Category Archives: Artists References

Filters

Author:
Category:
Analysis, Artists References, Contextual Study, Essay writing, Instruction, Reading, Research and analysis, Written Task

Ethics in Photography

1 Comment

Now looking at ethics in photography, another important issue to address when looking at imagery which had had a impact on how photography is produced in the current day, I will still be focusing ion the work of Steve McCurry and looking at how he his work over the years of his success has received both praise for its braveness in capturing something so alien from what we know in our society, as well as criticism for its untruthful representation of the other cultures he chooses to photograph. I have previously looked at his work in relation to the representation of other cultures in our world and how this may be an inaccurate representation due his outsider’s POV when immersing himself into the lifestyle and living of places like India and Afghanistan. Now I will look at ethics and whether his imagery is accepted by the public based on its perceptions of being right or wrong in relation to morales of how we should treat and respect other cultures – often, McCurry is criticised being offensive in his work because what he shows is glamorised and romanticised for the camera and the people of their culture would prefer to be shown in their true colours – how they live life everyday – which, for most of the people in deprived countries, is a lot worse of than us and this representation is often looked at as being inappropriate (cultural appropriation) because it goes against the view that everything should be true and we should not lie – sparking arguments  about the ethical value of McCurry’s imagery.

As McCurry’s imagery was looked into further and more thoroughly, it was discovered that there were questions surrounding the methods of production of his photographs and that it went against the ethics and standards of photojournalism.

Photojournalism is defined as ‘the practice of communicating news by photographs, especially in magazines.’ Photojournalism relies on the sequencing of images to tell a story – a narrative and essentially a news story – the images should be strong enough to get a message across to an audience without the need for a caption or any text to accompany it. This is what McCurry has achieved, to immense extents in his career with several of his images being published in the National Geographic magazines and as well on the covers of a few magazines – this shows that his images are extremely powerful – powerful enough to portray a story to his audience. Photojournalism is intended to be very narrative driven bit also, there obviously has to be a underlying notion of truth and what is shown in the imagery produced by a photojournalist should be both truthful and relevant to current news stories as well as being ethically right in its content and methods. A photojournalist should not put anyone in an uncomfortable position in the process of taking their images nor should their methods be unethical.

Furthermore, ethics are defined as ‘moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity.’ Therefore, looking at photojournalism and ethics combined, it would make sense that photojournalism, is all about being ethical and ‘right’ so that society is not harmed buy anything produced. If ethics are moral principals, then this should be evident in the imagery produced for journalism purposes where everything shown is truthful and not altered in order to show a picture or a story which is more ‘accepted’ or an image which shows things to be ‘correct’ which is what Steve McCurry has been accused of not doing in his work where people have begun to unpick his work and reveal the ugly which was not shown to us in the first place – McCurry has been heavily criticised for Photoshopping or ‘touching up’ certain elements of his images so that they look better and nicer to look at, whether this be through removing people or objects to make the images look less cluttered or romanticising a scene which is not glamorous in real life.

During Steve McCurry’s career as a photojournalist for National Geographic, India was his most visited country evident in his work and was a place which he said was very special yo him – he expressed his love for the country and it was the location which made up most of portfolio as a backdrop for captivating images capturing Indian culture and Indian people. On the blog post written by Kshitij Nagar on PetaPixel focussing the examination into is work, the writer states that India to some was regarded as his ‘Karma Bhoomi'(the land where one works)’. It is in the next paragraph that the either then goes on to talk about McCurry’s depiction of India which sparks the most controversy both internally and internationally due its ‘certain stereotypical, exotic, almost “Slumdog Millionaire-ish” version of India’. I have already discussed this when looking sat the comments made by Teju Cole of The New York Times in which he makes no efforts to hold back in his rant at McCurry and has no regard for his status in the photography due to the fact that he, in his eyes, as an Indian, disrespects their culture by showing it in the light McCurry does. This is re-iterated by Nagar.

(Words from PetaPixel’s publication on ‘The Botched Print’) ‘A travel photography giant, his vibrant images have inspired millions, but he’s recently come under fire over Photoshop use after a botched print at a show in Italy was found to have a serious issue.’ And this is quite right – McCurry is a documentary photography giant and he is expected, due to this big status and big name to follow the rules and to not offend people of the cultures he is photographing so heavily which also in the public eye so much now he is this world-renowned artist. Hover, he has been found out to potentially be a user of Photoshop to improve images beyond there rawness and actuality of life itself to a point where the story is distorted.

mccurry_featureSchermata-2016-04-23-alle-21.20.41

This image, has been, understandably removed from McCurry’s website now as he has been under fire for using Photoshop to alter his images but has made a ‘botch up’ of it to the point where it is very obvious due to the unrealism of it – the bottom of the road sign pole has been dislocated form the actual sign post and it is floating in mid air where it does not look real – this has caused much rage over audiences and it is now questioned ‘how far has McCurry’s imagery been altered?’ This, as well, has generated more controversy over other images of his which has also been commented on in the article.

The two images below are also digitally manipulated images of McCurry’s and were both found on his website. In the first image, you can see, in the background, a hazed and blurred second cart to the left as well as a pole sticking out from this bit in the image below, these two objects have been removed from the frame by McCurry and Sharma writes that he is ‘not at all surprised’ of this digital manipulation done by McCurry because all he wishes to do is to create the ‘perfect frame’ and eh would go any lengths to do this, but the result is an untruthful representation of the real life events which occurred at the time; in turn, abusing the notion of ethical methods.

13062201_10209300783219510_4123666415850551493_n

13061970_10209300783099507_8328500818408060987_n

“I am not at all surprised at the digital manipulation (done by him) to create the perfect frame.
I have watched him rig (stage) his pictures. (He) Arranged the subjects (back then) because chromes (slide film) could not be that easily manipulated.”

Another image produced by McCurry has been revealed to be very staged and this seem to be a recurring theme of his imagery production methods and we can begin to lose our hope of such a renowned photographer which has much success with his work because of this critical examination int his work and the reveal of these unethical methods. Do all photographers carry out false methods of production to create this ‘perfect frame’ or are there artists who embrace the idea of a candid portrait? Sharma also says that McCurry’s imagery are ‘staged candid portraits’ – this oxymoron presents a juxtaposition that doesn’t work as a ‘candid portrait’ is a photograph taken of a moment in time – without the subjects aware of the cameras presence – it is natural but a ‘staged portrait’ is a method where the subjects are positioned purposely to show a mood. The image below has been staged and Sharma comments on this:

avinash-pasricha-steve-mccury

“This apparently off the cuff moment was arranged too. The lady is the wife of a photographer friend and the suitcases the coolie (porter) is carrying are empty. They had to be because the shot took time and lots of patient posing. McCurry’s pictures have been called STAGED CANDID MOMENTS by Avinash Pasricha, a photographer friend who knows how he works because he helped him with the pictures like the one above. The lady is his sister-in-law.”

When technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable?

