Being apart of this project is an amazing experience and has developed my photography extensively. This project has inspired top quality work and brought together a group of likeminded photographers who are presented to the public in Jerseys biggest newspaper. This allowed for my ability to connect with the subject I am photographing to be developed significantly as well as learning a lot about a communities and being able to present that in an artistic fashion.
Here is an example of this connection I was able to develop with my subjects in order to capture their identity.
And an example of how I exhibited the community I was in alongside a peer to display the theme in an aesthetically accurate manner.
I was also able to learn and experiment with modern real world climates and contexts through photography. For example this is a montage of screenshots from a group project where we explored the theme of the metaverse and modern technologies such as NFT’s.
Overall it was a highly beneficial project and it gave me a reason to continue being excited about practicing photography.
IDENTITY & COMMUNITY Newspaper
The images seen on the pages of this newspaper supplement are extracted from a variety of projects and final outcomes produced over a two-year academic programme of study by a group of A-Level photography students at Hautlieu School. In their final year the themes of Identity and Community offered a specific focus and through a series of creative challenges students developed a body of work that were inspired, partly from visiting heritage institutions to learn about aspects of Jersey’s unique history of immigration and exploring migrant communities and neighbourhoods in St Helier in a series of photo-walks. In the classroom additional inspiration was provided from workshops on NFTs (non-fungible token) and digital art, embroidery and textile art, animation and film-making, zine and photobook design led by professional artists, designers and teachers.
As part of the research and contextual studies students were asked to engage with some of the key questions raised by the Government of Jersey’s Island Identity project and explore through their own photographic studies how they interpret and identify distinctive qualities of island life. What can we learn from looking at a set of photographs produced by young islanders? At first sight they show us a seemingly random set of images of places, people and objects – some familiar, others surprising. On closer inspection each image is a visual sign and also a conundrum. For example, a fish stuffed in a plastic bottle may ask us to consider more closely our marine environment, commercial fishing or food consumption. As a combined sequence of images they represent different views that in many ways comment on a wider discussion on some of the primary objectives explored in the Island Identity project, such as ‘how we see ourselves’ and ‘how others see us.’
The newspaper was kindly sponsored by Deputy Carolyn Labey, Minister for International Development and Assistant Chief Minister who in her foreword shares her personal thoughts on what makes Jersey special to her in context of the Island Identity project led by her department. She says, ‘identity involves searching our soul, engaging with difficult issues, and asking not only who we are, but how others see us and what a vision for the future might look like. The perspective of students and young people in this debate is critical. Identity is a broad and far-reaching concept, one unique to all of us. This collection of images recognises both our differences and our commonalties. These times may be uncertain, but in my view the topic – ‘what Jersey means to you’ – is a fundamentally optimistic and forward-looking one.’
The Identity and Community newspaper is the fourth supplement produced in collaboration between Hautlieu School Photography Department and Jersey Evening Post. In 2018 the first issue was The Future of St Helier and last year the themes of Love & Rebellion explored experiences of isolation and lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Photographer and teacher Martin Toft, comments: ‘The question of ‘what makes Jersey special’ matters a great deal to every islander and as visual signs, the images printed on these pages are an attempt – not so much to provide answers – but rather asking questions about the essence of this island we call home, and how it actively will overcome current challenges in shaping a prosperous future for all.’
Various workshops and school trips for inspirations, recording and experimenting with new images and ideas of making
The following presents and explains the process of selecting and displaying my final prints.
Two of my most compelling landscapes work well together side by side with a large boarder. I presented these images together the two images both complement and contrast each other at the same. They juxtapose with the black and white sky’s. They work well side by side with the leading horizontal line of the horizon staying mostly consistent and in line through both compositions.
I did experiment with a different layout for these images before deciding on this one. I liked the obscurity of the experiment with the two pieces of land meeting in the middle creating a sort of kaleidoscopic illusion.
The following layout I decided to mount includes a collection of images sharing physical similarities with a clear theme of long vertical leading lines and eerie colour grading with all images sharing a navy green and low saturation. The random scattering of the layout makes it more impelling. I arranged them in an order where the central images share the same colour properties to create a seamless conjoined landscape while the greyscale images surround them and create a border around the larger central image.
I then mounted prints that fit the theme of industrialisation and the Anthropocene. These images all share warm yet lifeless hues. This demonstrated an apocalyptic theme with these images. I once again decided that a scattered collage would work well the the images all having different orientations. I preformed photomontage with the photo of the construction sight with the rubble being split into two images on opposite sides of the layout.
I then decided to make another large mount but this time followed a more symmetrical layout to satisfy the rule of thirds. I rotated the image on the left from an originally landscape image to portrait. The images all complement each other colour wise as well as all following the same contextual and conceptual theme.
