project that documents something, whether it be documenting everyday life, to social media and more.

Documentary photography essentially follows a single topic or story, and is conducted in depth. By gaining a deeper understanding and connecting emotionally to particular stories of injustice, documentary photography can capture and sustain public attention, and mobilise people around pressing social and human rights issues. A lot of the time, documentary photography can be emotionally difficult, especially when documenting issues like War and famine. Frequently, the question of whether to help or just photograph what is happening are inquired to many documentary photographers. By putting the camera down and help in whatever situation is occurring, you might help a few people but in the end, there is not really much that they would be able to help with in an overall perspective. However, by photographing and documenting the situation, it’s broadcasting what is happening all over the world and is allowing the world to see what is really happening in the present day. It gives thousands of people the truth about the struggles that many are going through every single day, and is a way that makes people want to help. This way is probably  more effective in the fact that it’s bringing awareness to issues people don’t necessarily think about, and emphasises how far we still need to go to stop specific issues.

Why is documentary photography important to an open society?

By telling a story visually, it allows photographers to expose and highlight unseen and ignored realities, and thus is a way in which provides evidence to show people the negative occurrences taking place all over the world everyday, and exemplifies ways in which human rights are being violated. A photograph is such a powerful tool, it has the power to address and emphasise issues that aren’t gaining sufficient attraction and it also amplifies a diverse range of perspectives. By doing this, by producing one image that highlights authentic situations and struggles of life many people face, it brings awareness and encourages people to want to help bring social change.

How do photographers document difficult situations while also respecting the dignity of the people they portray?

Over a certain period of time, photographers build trust with those they are going to photograph and represent. They normally develop strong bonds and relationships with their subjects and by establishing their intentions and effectively engaging with the community and its people, they show a more  enthusiastic and authentic attitude towards the issue and build even more trust within the community.

By creating this bond with the community, it allows the photographers to acquire a deeper understanding which enables them to ignore generalisations and stereotypes. Furthermore, this bond between the photographer and the people means that  the photographer becomes more sensitive to the cultural and political context in which they work. Good Photographers document people or issues as a whole and do everything in their power that doesn’t risk the safety of those who have allowed him to capture their stories.

A photographer I found particular interest in is Christian Holst. I came across his work on the Open Society Foundation website and found that his work contextually and visually interesting. Here are a selection of his images:

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This image produced by Holst is particularly interesting when observing and analysing certain elements within the frame. When focusing on concept and authenticity, it is evident to state that this subject in the image is a monk who is dressing himself in a bright red robe. This body of work that he has produced is entitled “Life Under the Military Regime of Burma” and when doing more research on this particular image, it was stated that there was a protest in 2007, and although the precise number of how many monks were killed are unknown, it was suggested that there were many deaths and that over 250 monks were imprisoned and sentenced(because of their political activism), some for up to 65 years because of their alleged participation in the protects. It is said that many monks have fled and are unlikely to return because of the current political situation.

This image is powerful due tho the fact that considering what has happened, there are still monks who openly practice and continue with everyday life.  When conducting a bit more general research about monks, I found that on average, they will study for 10-13 years before they are able to advance and be ordained as monks. The fact that this image shows a young and practicing monk perhaps suggests a refute attitude.

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/moving-walls/17/quiet-land-life-under-military-regime-burma