How does subjectivity affect the authenticity of photographs representing third world countries?’
‘Documentary photography constructs representations of reality accordingto someone’s view, their desire to see.’[1]
The authenticity of an image can be impacted by many aspects, one being subjectiveness. Subjectivity is the allowance of the photographer to be influenced by their own personal opinion and view. In my personal study I will be investigating how subjectivity affects the authenticity of photographs which attempt to represent third world countries. Third world countries such as India and Africa have been a subject to the photographic world for decades. The colourful cultures which contrast with the heart-breaking issues of poverty and disease have been seen as a popular topic for many documentary photographs. This is due to the powerful messages and stories which can be conveyed through photographs of these captivating areas. The representation of these areas of the world has been open to criticism and often critics have highlighted the lack of authenticity portrayed and questioned the rawness of the image. Steve McCurry has gained increasing amounts of criticism over the past decade with photographic critic, Teju Cole, says that ‘The pictures where staged or made to look as if they were’[2] creating ‘a too perfect picture’. Through the exploration of straight photography I will consider whether ever since the beginning of this theory photographers have ever really been wholly objective due to their minds eye always meaning images have some personal influence, even if it is just the angle the camera is positioned at which could exaggerate a story. Furthermore with the consideration of my critical analysis of the key photographer capturing global issues of the century, Sebastiao Salgado I will investigate the impacts of the inside/outside on a photographer’s ability to be objective through the use of Abigial Solamon-Godeaus essay. Taking all of these factors into consideration I will decide whether photographs can ever represent third world countries with a sense of complete rawness of reality because everyone is unconsciously has a desire to document their view.
The idea of representing the visual world and more specifically the third world in an accurate way first emerged in the early 20th century when photographers such as Paul Strandt and Alfred Stieglitz pioneered Straight Photography. This theory aimed at creating photographs which acted as realistic, descriptive records, as photographs were not to be manipulated but sharply depict the scene or subject as the camera sees it. Straight photography similar to pure photography describes the cameras ability to realistically reproduce an image of authenticity. With these aspects as the basic concept of straight photography we would imagine that all photographers following these principles would create representations of the third world in photographs which are nearly perfect records of reality. However this is not the case. The Objectivity of a photograph was as important as its realism when photographs were being used to represent social, economic and political issues. However photographs began to introduce subjectivity were photography was freer and the images that were being taken were visual representations of a person’s feelings tastes and opinions, showing deeper personal emotion towards a subject. It became known that one photograph could be interpreted differently by different people. Now photographs are being used as persuasion, where mass media is publishing images of different levels of objectivity. Photography which is subjective is being used as propaganda material to persuade people to have a certain belief which the photographer wants. Therefore subjectivity must be effecting the levels of objectivity in photographs representing third world countries. I believe that no matter how objective the aims of a photographer may be they are always going to have a personal opinion of the angle they shoot at the amount the image is cropped and I think this this choice of unconscious manipulation from the photographer is always going to lower the extent to which an image is authentic.
Sebastiao Salgado, a world- renowned photographer, has been captivated by capturing images of environmental and social issues for the past few decades and in his third long term photo series ‘ Genesis’ he focuses on global issues through capturing images of wildlife, landscapes and human communities. The natural areas that he captures show the communities which continue to live in accordance with their ancestral traditions and cultures. Genesis is a body of work which is regarded as a potential path to humanity’s rediscovery of nature in its true form. Salgados spectacular series of black and white images have the aim of raising public awareness about pressing environmental issues but has he as a photographer allowed subjectivity to affect the authenticity of his images?