I then displayed a set of prints from my photobook in a simple triptych format.
I then mounted images that work well on their own. The following image presents my photographic ability with sharp focus high clarity and a bokeh effect. Therefore I chose to present it by its self.
I then decided to complete the some variation into my final displays by mounting a small A3 headshot.
I finally decided to create a virtual gallery from my favourite diptych of the two landscape images.
The following is an in depth analysis of the process of constructing my photobook.
Before I began physically developing images and collating them into a photobook I conceptualised the narrative and design of the book in writing.
One I had a clear understanding of how the images I had produced for this project where going to form a narrative I experimented and developed a criteria for how the book would be designed. This includes all the tangible elements of the book such as the material of the paper the orientation as well as the colour scheme and layout of the images. Once this was pre-decided I could begin the physical process of creating the book in Lightroom.
I began by importing all the images I would be potentially using and loading them into the filmstrip.
After this it was time to develop the images by editing them and making any final tweaks to make sure they worked well with each other in sequence.
Once all the images were edited sufficiently I moved onto the “book” tab of Lightroom and began by selecting the design preferences for the book.
I then moved onto choosing the front cover images. I decided on an image of the main subject of my book to feature on both covers. I chose an image of the subject facing away from the camera so that his identity is not immediately disclosed. This image introduces the theme of masculinity as we see a stereotypically muscular back of an athlete. The back cover image ends with a similar medium shot of the subject however this time he is looking directly into the lens. I chose this as it juxtaposes well with the front cover and the reader has flipped through the book and been introduced to this character, ending with a shot where the character is looking at the lens interacts with the reader and solidifies this introduction. I wanted the cover to be captivating so I altered the image in photoshop to give it a layered illusion, creating more depth. While undergoing this process I decided on a font that would work well for my book and also layered that behind the subject.
To complete the covers I finally added a blurb to the back cover to briefly describe the contents and added the title and my name to the spine. I also changed the colour of the spine to black to add some contrast to the cover and it complements the greyscale images I chose for the covers.
Moving on, I left the first page blank with only my name on the second page featuring stylistic typography for aesthetic affect which adds to the uniform style of the book. I created this text by experimenting with the tracking, leading and kerning of the text and then overlapped them.
The first image I feature in the book is positioned on the third page, leaving the second blank. I chose this image as it embodies the theme of sportsmanship and masculinity from the outset. This is due to readers being introduced to a character who is stereotypically masculine with his motorcycle helmet and a serious expression on his worn face. I placed this image on the right to ensure the subject wasn’t looking away from the spine. The image also features a composition which accentuates the subjects side profile and a clarity to the image which introduces the overall aesthetic of the book. I felt this image worked well with a tight crop and central page positioning with medium padding with the boarders.
The next spread consists of two long shots. The first image was chosen as a more arbitrary link to the previous image as well as the one following it. The use of an image of objects between images helps to tell the narrative and avoid mundane repetition. The image features an interesting framing with the motorbikes being half concealed by the bush in the foreground which creates a strong leading horizontal line which dissects the image into two, giving it more depth. I also chose the images for its vast tonal differences which help bring out the objects from the foreground. This photo of bikes leads well into the next image of a man putting on his helmet. This image is powerful as it initiates interaction with the viewer as the subject is looking directly into the camera. I also like the framing with the subjects face in the direct centre of the image. The subject is in the middle of putting on his helmet which adds more action to the image and links back to the idea of masculinity in sport with the man in the image “armouring up” almost like he is getting ready for war.
The image sitting isolated on the following spread of pages is a portrait action shot of a man riding a motorbike in a river. It follows on nicely from the previous image of the man putting his helmet on. The image is powerful with the use of a wide aperture creating a sharp focus on the subject and a blurry foreground and background. Along side this, the deep colours and texture of the make it an effective image. After this I left a blank page to allow for this image to work on its own and to allow for an interlude before the next spread.
This brings me onto the first double page spread. I felt this image works well as across two pages as it s one of the more powerful action shots encapsulating the sport that I am shooting. With the “wheelie” being shot up close with an ultra wide lens starting on one page and finishing in another it really immerses the viewer in the image.
I chose the next image for its emotional impact. It is a perfect demonstration of masculinity and emotion shown in sports with the team mates gathered around congratulating the main subject who has a proud expression on his face. This exemplifies the sense of identity and belonging young men achieve through sport. The images tonal range and texture created by the low saturation give it a dramatic feel adding to the emotion that comes through with this image. I feel it works well on its own to simplify the spread and create distance from the previous double page spread.