With the easy accessibility of software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, as well as Instagram an other image editing applications, and using software such as the examples listed above being sop vital for photographers in the current day, image manipulation is more or less inevitable in this ever-growing age where technology is taking over the human generation. Everyday, we rely on technology to get us through the day and everyday 52,000,000 images are uploaded to Instagram on average. This shows the pure depth of how image editing is so important to even non-photographers.

The use of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom is a second nature to most photographers in the modern day of technology driven lives. Most photographers may feel like the editing of imagery is the way forward and it is essential in order for audiences to enjoy your work and this is why artists strive to create the ‘perfect frame’ through manipulation of the original image to take it beyond it’s raw form where audiences struggle to connect with it as the truth has been removed. I enjoy looking at contemporary and delicate imagery where the only editing done is subtle adjustments of contrast, exposure or brightness etc.

The extent to which manipulation is acceptable is very debate-able and different people would argue different things but I believe that if the message of the image becomes distorted or the truth becomes hazed due to the extent to which an artist has altered their image, the this is hard to accept as an image which can have an impact on our society – this is an image which is has no powerful meaning to impact the audiences thoughts. However, there is also the argument that heavy image manipulation is essential when creating a photo collage for example, and this is understandably. If an artist’s work is based in the fine art industry where surrealism is wanted to be achieved from each image, then I can understand how the may need to go to further extents to produce something for its purpose than want a more contemporary style artists who focuses on the more technical elements such as composition and framing may do.

Therefore, there is a whole issue surrounding the idea of manipulation of images which needs to be straightened out in order for audiences to understand an artists intentions but looking at McCurry’s imagery, his efforts to create the perfect frame goes to far, especially when looking at such a touchy subject such as poverty in deprived countries – almost taboo, this needs to be appearance every carefully but he holds no regard for the views of the subjects he photographs and this has come out in recent years to put him under scrutiny.

With viewers more sophisticated and skeptical than ever before, how can photojournalists and documentary photographers preserve their integrity and maintain trust?

Like I said before, due to this whole saga surrounding Steve McCurry’s work and his intentions from producing his work, with it also being revealed tat he is not as trustworthy and professional as originally thought, it is difficult for us viewers and consumers of these products to understand where the boundaries are – are all photojounrasists showing us flase information? Photojournalists are ‘supposed’ to be putting truthful and accurate information on the cover of our media for us to understand and absorb so we are not being fed false facts.

Although photographers, Steve McCurry being a great example, believe they can alter their images beyond the point of actuality without their audience realising because we weren’t present at the time, often, their unethical methods are revealed, much like what happened with Steve McCurry and not only does it not play well with us, but it also ruins his reputation that he has built up over several years – his status, being part of the huge firm, National Geographic – he has allowed us to put our trust in him to provide with direct information about the places he visits but this reputation and status becomes less and less over the years as more and more information about the way he manipulates is put in the public eye and the view he had maintained and the dignity he had obtained from his much loved work gradually decreases and his fans trust in him disappears.

Audiences of any media are much more opinionated in this current day and it can often come back to haunt the producers of the media especially if it has been hidden that they have been unethical in how it was produced or morally incorrect. In photography, methods of editing is often hidden and this can be very hurtful to audiences if they are loyal fans and suddenly realise the artist they follow has not shown them the full picture and it can be argued that hidden truths were kept secret for many years regarding the Weinstein scandal in the news still after a month with more and more women coming out about the sexual harassment put on them by Weinstein – this is an example of reputations and integrity vanishing in a second due to one mistake and audiences become very opinionated once news like this comes out and although less severe with photography, people still wish to voice their views and may lash out on the subject.

Photojournalists should make their intentions clear from the get go when releasing a series of works etc. so that their audiences know exactly what is occurring and how each image has been produced. If releasing two versions of an image, make this clear and make the alterations made clear also so there is no misunderstanding – communicate with your audiences.

Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism or documentary ethics?

Like in photography in general, there are no boundaries as such – everything in photography is free – everybody is free with their creativity to produce what they want and I believe this is the same in photojournalism and any other aspect of photography as an art form but there is the notion of producing something within reason; like I said, nothing that offends, or pits anyone in unconformable situation and in photojournalism, it goes against the purpose of using imagery to show a visual story for news reasons by removing objects in the mage or heavily altering the way the  image looks because it is about the meaning behind it – the message. Photojournalism does not adopt the same purposes as contemporary photography where it is about showing a photograph which shows aspects aesthetics through careful composition etc. Photojournalism is also this but its main function is to show a story and relate to texts which take power in the news at that current time – you want to focus on creating a meaning and this requires careful thought into the framing and content of the frame but I believe that editing should be very minimal to get the full effect of immersing yourself into the news story without worrying about the story being distorted in any way.

Therefore, I believe there  are no boundaries as such because photography is a creative outlet which people engage themselves in to be free in their ways of showing something – a message but, linking back to the idea of ethics, standards and representation, these should all be considered when taking an image.

Analysis, Artists References, Research and analysis

ARTIST REFERENCE // GIDEON MENDEL

Leave a comment
Biography

Gideon Mendel is a world wide known photographer, who is recognized for his contemporary photographs focusing and engaging his work on social issues which are of global concern. His is a committed photographer to taking an intimate style of photography, which shows his long term commitment to his love of photography and the projects that he emerges himself in. He has completed an enormous amount of social issues project around the world many which have earned him international recognition and many awards, including the Pollock prize for creativity.

The self motivated photographer was born in Johannesburg in 1959 and studied psychology and African history, so therefore not always showing the greatest interest in photograph from a young age. However he did began to take photographs around the 1980’s where his work as a ‘struggle photographer’ where first brought to the attention. After this he moved around and continued to photograph global social issues and one of his most notable being his project into HIV/AIDs, which had a very hard hitting impact of general public because it was showing true harshness of society in struggling countries. His photo taken began in Africa and expanded to many different locations around the world capturing stories of hardship and global social issues which have made his photographs so famous and popular today.

In 2007, he began his project ‘ the drowning world’ photographing flooding in an emotional and personal project responding the the current situation of climate change. He has been recognised for his unusual portraits and awarded for his creativity and different strategies he takes to produce his story telling images. Following his extensive career capturing global social issues he has worked with many organisations such as National geographic, fortune and the guardian etc.this emphasises the vast amount of work he has done on this topic and shows that he is a professional reliable photographer, which is truthful to the images he captures.

Four stories about hunger

Four stories of hunger is an incredible short film produce by Mendel which shows video clips and images from some of his projects. this short film that he created adds depth and reality to his images and brings more of a story and excitement to the images which often captivates the audience more, and this is one of the aspects which made Mendel stand out as a photographer that inspired me and that i wanted to analyse and have influence in my project which i am conducting in Africa. I was inspired by his passion and long term commitment for photographing social issues and believe that the work that want to capture whilst i am in Burkina Faso shows strong links to the work of Mendel.  I personally really like the contemporary style of photography that he uses to capture his images, from the way that he conducts his portraits getting an individual to stand infront of a plain wall can often be difficult and even more so if they speak a different language. Therefore i appreciate his images as they seem as though they are simplistic images however getting to the stage where that image can be taken with the right lighting and position of the camera takes skill and experience.

