Below are screenshots of each page spread of my final book design entitled ‘Mr Ronald Welling and Mrs Welling’. As mentioned in my development blog post the title came about to show dominance and authority of my Grandad, Ron, through the formality of the title which can also suggest his business side. The photograph on the dust jacket is from their wedding day, suggesting the ideology of religion, family and happiness beginning the ameliorative mood of the overall photo book. My final book design can be viewed below:
‘Mr Ronald Welling and Mrs Welling’ is my photographic book which portrays the narrative of the occupation of lifestyle on my Grandparents, and how their upbringing in the 1940’s reflects their lifestyle in the modern day. The book includes mainly portraits of the two subject which shows intimacy, religion, family structure, authority and aspects of relationship which all cast the same underlying theme of lifestyle. In a sense the sequencing of the photographs are broken into three sections which are not explicitly sections. The first section establishes the couple, their relationship and the ideology of my Grandad being the provider for his wife and having the authority over her, this is presented through portraits inspired by Walker Evans, LaToya Ruby Frazier and some of my own artistic influence to compose the photograph. Within this section I have used archival imagery to present a compassion of their lifestyle when they were younger and present day allowing a more reliable reflection of their lifestyle. In addition, I decided to include one interior and exterior photograph which begins to reinforce the luxurious lifestyle they live through a new subject, reinforcing the ideologies of my project. The second section looks at family events and how my Grandparent’s lifestyle adapts, reflects and compares to my lifestyle. These photographs follow a family photograph style capturing the highlights of the religious event ‘Christmas’. The interaction between my Grandparents and my family, illustrate their lifestyle clearly at a major event. In the final section I mainly focus on the interior and exterior of their house through mainly landscape imagery. I also use more portraits to show my Grandad’s relationship with the specific rooms, creating semantics towards the imagery and reinforcing the idea of intimacy. For the majority of the time I have stuck to having just one image for two pages, using a single, 3/4 or double page spread. However, I have used up to two photographs over two pages if I need to emphasise a certain point. The photo book itself is a Standard Portrait, 20×25 cm. My pages will be white and printed on premium matte paper, as it makes the book seem like an official file. As stated above I will be using a dust jacket, meaning the actual hardcover of the book has not been designed. I intend to use a fabricated cover, subtle cover, as many family photographic books at the time they were raised was often this material, thus making it relevant and appropriate to use. The essay found at the end of my photo book explore the extent to which we can trust documentary photography to reflect reality, which follows the same path as the images found in my book. This presents viewers with the question of how accurately my images reflect my Grandparents lifestyle, adding a more academic response to the book. The essay includes photographs of artists work as well as my response to their work showing exploration and understanding of key theories within photography. To conclude, I believe the sequencing displayed above clearly illustrates my intended narrative which compliments my essay in response to my hypothesis. This well thought out design has gone through many experimentation and development in order to make the images powerful in the message they present as well as having a clear narrative which flows smoothly because of my sequencing of my photographs.
I have done this to see if I preferred the image in monotone or colour I decided to go with Black and white.I have edited the amount of highlights and shadows within the image.here I have edited the colour within the black and white.I have decided to add a gradient on the image so the light is hitting the face more
Final Image:
This image depicts what Paul Strand photographs, I have started of by photographing somewhere that I knew, and that I was familiar of
To what extent does Surrealism create an unconscious representation of one’s inner conflicts of identity and belonging?
“we are convinced that ‘it happened’- that the events they represent as real, that they actually took place” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019: 18) Some images are literal, they are taken at the exact moment and capture an exact action but they is an extent to whether this is actually real life. A camera can only capture so much, it takes a segment of a situation, it doesn’t show the whole things. Unless we are the photographer, we never fully know what happened, we may come up with idea and concept, but they are only part of our imagination. My essay is focusing in on surrealism, which is the idea that the unconscious is where all imagination is held. Surrealists believe the rational mind repressed the power to unlock our imagination. Therefore, in photography for an image to come under this genre it must be subtle in its meanings, it must make the viewer question ‘is this real?’ Claude Cahun is one artist I am going to discuss and explore how she expressed her identity through surrealism photography, around the time of 1920. She said herself that she does not have the answers to her questions, and as such unusually makes visible the rawness, torment, and distress of not knowing. To liberate the extent, I am going to use the surrealist Man Ray as I can argue that his work isn’t motivated my inner conflicts. “From Daguerre’s age to ours: photography has undergone a transformation, not only technologically but conceptually.” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 2019: 18). Photography has progressed in our modern world and has grown alongside human knowledge to become more and more technical. As well as that ideas have progressed behind the motivation of capturing images. Nowadays, it doesn’t just have to be straight photography it can have a hidden meaning or enigmatic codes. There aren’t guidelines needed to be followed to create a meaningful photo.