This leads well onto a double page spread of the same player in action almost trying to live up to the pride he was showing in the previous image. I chose this image for its sharp focus and bokeh effect. It works well as a double page spread as it allows for the quality and sharpness of the image to be appreciated up close as well as allowing all the elements of action to be displayed with each of the subjects faces sitting on a different page.
The subsequent image portrays a sense of masculinity through mentorship. The way this image is shot with the main subject guiding the younger man portrays the idea that young men idealize powerful sportsmen. The main subject is made to look powerful through the use of a low angle shot and the way his head is held high with a proud expression on his face.
This idea of mentoring younger generations and finding identity within a sporting community carries on through the next spread. This image is compelling due to its engaging manner. This is achieved in the composistion by the subject in the center frame looking directly at the lens while everyone else is not. The positioning of the camera makes the style of this image feel intrusive like we are part of the players “huddle”. I decided to utilise this image as a double page spread as it this intrustive style feels more effective as a larger landscape image. I offcentered the image so that the subject who is looking at the lens is not positioned too close to the seam or gutter of the book; this style also allows for a difference from all the centre positioned spreads in the rest of the book.
The following spread I chose two complementary images to introduce a process of comparison. Both subjects are seen to have their hands above their heads but can be juxtaposed through their emotions with the subject on the left looking frustrated and sullen while the subject on the right embodies a more elated mood. This helps to portray my idea of sport placing pressure on young men. Both figures are seen to be playing masculine roles however the sportsman seems less content with his masculinity. When editing these images I focused on using the red colours in the first image to portray that sense of anger while going for softer less saturated tones on the other image.
The next spread embodies the narrative. The young sportsman on the left is seen to be impugning on his abilities, as we see him hanging his head as if in defeat. This transitions well into the next image where we see a coach like father figure giving words of encouragement which can be seen as belittlement. This portrays the idea that young sportsmen are put under pressure by their father figures to “be a man”. I created a high contrast image on the left with high clarity and tonal range with no colour to further develop the dreary, defeatist mood. While the image on the right still edited with lower exposure and high contrast, has colour to represent a sense of comfort in role models.
This theme of exasperation continues in the subsequent spread. This image captures that emotion well as we can see the exaggerated, reprehensible frustration on the players faces up close with a bokeh on the background, thus singling out the subjects and framing them well in the composition. The large double page spread allows for the two subjects to be somewhat split while still having that immersivity into the situation where this image was shot.
Following this, I introduce a sub narrative into the book by announcing a sportsman who has a less traditional and more rebellious attitude to sports. I do this by including a shot of him in action and then subsequently a dramatic portrait/headshot.
I continue this sequence in the next spread by using an obscure image of the subject with his equipment and then reveal his identity with a side profile portrait. I use low saturation and high contrast to create a grungy texture to add to the theme of rebellion.
This is followed by the final set of images in the sub narrative. These fit well with the rest of images, having the one obscure and one portrait in common. I am fond of the deep black background and the sharp whites contrasting with each other. The way these images are edited to create that dark black adds to the theme of identity as a sense of isolation is being portrayed, isolation from other communities therefore feeding into the rebellious aesthetic.
The next narrative sequence shows the life of a sportsman as a fly on the wall. These series of images are taken in a photo-documentative style showing all the behind the scenes. The images portray the idea that when these young men are isolated and away from their team-mates the act they preform to appear masculine is dropped. The idea that it is not masculine to share emotions and being unbothered is idealized has an effect on the subject. The “brave face” comes off and we see the degradation of the subject and how he really feels when he is alone.
The first image starts the sequence off well as we see the subject opening his car door which essentially opens us up to this narrative.
Next we see two complementary shots that give us insight into the home life and setting of the subject. We see two angles of the subject sitting down in an almost defeated fashion. We see him hanging his head in the second image illustrating his feeling of emptiness which gives more understanding of his identity. The under exposed dark shades in these images start to construct a gloomy mood.
Thereafter, a closer up image where we can see the expression on the young sportsman’s face. The use of natural Rembrandt lighting creates an effective chiaroscuro and defines the subjects face well. I chose to make this a double page spread as the form of the composition works well with the subjects arms acting as the pages. I designed it like this to also create an intimacy with the subject when we open this page.
This leads onto the same position with a juxtaposing composition. We can see the subject lying down from a birds eye view. This carries the narrative well as we feel like we are moving around the subject. With the layout of this image I decided to further juxtapose from the previous image by creating distance instead of close up perspective by placing the image on its own in one corner of the spread.
The book ends with a unique layout of two narrow portraits and a full page spread on the subsequent page. The two narrow images end the book off on a sense of self-realization with the subject appearing to almost be looking into the future. The side lighting creates a chiaroscuro and a dramatic effect to end the narrative off. The final image has been cropped tight to create an obscure composition and end the book with an intimate interaction with the protagonist and leave us with a tactile image when the book is closed. The high clarity allows for the texture of the image to be demonstrated adding to this tactility.