 

Image Analysis

 

 

Eunice Achieng, age 8 project: Disability reframed

The first thing which noticeable when analysing Gideon Mendel work is that he has a project title for all of his shoots which immediately tell you about what the images are of and also where they are taken, meaning in which part of the world and the specific social issue which is being targeted.  Without even seeing the image above i already new that the project was focused on in africa and that the project title was ‘Disability Reframed’. From this i started to pick out what he was gong to be capturing in his images and you can assume that it was going to be focusing on how the third world deal and cope with disability. therefore when you click onto the project mendel gives you information about the project, often statistics and background information to the story the project is telling. I think that this is the feature which makes Mendels work stand out from other photojournalist as he is putting raw facts and information behind his images, emphasising that these images are truthful and are telling the stories of global social issues.

The image is of a young girl with some form of disability. She is standing in the middle of the shot therefore making her the focal point of the image. The photograph has no significant distracting background from the image so all focus is on this little girl and wht er story may be. The image breaks the rule of thirds following Mendels contemporary approach to photography and breaks the rule of thirds through the way that the young girl is placed perfectly in the center of the image with an even amount of gap above and below her head. this contemporary form of photographing portraits creates a sense of unusuality which may be a connotation for the fact that he is photographing children with disability which is seen as unique. The series of photos sees every child photographed together in the same way and this could emphasis a sense of community or belonging as they are all photographed in the same way the images are portraying equality which these children may not be used to experiencing because they do not get the same schooling opportunities as other children. Another element of the photograph that i noticed is the angle that the image is taking the photo at. The straight on camera shot that Mendal uses could also be used to portray equality as they are at the same level, the camera is level with the subjects eye.

The background of the image although being plain, is extremely important in the image as it makes the subject stand out more against the background. the neutral colours could also be signifying the simpleness of third world countries lives. And the the use of bold vibrant colored clothing gives a personality and a sense of life to the individual. each portrait in the project the individuals have different coloured clothing and i think that is what signify there individuality and uniqueness. Framing is also a key aspect to this image as the background frames the young girl making her the center point of the image, this is a technique which i am going to use when i am in Africa taking similar portrait images showing the stories of their community. I thin that if i use Mendel’s technique of photographing against a plain wall then the personality of the individual and their story will be the main focus of the image and this will show contrast to maybe other more environmental portraits which i will capture.

The image below is a good example however of how much variation Mendel includes throughout all of his different projects. This portrait although very similar in the stance of the subject and the use of the bright coloured clothing that emphasises their individuality has a very different element to it. Th background of the portrait below shows blurred out the woman’s house. This begins to tell a deeper story of who the individual is. For example in the image below i can pick out that this woman may be a house wife, who stays in the home most of the day looking after the children. Therefore this is a different approach to documentary portraiture which i would also like to explore more and have a go at in my own personal investigation.

By researching all the different projects which mendel has thrown himself into with his love of photography i feel extremely inspired to take some of his ideas and techniques of portraying stories of family and community through social issues and use it to influence my own style of photography and capture images similar. Main points that i want to take away from looking at mendel,is the idea of producing a short film to advertise, or show a deeper story to the images that i will be taking, after my research i am considering the types of video clips that i want to capture whilst im away as well as how i can link in interviews with the local community to show there story and what family means to them.

 

Artists References

Artist References

Leave a comment

From previous projects i have found that a lot of my ideas, inspiration and final pieces have come from researching on Instagram, pinterest and looking at books for images that stand out to me. i began looking for inspiration on the styles of images that linked to environmental documentary photography and the idea of third world issues on the internet just googling photographers which have photographed social/cultural issues. I began to come across a variety of images which started to inspire me and widen my imagination and understanding of photojournalism ad capturing images in these harsh environments which have powerful connotations and stories behind them. Below are a few initial photographers i have come across:

  • Gideon Mendel
  • Steve McCurry
  • Guy Martin
  • Alec Soth
  • Guy Tillim
  • David Goldblatt
  • Panos Pictures
  • Sebastiao Salgado
  • Florent Mazzoleni

These photographers are a mixture of professional photojournalists, amateur photographers as well as local African photographers. I’m purposefully looking at a variety of photographers with different experience and styles to inspire me as much as possible so my head is full of ideas of the types of photographs i want to create. As i am also in africa on the aid trip for a significant amount of time i will have lots of time where i will be able to capture photograph with different shoots focusing on different aspects. However with looking at different leveled photographers i am noticing significant differences with the quality of the images and it is becoming apparent that some images are more manipulated and staged than others. Steve McCurry produces some of my all time favorite environmental portraits however he is becoming to be known as a photographer which puts propaganda use above the truth of his images. This is something i want to avoid in my images. Although i may end up  planning and staging individuals in specific areas, this will be truthful and with the purpose to create good photographs. Documentary and the truth has become a huge topic of discussion when it comes to social issues including both wars and poverty. A question is left over many archival images of what is the truth anf the reasons why they have been adapted. is it to cover up something, exaggerate and use the image for propaganda reasons or just to make it a better photo.

Documentary and the Truth // Contextual study

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/napalm-girl

NBC NEWS

The story behind the famous image may not always be as it seems. Many famous images of tragedy, loss and pain often have an even deeper and more sorry story underneath, but sometimes the story does not always portray the truth. One photograph which changed the view of millions of Americans during the Vietnam war was an imaged captured on the 8th of June by Nick Ut. His award winning photograph portrayed the terror which the war was bringing to innocent civilians. The image, showing young children fleeing from a napalm bomb which had just been dropped on a small village in Vietnam, shows the true horror of the events that were occurring during the war.  in the center of the image Nick Ut captures with his camera a  year old girl running from the explosion as her clothes have been burnt off by the gas and her skin is being burnt as she runs from her village, terrified. Ever since this image was released she has been known as the ‘Napalm girl’. The extraordinary photograph which i can only assume Ut captures by chance of being in the moment at the right time shows the destruction of the napalm bomb which was deployed from the US warplanes.

The image had the biggest impact of american citizens who were utterly shocked by what their country was doing to these innocent children and therefore changed the way Americans viewed the was which was occurring at the time. Nonetheless their thoughts has already been changing and in October  1967 ‘46% of responded to the survey said it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam’.  Whereas in 1965, only 24% believed that it was a mistake to send US troops. With a 22% increasing in Americans believing that American troops should of not been sent to Vietnam. When Ut took the image in 1972, in 1971 61% believed it was a mistake to send US troops to Vietnam. The war ended in April 19745, three years after the Napalm girl had been captured and shown to the world. There is a myth associated with the photograph that it was in fact the image itself which hastened the Vietnamese war to an end, no the less this is thought to also not be the case as Americans were no longer involved in the war by 1973.

The truth behind the image and what really happened to the ‘Napalm Girl’, is that she suffered third degree burns which covered 30% of her body. Significantly Ut who captured the image was actually the one to take the young girl to the hospital where she was then transferred to a facility in america where she was to recieve life saving treatment.

