Contextual Studies is vital in developing a deeper understanding of photography and its relationship with art, history, politics and culture at large. This year we will be spending one lesson a week (mainly Wednesdays) on theoretical issues relating to your study on Documentary and Narrative Photography.
Contextual Studies will inform your practical work and vice versa. To achieve high marks and make work that is critical, and which engages with contemporary subject-matter it is essential for you to spend time reading, thinking and writing about issues discussed and how they relate to your ongoing projects.
Write 500-1000 words where you try and answer the following two questions. Deadline Mon 18 Sept.
Q1: Define what we mean by Documentary Photography?
Q2:What is Tableaux Photography and how does it construct a narrative different from documentary photography?
You must read the following two texts and include images to illustrate your essay and include quotes using Harvard System of Referencing from sources that shows evidence of reading and understanding.
EXTRA READING: To develop a better understanding in answering the above questions, read these two texts by David Bate from his new book, Art Photography (2016) Tate Publishing
On 18/07/17, Jonny visited us at the school again to take a look at the edits we had produced from the task he set us on his last visit. He allowed us to go through each of our works and share them with the class whilst explaining or thought processes. This was a good opportunity for me share how I work and my style of work ans to get opinions from other people. So, overall the workshop was very useful and enjoyable – as well as beneficial to my self-confidence and ability to speak in a large group.
The session began with Jonny gathering us around the table with our images that we had produced prior to the workshop. He began to ask how we wished to go about presenting our images ot the class and asked if we would be happy sharing our thoughts willingly without any prompts. Most of us turned our noses up a this thought but I would have been happy to explain the thoughts and meanings behind my edits independently because I feel most comfortable doing it this way as my images always hold some meaning and narrative behind them, especially now I’m working with images that are a lot more personal to me. Jonny, however suggested the idea for the rest of our peers to prompt us to talk by asking us questions about our photos.
I really enjoyed talking about my images because it allowed me to explain rte meanings behind what I had produced to the class and to Jonny, a hugely influential photographer to my style at the moment. I felt like my edits showcased how I see my relationship with my dad and how I wished to present this through an edit. I think Jonny liked my images and could connect with them in the way I wanted my audience to and he seemed to be able to derive some sorts of meanings from each of the images who boosted my self-esteem. I have learnt form the process over these last six weeks that my work is my work only and it is bound to prove different thoughts from different people and not everyone is going to like or even understand my work but for one persons, even if it is just myself to get what I produce, then I know I have succeeded because if I know I that I have differentiated myself from everyone else then I can be proud.
I feel like the task has set up other opportunities for me develop mys skills and progress with my work through the A2 course. I hope that the work I have produced and the influence of Jonny over the last six weeks will rub off on how I go about conjuring up ideas for my own personal study. I have definitely begun to see the world in new perspectives and the concept of telling stories and narratives through my photography will be a heavy aspect of the A2 course because I feel photography is a very powerful tool of expressing emotion and creating new stories for people close to you to connect with.
In the first 4 weeks we will be focusing on looking at different ways artists and photographers have explored their own, or other families in their work as visual storytellers.
Some explore family using a documentary approach to storytelling, others construct or stage images that may reflect on their childhood, memories, or significant events drawing inspiration from family archives/ photo albums and often incorporating vernacular images into the narrative and presenting the work as a photobook.
Documentary approach > recording life as it is > camera as witness Documentary is storytelling through a series of images of people involved in real events to provide a factual report on a particular subject. Read more here Documentary Photography
Larry sultan vs Richard Billingham > artists photographing their parents > straight photography vs snapshot aesthetics > formal vs informal.