The above is the first image I chose due to its powerful use as a double page spread. This is because the landscape can fill the page and create an immersive experience when this page is opened. The negative space is also powerful as it splits the page horizontally and also presents an obscure aesthetic.
I then gathered related images and laid them out to create a photo-story. I chose theme images as they feature good framing, focus and balance while presenting the emotion of the subjects. After presenting them in this way I decided to configure them in a more traditional fashion suitable for a newspaper, with some images bigger than others and set out where a readers eye would easily follow down the page from left to right.
I then decided on another full double page spread using the below image as it presents the idea of identity and community well. With the girl staring into the lens it confronts whoever is looking at at the image and evokes emotion. This images is effective as a double page spread as it it immersive with depth of field created by the subjects in the foreground being out of focus while the subject in the background staring into the lens, makes it feel like you are part of the team huddle. The girls head is placed just before the middle of the spread so her head is not split in half.
Finally I presented a montage of screenshots from the NFT film.
Tell the story of an hypermasculinity in sports and the pressure it puts on young men and how it effects life off the playing ground.
A story about how the pressures of sport can effect individuals off the playing grounds. The story delves into how a young man finds a sense of identity on the field however struggles with the overbearing nature of masculinity within sport and the need to always put on a brave face as a young man. The narrative will begin by introducing sportsmen in action followed by juxtaposing images of them out of action. The story then follows on by introducing the main protagonist who is a young rugby player. It follows him around his life, around his home environment and begins revealing the emotions this individual feels. The story concludes by settling on this side of the narrative and lets the notion of the bleak condition linger and leaves reader with this stale sentiment.
Design
I want my book to feature a minimalist front cover possibly with an inconspicuous portrait or an object. I want this minimalist design to continue through the colour scheme on my front cover, this being no more than two earth tone colours. I want the book to have a matte texture on the exterior with the pages being Mohawk proPhoto Pearl paper. The format will be A4 portrait and will have a hard cover and be case bound and section stitched. The title for my book is ‘Big boys don’t cry’. The book will be structured with a combination of single images on one page as well as multiple collages and double page spreads with blank pages being included to create an interlude in the narrative. The images will be sequentially placed to create the narrative I intend to convey. The use of epilogues and text captions will aid in conveying this narrative.
“Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are brutal holidays in our family”
The Epilogue is a book that tells the the story of the Robinsons family after losing their 26 year old daughter and the aftermath suffered from this. The style of the work falls under the style of documentary photography, specifically outsider documentary. The photographer works closely with the family as an outsider to reconstruct a narrative surrounding the family’s lost loved one through the memories and experiences of various family members. The daughters name was Cammy and she died from bulimia. The imagery has an intent to capture the essence of absence and grief while juxtaposing this with omnipresent celebration of life. This is done through straight photography with collections of portraits as well as imagery that captures the mise en scene of Cammy’s home are used in sequential tandem to tell the story.
Laia Abril
An artist, born in Barcelona, 1986, who explores notions of eating disorders, sexuality, bio-politics and woman’s rights in her work. She made The Epilogue to explore the subject of eating disorders. This has intentions of bringing to light the extent that eating disorders effect people and their loved ones. The book is made for the attention of young people, specifically young women who are living a similar experience, weather that be by the first hand or someone close to them struggles with an eating disorder. The book received a rating of 4.5 from CPHmag and received an in-depth coverage in The Guardian as well as an award from Aperture Paris and was, therefore well received.
The book has a hard cover with a coarse texture with a smaller patch of smooth paper in the centre of the front and back covers. This varying material on the front cover contains the title of the poetic and intriguing tile in a small digital style font and covers the face of the girl in the image on the front and back cover it contains the blurb. This image is assumed to be an old portrait of Cassy and possibly her younger sister on the back.
It is fairly heavy for a 19 x 16 book and feels quite rugged. The first page consists of a matte paper while the rest of the book consists of a glossy paper. The use of colour is consistent throughout the book with dark cold colours being prominent in order to set the mood of the narrative. The book features inserts of old documents and letters personal to the family being documented which are fitted in sequentially in between pages.
The book is in A4, portrait format. It is 172 pages long. It is case bound and section stitched.
The story of Cammy and the Robinsons family is told by Abril through a combination of tableaux images taken by herself, along with old family archival imagery which is subtitled and dated. These images are constructed sequentially to annotate to the narrative and are all tied together by an epilogue quoting a family member along with the occasional formal document of hand written letter relating to the narrative at the end of each sub-set of images. Each sub-set contains a combination of small single page images as well as a double page spread and the occasional blank page to allow for a sort of intermission for the reader.