The impact which the image captured showed that the war was inflicting more harm than good. The destruction which occurred due to the  conflict between Vietnam and America undercuts the horror which had to be endured by many innocent civilians. The image found it difficulty in publishing as to the AP policy of showing nudity. As explicit content was unable to shown in many magazines in America. The AP of Saigon said to Nick Ut after developing the image “We don’t think we can use the picture in the paper, because she’s too naked.” Later the image was sent to New York who published this image on the front of the magazines as well as having it published over the television. This lead to an uproar of protesting in America, Japan London Paris,m the main protest happened outside the White house, Washington DC.

Questions began to emerge, one of which was from the American president Nixon  who proceeded to question whether the image was fake. Nick Ut the photographer of the image replied with “the horror of the Vietnam war recorded by me did not have to be fixed”, emphasizing that the image was truthful to what it was showing and there had been no manipulation to the image the true horror of the events are shown through the truth of the image.

‘Napalm Girl’ 40 years after the image was taken

There are many images that have been documented over the years that have had their purposes questioned for if they were truthful. I chose to research and study this particular image as i felt that it had significance to my personal investigation, as it is all about showing the truth of tragedy around the world. therefore  i was interested in studying this photograph because i had heard about it before but never really researched it enough to have an opinion on the topic. I didn’t know much about the american influence on the war going on in Vietnam and thought this would be a good opportunity to look deeper into the events which occurred. Whats so shocking about the events which occurred are that the Americans were the one to bring to horror to these innocent villagers. The bomb which was released had horrific consequences including many deaths of innocent young and old people living in the Vietnamese village which was brutally targeted. It is known that the impacts of chemical warfare are truly horrid to both the people and the environment. The reaction that Americans showed when it was released that this was what american troops were deploying shows how horrified they were as people were saying it was fake. This emphasizes the disgrace people had that this was happening as they didnt want to believe that it was true.

After reading this interview with Nick Ut, it is obvious and clear that the horrific images that he both saw and captured that day are the ultimate truth and maybe people didn’t want to believe it because it was so horrific. “The girl was running all naked, and when she passed me, I saw her left arm burned and her the skin peeling off her back. I immediately thought that she was going to die. She was very hot even after the bomb. She was screaming and screaming, and I thought, “Oh my God.” That’s when I stopped taking pictures of her.” The that Ut captures is only a snapshot of the story he has to tell that goes with it and during the interview where he talks about how he felt when he realised what was truly happening before him highlights the truth of the image and that this was an unavoidable true tragedy which did happen.

The photograph is a form of documentary photography as it was taken purely in the moment and nothing was staged about this image except maybe where the photographer placed himself. The image itself is a snapshot of the emotion and action of the events which occurred during the war. the image really portrays the fear which young children must have been going through. In relation to documentary and the truth in photography, this is a truthful image of what these children where really experiences and that there was no escape for them from this harsh reality.  This was also a way for Nick Ut to show to America the devastation which is occurring in Vietnam. As well showcase the fear which many innocent civilians would of been experiencing. The fact that the young girl was able to receive life changing surgery so she can live , allows her to authenticate the image which was taken.

Analysis, Artists References, Contextual Study, Essay writing, Independent Study, Instruction, Reading, Research and analysis

Representation in Photography

Leave a comment

To study the idea of representation in photography and how certain aspects within imagery are presented to an audience, I will be looking at the work of world-renowned photographer, Steve McCurry, who is a very iconic documentary photographer succeeding in his captivating images produced for National Geographic.

Image result for steve mccurry

Steve McCurry (born April 23, 1950) is an American photographer. The photographer, is best summed as world-renowned success in the medium of documentary photography, especially in culturally deprived areas such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has worked in photojournalism and editorial. He is best known for his 1984 photograph “Afghan Girl”, which originally appeared in National Geographic magazine. McCurry is a member of Magnum Photos.

Image result for steve mccurry
AN AFGHAN REFUGEE IN BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN, 1981

Image result for steve mccurry afghan girl

The image above is the world famous portrait of a young girl in Afghanistan and is titled ‘Afghan Girl’ for obvious reasons. Taken by Steve McCurry when traveling the world producing content of National Geographic, there is something very touching about the image above – something tat speak to the audience and I believe it to be because we know that this girl is likely to be very less well-of than we are if we use our schematic knowledge surrounding the topic of deprived areas such as Afghanistan this allows us to understand the likely difficult and traumatic life this girl may live – being surrounded by a war zone for most of her life and having to live with this as a environment that she has to grow up in. I, for one can feel a sense of sympathy and sorrow for this girl – she is young and lives a completely different life to us without the knowledge to understand the meaning behind possible explosions which occur on a day-to-day basis. We do not know of the help she may receiving if she does live a very poverty-run life and this portrait helps us to understand this. The use of her looking into the camera, directly at the audience is a very powerful tool and the facial expression gives off a feeling of trauma and vulnerability – her open and alert eyes let us know of her emotions, in that she is scared and overall it is a very well constructed image and is rightfully a world-famous image as it opens up a door to another life most of the world do not experience in their lives, and this is something we must be grateful for and McCurry has attempted to portray a unknown environment to us through his imagery. Us as humans love people watching and being a little nosey into others lives, which is why most of us enjoy and find pleasure out of watching vlogs, documentaries or capturing out own street photography or looking at other dociumeyatry photography but the scale on which McCurry does this at is on a much higher and more serious level. It triggers our satisfaction for being a fly-on-the-wall in others lies but this is for a much meaningful purpose. However, one thing I’d lie to pick up on is the fact  that I, personally do not actually like the image – I don’t enjoy looking at it, not due to its context but due to the actual way it looks – it is not something that attracts me t the image and is more so the meaning behind the subject which draws me in. Hover, McCurry produced this image with the purpose to fit the style and method of National Geographic as a whole and this has been done to a tee as it shows us the harsh reality, although not direct, of what life in other parts of the world us like. The image appeared on the cover of National Geographic in June 1985. There is a reason McCurry has been hand-picked by national Geographic and is member of Magnum Photos and this is because he does his job so well and many people gave fallen in love with not only him and his work bit the actual physicality of what he captures in every image – the colours, the subjects, the cultures, the lifestyles – our ability to connect with every subject in each portrait is what we love because not every photographer has the ability to create an image so well – something I will be talking about later.

American Photo magazine says the image has an “unusual combination of grittiness and glamour.” which I believe to be very true.

Expanding on the idea of representation, like I mentioned before, this is a very touching and harrowing representation of this young girl and we are able to get an insight into her life. The girl is represented as quite lonely and isolated and form her facial expression, quite scared and lonesome and we don’t know whether this as true or staged as us as the audience can only act as people who interpret the content to what we believe but the notion of true and false is hard to decipher when looking at the work of McCurry, yet t is something we believe to see as true and not staged as this would be providing us with false visuals bit in another sense, we also hope for it to be false because we do not wish to face the harsh reality that people across the world, in abundance, do actually live like this. On the other, we appreciate the imagery that McCurry produces us because we get so experience other cultures for ourselves fro what see in the frame.

It has been likened to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa and has been called “the First World’s Third World Mona Lisa“.

