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Contextual Study, Essay writing, Written Task

CONTEXTUAL STUDY // REPRESENTATION

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How is McCurry’s images different compared to Singh in the way that they represent Indian culture? 

Representation is the way in which a particular person or thing is portrayed. therefore in photography the was something is presented is usually down to the artist an how the are capturing the image. Particular subject or focal points in photography are usually seen in different ways as every photographer has a different style and represents what they see it as in their minds eye. Different representations of a person for example can either show them in documentary form where they are being compleatly natural and themselves or can be  fashion photography and the individuals  purpose has now compleately changed as they are being represented in a different light.

India is rich with life, culture and colour. People often think of India as the colourful, scented land of beauty and and wonder and represent it in a positive light, however it can be a place which can be represented quite the opposite if you look past the obvious beauty. Poverty engulfs the country and the rich culture which it once possessed is fading in the fight for survival as the poverty situation does not get any better.  Nonetheless India is  a place of morals in a time of Westernization. A land where humanity presents itself in the most dizzying, creative burst of culture and religions, races and tongues. The oldest civilization, and yet the youngest. The epitome of wisdom and yet modest. A place impossible to not be astonished by. Photographers approaches to the indian culture have varied over the past century. Often showing either the ‘picture perfect’ image of indian vibrancey and traditional ways which make whats seems like the perfect vision or a more realistic style of photojournalism which documents the countries culture in the more naturalistic way. In my opinion there is right or wrong to represent the indian culture unless it is a lie because it depends on what the photographer intends to portray.

Local Indian Photograper Raghubir Singh captures Indian culture as a form of documentation. Singh belongs to a tradition of small-format street photography, pioneered by photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson he developed a certain sophistication to his work where he was able to represent his home land in its natural form. Through travelling around the world with various photographers spending most of his time capturing the indian culture  he built his own style and aesthetic imprint. His images neither sugarcoated the culture nor showed ever aspect of the reality of the culture. The thoughtful composition of his works create natural fluency throughout the images which make them asthetically pleasing however informative in showing the culture of india. In Raghubir Singh’s represents the culture in a realistic light showing the richness of the culture but not in a way that seem overly staged and dramatized. He seems to focus on the method of the decisive moment which was influenced by his time spent with Henri Cartier-Bresson. This is the moment which occurs when the visual and psychological elements of people in a real life scene spontaneously and briefly come together in perfect resonance to express the essence of that situation. This therefore emphasizes that Singh represents India as he sees it in that very moment, he captures the natural beauty of the community and doesn’t attempt to formalise the situation to be something that it is not.

I Raghubir Singh

Steve McCurry represents indian culture in a very different light. His modern and conceptual style of photography highlights the different representation that he shows the indian culture as. Similarly to Singh, he captures everyday moments of india and documents the essence of what makes the country so beautiful, however it can be considered that he over staged and falsifies his images into a way that they do not represent the truth of indian culture.

 

Steve McCurry

In the article “A Too Perfect Picture”  Teju Cole in reference to world known photographer steve McCurrys photographs in a negative light stating that, “The pictures are staged or shot to look as if they were. They are astonishingly boring.” This is a very strong personal opinion, which i myself disagree on, however McCurrys work has been widely criticised for being “too perfect”. Cole highlights that McCurrys iconic images represent Indian culture in a very specific, in almost an exaggerated and falsified manner. He uses bold, vibrant colours with “crisp composition”. Cole goes on to discuss why McCurrys photographs are so popular and he comes to the conclusion that it is due to the fact that his photographs “because they evoke an earlier time in Indian history, as well as old ideas of what photographs of Indians should look like, what the accouterments of their lives should be: umbrellas, looms, sewing machines; not laptops, wireless printers, escalators. ” Cole explores some interesting interpretations of McCurrys work and highlights that the way in which he captures photography may not capture the current culture in India but focus on the old ways of their culture as it produces near to perfect images as they are thoughtfully composed and contain a sense of beauty through the colour and use of wide eyes he captures in his image. His work has been criticized for not portraying the issues of India in the current world and lacking a sense of reality to his imagery.

Nonetheless other articles such as ‘In defense of Steve McCurry‘, argue in defense of his photography, ALLEN MURABAYASHI begins his article with dismissing the accusation that McCurry stages his photographs and goes on to state that he is a talented photography that possess incredible skill in the photographic world to create mesmerizing images which tell true stories. Cole seems to favour Sighn’s photography as he adopts a street photography style documenting everyday life on the street, which to many may seem more natural. However due to McCurrys clever composition and persistence to take around 250,000 images in the course of a 3- month assignment he is able to capture almost perfect images because he spends the time searching for individuals and situations that create beautiful story telling images.