How can technical elements in Doug Dubois’ and Jeff Walls approaches to photography be used to analyse the identity of their subjects?
Identity/ʌɪˈdɛntɪti/noun 1.the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. (Oxford dictionary)
It is often stated that one does not have a true identity and that identity is something constructed by individual experiences. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” (A Word To The Wise, January 13, 2014). My study will be exploring convoluted themes surrounding the idea of identity. These themes will be developed through the medium of photography and my own responses more specifically through the operation and style of insider documentary photography. Growing up as a young male in South Africa, I was taught lessons many young men are taught. A lot of these lessons where taught through a sport that has been a been a part of my weekly life since a young age. Weather it was running around barefoot on the dry, frost covered pitch at the local rugby club on a South African winters evening, or gathering in numbers with friends over a braai to watch a big fixture on the summer weekends, rugby has always been a part of who I am and a segment of my identity. Rugby has always been a sport that carries with it many stereotypical notions of identity. I believe rugby carries pride, patriotism, brotherhood and endurance within it. It was always a measure of toughness and strength. Two elements that are held in high value. However, these notions can loose their value when seen from the wrong perspective. Often these ideas associated with rugby can mutate into very toxic pressures placed on individual players. Hypermasculinity can have quite a negative effect when talking about identity. These pressures are ones that I have felt growing up under a traditionalist, rugby loving roof. The idea that ‘big boys don’t cry’ is something that has been planted in mine and many of my peers heads growing up. These discourses are what I want to explore when undertaking this study, overall proving they have a major affect on a young mans identity and how they present themselves amongst a community. I have chosen to analyse the work of Doug Dubois along with the efforts of Jeff Wall to gain inspiration and footing for this project. I have chosen these artists due to their narrative focused approach to photography as well as the straight aesthetic quality and ability to capture subjects exact emotions. For historical and contextual references and I will be studying pictorialism and straight photography. My own photographic responses will include an insider documentary style of a sequential narrative exploring the identity of an individual sportsman in his personal life as well as responses showing the scene of these individuals in action and in a team environment.
Historical and Theoretical Contexts The premise of my hypothesis will require an understanding of the theoretical and historical contexts associated with the medium of photography. Realism is a photographic and artistic movement that emerged in the photographic world in the 1910s. The approach to my study concentrates on the genre of documentary photography which is a form of straight photography, categorized as realism. Realism was a break-away from pictorialism which included more tableaux methods apposed to straight documentary works. Pictorialism focused on the establishing photography as an art form rather than a way of documentation. It focused on migrating away from commercialism and making photography a handmade process overall aspiring to achieve an aesthetic which made photographs look like art pieces, such as paintings and drawings using a variety of way to manipulate photographs from smudging lenses, scratching negatives and using chemicals in the darkroom. Unlike pictorialism, realism was associated with making imagery that looked the same as what the photographer saw in the viewfinder of the camera. Realism took on an emphasis on geometric framing and a focus on shape and form taking on an almost abstract aesthetic which was noticeable in two early photographers of the realism movement, Alexander Rodchenko and Jaromir Funke. These two images give insight into how realism was introduced into the medium of photography. I have chosen these images, more to begin the analysis of the technical elements of an image relating to form and shape, which realism focused on, rather than typical straight photography that emerged from this movement, for example Blind Woman, 1916 by Paul Strand.
Alexander Rodchenko, Stairs, 1929 (left); Jaromir Funke, Abstraction, 1924, (right)
Alexander Rodchenko’s image on the left contains harsh natural light to create the intense shadows bordering each of the subjects. He used a narrow aperture to create a deep depth which is supported by the leading lines running parallel through the image. His image has been infused with sharp highlights and deep blacks to accentuate the shadows and the images tonal range. Rodchenko’s image also includes repetition, this is seen through all the duplicating steps. This image also has a sinister essence with the baby’s face emerged in a shadow it almost juxtaposes that an innocent being could be portrayed as having an evil soul. Jaromir Funke’s image contains abstract light experimentation that plays tricks on the mind. He uses a harsh fluorescent looking light to draw out shadows and create the images contrasting tones. The image contains a lot of sharp geometrical features which frame certain streams of light and let through others. His image is slightly under exposed to add depth to the shadows. A high ISO has been used to add sensitivity to the film which has created a slight grain and given the image texture. The space in the image is quite populated with little negative space. He has also shot the shapes at an angle instead of straight on which gives a unique perspective to how the shadows elope and given the image more depth. In order to further analyse how this realism can be used through a documentative eye and begin developing a narratology viewpoint in order to answer my hypothesis I looked at the work of Jeff Wall.