Image result for mona lisa

Now mentioned, looking at the similarities of the Mona Lisa and McCurry’s Afghan Girl, there are many resemblances of both in each other. It is perhaps that McCurry took inspiration of the elegance and pureness of the painting of Mona Lisa an then transferred this into his portrait of the young girl in Afghanistan. Both look directly into the camera with a blank facial expression. They both have long, dark, maroon coloured hair and wear a draped scarf or vale over their head. In both imagery, there is a sense of delicateness and urge to show the femininity if our world – to show the beauty of females whether that be through a painting or photograph and though we may be faced with something difficult to address, looking at McCurry’s work, the beauty is beneath.  Maybe this is something else McCurry attempted to present and show us – the inner beauty of this young girl that is underpinned by the courageousness of her efforts to stay brave in the situation she found herself in at the time. It is aa though the women in both works are attempting to tell the audience something through the very intense gaze they possess. McCurry provides us with a modernised version of the Mona Lisa for us to embrace.

Image result for afghan girl

In early 2002, the subject of the photo was identified as Sharbat Gula, an Afghan woman who was living in the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan during the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan when she was photographed. This effort to re-photograph the same girl several years after she has once matured and become a grown adult tells a story and a very powerful narrative which the world can acknowledge as the image at the time when she was a girl touched the whole world as a community and again when her face is shown again over 15 years later. It was revealed that she had never seen the Afghan Girl image before it was shown to her in January 2002.

McCurry made several unsuccessful attempts during the 1990s to locate her. In January 2002, a National Geographic team travelled to Afghanistan to locate the subject. McCurry, upon learning that the Nasir Bagh refugee camp was soon to close, inquired of its remaining residents, one of whom knew Gula’s brother and was able to send word to her hometown. However, a number of women came forward and identified themselves erroneously as the famous Afghan Girl.

Although being a very successful and iconic image worldwide, ‘Afghan Girl’ and many of Steve McCurry’s other images taken in India during his time there for National Geographic can be seen to be quite romanticised and purposefully made to look more glamorous than reality suggests native to India, writer for New York Times Magazine, Teju Cole, explores this in more detail and criticises McCurry’s work on this very factor that many of his images seem ‘too perfect’ and he compares other representations of India that come from natives, such as Raghubhir Singh to McCurry’s and finds an evident juxtaposition between an insider’s view and an outsider’s view. Making for an interesting story about presenting a fake reality to please a modern by audience looking for extravagantness and in reverse, we see a more real and raw look of a country told by the locals, not tom please audiences but to provide reality.

Taj Mahal and train in Agra, 1983, Steve McCurry

Teju Cole in his article addressing this topic he feels very passionately about goes as far as to say that McCurry’s images are “astonishingly bring” which may seem quite harsh and disrespectful as most would see McCurry as a hugely influential and dedicated photographer but I can see where Cole is coming from with this very brave statement as there isn’t much in his images that sparks interest from me in terms of look and visuals. Like I said, you would think that McCurry’s work should be admired and loved by everyone because of its popularity in National Geographic and his image of the Afghan Girl which will live in memory but his work is not for everyone, including Teju Cole and myself but Cole himself mentions the immense popularity of McCurry’s work which “adorns calendars and books, and commands vertiginous prices at auction.” – in other words ‘sells for ridiculously expensive prices’ and Teju Cole cannot see the demand for such images which are “boring” because he sees the images produced by McCurry as unrealistic of Indian culture – evident in the image above where photographed is a very glamourous scene where in frame is a train going by with natives on the front in their colourful and beautiful headdresses looking very polished and slick and in the background is the Indian landmark. the Taj Mahal and it almost seems “too perfect” much like the title of the article suggest. Cole says “The men are real, of course, but they have also been chosen for how well they work as types.” This is suggesting a fake presence around McCurry’s work that they  have been specifically chosen as they look well together and it makes for a very glamorous image which is not a true representation.

Indian photographer, Raghubir Singh worked from the late ’60s until his untimely 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 colour, the human presence. Within these shared parameters, however, Singh gives us photographs charged with life: not only beautiful experiences or painful scenes but also those in-between moments of drift that make up most of our days.” Here Cole talks about the difference between Singh and McCurry’s work as well as similarities but focuses on the negatively charged feelings which exude from McCurry’s work in particular and suggests that this is incorrect and not how he wishes for his homeland to be shown and therefore, with pride, backs the work of Singh to show what India is – in that it is a land full with life but is better shown through the snap-shots of everyday life – what is in between the hustle and bustle of a usual busy location.

Subhas Chandra Bose statue, Kolkata, 1987. Raghubir Singh
Kemps Corner, Mumbai, 1989. Raghubir Singh

An example of Singh’s work is show above and is quite the opposite of McCurry’s work although taken of the same content – just much more relaxed in its composition. Singh focuses on creating a ‘snap-shot’ of one second in time – no-one is looking directly into the camera, not is there exaggerated shadows and colours enhancing in after-affects and instead we are given a much more raw representation of India’s busyness told from the perspective of an insider. Although an outsider’s view, McCurry’s amateur representation of India is still loved because we are given something simple to feast our eyes on; not a narrative which needs to be unpicked yet still enjoyed in its visuals – much like what Singh’s work offers.

Looking at another view, above is the music video for Coldplay and Beyoncé collaboration song ‘Hymn For The Weekend’. Although very poplaur, it has spakred much controversy over its intentions.

Written by Billbaord, ‘Coldplay’s new “Hymn for the Weekend” video featuring Beyoncé that was released on Friday 29 January is catching some heat over its Indian inspiration, with some online calling the Mumbai-shot clip a work of appropriation while others defend it as an appreciation of the foreign culture.

People were seen to express their fury at both Beyoncé and Coldplay and people took to Twitter to outburst their range over what should be seen as an offense to the local culture instead is being ignored because it has been addressed by two popstars who are worth millions. Some said ‘Are we gonna discuss how Beyoncé dressing up as an Indian woman for the Coldplay video is cultural appropriation, or no?’ and another said ‘Just because it’s Beyoncé, doesn’t mean she’s right. She is being offensive and appropriating our culture.’ However, some actually like the fact that Beyoncé was seen in the video to dress up as an Indian woman as it empowers them and someone said ‘I adore Beyoncé for embracing my culture. In a country where I’m a “terrorist” I have never felt more accepted’. And it is argued that Beyoncé is likely not offensively appropriating due her black origins and this would not be in her remit.

However, In my own view, I had never looked that far into it until now and just saw it as a band who wants to embrace the culture of India and not intentionally offend anyone by different people have their own views on representation and it is often misinterpreted.

Artists References, Essay writing

REPRESENTATION, ETHICS AND STANDARDS// McCurry vs Singh

Leave a comment

How is McCurry’s images different compared to Singh in the way that they represent Indian culture? Back it up with references to articles read and include quotes for or against your own view.