In 1917 surrealism was first seen in the form of art through the work of Giorgio de Chirico, who illustrated average streets but through a hallucination perspective. His paintings were moving away from realism, instead of just capturing physically what was there he also created subjective meanings within his art. Andre Baton was the original inventor of surrealist concepts in 1924 through his written surrealist manifesto, where the he describes the movement as “the pure psychic automatism expressed in the real functionality of a person.” (History.com editors 2017:1). Breton was saying that a surrealist artist must bypass any thoughts of rationality in order to gain automatism which is an act or idea achieved through the unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud may have not been an artist but his development and exploration into how the mind works was a large influence. This Little Hans study into dream analysis and phobias opened doors into the world of unconscious thoughts and desires, he uncovered areas in psychology and philosophy that hadn’t ever been discovered before due to the idea that is wasn’t ‘scientific’ research. Similarly, in surrealist work can be seen as ‘unscientific’ because it doesn’t follow a strict structure like realism once did, rather it used the unconscious mind as the force behind the influence.
Dadaism was an early stage of surrealism that commenced during World War I, its purpose was to ridicule the meaningless of the modern world. The whole concept was formed to deconstruct the definition of art by experimenting with different techniques, materials and mediums. Photo montage became popular through Dadaists such as Raoul Hausmann and his piece ‘The Art Critic’. The montage was used as a means of expressing political dissent. Other techniques were invented such as collage which is widely known today as assembling different elements to create a whole, Max Ernst famously created ‘ The Hat Makes the Man’. Cubomania is a form of collage where an image is cut into squares and reassembled randomly. This technique was invented by Romanian Surrealist artist Gherasim Luca. Surrealism began to emerge into photography through artists such as Maurice Tabard and Man Ray who explored automatic writing using techniques such as combination printing and double exposure. In the early 1920s, technology was developing rapidly and became of great interest to avant-garde artists due to its association with technology. Photography was beginning to become a chance for artists paradigms of vision and representation. The evolution of the camera worked in harmony with the movement from realism to surrealism, as technology modernized so did ideologies.
Claude Cahun was born in 1894 in Nantes France with the name of Lucie Renee Mathilde Schwob and died at the age of 60 in St. Helier Jersey. She was a photographer, sculptor and writer who spent most her life on the island of Jersey with her partner and stepsister. She adopted her name Claude Cahun in 1917 as it was gender ambiguous. She was best known for her self-portraits in the genre of surrealism, they explored sexuality and identity, undermining stereotypical gender roles which at the time were essential to the patriarchal society. Surrealism back then was relatively new to photography, people like Cahun were essential in establishing the movement. Her images displayed meanings which were personal to her and her sexual orientation, not in an objective manner, but rather in a mysterious and confusing manner. Cahun’s work can also be seen as post-structuralist because she doesn’t have ‘complete’ artworks, instead her photos combine to become part of an unfinished whole. A key inventor of surrealism, Breton once said Cahun was “one of the most curious spirits of our time.” This description of her can be mirrored throughout her work, not only is she curious herself but she is in surrealism photography, experimenting with real concepts of her own gender identity and translating these into her images to create a piece of art. An example of her work is:
Self Portrait (reclining on sand with coiled seaweed)-Claude Cahun, 1930.
I first discovered Cahun’s work at an exhibition and this photo was the most striking to me. Her work varies greatly, some involve characters such as a circus performer, others are much more simplistic when it come to the person Cahun is trying to portray. It’s this mixture and differentiation that makes the images work together as a sequence to show her inner confusion with identity. The low position she has to the ground represents the idea of her connecting to nature, it’s in her human nature to be gay, she never had free-will in the matter. Although the seaweed has the potential to suffocate her, much like her unconscious mind could fill her poison, she chooses to leave it wrapped around her as if it’s a part of her. The way she is floating in the water can be seen as a lack of control, even though she is resting on the sand she is still being moved by the water, which is something she can’t help. This emphasizes the lack of choice we have over our identity, as much as people say we can be who we want to be, we will always have pre-determined genetics, cultural background and our upbringing to affect our identity. The absence of facial details expresses the idea that gender doesn’t have a certain look. The way the shadow of the rock avoids her body creates a sense freedom; she is overcoming those dark thoughts. “Shuffle the cards. Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that always suits me.” This quote from Cahun summaries her identity surrounding gender and how she didn’t place herself in either gender, nowadays we would call this non-binary. In Claude’s lifetime this uncertainty towards your sex would have been viewed as madness, it’s evident that she was ahead of her time when it came to photography and identity. Overall, her work argues that Surrealism explores ideas of identity and belonging through her subjective imagery of people and nature.