Jeff Wall
Jeff Wall is best known for constructing and photographing elaborate mise-en-scènes, which he displays in wall-mounted light boxes as large-scale colour images. He takes his cues from the neorealism of Italian cinema, working with nonprofessional actors to stage scenes of everyday life. The above is Jeff Wall’s image titled, ‘Passer-by’ (1996). It is a street photography image where Jeff has captured a naturally occurring event. An event that he has encountered almost by accident that portrays a scene and can be interpreted beyond the frame by using intuition. This encapsulates one of Wall’s strong views of what makes an intriguing and meaningful image. “I think the pictorial problems emerge from the accidental encounter that reveals the subject” (Quote from David Company’s So Present, so invisible)
The image is of a sidewalk in what seems like an urban American suburb. Framed in the centre of the image is a tree, and on either side of the tree we see two men. The man in the foreground is wearing denim jeans and a denim jacket, we cannot see his face as he is looking over his shoulder at the other man while continuing to walk. The other man in the background is running towards a stop sign in the distance in the opposite to the man in the foreground. Overall the image has an overwhelming feeling with a low exposure and abundance of shadows the image has a sober emotion throughout. The image has a wide tonal range with the man in the foreground being well lit, along with an illuminated white wall which possesses the images highlights. In the background where the man is running is very dark and underexposed giving the images its pure black’s and therefore this wide tonal range. This tonal range connotes a sense of innocence for the well exposed man in the foreground who can be seen looking over his shoulder into what can seem like a world of darkness he is leaving behind. The man in the background is presented as a more corrupt character in the scene as he can be seen to run towards the theoretical ‘ dark side’. This lighting looks as if it has been achieved using an artificial source of lighting during the night time to achieve the vast contrast between the foreground and background. The lighting casts long shadows from the subjects and the tree in the centre of the image. These shadows aid in making the image significantly more dramatic as it adds more to the dark, ominous aesthetic while introducing a sense of depth. These shadows also connote to the theme of innocence and corruption, almost insinuating the man in the foreground is leaving his dark side behind him. The lighting also adds a shiny highlight to the leaves of the tree in the middle of the image. This gives it a glistening texture adding to the innocence of the foreground, while the background remains without light and therefore keeps a grainy texture adding to the theme of corruption. Analysing the method Wall used to create this theme of corruption in his image can be recognised as a fundamental ingredient to the way in which I will be studying the tenets of identity in a way where discourses of masculinity can corrupt and battle a young rugby player’s sense of themselves. Returning to the notion of Jeff’s use of an aesthetic created by photographic methods, I think this method of casting shadows shouldn’t be overlooked. It can bring more meaning to how photography is interpreted. The development of modern photography has preached a certain aesthetic to be correct, I think Jeff’s work challenges this. Having these drooping shadows can be undesirable by the modern photographer seeking to achieve this ‘correct’ aesthetic with a lot of photographers using fill-lighting to cancel out shadows in the background. Jeff challenged this view and believe in a balance between aesthetics and narrative. He used the shadows to add to the narrative of this image. “it’s not about some divide between the documentary mode or documentary style and cinematography – photography lives, I think, by means of the infinitely nuanced interplay between those modes.” (David Company’s So Present, so invisible)
Jeff used a narrow aperture to achieve the depth of field in the image and get everything in focus which allows him to tell relay the narrative of innocence and corruption between the foreground and background. Shooting with a closed aperture also aids in underexposing the image and making it appear darker. The way the image is framed where the tree separates the two men and the man who represents corruption is hiding behind the tree almost representing hiding from his true identity. “I don’t agree about the weak or strong claim dichotomy. I don’t think there’s a better or best way to make any art that can be known in advance and turned into a guidance or criterion.” (David Company’s So Present, so invisible). Jeff Wall’s perspective of photography presents the importance to investigate pictorialism and how imagery can create art. He talks about how photography is like poetry where all elements of a photos narrative and aesthetic qualities evoke emotion and relay purpose like a poem does. This aligns with the above Quotes from David Company’s So Present, so invisible where Jeff discusses the relationship between the vernacular and the pictorial and how there is no one way to create art. I believe that the strongest pictorial images originate from a documentation of accidental circumstances that outline a subject. I believe art can be interpreted in all images that relay a narrative and also the importance of imagery in accurately documenting in an artistic fashion. I therefore wholly agree with Jeff’s view on photography. Another photographer who explores narrative through documentary photography is Doug Dubois.
Doug Dubois
Doug DuBois (born 1960) is an American photographer living in Syracuse, New York.
