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” (Bright, S. and Van Erp, H. 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 style photographers, Latoya Ruby Frazier and Walker Evans. In this essay I will be referring to Walker Evan’s 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 in, or an outsider looking in which suggests a personal attachment to the subject or a vivid understanding of their situation, reducing the reliability of documentary photography. In my project I am considered a 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, this emerged in the 1840’s. 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 hope something can be done to make a change. This area looks at documentary photography and photojournalism to document the events which are occurring. Artists stick to the original techniques and purpose of photography, the use of photography for science, to create detailed, sharp images showcasing real life. Henry Fox Talbot created the calotype, which is said to be the basis for how photography is practised 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. Artist 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 its 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, artist Walker Evan’s and LaToya Ruby Frazier use portraiture to showcase the lifestyle of the subjects presented in the frame in their natural environment, somewhere familiar to them that they have a relationship with, but to what extent does these photographers accurately portray the subjects 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 the project looking social issues of family structure and gender roles being raised, thus drawing connections with realism and straight photography.
Walker Evan’s ‘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 to the ‘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’s lens.” (Rule.V, 2001). His positive critique to Evans’ imagery emphasises how accurately he managed to capture the raw living environments of the tenant families, which allows viewers to sympathises for these families, as we understand that they do not know life any differently, which contradicts the viewpoint of Evan, 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, this 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 Evan 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 to us not fully conforming to believe in this social implication, as it not being a reliable source due to several versions of the same image, with only one outcome being used. 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 Grandparents 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.
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 explore 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 in accurate imagery of reality. In a 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, insider looking in, which means biases of the way in which the imagery will be composed to create meaningful representations. This ideology of being an insider looking in is reinforced by critique when he 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 to the imagery above we are presented with two member 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 piece of 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 which suggested their ameliorative and 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 Grandparents lifestyle. 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.
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/?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=9D64C6B52E292A5A637A20017A9D54AA&gwt=pay&assetType=REGIWALL [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].
Louis-Jacques Mandé Daguerre.(1838), Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre. photoquotations: http://photoquotations.com/a/171/Louis-Jacques-Mandé+Daguerre
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].