“Cole’s point of view is also a bit of historical criticism with a contemporary lens. McCurry’s Afghan Girl is one of the most iconic and recognizable images of the 20th century. To suggest in the 21st century that it is somehow a vacuous, staged image is spurious. McCurry helped define a style of photojournalistic portraiture that Cole finds objectionable.”

The way a photography may represent a situation, culture, event, individual does not distinguish whether the image is real or has been subject to objectivity. All photographers are evident to some subjectivity as they are placing the camera in a certain position to capture the image they seen in their minds eye. This means that all photographers are going to see subjects in a different manner and therefore are likely to represent them in a different way depending on personal preference. McCurry and Sighn are just two examples of photojournalist who represent indian culture in different ways, neither necessarily fake or untrue but just adopting different styles of photography and exploring different aspects of indian culture.

 

 

Analysis, Essay writing, Reading, Research and analysis

REPRESENTATION, ETHICS AND STANDARDS

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How is McCurry’s images different compared to Singh in the way that they represent Indian culture?

I shall use the example of McCurry who is a documentary photographer but has been criticized for focusing on re-inforcing stereotypes on top of the reality to slant the accuracy of the representation of the photograph and Raghubir Singh who contrasts McCurry in the sense his images depict the realities of his environment.  However arguably both artists are realistic in terms of what they represent as particularly in India there are 2 sides to every coin and McCurry may be accurate in representing the beauty within India however Singha is perhaps more accurate in showing ht eeconomic and cultural hardships within India.

For McCurry

Image result for steve mccurry

Image result for steve mccurry

Steve McCurry (born April 23, 1950) is an American photographer. and has world-renowned success as a documentary photographer, who shoots in more deprived and less economically developed countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.  In doing this Steve McCurry has become very iconic in contemporary photography for more than thirty years, through magazines and books and many exhibitions .  Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; McCurry studied film at Pennsylvania State University, before going on to work for a local newspaper.  After working as a freelancer photographer, McCurry made his first trip to India.  Travelling with a few clothes and some film, he made his way exploring the country with his camera.  Since then he has worked in photojournalism and editorial and is famous for his 1984 photograph “Afghan Girl”, which originally appeared in National Geographic magazine which is shown below above.  Other examples of his images are included above:

Image result for steve mccurry

This image of an Afghan refugee was published in National Geographic in 1985. The image captured the hearts of many as it caught the the impact of the surrounding context of which many people suffered and struggled so effectively in the photograph which is why it was so heavily publicised.  The context was set around the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan with the subject’s  family being killed and she had to trek as a refugee to a refugee camp.

The girl is the main focal point of the picture.  This is supported by the rule of thirds which her eyes are framed very effectively which this and the fact that the girl’s eyes are so colourful strengthen how effectively the viewer connects the eyes.  The eyes are almost hypnotic and tell a realistic picture as to the struggles the girl has and continues to face up to this point.  The effect on the viewer is we feel sympathetic towards this girl and her struggles and so because we feel so strongly about putting the right into the wrong that is shown through the girl’s eyes, as the viewer we start to examine other details that suggests the girl’s story is not just intriguing from an individual level but on a social level, it reflects the international relations and this impact on the whole of society.  for example interestingly the fact the girl is positioned to the far left third of the photograph and the contrasting red/brown skin and clothe shades that stick out from the green rural environment she is hsot in also reflect the idea that this environment isn’t the natural girl’s and because of this she appears slightly uncomfortable and reflects the journey and trials refugees faced from this war.  Because of this, this suggests McCurray has staged these photographs and has drawn criticism for fabricating/exagerating the truth from how this girl may have been shot in an unstaged shot which would essentially reflect the true horrors that went on in this time period.  I agree that the photographic features limit the usefulness for us in terms of finding out what the struggles of this war was like.  However on the other hand, I believe McCurray despite this has made an effort to at least through the model communicate to us from a personal and opinionated expression of the girl expressing how she feels towards her struggles that exposes more truth than what critics may say.  Many of McCurry’s images also have gone under criticism for this, since the images appear staged and to some portray far from the truth.  However I believe that despite an image being staged, McCurray is skilled at capturing the reality in his staged photographs in that the subject’s facial expression primarily or other composition features often reflect the hardships of a context through subtle but yet powerful techniques.  Even if the image is staged, it represents an accurate truth of the surrounding context that may not be captured as succefully in an unstaged photograph.  this is because by staging a photograph it gives the photographer and subject more freedom and control to express their views on a particuler issue.