Most of DuBois’s photographs are portraits, and he is best known for his intimate family shots. He is part of a group of contemporary American photographers, including Philip Lorca diCorcia, Laurie Simmons, Cindy Sherman and Tina Barney, who have depicted domestic spaces predicting transformations of family life in a “tide wave of individualism and late capitalist aspirations”. (Knelman, Sara (Spring 2020). “Domestic Comfort”. Aperture.)
During Doug’s tertiary education studying a Bachelor of Arts, his father experienced a near fatal accident and spent several years recuperating at home. Dubois noted the process as a “Kind of emotional protection” (All the Days and Nights, 2009). His mother was the primary caregiver of his father and during this time Doug experienced the decent of his mother into a deep depression resulting in subsequent decay of his parents marriage as well as the maturation of his siblings. Family portraits formed the basis for a group of works around his family that would continue for twenty-four years and eventually be published by Aperture as a picture book titled All the Days and Nights. DuBois’ concern for his family, both himself and others, was also evident in a later set of photographs, “Avella”, which presented life in the mining town Avella, where his father grew up. Themes of economic turmoil and provincial life are also central to a recent series of photographs by DuBois, published under the title My Last Day at Seventeen. This is the project I want will be taking inspiration from for my study. This is because Doug is able to unveil the true identity of the subjects in this project. He does this by capturing the scene in which they live and their personal styles that give us great personal insight into the subjects he shoots. His work forces the viewer to interrogate the subject by his use of central framing and and neutrally arranged compositions. His images are usually taken with a 4 x 5 large format camera which allow his to capture great amounts of crisp detail while laying down a blanket of warm hues used to accentuate gestural echoes, emotion and plays of light and texture.
The above image is part of Doug’s collection; “My Last Day at Seventeen”. This collection was published in 2015 and was a project to highlight themes of economic turmoil and provincial life as well as the idea of teenagers coming of age in these conditions. “Doug DuBois was first introduced to a group of teenagers from the Russell Heights housing estate while he was an artist-in-residence at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, on the southwest coast of Ireland. He was fascinated by the insular neighbourhood, in which “everyone seems to be someone’s cousin, former girlfriend, or spouse.” Little can happen there that isn’t seen, discussed, distorted beyond all reason, and fiercely defended against any disapprobation from the outside. DuBois gained entry when Kevin and Eirn (two participants of a workshop he taught) took him to a local hangout spot, opening his eyes to a world of not-quite-adults struggling — publicly and privately — through the last days of their childhood. Over the course of five years, DuBois returned to Russell Heights. People came and left, relationships formed and dissolved, and babies were born. Combining portraits, spontaneous encounters, and collaborative performances, the images in My Last Day at Seventeen exist in a delicate balance between documentary and fiction. A powerful follow-up to DuBois’ acclaimed first book, All the Days and Nights, this volume provides an incisive examination of the uncertainties of growing up in Ireland today, while highlighting the unique relationship sustained between artist and subject” (Aperture Foundation, 2015).
The image features a natural lighting scheme which brings authenticity to the idea of capturing the true nature of the location as well as the subject. This allows the image to be consistently exposed with no artistic efforts to create a darker mood but rather to capture detail from the scene. The image has a warm hue which accentuates a homely mood and the orange hair and warm skin of the Irish teenager. This hue helps achieve a smooth glow over the whole image.
Doug uses a narrow aperture to ensure both the Irish boy as well as the whole kitchen is in focus, this allows the viewer to see the coffee cups and the curtains and the syrup which gives insight into the subject and the themes of economic turmoil and provincial life.
The subject is positioned slightly left of centre frame, this allows focus to be placed equally on the subject and the scene around him to place focus on the aesthetic of provincial housing. It also gives the image a structure adherent to the rule of thirds.
The subject is seen to have his head resting on his hand with his facial expressions signalling he is unimpressed or bored. This presents ideas of the turmoil’s associated with growing up in an impoverished neighbourhood as an Irish teenager that Dubois was trying to capture. This emotion that Doug captures is part of an arranged tableaux encounter, however it is stated that the image in terms of its whereabouts and aesthetic formal elements are planned yet the emotion captured from the subject is not ‘staged’ for the most part. This complex, yet naturally occurring conversation between the photographer, the subject and the viewer is how the narrative of the subjects experiences and identity is captured. This relates back to the theories of Jeff Wall. Jeff states that “pictorial problems emerge from the accidental encounter that reveals the subject” (David Company’s So Present, so invisible). This approach of documentary photography will be the direction my personal investigation will follow in order to answer my hypothesis. This direction will allow the identity of a sportsman to be stripped and analysed through imagery, overall attacking the notion of identity .