 RAGHUBIR SINGH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raghubir_Singh_(photographer)

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/raghubir-singh-photographs

http://www.raghubirsingh.com/

Raghubir Singh  was born in October 22 1942  in Jaipur, India. He later died in April 1999 at the age of 56 in New York. He was an Indian Photographer most known for his landscapes and documentary-style images of the people of India. He was a self-taught photographer who worked in India and lived in Paris, London and New York. During his career, Singh has worked with National Geographic Magazine, The New York times and The New Yorker.  During the early 1970’s, he was one of the first photographers to reinvent the use of colour.  Singh made a series of powerful books about his homeland. He has a democratic eye that notices and captures everything, including cities, towns, villages, shops, rivers and construction sites as well of lots more.

The power of Singh’s images are not just simple in the content but also in the composition. They contain a deeper meaning because they are taken from the point of view of a local who has memories and sentiments connected to the area. The images below are some of Singh’s photos from India.

Subhas Chandra Bose statue, Kolkata, 1987. Raghubir Singh

STEVE MCCURRY 

http://stevemccurry.com/

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/11/steve-mccurrys-india/417102/

https://petapixel.com/2016/06/07/eyes-afghan-girl-critical-take-steve-mccurry-scandal/

Steve McCurry was born on 23 April 1950 in the suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He is an American Photographer who has previously worked in photojournalism and editorial. McCurry has been one of the most icon photographers in contemporary photography for more than thirty years. He has produced magazines and book covers, over a dozen books, and lots of exhibitions around the world. In a quotes from McMurry’s website he talks about what is important to him in Photography. He writes “What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have ti be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling”

He is best known for his photograph called ‘Afghan Girl’ in 1984. The image originally appeared in National Geographic magazine. The image is of an approximately 12 year old Pashtun orphan in the Nasir Bagh refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan. The image was named “the most recognized photograph” in the history of the National Geographic magazine. The identity of the girl remained unknown for over 17 years, until McMurry located the women, named Sharbat Gula in 2002. The image below is an image of the girl when she was around 12, and an image of her 17 years later. In a conversation with McCurry  he says, ‘Her skin is weathered; there are wrinkles now, but she is as striking as she was all those years ago.”

After several years of freelance work, McCurry made his first trip of many to India. During these trips he documented his time in India, and captured what he perceived life to be like in this part of the world. In 2016, McMurry was accused of manipulating his images using Photoshop, and removing individuals and other elements. There was much debate whether this process was acceptable in his line of work. Many photographers believe his images are “too perfect” to be true.

COMPARISON

Since Raghubir Singh was born in India, his view and images of India is seen to be from an insider’s perspective. Compared to McCurry, Singh’s photos capture the natural atmosphere of India. They’re busy and are full of vast activities taking place. Although his images could be described as messy because there isn’t a key aspect of the photo, Singh captures the true India rather then the one  Steve McCurry creates. Mcurry’s images are more posed and fake with the subject looking directly at the camera. They are also usually captured together with some peculiarity such as face paint. The way the New York Times describes the images is very to the point. They write, “The pictures are staged or shot to look as if they were. They are astonishingly boring.”  Although many photographers describe McCurry’s images as boring, they are also extremely popular. His images are technically perfect, however this is not the sole reason he is so popular. According to the New York Times, his images are “popular in part because they evoke an earlier time in Indian history, as well as old ideas of what photographs of Indians should look like”

Singh worked from the late 60’s until his death in 1999. He traveled around India, his homeland. Although his work shares formal content with McCurry, Singh’s images are full of life. They are full of a variety of emotions such as painful scenes. He had a democratic view, and takes images of everything including cities, towns, villages, shops, rivers, and so much more. Singh’s images are popular because of the content as well as the composition.

Allen Murabayashi, the CEO of Photo shelter, which is a “premium website builder designed and created specifically for professional photographers who are looking to grow their base.”  He defends McCurry’s work explaining he has a “deep understanding of photographic history – not to mention he’s an award-winning writer with a PhD in Art History from Columbia.”  McCurry is an award-winning photojournalist represented by the heralded Magnum Photos. Murabayashi dismisses the view that McCurry stages his photos. He defends’ McCurry saying it is a massive insult to a “talented photographer” who started his career at a local newspaper before traveling to Pakistan and sneaking into Afghanistan to cover the build up to the Soviet invasion. Although he is not completely certain that McCurry never staged a photo, to say that McCurry has spent a “career setting up scenes to capture his iconic photos is a massive insult to a talented photographer” 

People criticize McCurry’s images because they are ‘too perfect’ but when you’re a highly skilled photographer taking 250,000 images over the course of 3-6 months for an assignment, and then working with a high end editor, the photos are bound to be perfect.

 

 

Artists References, Independent Study, Practical Task, Preparation

Typology Study

Leave a comment

When searching for influence upon church typology, my teacher suggested assessing the work of Walker Evans. Evans photographs churches in a time before coloured image production, causing the photos to adopt this sepia sense, adding to the aged nature of his photographs.

Image result for walker evans church

Image result for walker evans church

Walker Evans’s images of the churches from the 1930s are very much how I like structuring my images with direct and clear focus on the linear of the building against a blank yet idyllic background. Following my recent shoot, I compared my image to his set of images and although the angle of the church is different to how he pictured it, you can see a clear comparison between the two.

Artists References

LAUREN MAREK// PIECES

Leave a comment

LAUREN MAREK 

http://www.laurenmarek.com/pieces

https://vsco.co/laurenmarek/images/1

Lauren Marek is an American Photographer who was born in Texas. She bases her wok in Houston & Austin. According to Marek, she is inspired by ‘small towns, old friends and simple moments.’ She is a student who loves to experiment with different concepts in photography. She doesn’t focus on a particular area, instead she takes image of anything and everything that shes interested in. She’s done a series on portraits called ‘merge portraits’. She has also done a series called ‘memories of the everyday’, where she has photographed people in an environment where they remember a particular moment in their past.

The series which I am most interested in though, is the series called ‘Pieces’. In this series, Marek investigates part of the human body. She takes images of sections and small areas to capture certain details that make the human figure. Shes focusing on the main features like the eyes, mouth and ears.

I really like the idea of taking images of tiny details that make a person who they are. Marek has taken the concept of body image and has explored a different way expressing who we are. Instead of taking a simple portrait and relating it to body image, she has focused on the tiny, usually unimportant features that collectively symbolize our individuality.

I really like this idea and want to explore it further using my own photo shoot. I decided I wanted to explore this idea and way of shooting because It links with my project well. Since my project is based on body image, I wanted to incorporate the important features of the body into it, however in an unusual way.

Analysis, Artists References

artisit research// jenny saville

Leave a comment

JENNY SAVILLE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Saville

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/jun/09/jenny-saville-painter-modern-bodies

Jenny Saville was born on 7th May 1970 in Cambridge, England. She is a contemporary British painter known for her large scale painted nudes of women. She works and lives in Oxford, England. She has dedicated her career to traditional figurative oil paintings. He painting style is very similar to Lucian Freud and Rubens. Her paintings are much larger than life size and they are usually very strongly pigmented. They give a highly sensual impression of the surface of the skin as well as the mass of the body. Her published sketches and documents include surgical photographs of liposuction, trauma victims, deformity correction, disease states and transgender patients.