Man Ray was one of the most earliest surrealist photographers, he was born in 1890 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a Jewish immigrant from Russia. Much like Cahun he also changed his name from Emmanuel Radnitzky to Man Ray. In 1912 this family changed their last name in order to fit into American society. Andre Breton once described Man Ray as a “pre-Surrealist”, this meaning he had a natural affinity for the movement. It is apparent the surrealism came as second nature to Ray, he had near to no influence when it came to referencing surrealist photographers. The famous quote from surrealist Francis Picabia “only useless things are indispensable” links to how both photographers changed their names. Names are pointless, they are simply a way of others identifying you through association of your face with your name. In the world of surrealism, a name is essential to who you are, names tell stories about your heritage and they put you a bracket. This emphasis of ‘useless’ items being ‘indispensable’ is seen throughout Man Ray’s collection of Rayographs. These were known as camera-less photographs, he placed objects such as thumbtacks and coils of wire on a sheet of photosensitized paper and exposed it to light. These images were the binary opposites of the trends in photography at the time. Movements like pictorialism involved no manipulation, believing that adaptations and uniqueness would be a disruption to the artistic integrity of the medium.
Untitled Rayograph- Man Ray, 1922.
This image is part of his 1922 ‘Spiral Series’, composed of a spiral object and other shapes, from cubes to glass goblets. They mimicked dream-like landscapes, inspired by Giorgio De Chirico, the intent was to create a nonsensical concept, so that it was up to the readers imagination to take meaning from it or not. It was the whole idea that photography didn’t need to be literal, it could be metaphorical and creative. The coils of wire represent the lengths of your unconscious mind and how there is endless visions and emotions, some we don’t know about yet and ones we will never know about. The possibilities are endless in the unconscious which also can be translated into the world of photography, there aren’t patterns or trends to follow, you make your work your own. In the background there are clouds, giving the impression of different levels of space and slow movement. “You can never step in the same river twice” is the famous saying from philosopher Heraclitus. A river is constantly moving, as soon as you step into a river it will have changed within milliseconds, like surrealism, there is no consistency, artists are all different, there are no two photos the same. It is a fluid concept. Similarly, clouds are constantly changing shape, yet in this image the cloud is frozen in time.“Nature does not create works of art. It is we, and the faculty of interpretation peculiar to the human mind, that see art.” This quote from Man Ray talks about the creation of surrealism and how it is based on concepts of the human mind. When he says nature doesn’t create work, that’s a reference to pictorialism and how photographers rely the environment to make an image, rather than using their originality and creativity.
Both artists are extremely influential surrealists, but they use different elements of the movement in their work. In comparison to Cahun, Ray is more of a creator of surrealism whereas Cahun is developing and extending the idea. Ray doesn’t involve issues such as belonging in his Rayographs, it’s more about abstraction and exploration, he takes household object and makes them into dreamlike visions, rather than dream like concepts. Although some of his images did include silhouettes of his head and his partners head, this image connected to the idea of an autobiography running through his rayographs. His images didn’t so much involve conflicts of identity but rather a narrative of his life and the people in it. “We need to insist that we read a photograph, not as an image but as a text.” This quote is taken from Graham Clarke and I feel it is the basis of surrealism. Both photographers don’t just take a picture in the moment, they set up a narrative, not necessarily a clear one but there is a reason for their work. The idea that we need to treat a photo as text, is seen throughout their work, especially with Claude where she uses her images to create a story around her sexual identity.
Looking back at the question it’s clear that surrealism involves topics of identity, but it doesn’t just stop there, the subject matter is endless. For instance, Man Ray doesn’t use his work to explore self-conflict but rather to explore photography as a medium. The camera-less images are groundbreaking in the way that we don’t even need high tech equipment to make an image. With the Rayographs he makes a statement rather than text, surrealism is about breaking regulations that were once in place surrounding photography. Cahun’s work focuses on portraits, almost all her images feature a person, whereas Ray uses objects as his focal points. “In any image, however, the primary frame of reference remains the subject of the photograph,” is said by Graham Clarke. This relates to how the people and objects featured in the artist’s work become the backbone of their narratives. Roland Barthes came up with the theory of connotation and denotation which represent the difference between straight photography and surrealism. In Cahun’s work she uses people and their clothing as connotations to create an idea behind literal subjects. In straight photography everything captured has a denotation, it has no depth to its meaning, for instance a portrait of some men farming has no narrative, it is what you see. Whereas Ray uses a combination of objects to collectively create connotations, this allows the audience to decode the underlying message of the image. In 2007, David Bowie produced an exhibition of Cahun’s work in New York, he said of her, “You could call her transgressive or you could call her a cross-dressing Man Ray with surrealist tendencies. I find this work really quite mad, in the nicest way.” Although I have emphasised the difference in the two artists, this quote suggests that the artists are alike, and I can agree to some extent. Ray and Cahun both have ‘surrealist tendencies’ as a base for their work, they both display originality and put people in a reverie of their imagination.