I believe similar can be said with McCurry’s image of the Indian train  too.  This is because it may show a romanticized touristic approach to the photograph with slight clues suggesting the photograph was staged.  However in doing this, I would argue that it is irrelevant whether McCurry’s photograph was staged or not because some such as the New York Times may argue this is a slant of the real living truth.  It’s impossible for one photograph to cover the whole spectrum of issues in one country and it is the job of the photographer to focus on one specific issue and communicate that reality as effectively as possible.  By taking an unstaged photograph this is waht your doing, by taking a staged photograph you have the freedom to attempt to include the relative features in order to communicate and express the photographer’s views and feelings.   I believe that likewise the photograph with the train, by staging it it allows McCurry to communicate not just the economic hardships within India, but also the growth in Indian industrial might but also allows us to see the culture that flourishes within India and in doing this, it displays truth not only from  the photographer’s viewpoint but also from a factual one too.  Evidence within the photograph to back this up includes the highly romanticized lighting which compliments not only the abundance and variety of culture within India, but also with the Taj Mahal in the background symbolizing the Country’s rich history which creates depth to the photograph as a basis for the rest of the features in the photograph.  The train storming through resembles the economic and industrial growing might of India that is overlooked when so many photographers focus on the singular issue of poverty and social issues within India.  I like the feature of the train and the Taj Mahal because it not only represents where India has come from, it also emphasizes the idea of where India is going as well.  Finally the idea of having 2 men at the front of the train could symbolize two things.  That India is at the forefrnt of growth in the world as a forward thinking nation, but also the struggles it is and has faced in order to get to where it is and both men represent the poverty that exists amidst India’s economic power house growth.  Therefore in defense of McMurray, I believe that it is unfair to criticism his photographs as they may appear staged, but they represent very strong heartfelt issues from he people’s and subject’s he’s shooting points of view.  Therefore we should take it in our strength as viewer’s to understand what the photographer’s aims are and compare them with our own knowledge to judge a photograph’s accuracy in terms of representation but finally I believe that a photograph can be truthful when staged or unstaged, it is just a matter of method to achieve a similar result.  Obviously staged photographs can be manipulated to convey wrong messages which should be cautioned when viewing these images however staged photographs can be very effective at describing one’s feelings or emotions where an unstaged photograph could easily be taken out of context and easily used for a different purpose that which wasn’t part of the actual reality of the situation.

For Singh

On the other hand, Raghubir Singh is an India photoghraper.  because he is Indian I believe this allows him to see his own country – India from the inside as well as from the outside in how a Westernized individual may see his country.  Singh worked from the late ’60s until his death in 1999, traveling all over India to create a series of powerful books about his homeland. His work shares formal content with McCurry’s: the subcontinental terrain, the eye-popping color, the human presence.  However where these two differ is Singh has what the New York times calls a “democratic eye” where he may take a range of photographs relating to a range of issues whereas McMurry takes a photograph with incluing as many features and messages as possible into a single image.  His images include cities, towns, villages, shops, rivers, worshipers, workers, construction sites, motorbikes, statues, modern furniture, balconies, suits, dresses and turbans/saris.  There is a sense of power in his images but also yet a sense of bluntness and honesty which may be hard to find in Mcmurray’s images which may be fabricated with the photographer’s viewpoint against the real living conditions from the perspective of the ordinary fellow.  Comparitively the image of the people and the road below is very similar to McMurry’s image of the train inthat boh communicate the rapid growth and expansion of India’s industry at the cost of the people on society.  However where McMnurray has focused on portraying these people as being at the forefront of this revolution, Singh has portrayed the people in his images as people who are suffering meanwhile in the background there is wealth which isn’t accessible to most people.  Interestingly McCurry’s image could be criticized for suggesting that the two men  at the front of the train who are also at the forefront of this revolution may suggest how this wealth is only accessible to a small few elite and that he doesn’t cover and ignores the whole spectrum of the cost on society in terms of how this industrial growth is actually damaging for the everyday citizen rather than improving their lives.