The image above by Jenny Saville was done  by using a photocopier. She pressed her face against the glass and tried to distort it as much as possible. I will be using this concept as inspiration for my first shoot. I aim to distort a figure’s face as much as possible by using different materials such as clingfilm and cloth. This will be my first representation of body image. I chose to start simple, and just focus on the face rather then the whole body.

Artists References, Independent Study, Inspirations, Personal Investigation, Personal Study, Preparation

Primary Inspirations/Thoughts for My Project

Leave a comment 
Primary Preferred Artists
  • Phillip Toledano – When I Was Six
  • Yoshikatsu Fujii – Red String
  • Colin Pantall – Sofa Portraits
  • Arno Brignon – Joespehine
  • Brooklyn Beckham – What I See
  • Paul Gaffney – We Make The Path By Walking
  • Sophie Calle
  • Hekki Kaski – Tranquility
  • Rita Puig-Serra Costa – Where Mimosa Bloom
Arno Brignon - Josephine

http://www.arno-brignon.fr/files/gimgs/th-45_josephine2016004-copie.jpg

http://www.arno-brignon.fr/files/gimgs/th-45_josephine2016006 copie.jpg

http://www.arno-brignon.fr/files/gimgs/th-45_josephine2016027 copie.jpg    http://www.arno-brignon.fr/files/gimgs/th-45_josephine2017021.jpg

“July 1st, 2009, birth of Joséphine. Doubt and fear mingle with joy and pride. Having a child can be the simplest thing in the world. For us, it was long, unlikely, unique. In maternity, they call it a “precious pregnancy”. It is also an imbalance announced to our life as a couple, a love story for two to rebuild to three.”

 

This series by French artist, Arno Brignon looks at the fragility of birth and being a mother and how carefully you need to transform your life in order to mold this new introduction into your being as human – what you lived for before pregnancy all of a sudden changes and this explored through a very diverse range of portraits and landscapes delicately addressing the topic of birth and the fear of your family crumbling.

I believe the concept and content of this very moving series is relatable to my thoughts for my project where I will look at the fragility of family life through divorce and the events that come after this. I love the colours in this series and the textures that are achieved from using film as opposed to digital. The graininess is very nostalgic and suitable.

Paul Gaffney - We Make The Path By Walking

The British Journal Of Photography writes “Nothing much is happening in the images and there are no people in sight, yet everything is happening; knotted, overgrown roots catch the light and weave in and out to form complex networks; a craggy cliff-side reveals an intricate patterned texture; windswept vegetation exposes an inviting pathway. Gaffney’s sensitive handling of the landscape allows his subjects to breathe, and through their very subtlety the images sing.”

It is Gaffney’s first self-publishes book and contains photographs taken in rural Spain, Portugal and France. The idea he explains was to explore long-distance walking as “a form of meditation and personal transformation.”

Although this project does not include any people whatsoever and focuses solely on landscapes and the environment around us, the images included in the series I hope will influence the style of imagery I capture for the images I produce of the environmental/location aspect of my project. What I like about the images are the very surrealist sense about them, as in some examples, it looks very overgrown with greenery and this often juxtaposes against an urban background. My images will not be as dramatic as this but will adapt the effect of looking hazy.

Heikki Kaski - Tranquility 

https://vimeo.com/125994256

Kaski_04    Image result for heikki kaski tranquility

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heikki Kaski (born in Kantvik, Finland, 1987) lives and works in Finland and throughout Scandinavia.

In the series, ‘Tranquillity’, there is a tension, a beat-down quality, that is beautifully conveyed in the barely balanced framing and dusty, drained palette of the photographs.

Heikki Kaski’s pictures of the town in California with a now population of 799 people and its inhabitants. It is a fractured series of reflections on a landscape that seems to have outlived its own history. He tells the story of the very quiet and isolated town and the people within through smart and sleek images of objects, portraits and landscapes. The images are very aesthetically pleasing and it something I am hoping to show in my project consisting of similar style images. Although a completely different context, the look and meaning behind the project will be similar to that of Kaski; I will look to the show the people that have a particular relation to environments and how this affects the lifestyle of these people. Although focusing on divorce, I am focusing on memories and the thoughts of my mum and dad that take them back to “good times” as such which will be displayed through very simple images of environments and portraits.

What I like about the project is the physical book which showcases the work so very elegantly. The set-out of the images on the pages, the colours involved and the overall look is very representative of the thoughts I have in mind to be minimalist in my presentation.

Rita Puig-Serra Costa - Where Mimosa Bloom

Rita Puig-Serra Costa’s work is very captivating and speaks lots about family and the relatives within shown through the thoughtful use of showing a family tree through the archival portraits of her family members.

Dealing with the grief that the photographer suffered following the death of her mother, ‘Where Mimosa Bloom’ by Rita Puig Serra Costa takes the form of an extended farewell letter; with photography skilfully used to present a visual dedication through speech and imagery to her deceased mother. This grief memoir about the loss of her mother is part meditative photo essay, part family biography and part personal message to her mother. These elements combine to form a fascinating and intriguing  discourse on love, loss and sorrow. “Where Mimosa Bloom” is the result of over two years work spent collecting and curating materials and taking photographs of places, objects and people that played a significant role in her relationship to her mother, writes the site’s statement in which the book is available of purchase.

The concept is something similar to what I hope to follow through with in my own memoir to my mum and dad and myself and the lives we have since followed after the division of the family. I will be focusing on the relatives from then and from now who have played  significant role in shaping my life to what it is now and who I am now because I feel using the technique of including myself and revolving the project around myself will make it easier for me to tell a better story.

I have already looked at the work of Serra-Costa and really enjoyed producing something so contemporary which revolves around the close collaboration with my subjects to produce the end result – I look forward to doing so again in my current project but on a much larger scale.

Image result for rita puig serra costa where mimosa bloom

My Idea

I am going to focus my study on my mum and dad and the event that changed my own experiences as well their own and the events we would come to experience together, as a collective throughout my upbringing as a child into a teenager and into a young adult to who I am now – their divorce. When I was at the tender age of 4 – when I was aware of my surroundings and what went on in my life – who my most closest relatives were and who I could put my trust into to develop as human to who I am now. At 4, however, you don’t know the concept of love and what the event of you being born can do to a couple who were once unconditionally in love with each other. It causes stress, friction and unwanted distancing from one another – love has the potential to eventually break the people involved.

I have therefore chosen to explore this very fragile and mildly taboo subject of divorce further in my own personal investigation for the year to come. The final result of this very in-depth and rigorous investigation about the relationship which was once there between my mother and father and to what it is now will be a photobook consisting of the images I aim to produce for the remainder of my A2 year.