To conclude, I believe that to some extent Surrealism creates an unconscious representation of one’s inner conflicts with identity and belonging. Throughout the work of Claude Cahun, it is evident that imagery of belonging is present; for instance, the concepts around her sexual identity and how that “works” in society. However, in terms of the unconscious mind I feel Cahun’s work is limited as the issues proposed are part of her reality and conscious, which is also shown through her ambiguous name and open sexuality in her daily life. Claude’s work is at the heart of surrealism when it comes to ‘avant-garde’, nowadays people aren’t scared or ashamed to be gay but back in the 1920s it was a taboo topic that she wasn’t afraid to discuss. Ray’s work doesn’t focus on topics such as identity and belonging, he keeps his concepts deliberately enigmatic. As one of the pioneers of the movement proves that surrealism isn’t just about feelings but about breaking the chain of repetition in photography. Linking to the idea of unconscious, Ray’s images involve dream-like visions of black and white. His Rayographs specifically act as works of the imagination and leave the audience in a state of confusion. Overall surrealism does create unconscious representation but not always following issues of identity and belonging, the whole idea of surrealism is going against the current and creating photos that are unique. Therefore, not all surrealists explore the same concepts, some don’t even have a reason for their images. The messages Cahun and Ray wanted to convey was that photography can be whatever you make it, whilst challenging pre-conceived notions, readings and conventional approaches.
Bibliography
Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. (2019): 18 Photography Decoded. London: octopus Publishing House
Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. (2019): 18 Photography Decoded. London: octopus Publishing House
For my first final print I wanted to utilise the eclectic layout to illustrate my Grandparents lifestyle. After consideration I decided I did not want to use all of the photographs as I felt, that it became to chaotic and took away from my intended narrative. I decided to use the three interior images and the two photographs inspired by LaToya Ruby Frazier as I felt these images complimented each other to convey the ideology of lifestyle, authority and luxury. I decided to come away from the ‘randomly spread out’ idea and made it all lined up and straight in order to show more structure within their lifestyle. Personally, I really like the way the images compliment each other as they follow a similar simplistic composition, as well as conveying my narrative for the project.
Final Piece 2:
Using these two images almost juxtapose one another, however I believe it informs us a lot about my Grandad. They both hold the ideology of spirituality, the top image shows red wine which suggests the last supper and a common drink had within church services as it represents Jesus’ blood. Additionally, the photograph below is an image of intimacy showing my Grandad reaching out and praying to god. Placing these two images together clearly represents the ideology of spirituality, and therefore making it a successful outcome.
Final Piece 3:
In my third final outcome I selected the two portraits, one of my Grandma and the other of my Grandad inspired by Walker Evans. I chose to use a window mount to illustrate the ideology of authority and family structure and hierarchy, as the portrait of my Grandad is larger in size, thus implying the conceptual representation. I really like the way in which they compliment each other through a similar composition as Walker Evans, as it suggests a relationship with the outdoors and their home, which showcases lifestyle. I believe this outcome is strong and clearly shows my narrative, thus making it successful.
Final Outcome 4:
For my last final outcome I chose to frame the A3 photograph of my families interaction with my Grandparents during a religious period in time, Christmas. The image is displayed in a black window mount, and holds an ameliorative atmosphere, as it explains how the two different lifestyles compliment one another. The photograph alone is structurally quite busy, thus making it effective on its own, as the monochrome composition allows detail and structure to be emphasised, reinforcing the happiness shown on the subjects faces. Personally, I really like this design as I feel it clearly illustrates the meaning of family as well as informing viewers about my intended narrative.
Evaluation:
To evaluate, I believe I have successfully selected some of my strongest imagery from the project in order to display my intended narrative within the project. I have creatively experimented with ways in which I could display my photographs, with showing a variety of methods, window mounts and stuck on foam board. The simplicity of the display allows the authenticity of my photographs to be up held. I have shown my ability to place ‘like’ photographs together in order for them to compliment and almost hold a mini narrative of their own which adds to my overall narrative. Therefore, I have successfully displayed my photographs, as well as being satisfied with my outcomes.
For my final book, I am hand making and binding because due to this being a personal project about my own identity, i wanted my final product to be hand made so that the aim of the human touch isn’t lost through mechanical printing. My chosen method of book binding is Japanese Stab binding in which you have an outer cover and the pages inside and you reveal the stitching on the outside, this creates a decorative spine yet functions like a normal book spine. For my book I am using red thread for binding to have a contrast to my soft grey cover and the images inside.
I want my book to be smaller than A5 because it feels more delicate and the reader would handle it with more care, like they would a broken person. In this draft book, it has 4 signatures sewn together that make up 32 pages. A signature is a sheet of paper with four or more pages and folded one or more times to the approximate size of one page and in a manner which puts the pages in proper numbered order. I then sewed together using a Coptic stitch then glued the spine together to create a solid spine. In then added the grey card cover and made 2 evenly spread holes to begin stab binding. Stab binding consists of going back over yourself to create a linear pattern similar to a blanket stitch. I then covered my stab binding in a linen to create a sturdy spine that wouldn’t allow the stitching to move. For my final book, i am having the linen underneath the stitching so that you can see the red stab binding against the white and grey.