Refugees at Korem Camp, Ethiopia, Genesis, 1984 – Sebastiao Salgado
Salgados image from Ethiopia where he captures refugees at the korem camp allows us to interpret and analyse how he captures his image and whether is it noticeable that his images are raw or he has allowed subjectivity to alter the truth behind the scene. The images shows 4 protagonists who tell the story of the image, they are located in the foreground middle and background of the image. Through the creation of layers in the image the depth of field is more appealing creating a more aesthetic image. The extensive depth of field brings all aspects of the image into focus making the audience feel like they are in the situation. This impact is also caused on the audience by the level that Salgado has shot at. By being level with the main protagonist of the image he is creating the feeling that he was a part of the scene. Salgado also skilfully fills the whole frame by having the subjects feel the majority of the picture. This could emphasise that there has been an element of planning gone into taking this photograph as it has been thoughtfully captured. This may suggest that Salgado is a subjective photographer as he has let his own opinion and mind’s eye have influence of the angles which may emphasise the meaning of the image. The arrangement of the image is also clever on Salgados part as the emptiness that surrounds the subject has the direct impact that leads us to believe that these people are lonely and receive little help. The lighting in the image is created by an over cast of clouds which creates a sober tone to the image which seems fitting with its tragic story and exaggerates its argument. Salgado use of the Kodak TRI – X film camera allows him to produce sharp images which reflect the reality of the situation he is in and as well as capture lighting which is characteristically spectacular, with plenty of backlighting and operatic contrasts.. His images are then “carefully worked on in a ‘laboratory’ or in dark rooms” [3]to create images which have vast tonal ranges and high amounts of contrast between pure white and pure black. This technique creates beautiful yet dramatized images which has led to critics such as Michael Kimmelman stating that Salgados “photographs are so stupendously gorgeous that they make you forget everything else while you are looking at them.”[4] Here we see another example of how Salgado may be subjective, as his want to create beauty in the images has drawn him away from emphasising the real subject pf global issues. Therefore subjectivity in Salgados work has affected his ability to represent third world countries authentically.
The meaning of Sebastiao Salgados most recent series of images ‘Genesis’ was to create awareness of Global issues. His image from Ethiopia is an example of global issues in Africa, one of the many countries he travelled too during his project. The image tells the story of possibly a family experiencing the very real issue of famine, poverty and disease. The image tells this story through the use of the subjects. Firstly the clothing that they are wearing are tattered pieces of cloth wrapped around them, this immediately connotes poverty and the lack of resources in this area of the world. Secondly it is noticeable that the main protagonist, the young boy, in the front of the images significance is that he shows that young children are experiences these hardships. The relevance of the child being in the Foreground of the image is that poverty stricken children have a bigger impact on the audience, therefore the image is harder hitting and may encourage more people to contribute to helping with these global issues. However we are unable to justify this as a truly realistic situation because the arrangement of the refugees may have been naturally occurring but Salgado could have also placed the young boy at the front to create this propaganda material which may lead to the image being more shocking to the audience creating more attention for his work and global issues.
Salgado’s photography is artistically beautiful. The underlying tone of romanticism which is portrayed in his images shows his inability to be entirely object which subsequently effects the authenticity of his images as he is manipulating them to show situations which are more beautiful than what he experienced in reality. Therefore his representations of Third world countries are not entirely honest to reality. In The Telegraphs article ‘Sebastião Salgado: A God’s eye view of the planet – interview’, Sarfraz Manzoor talks to Salgado about his experiences of looking at life from behind the lens. During the interview Salgado admits that he thinks “Photography is not objective,” he continues to tell Manzoor “It is deeply subjective – my photography is consistent ideologically and ethically with the person I am.”[5] Salgado admits that photography is subjective including his own however he states that he is being subject in the way that he is making artwork which are raw realities of the third world. This suggests that as his photographs aim to be didactic and revelatory his images even though subject are authentic representations of the global issues that he captures.
