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Diana Markosian

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http://www.dianamarkosian.com/father

Diana Markoisan is an American documentary photographer but also a writer and a filmmaker. Markoisan was born in Moscow but moved to California with her mother and brother whilst her dad remained in Russia. One of her most famous final projects was her ‘Inventing my father’ which is the project I am focusing on. She has an experimental approach as evident through her first image where her mother has cut out the image of her father. She began this career at the age of 20 which has led her to travel around some of the most pristine areas of the world.

This was the closest thing I had to an image of my father: a cut out in our family album.
This was the closest thing i had to an image of my father: a cut out on our family album.
I was seven years old when I last saw him. The Soviet Union had long collapsed, and by then so had my family.
I was 7 years old when i last saw him. The soviet union had long collapsed, and by then so had my family.
When I would ask my mother about him, she would look at me, disappointed. “Forget him.”
When i would ask my mother about him, she would look at him, disappointed. “forget him.”
15 years later, I found him standing just how I left him. In a doorway, neither fully in or out of my life.
15 years later i found him standing just as i left him. In a doorway, neither fully in or out my life.
I listened to him speak about the past and his feelings towards my mother. It’s strange to look at images of them together. They look so happy, so in love.
I listened to him speak about the past and his past feelings for my mother. Its strange to look at images of them together. They look so happy and in love.
One of the only images of my father and I together.
One of the only images of my Father and I

ANALYSIS

Technical – the image above is an archival photograph as Markosian said so herself she doesn’t not have many images of her and her father. Therefore the lighting in the image is most probably natural lighting that she has used coming through a window. There is a range of tonal shades on the photograph. The main beam of lighting is on her and her father, the darker and not so lit areas are on the other individuals in the image, perhaps other family members. Markosian has purposely done this so that the main area of focus is on her and father. The depth of field her in the image above is right on the focus as you can see the other people are more blurrier than them two. The lighting in the image is a fairly warm tone however having more tones of brown and black rather than orange and yellow.

Visually, the main colors that makes up the image is dark browns,blacks and then the dark blues that she and her father are wearing. I think she has chosen to shine a light on the blue making it more vibrant therefore stand out in the image. The way she has composed the lighting to only shine on her and her father I think is important as she only wants her viewers to focus on them two and not where or who she is with. From what we can see in the image she and her family are what looks like a cafe or restaurant with maybe her brother and uncle. However her mother is not in the image which leads me to believe she may be the person that is behind the camera.

Context – Markoisan chose this image to publish and to be part of her project as she did not have many photos with him. The project for her in a sense was for closure and to establish something that she had no power and control over. Her style of photography links well with realims and straight photography as she is documenting her life by what it is really like. She uses no filters and no editing that marks her images as unrealistic. Images emerged from walking and thinking, from spending time with the freedom of ideas unhooked from the psychological demands of the assignment. “It’s a form of meditation. There’s a mental archive of images that I am making, they are not for anyone but me. The walk serves as a form of inspiration. The walk becomes the art.”

The main reason I have chosen to focus on Diana Markosian’s work is because she has created a whole set of images and a project called “inventing my father.” The link to her website is above. I think this links well with my personal study due to the focus being primarily on her Dad’s absences.Most of her images have a small caption showing and explaining what each of the images contain and what’s happening in them. Most of her captions are short and direct which is what she’s trying to express with her relationship with her father. She expresses that the last time she saw her father was at the age of 7.

Although, some aspects of her project link well with mine I’m choosing to focus more half on my dad but the majority of my project on my mother. I am going to incorporate some of my art skills into this project like she has done through the use of cutting out the old images to make it look like a missing puzzle.

He told me he had been looking for me. He opened a suitcase filled with newspaper clippings, undelivered letters and a shirt for my brother’s future wedding.
He told me he had been looking for me. He opened a suitcase filled with newspaper clippings, undelivered letters and a shirt for my brothers future wedding.

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