Example of Coptic Stitch
Japanese Stab binding
How to stab bind
This shows the bottom view of the book and how the looped over red thread is still visible through the linen, and how the signatures are put together. In this draft I could’ve pushed my signatures more into the grey cover but due to my stab binding being further down, there is a gap between the pages and the cover.
Edward Stiechen is an american photographer, from modernism era, he took images of fashion and incorporated them in his photography, one of his most famous was of Gloria Swanson, a silent movie actress.
My response:
For this I have tried to capture what Edward Stiechen did with Gloria Swanson, I have done this by getting a self portrait of and cropping it, and then I added a overlay on the image to make it look like there was lace on,
These are my third and final set of finished images for my photo-book. They follow the same process of capturing and editing as my first set of photos, this can be read on my blog post of the same title. I have now accumulated 27 images for my book which will result in 50 pages. I have kept the same theme of black and white photos with red accents and text also. Again most of these images have been taken on film which the exception of one or two which I took on my phone and later edited.
2Pac ‘Nothing Can Come Between Us: 4 John’
Above is a poem by Tupac Shakur which I am including as the first page before the images in my book. I have inverted the colours to make the white text blend in with the black background on my book. Although it is slightly blurry but this is to be expected as it a scan from his original notebook of poems. This was written for John Cole, Tupac’s best friend during his high school days, it is about friendship and loyalty, therefore it fits the subject of my book quite well. The edited version also fits right into my book’s theme and layout, it may be printed slightly blurry as it was hard to find a high resolution version of basically an old document, however it will still be legible.
To what extent can we
trust documentary photography to
tell the truth about reality?
“The process of manipulation starts as
soon as we frame a person, a landscape, an object, or a scene with our cameras:
we choose a portrait or landscape format” (Susan Bright and Hedy van Erp. 2019;
18)
My personal investigation looks at my
grandparent’s lifestyle and how it has been influenced by the time period they
grew up in, the 1940’s. I have explored the influence of religion and
spirituality, gender roles within the family structure and social norms during
this time period which are still present in their lifestyle to this day.
Holding strong connections with my grandparents led me to want to base my
project on them, as I know I will be able to easily retrieve useful insight
into their lifestyle, enhancing the imagery I produce, on top of forming a
piece of work in which my family will cherish. In this essay I aim to discuss
the extent to which documentary photography accurately portrays reality, with
reference to two documentary photographers, Latoya Ruby Frazier and Walker
Evans. In this essay I will be referring to Walker Evans’ photographic series
entitled Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and LaToya Ruby Frazier’s
photographic series The Notion of Family. Analysing photographers who
captured imagery in two different periods of time, contextual and contemporary
comparison, allows me to illustrate whether the reliability has changed
overtime or stayed consistent, providing a valid argument. These two photographers
attempt to capture reality through portrait, but the validity of the imagery is
reduced as the photographer is either insider looking out, or an outsider
looking in which suggests a personal attachment to the subject or a conscious
understanding of their situation. In my project I am considering an insider
looking in, due to my subject being close to me both physically and
emotionally, creating a more subjective view towards their reality, thus
creating biased photographs.
Realism and Straight Photography looks at creating imagery which showcase life how it is lived. Artists who work within this area look at raising social and cultural issues relevant within society at that time, in order to make the audience aware of this issue in the hope that something can be done to make a change. This area looks at documentary photography and photojournalism to document events which are occurring and its practitioners adhere to the original techniques and purpose of photography; the use of photography for science, to create detailed, sharp images. Henry Fox Talbot invented the calotype, which is said to be the basis for how photography is practiced today in documenting everyday life. The calotype was done by creating a paper negative, exposing a sheet of paper coated with silver and chloride to a light source. His photographs used a short exposure time and allowed multiple prints to be produced through one negative. He believed that photographs were the cause of light, the influence of nature, on a paper negative and is illustrated through optical and chemical means. Louis-Jacques Mandé Daguerre, also shared this ideology behind image making and stated that photography “consists in the spontaneous reproduction of the images of nature received in the camera obscura, not with their colors, but with very fine gradation of tones.” (Daguerre Mandé, L-J. 1838). This illustrates how this art movement allows nature to present itself showing the reliability of imagery, which is then contradicted as it states it’s a spontaneous reproduction suggesting the accuracy of the imagery is reduced. Artist Frederick Henry Evans’ A Sea of a Step clearly presents realism through the composition and use of the formal elements of light and space. Conceptually, the imagery portrays the climbing up the stairs, as if the stairs lead towards a euphoric feeling. “He drew on the Symbolist manner of using objects to directly express esoteric ideas.” (The Art Story, n.d.). This use of symbolism creates a subjective perspective reducing the reliability of this art movement. Paul Strand took a different approach to capturing objects, using a macro technique with clear focus on light and shadow and the contrast between the two in order for the work to “be brutally direct; devoid of all flim-flam; devoid of trickery and of any ‘ism’; devoid of any attempt to mystify an ignorant public, including the photographers themselves.” (The Art Story, n.d.). This suggests how Strand’s work produces a more objective narrative which clearly depicts reality illustrating how this art movement can be truthful. Looking closely towards documentary photography, a style of photography which places into this art movement, photographers Walker Evan’s and LaToya Ruby Frazier use portraiture to showcase the lifestyle of the subjects presented in the frame in their natural environment. But to what extent does these photographers accurately portray the subject’s lifestyle? With my topic being based in my grandparent’s lifestyle, I felt that using documentary photography would be the most appropriate to capture my subject, as well as looking at social issues of family structures and gender roles.