The image above is interesting because its bluntness with the broken door is quite intrusive in the sense it appears rather forceful as we feel sort of confined to where wer are and cannot explore much of the photgraph.  This not only represents the roughness and busyness of Indian culture for many which McMurray contrastingly expresses it as very delicate and intricate, but also again the poverty that people live with.  In the image, through the door there is an army commander presumably from the days of British colonial rule.  This image appears like a reference to that and how even today, despite the economic growth, life is still the same for the ordinary folk.  This is because of the forceful door intruding in our faces and hgow we feel confined, it almost symbolizes the idea of a prison and as we look out of the prison door we see a direct link to British colonialism.  What is interesting is Singh has put us Westerners into the seat from which most Indian people sit and view India from and therefore it appears that the purpose of this images is to explicitly convey the hardships and remove the stereotypes from westerners such as McCurry who’s hoping to re enhance these stereotypes through creating highly romanticized images.  By taking these photographs from ground level, we start to see the realities of everyday life for most people and this in turn represents Indian culture in a very different light to McCurry.  Singh is therefore effective at producing images that as ordinary people ourselves, we can relate to and because of this we emphasize and trust them more as truth.  However it can be argued that these images may like with McCurry easily bet taken as truth where actually it is still very possible to manipulate and influence the representation of a photograh that is unstaged.  For example in the image with the door, it could be potentially argued that the strong link back to British colonialism is a strong exaggeration ad that  the India today which is outward looking and prosperous is far better than those days and could be insulting to the people who fought for Indian independance.  Therefore likewise with McCurry, when we see an image it is best to evaluate how well it represents the truth from the fiction and not take an image at face value as gospel as this could potentially affect the accuracy of the representation that the photograph is trying to communicate.

In conclusion, I believe no photograoher is worng, both are choosing to focus on very different aspects of Indian culture which in itself is such as broad term as each individual’s culture is different to another.  Both convey truth in their images using very different techniques to focus on very different themes and therefore no one is correct.

Personal Study

Becoming a Critic

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In preparation for my Personal Study, I am analyzing by comparing and challenging the book productions of former students. The books generically contain photographs in relation to a particular theme which is organised by the school’s Photography Department, as well as entailing an essay based upon the comparison of two photographers and their methods. Key features that must be assessed within the student’s work is the concept, design and narrative of the book in order to comprehend the flow of a photography book, using the knowledge attained in order to understand in which direction I shall head toward.

The book was constructed two years ago by Jemma Hosegood with the title “The Memory Box”, although, this is not clear on the front of the book, a factor I discredit, however, this lack of immediate title does provide some level of ambiguity which is reflective of the discovery of her “Memory Box”. The first image within the book is of the memory box in question which is a colorful and childish object, with the same pattern that covers the outer layer of the book. The black lacquered image that forms the background of every page enhances and juxtaposes with the color on every page and giving more emphasis upon on the memories this photographer is attempting to share. As we move to the next page the image is on the right side of the double page spread and this time we see the contents of the book from an aerial position, like a bird’s eye view. By placing the image on the other side of the page, there is a degree of uncertainty which plays upon the unknown element of this box which pieces together and forms the basis of this project. The photographer reveals objects in the image which she further develops, for instance, the maternity image of the photographer as a baby. This innocence is contrasted with images which entail a more mature, adolescence insight into life as a teenager, for example the blurry photo of an empty bottle of alcohol at what is presumably a house party. The images are accompanied by colorful texts which gives the audience a sense of the photographer’s journey as she moves through her life’s development in a colorful array of images. There is a series of images on one particular double page spread which depict her time at a festival. Although the images are taken on what seems like a disposable camera which would compromise the quality of the image, the photographs are organised neatly despite their varied compositions. A common motif through this photographer’s book is the use of rhetorical questions which coincides with this sense of ambiguity, for example, on the double page spread full of her festival photographs, there is text stating “What have I forgotten?”. As we turn the page, we are reminded of the innocence of the child again which creates this sense of distortion in the photographer’s work, which accompanied with her hazy adolescent images gives me an impression of a confusion in identity. A crucial point to acknowledge is that the images of the baby orientated documents are carefully photographed in a clear manner which are juxtaposed with the blurred disposable camera images.

Overall, I believe this book is a photographic journey which the photographer hosts in order to depict how she started life as a clear and innocent character, however, as she has grown older and entered the adolescent stage of her life, she is struck by distortion whether this come through distortion is alcohol based or whether the photographer is revealing she is unaware of what direction she is now moving in other than the party/ festival scene which seems to unite her and friends rather than the maternal images which unify her and her mother.

The written element of the book is a comparative essay of the work of two photographers and how her work does and does not coincide with the formats discussed. The photographer discusses the work of the two photographers she is studying and suggests how their work is reflective of their own lives, creating this autobiographical sense which forms the basis of her own work. Jemma talks about how Phillip Toledano lost his sister at the very tender age of six and that after his parents had passed, he discovered a box full of images and belongings of his sister. From an outsider’s perspective, this photographers work is very similar to “The Memory Box” which would give Jemma a good platform to work off of as her project is based around the discovery of her own memory box.