Key research which expanded my knowledge on how subjectivity can affect authenticity included the works of Abigail Solomon-Godeau, an American art historian. Solomon-Godeau explores in depth the effects of the inside/outside approach. Her essay ‘Inside/out’ thoroughly considers how being an insider vs being an outsider may have different impacts on the representation of images. This can be linked to subjectivity and how it can affect the authenticity of images representing third world countries. Solomon-Godeau says that insiders produce more realistic images as they are experienced in that area. She states “The insider position – in particular context, the “good” position – is thus understood to imply a position of engagement, participation, and privileged knowledge, whereas the second, the outsider’s position, is taken to produce an alienated and voyeuristic relationship which heightens the distance between subject and object.” [6]Here she suggests that as the insider, a photographer who lives in a third world country taking images of the area they live in, has experience and a relationship built with the location and community they are able to represent it in a more realistic way. This implies further that outsiders are then more subjective because they don’t know the traditions of the area and what is reality for these third world countries. They are outsiders going into areas of global issue creating an opinion of what they interpret the situation as being. An outsider photographing the exotic other is more likely to exploit them and represent the situation falsefully. Therefore how can an individual in the “position of total exteriority” [7] represent a third world country objectively? This may in fact be impossible. Is Solamon-Godeau’s final paragraph states a strong opinion that insider/outsider which holds cultural bias is always going to show the truth behind the image. She states that “a truth always veiled that reflects the philosophical divide between seeing and being.”[8] I understand this closing statement to mean that not matter whether the photographer is an insider or an outsider a photograph is never going to be able to be completely objective in representing third world countries because ever photographer is seeing through the camera and trying to capture a moment which can ever really only be realistic if they are being in the situation. Ashley la Grange, critically analyses Solamon-Godeaus photo essay and concludes that “Solamon Godeau presents a logical argument”[9], view areas of the inside/outside approach are considered and studied deeply for how it results in all photographers having different representations.
Abigail Solamon-Godeau’s arguments can be used to critic Sebastiao Salgados work of representing third world countries. Salgado is an outsider and a figure of exteriority in the areas of global issue which he focuses on in Genesis. Therefore after consideration of Solamon-godeaus arguments we portray his images to be subjective because he is looking at a situation which is not natural to him. However Salgados longitudinal project may have transformed him from being an outsider creating subjective images and being influenced by his opinion and want to represent these countries in a way which showed there global issues maybe in an exaggerated way. But by the end of his projects he had spent a significant amount of time in these locations and started to be an insider understanding the cultures of these areas, this may have influenced Salgado to be more objective as a photographer and follow closer to the principles of straight photography capturing what the camera immediately sees rather than what his mind’s eye is seeing. Through my own experience of photographing third world countries I found my photographs were particularly subjective. I found that my images contained a sense of structure and falseness to reality as I had positioned myself to create angles which would tell a specific story and adapted where the subject may have been standing to create almost a commercialised image. Nonetheless I had gone to Burkina Faso, Africa with knowledge of the issues of representation and the problems with that are subjective could have altered the authenticity of my images for representing the poverty and hardship that the community was enduring. Due to this I made sure that although choosing the specific angles and moments which would create the images I wanted, showing my own subjectivity towards photography, I also considered that as an outsider I didn’t want to falsely represent the reality that I was seeing and tried at all times to make sure that the rawness of the situation was never altered. Therefore from my own works I can answer my question that my own desire for the type of images I wanted to create affected the authenticity of my images. However it is possible to still capture images of truth to the situation even when being subjective as long as you do not let your subjectivity over rule the cameras natural ability to capture a situation as we see it.
Subjectivity can affect the authenticity of photographs representing third world countries in two main ways; firstly the photographers allowance of their minds eye to control what they’re capturing. Secondly the influence of the photographer being an insider or an outsider. La Grange sums these findings up in her closing statements when analysing Abigail Solamon- Godeaus, ‘inside/out’ when she states, “In all the examples given there is always a photographer, someone who selects the angle of the view, the subject, the medium…” [10]Here she emphasises on the point that there is always going to be an opinion behind the camera, an individual which is going to interpret their situation due to their beliefs, experience and upbringing. These are the factors in which subjectivity can affect the authenticity of representations of third world countries. I agree with critic Solamon-Godeau that an outsider is always going to be more subjective than the insider. The outsider’s ability to document observations of reality is flawed as they don’t have the experience to truly understand the third world. It is evident that there is a rigid dichotomy between how the insider and outsider represent third world countries and this may be due to either being unconsciously subjective.
[1] Photo essay – Mary ellen mark
[2] Teju cole
[3] Paruati Nair – A different light – page 11
[4] Can suffering be to beautiful – Michael Kimmelman
[5] The Telegraph – Sarfraz Manzoor
[6] Abigial solamon godeau – inside/out – page 49
[7] Abigial solamon godeau – inside/out – page 51
[8] Abigial solamon godeau – inside/out – page 61
[9] Ashley la Grange – basic critical theory for photographers – chapter 6 – page 130
[10] Ashley La Grange – basic critical theory for photographers p130