‘A Sea of Steps (1903) – Frederick Henry Evans
‘Bowls’ (1917) – Paul
Strand
The debate on the extent to which
documentary photography accurately portrays reality, has been ongoing since the
1930s. In 1936, Arthur Rothstein claimed that he “moved the skull a few
meters in order to obtain a more dramatic pictorial effect” (Wells. L, 2004:
72), suggesting in the
early forms of this style of photography, photographers were strategically
manipulating the frame and subject in order to gain a certain effect, reducing
the veracity of the imagery. During the Victorian era, cases of manipulation
for effect was still present; “In 1876 the philanthropist Dr T.J. Bernardo
appeared at a hearing, having been charged with deceiving the public” (Wells. L,
2004: 71),
– suggesting how photographers cannot accurately portray reality as an image is
only a snapshot in time, a pseudo-presence to what actually occurred. This
topic is still debated today, where Ashley La Grange regarded a photograph to
“only show the surface” (La Grange. A, 2005; 34) – which implies that the frame
may showcase reality but the interpretations of the imagery reduces the
reliability as viewers can only see a snapshot of an event leading to
misinterpretations.
Walker Evans – 1936 –
‘Allie Mae Burrough’
Walker Evans’ Let Us Now Praise Famous
Men photographic series explores the exploitation of Tenant farmers in
Alabama during the Great Depression, through the medium of documentary
portraits. With close analysis of the image Allie Mae Burroughs produced
in 1936, the portrayal of the narrative clearly illustrates the dire conditions
to which these families are subjected to and draws upon the ideology that they
do not know life any differently to the life they live now. “The essence is
done very quietly with a flash of the mind, and with a machine. I think too
that photography is editing, editing after the taking. After knowing what to
take, you have to do the editing.” (Evans, n.d.) – Evans suggest that although
his photographs are trying to capture reality, manipulation of capturing or
editing still effects the photographs and the way in which it truthfully
presents the Tenant’s pejorative lifestyles. In an article, published by the
Guardian, the author describes Evan’s imagery to accurately present reality,
“You can’t sniff the stink of the quilts in the Evans pictures, nor itch with
the lice in the pillows. The foul beds take on a Shaker dignity of form. A
gasoline pump on the porch of a post office metamorphoses into sculptural
permanence within the fixed focal length of Evans’ lens.” (Rule.V, 2001). His
positive critique of Evans’ imagery emphasis how accurately he managed to
capture the raw living environments of the tenant families, which allows
viewers to sympathies for these families, as we understand that they do not
know life any differently, which contradicts the viewpoint of Evans, but who
are we to believe more? Simplicity in the composition allows an accurate
reliable source to be illustrated. Evan’s subject is placed in the centre of the
frame and using naturalistic lighting he captures the subject gawking into the
lens as if they are asking for mercy. The presentation of the subject does not
put her in a position of respect, in the sense of her appearance and the tonal
contrast emphasising her lower class within society. However, it allows the
subject to be elevated and placed into the limelight, presenting the conceptual
elements making her more respectful in present day and towards viewers. He
captures the subject in their naturalistic environment allowing the
authenticity of his imagery to be upheld and allows reinforcement for the
sympathetic connection to be between the subject and viewers. Technically, he
uses a large depth of field, due to the whole frame being in focus, suggesting
a small aperture and slower shutter speed. It is recorded that Evans has four
different variations of his Allie Mae Burroughs which reduces the
reliability of his work, due to manipulation of his subject in each image,
which can lead us to not fully conforming to believe in this social representation,
as it not being a reliable source due to several versions of the same image,
with only one outcome being used. This is illustrated in Susan Sontag’s seminal
book entitled ‘On Photography’ where she writes “taken dozens of frontal
pictures of one of their sharecropper subjects until satisfied that they had
gotten just the right look on film.” (Sontag. S, 1977; 6).
In my response, I captured my grandparents
outside of their homes, in locations where they spent the most time when
outside, or the areas in which they felt illustrated their lifestyle.