Larry Sultan, Pictures from HomeRichard Billingham, Ray’s A Laugh
Sian Davey vs Sam Harris > artists photographing their children > classic vs spontaneous > environmental portraits vs observational portraits
Sian Davey, MarthaSam Harris, The Middle of Somewhere
Tableaux approach > constructed or staged narrative photography Tableaux is a style of photography where people are staged in a constructed environment and a pictorial narrative is conveyed often in a single image, or a series of images that often makes references to fables, fairy tales, myths, unreal and real events from a variety of sources such as paintings, film, theatre, literature and the media. Read more here Tableaux Photography
Anna Gaskell vs Hannah Starkey > childhood vs adolescent > memories vs fairytales > literature vs cinema
Anna GaskellHannah Starkey
Alfonso Almendros vs Maria Kapajeva > family reflections > memories > childhood
Alfonso Almendros, Family ReflectionsMaria Kapajeva
Archival approach > photographs, moving image, sound recordings, documents and objects from public or private archives, such as family history, diaries, letters, financial and legal documents, photo-albums, mobile devices, online/ social media platforms. Archives can be a rich source for finding starting points on your creative journey. This will strengthen your research and lead towards discoveries about the past that will inform the way you interpret the present and anticipate the future. See more Public/ Private Archives
Rita Puig-Serra Costa (Where Mimosa Bloom) vs Laia Abril (The Epilogue)> artists exploring personal issues > vernacular vs archival > inside vs outside
Rita Puig-Serra Coasta, Where Mimosa Bloom
Rita Puig-Serra Coasta, Where Mimosa BloomLaia Abril, The Epiloque
Carole Benitah (Photo Souvenirs) vs Pete Pin > family > identity > memory > absence > trauma
Carole Benitah, Photo-SouvenirsPete Pin
Ugne Henriko (Mother and Daughter) vs Irina Werning vs Chino Otsuka > re-staging images > re-enacting memories
Week 1, 2, 3 & 4 : 5th – 30th Sept Explore different approaches to family photography
Use PLANNING-TRACKING-PERSONAL INVESTIGATION-AUTUMN-TERM for a full overview of what you are required to do in the next 11 weeks. You are required to self-monitor your progress and will be asked to upload Tracking-Sheet with an update on a weekly basis to your blog.
TASKS > produce a number of appropriate blog posts
PRACTICE > PHOTO-ASSIGNMENTS
Documentary: make one environmental portrait using a family member. Complete by Fri 15 Sept.
Tableaux: construct a childhood memory in a photograph. Complete by Mon 25 Sept.
Archive: produce a montage that must include an archival image from your family/ personal photo- album. Complete by Mon 2 Oct.
RESEARCH > ANALYSIS: As starting points for your tasks, choose to look at a comparative study of the pairing of artists references above in each area of Documentary, Tableaux and Archive.
Write a thoughtful evaluation of each artists and consider how their work is referencing the theme of family – discuss the subject-matter, content, concept, context, construction, composition, camera, then compare, contrast and critique. Ask yourself: What? Why? How?
Remember to MAKE YOUR BLOG POST VISUAL and include relevant links, podcasts, videos where possible.
ARTISTS REFERENCES: Follow these steps to success!
Produce a mood board with a selection of images.
Provide analysis of their work and explain why you have chosen them and how it relates to your idea and the theme of FAMILY
Select at least 2 key images and analyse in depth, FORM (describe what you see, composition, use of light etc), MEANING (interpretation, subject-matter, what is the photographer trying to communicate), JUDGEMENT (evaluation, how good is it?), CONTEXT (history and theory of art/ photography/ visual culture,link to other’s work/ideas/concept)
Incorporate quotes and comments from artist themselves or others (art critics, art historians, curators, writers, journalists etc) using a variety of sources such as Youtube, online articles, reviews, text, books etc.
Make sure you reference sources and embed links to the above sources in your blog post
PLANNING > RECORDING: Plan at least 1 shoot as a response to each photo-assignment above. Show evidence of planning using mind-maps, mood-boards and write a specification with details of how, why, when, where, whom? Be organised and complete one shoot per photo-assignment per week.
DEVELOPING > EXPERIMENTING: Edit shoots and show experimentation with different adjustments/ techniques/ processes in Lightroom/ Photoshop appropriate to intentions. Reflect and evaluate each shoot afterwards with thoughts on how to refine and modify your ideas i.e. experiment with images in Lightroom/Photoshop, re-visit idea, produce a new shoot, what are you going to do differently next time? How are you going to develop your ideas?
EXTENSION: Explore your own family/ personal archives such as photo-albums, home movies,letters, boxes and make a blog post with a selection of material that will inform and develop your Personal Investigation. For example. you can focus on the life on one parent, grand-parent, family relative, or your own childhood and upbringing.
Either scan or re-photograph archival material so that it is digitised and ready for use on the blog and further experimentation.
Plan at least one photo-shoot and make a set of images that respond to your archival research above and/ or Personal Investigation.
