Mary Ellen Mark was an American photographer best known for her documentary photography and photojournalism. She passed away in May last year (2015). Mark often photographed those who weren’t in mainstream society. Some of her best work was Streetwise and Ward 81. Mark has had 18 collections of her work published. Her work has also been exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide and also widely published in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. She was also a member of Magnum Photos between 1977 and 1981. One particular body of work of hers that I am interested in is entitled Ward 81 and is a documentary series taken in a mental asylum. I want to look into Mark’s work for research to get some inspiration for the staged images that I am going to make based around lunacy. I think that this will be a great way to get to know some of the mannerisms of those facing mental illness and how I should re-stage and act in my own photographs.

Mary Ellen Mark website: http://www.maryellenmark.com

I find Mark’s Ward 81 images really interesting as it shows the everyday lives of those living with mental illness. I find her way of documenting very raw but some part of me wonders whether or not some of the images have been staged. For example one where a woman it lying down on her bed, it looks as though Mark could have told her to lay there but then again she may have actually been already there when Mark came across her. I find her images very gripping and want to look through each one carefully to really see all of the details in her images. I like that she makes all of her image black and white as it really allows the spectator to focus in on the subject and look at what they are doing, their facial expressions and their mannerisms rather than being distracted by colours within the rooms or objects in the background.

This image stood out the most to me when looking through Mark’s Ward 81 photographs. It is almost unsettling to look at as the subject is staring into the camera. She looks slightly angry or that she is just sat curled up and Mark came in and made a photo of her that she didn’t particularly want taken of her. The subjects position interests me as she is holding in tight sat on a chair, she looks almost uninterested in what Mark is doing but I also get the impression that she doesn’t like that she is being photographed. Something that I noticed when looking at this image was the framed photo of possibly the woman’s daughters. At first glance I feel that the spectator would just look at the woman and her facial expression and feel slightly uncomfortable but when you look at the image closer you are able to see the little details within the photograph such as the framed photo. The background of the images looks like some sort of radiator that is blocking a rectangular hole in the wall leading to another room. This makes me think that possibly the asylum could not afford a heater in ever room and so residents would have to share with one another.

This image also caught my attention as it is so strange. The subject is posing for the camera in a very odd position. It looks as though she has lost one of her arms or she could have possibly got it in the main area of her shirt. I find Mark’s images powerful with the fact that the subject is often looking directly into the camera. Unlike other documentary style photographs the subjects are looking directly into the camera and are very aware that it is there, they almost play up for the camera. Usually in documentary shoots, I find, that subjects aren’t looking at the camera and it more contains candid photos. I do like how Mark’s subjects address the camera and allows the spectator into their world, making them feel more a part of their environment. The subject in this photograph has a cigarette hanging out of her mouth but it isn’t lit, it looks strange to me. This image makes me kind of uncomfortable as the subject looks so odd staring directly into the camera and the way she has positioned herself too.

I chose this image again because one of the subjects is looking directly into the camera, almost addressing the spectator. The woman on the left looks slightly cross-eyed as one eye is looking directly into the camera while the other is looking slightly off. I also find it interesting how the woman on the right is sat just watching the other woman. I again wonder whether or not this image is staged or whether she actually asked to make a photograph of them and this was their genuine response. My eyes naturally gravitate towards what is on the table and it looks as though there is records, a brush and that possibly these women are passing the time by cleaning them up or something. I like this image as it is very strong and does stand out to me, the characters in Mark’s work really interest me and I want to learn more about them, their story and why they are in the asylum. Each characters/subjects facial expression is different and they seem to pose in very different ways.