When handed the task to collate several ideas about what you wish to hone in on for your own personal study at the beginning of the week, it is an understatement to say that I struggled to find something I had the passion and motivation to do. I wanted to focus on the concept of family because I feel like more of a narrative can be told through this concept and I was very eager to start exploring own family. Hover, I did not know what this “special” thing was that I actually wanted to look into because I couldn’t think of anything that would generate some exciting thoughts in my mind. I had the idea to use my sister – to show the contrast between my childhood and hers through t use of my own personal archival imagery, or maybe the use of my girlfriend and her own family and the juxtaposition of her own and my now family and idea of “family”, however, this did not excite me enough and I finally came to the conclusion to investigate the divorce if my mum and ad when I was at the tender age of 4. This very influential event has affected my life since the very day I found out the spit of my parents and even though I d not fully understand this very complex subject and concept when told at the time, it has followed me throughout my life and it has moulded how I am, as well the rest of my family, including my now 4 year old sister herself and my relationship with her.

I will be focusing predominantly on the work of Japanese photographer, Yoshikatsu Fujii. In particular, I will be using her book, Red String as my inspiration for my project based around my parents and myself and my relationship with both of them. 

Yoshikatsu Fujii was born and raised in Hiroshima City. He graduated from Tokyo Zokei University of Arts with BA in Art Film. He began photography work in Tokyo in 2006. His photographic works often deal with historical themes and memory lingering on in contemporary events. 

What I love about Fujii’s work is the very diverse range of materials and resources used in the book. Not only is the actual book handmade very carefully with fabric and actual red-string used as decoration throughout, but he has used archival imagery from his personal archive about his mother and father, but also inserts of texts and transcribed discourse from his parents and contemporary imagery to balance out the theme of looking back at the past but also living in the moment and exploring more about his present day family.

The reasoning behind the title ‘Red String’ is because of a legend that use to exist in Japan. In Japan, legend has it that a man and woman who are predestined to meet have been tied at the little finger by an invisible red string since the time they were born.
Unfortunately, the red string tying my parents undone, broke, or perhaps was never even tied to begin with. But if the two had never met, I would never have been born into this world. If anything, you might say that there is an unbreakable red string of fate between parent and child.

Fujii’s book about his parents divorce ‘Red String’

 

Mind Map of Ideas for my Project

Analysis, Artists References

Laia Abril VS Rita Puig-Serra Costa

Leave a comment
Laia Abril

http://www.laiaabril.com/

Laia Abril (Barcelona, 1986) is a multi-disciplinary artist working in photography, text, video and sound. After graduating in Journalism she moved to New York to attend ICP photography courses, where she decided to focus her projects in telling intimate stories which raises uneasy and hidden realities related with sexuality, eating disorders and gender equality. Was then in 2009 when she enrolled for 5 years at FABRICA – the Artist Residency of the Benetton Research Centre in Italy; where she worked at COLORS Magazine as a creative editor and staff photographer for 5 years; where she started a book making team with Art Director Ramon Pez.

Her projects – including several platforms as installations, books, web docs, and films; have been shown internationally including the United States, Canada, UK, China, Poland, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, France, Italy or Spain. Her work is held in private and public collections as Musée de l’Elysée, Winterthur Museum in Switzerland or MNAC in Barcelona. Over the last years her work has been highlighted getting nominated for grants and awards as Magnum Foundation, Prix Piktet, Foam Paul Huf and selected as a jury choice award at Santa Fe Center or Plat(f)orm PhotoMuseum. More recently she has been awardered with the Revelación Photo España Award, the Fotopress Grant and the Madame Figaro – Rencontres Arles award for her exhibition A History of Misogyny, chapter one: On Abortion.

She self-published Thinspiration in 2012, Tediousphilia (Musée de l’Elysée, 2014) and The Epilogue (Dewi Lewis, 2014), which was highly acclaimed and shortlisted for the ParisPhoto-Aperture First Book Award, Kassel PhotoBook Festival and Photo España Best Book Award and appointed by critic Jorg Cölberg like “A masterpiece of a photobook“. Her new book-project Lobismuller(RM, 2016) — holder of the Images Book Award, on the reconstruction of the story of the most enigmatic and bloodthirsty serial killer of the Spanish history, was presented in Paris Photo 2016.

After working for 5 years on her long-term project On Eating Disorders, Abril started her new project A History of Misogyny – which first chapter On Abortion will be published by Dewi Lewis on 2017; and she is currently developing her second chapter On Hysteria.

Here is some images of her book ‘The Epilogue’

video link –

Image Analysis

Laia Abril’s book, The Epilogue,  gives a voice to the suffering members of her family after losing her 26 year old daughter, Cammy. Through this set of memories, pieces of text, diary entries and objects the Robinson family reconstruct the memory of Cammy, after losing her to Bulimia, a serious eating disorder. Although Abril produces the book in memory of Cammy, it has a deeper meaning of showing the struggle many young people have when dealing with being bulimic and the daily struggles they go through. The book also shows the impact of this illness on the family members which it hugely impacts especially when it comes to such a devastating end, showing the grieves of the family members wishing they new so that she could of done more to help Cammy.

Throughout the book sections of text are included next to portraits of family members, friends and loved ones that knew Cammy and spent time with her through her illness. You can sense the frustration of people that were close to her and how they wish they could have done things differently. The inclusion of text gives more depth to the photograph and provides explanations of life events and some of the symptoms of effects this deadly illness has, spreading awareness to readers. I also think that text was included to provide closure to the families, the words they speak which are illustrated in the book is a way of them saying their final goodbyes to a loved one.

I chose the above image to analyse as i felt it was a simplistic image but alongside the context of Cammys story, it is a very hard hitting image which has a huge impact on the audience. The image is of scales which plays a significant part of the victims life as  a key part of the illness bulimia is weighting yourself to check on your weight to make sure that you aren’t putting on weight. For Cammy as her illness was so serious she probable weighed herself at least twice a day. I found that this image was emotionally very powerful and stood out to me because it represents her daily routine and a key symptom of the illness, it is also the actual scales that she used which is even more powerful because this object has a memory to the family. The image begins to make you really think about what Cammy went through and the family. Although the image seems to be simple as it is on a white background and placed in the center of the image, the angles have been considered as the shot is looking down onto the scales and therefore the audience feels like they are looking down at the scales which is the view Cammy would have been looking at a lot, having a big emotional impact of the audience.

Rita Puig-Serra Costa

http://www.30y3.com/rita-puig-serra-costa-where-mimosa-bloom-en/

Rita Puig-Serra Costa is a photographer living and working in Barcelona. Costa is an editor for Perdiz Magazine and whilst working for this publisher she combines her commercial assignments with personal projects which she does in her own time to produce her own works. For example her first book, ‘published in 2014, ‘Where Mimosa Bloom’ is a photographic memory series to show her honour and respect for her mother.  Costa is currently working with Salvi Danés and David Bestué on a new project.

“Where Mimosa Bloom traces a walk across the memory. It tries to remember a mother who is no longer here through objects, persons, and moments, which take us directly to her person. That’s an homage of Rita to her mother Yolanda. An attempt to assemble in a book her familiar universe.”

Where Mimosa Bloom, was a project very close to Costas heart and shows key links to family as it is a book in memory of who her mother was, using old memories, photographs and objects which had significance to her mother and  family. Through her book she creates a meaningful story of who she is and childhood memories. This links to our family assignment as she really looks into personal archives to find out about her mother and then document it to create a photographic narrative of her mothers existence.