Similarly, using a small aperture and slow shutter speed, I used a tripod in
order to produce detailed and well-structured portraits. The natural light
source from outside and naturalistic environment, allowed me to maintain the
authenticity of my imagery allowing for a reliable source presenting my grandparents
lifestyle. In terms of concept, I captured my photographs mainly outside using
simplistic backgrounds illustrating their lifestyle, but I also decided to
explore this connection of subject and location with the interior of my grandparent’s
house, as they spend more time inside than out. In addition to this, archival
material will allow for me to systematically show the connection between my
subject and the outdoors.
My Response
LaToya Rudy Frazier –
‘ The Notion of Family’ – 2014
LaToya Ruby Frazier photographic series The
Notion of Family aims to tell the narrative of her African-American family
whom are struggling to come to terms with oppression (prolonged cruel or unjust
treatment or exercise of authority) in Braddock, a suburb of Pittsburgh, and
the negative physical and psychological effects of the city’s steel industry on
their home life. Furthermore, it looks at the impact of racism in the small
suburb as well as the decline in the community and family, showing her personal
and political viewpoint towards this topic. In this she explores three
generations of her family who have lived through these issues: her grandmother,
mother and herself which reinforces the personal attitudes towards her imagery,
making a subjective and unreliable presentation of this issue. “I am obliged to
document and counter this reality, and ultimately re-imagine and rewrite it
myself.” (Campany, 2014) – Frazier refers to her imagery as a way of
documenting reality literally and re-imagines her lifestyle through the
pejorative metaphors presented throughout the series, this clearly presents
biases to this social situation, leading to misleading and inaccurate imagery
of reality. In an interview with Frazier she made the comment “We need longer
sustained stories that reflect and tell us where the prejudices and blind spots
are and continue to be in this culture and society,” (Campany, 2014) – the
connotations implied is that Frazier views her embodiment of work as a clear
way of illustrating these social issues, and suggests that the camera is a
“weapon” (Campany, 2014) of exposing reality, suggesting high reliability
within the imagery. In contrast, the photographic series is a personal response
to an issue relevant to the her as an insider looking in. This ideology of
being an insider looking in is reinforced by a critique when John Berger says “Ms.
Frazier reimagines the tradition of social documentary photography by
approaching a community not as a curious or concerned outsider but as a
vulnerable insider.” (Berger, 2014). In specific analysis of the imagery above
we are presented with two members of Frazier family at a straight on angle, one
in the foreground looking to the right of the frame with her eyes lightly
closed and a female in the background looking direct into the camera, creating
an emotional connection between the viewer and subject. The positioning
suggests the female in the background is seeking help or obeying to the female
in the foreground creating a sense of power and family structure, this implies
an artificial positioning of the subjects reducing the reliability of
showcasing reality. The presentation of the subjects allows cultural context to
be illuminated, through the wig caps, patterned and plain clothing which also
suggests low socio-economic status, which increases the emotional impact of the
conceptual message on viewers. The use of a narrow depth of field and low
aperture allows focus on the subjects and allows the background to compliment
the conceptual and contextual elements through the African pattern stylised
curtains. The naturalistic environment contradicts the artificial composition
and creates a more reliable source of reality for presenting Frazier’s family.
The low ISO being utilised and artificial lighting, allows a soft ambience to
be illustrated, which juxtaposes the chaos in their lifestyle, suggesting more
biases from Frazier due to the lighting, reducing the reliability of this image
as documentary photograph. Critiques imply that the photographic series is “a
cautionary tale and a force for educating the public and motivating reform.”
(Berger, 2014) – due to these external motives connotes a reduction in
reliability due to wanting social reform, she was aware that she had to create
imagery which provoked emotion in order to achieve a reform.
In my response to Frazier, I captured my
grandparents in their home in places suggested their luxurious lifestyle.
Through the manipulation of the composition and positioning of my subjects, I
created imagery which implied family structure and gender roles, which shows
how the 1940’s has influenced my grandparent’s lifestyle. The positioning of my
subjects creates a sense of power and authority towards my grandad as my grandma
in the background looks at him and his high family status. Similarly, the
naturalistic lighting and low ISO will allow me to create a similar soft and
welcoming ambience allowing my conceptual representation of lifestyle to
clearly be illustrated within my work, allowing my documentary stylised
photography to be considered reliable in portraying reality.
My Response
To conclude, both Walker Evans and LaToya
Ruby Frazier provide documentary portraits in order to raise particular social
issues relevant to the subject and environment they live in. Focusing on
raising the issue through portraiture, allows an emotional connection between
the image and viewers in both their work to be formed, making the social representation
more impactful and allowing the imagery to act as “indisputable evidence”
(Sontag 1977; 9). LaToya Ruby Frazier’s work is captured by an insider looking
into the social issue, which suggests subjectivity of the imagery, as she is
more likely to manipulate the frame in order to illustrate her family in a more
pejorative situation in order to play up on the emotional response of viewers
making the issue seem worse than what it actually is. Whereas Evans’ is an
outsider looking in which may project more objectivity, however the reliability
of his work is reduced due to many variations of one image, creating selective
representation. Although, both artists have a sense of authenticity within
their work, no documentary style photographs can be 100% reliable. This is
because manipulation can occur through the framing, editing and selection by
the artist in order for them to achieve their intended effect; “Even when
photographers are most concerned with mirroring reality, they are haunted by
tacit imperatives of taste and conscience” (Sontag, 1977; 6).
Bibliography:
Berger, M. (2014). LaToya Ruby Frazier’s Notion of Family. [online] Lens Photography, Video and Visual Journalism. Available at: https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/latoya-ruby-fraziers-notion-of-family/? [Accessed 24 Jan. 2020].
Bright, S. and Van Erp, H.(2019), Photography
Decoded. London: octopus Publishing House
Campany, D. (2014). So present, so invisible.
1st ed. Italy: Contrasto, pp.61-68.
Evans, W. (n.d.). Photography Quotes by Walker
Evans. [online] Photoquotes.com. Available at: https://www.photoquotes.com/ShowQuotes.aspx?id=196&name=Evans,Walker
[Accessed 24 Jan. 2020].
La Grange, A. (2005). Basic critical theory for photographers. Oxford: Focal Press,
pp.30-35.
Rule, V. (2001). Review: Let Us Now Praise Famous
Men by James Agee and Walker Evans. [online] the Guardian. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/aug/18/historybooks.highereducation [Accessed 15 Jan. 2020].
The Art Story. (n.d.). Straight Photography
Movement Overview. [online] Available at:
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/straight-photography [Accessed 24 Jan.
2020].
Wells, L. (2004). Photography A Critical
Introduction. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, pp.71-72.
Sontag, S. (1977). On Photography. London: Penguin, pp.1-23.
Initially I began developing my photo-book by setting out my two stories that I have chosen to display, I began working forwards from the front and then backwards towards the middle with my last photograph, this helped me be able to see them beginning to join together rather than put one in and then another, going from both the front and back helped me personally merge them easier and also helped as I had previously began to choose out my narratives. I have decided to use a mixer of double page spreads and individual images to break up the narratives and help to create a flow.
Narrative Beginnings:
As I have two stories I had to find a way in which to show the beginning of my stories, I chose to do this with a centred photograph and a small caption underneath, I didn’t do any other photographs with this writing and positioning combination as to have them stand out and be noticeable from my other page spreads. For my first story I chose to use an archival image for my starting photograph, this is because the sight itself has a lot of tourism and history around it, the story brought a lot of news and tales so there was a lot of content which I found interesting, I personally chose to use a postcard looking directly through the Devil’s Hole cave, I chose this photograph as I feel it fitting for the beginning of a tale as it looks through into the story like a walkway. For my second story I began trying to also use an archival image to match and connect with the previous one, I decided against this as the sight I had visited for the shoot was badly excavated the first time so was no good documentation of the sight, I eventually chose to use one of my own photographs I had taken on sight which I did not plan to use in my narrative however I felt was one of my strongest photographs, the collection of hands which high contrast and bright intense colours stand out and the jarring angles work to entice and suggest the outer worldly sense of something abnormal.
Page Layout Experiments:
Setting out my photographs I found my narrative working best with a mixture of double page spread and individual photographs, I began to experiment and trial having my photographs in three quarter spreads as well, this is due to some of my photographs being I feel stronger when large however had an important figure going through the seam which would not work so I worked with three-quarter spreads instead as I feel this gave off a better effect than the smaller photographs but solved the issue I was having with double page spreads. Any double page spreads I did create I chose to do with my landscape photographs, this is because there was no disruption due to the seam and they worked well in breaking up the narrative to help make the narrative and the story flow better. I chose to go through with a flow of every double page or three page spreads I have a full bleed photograph to create a narrative and a good sequence ing of my photographs which I feel worked better than just having one or two double page full bleeds throughout my book.
Physical Photograph Use:
As I had worked on a disposable camera for some of my project I felt I wanted to find a way to incorporate them into my photo-book, I plan to by some photo-corners and stick them in once I finally have my photo-book printed as I feel this will present them nicely while still having the effect of the physical photographs. I began trailing and experimenting with which photographs I wanted to have a physical and which as digital images printed in the photographs. I began trialing this with some images that I had side by side and was using together. I eventually decided on keeping these as digital photographs as I didn’t want to overload my photo-book and I feel that they worked better with two digitally as I could get them aligned directly. I chose to use the photographs I was going to place individually physically as I feel it will be more impactful not the narrative and the book as a whole.
I plan on inserting strip of my negative films into the photo-book right at the very end for a personal touch and effect, I plan to only insert one strip with my best or most important photographs on. I feel this adds a good effect from the narrative of my photo-book as it is showing a sense of the taking of the photographs and the idea of these beings being in the island and the occupation they have on the island as a whole and them being real and here.