This being said, it is evident that the photographic medium is effective in investigating, as well as portraying the identity and narrative of an individual. The combination of photorealism supplemented by a more tableaux approach allows for an insider viewpoint and a thorough narrative to be formed. By studying the technical elements of works from these photographers it is clear that certain photographic visual elements can be used to analyse the identity of their subjects. Overall showing that these approaches to imagery can be applied to my response to prove the adopted identity of young men in sports.
How can the medium of photography interrogate the notion of adopted hypermasculinity by individuals who are part of a sporting community, specifically rugby?
Statement of Intent
My projects central focus will be around the complex idea of identity. I want to explore this theme through emotional and aesthetically consistent imagery and videography. I am going to hone in on something close to me to explore the idea of identity. I want to examine the sport of rugby. I have been playing rugby for Jerseys rugby team for a number of years and have been playing the sport since a young child which will give my project the aspect of an insider documentation. I want to explore how a team conducts themselves as a whole and the notion of finding identity within a team.
Jersey Reds mini rugby coaching Sunday session
Picture: MIKE KENEALY
However the main focal point of my project will hone in on one person to explore their identity. In this way I want to focus on the idea of identity in terms of ideologies of masculinity and also the idea of escapism. I believe this is important to explore; growing up rugby has always been a sport that carries with it many stereotypical notions. I believe rugby carries pride, patriotism, brotherhood and endurance within it. It was always a measure of toughness and strength. Two elements that are held in high value. However, these notions can loose their value when seen from the wrong perspective. Often these ideas associated with rugby can mutate into very toxic pressures placed on individual players. Hypermasculinity can have quite a negative effect when talking about identity. With my project I want to explore a rugby player who resembles the stereotypical Viking-like nature of rugby players and strip the ideological walls down and explore a real identity not just the face value aspect of ones identity. I have already began collecting images that represent begin to explore this idea.
Essay Plan
Opening Quote – “The whole point of photographing people is that you are not intervening in their lives, only visiting them. The photographer is a supertourist, an extension of the anthropologist.” – Diane Arbus
Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Documentary photography centred around exploring the theme of identity. Which artists will you be analysing and why? Doug Dubois, his narrative style and inspiration around documentary photography and capturing the emotionof a subject. Tom Jenkins for his technical ability regarding sports photography. How will you be responding to their work and essay question? Through the medium of photography. Specifically a photobook, in which a narrative response is presented through the use of an essay and sequential imagery.
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
Bibliography: List all relevant sources used
Essay Draft
Identity/ʌɪˈdɛntɪti/noun 1.the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. It is often stated that one does not have a true identity and that identity is something constructed by an individuals experiences. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”. My study will be exploring convoluted themes surrounding the idea of identity. These themes will be developed through the medium of photography and more specifically through the operation and style of insider documentary photography. Growing up as a young male in South Africa, I was taught lessons many young men are taught. A lot of these lessons where taught through a sport that has been a been a part of my weekly life since a young age. Weather it was running around barefoot on the dry, frost covered pitch at the local rugby club on a South African winters evening, or gathering in numbers with friends over a braai to watch a big fixture on the summer weekends, rugby has always been a part of who I am and a segment of my identity. rugby has always been a sport that carries with it many stereotypical notions. I believe rugby carries pride, patriotism, brotherhood and endurance within it. It was always a measure of toughness and strength. Two elements that are held in high value. However, these notions can loose their value when seen from the wrong perspective. Often these ideas associated with rugby can mutate into very toxic pressures placed on individual players. Hypermasculinity can have quite a negative effect when talking about identity. These pressures are ones that I have felt growing up under a traditionalist, rugby loving roof. The idea that big boys don’t cry is something that has been planted in mine and many of my peers heads growing up. These discourses are what I want to explore when undertaking this study, overall proving they have a major affect on a young mans identity and how they present themselves amongst a community. I have chosen to analyse the work of Doug Dubois along with the efforts of Jeff Wall to gain inspiration and footing for this project. I have chosen these artists due to his narrative focused approach to photography as well as the straight aesthetic and ability to capture a subjects exact emotion in his work as well as analysing the importance of pictorialism and its role in challenging discourses. I have also chosen to look at a sports photographer by the name of Tom Jenkins. This is because of his technical ability to capture sports as well as his ability to challenge stereotypical ideologies associated with rugby and being able to capture a more beautiful side of the sport.
Historical and Theoretical Contexts The premise of my hypothesis will require an understanding of the theoretical and historical contexts associated with the medium of photography. Realism is a photographic and artistic movement that emerged in the photographic world in the 1910s. This movement was a break-away from pictorialism which focused on the establishing photography as an art form rather than a way of documentation. Pictorialism focused on migrating away from commercialism and making photography a handmade process overall aspiring to achieve an aesthetic which made photographs look like art pieces. Unlike pictorialism, realism was associated with making imagery that looked the same as what the photographer saw in the viewfinder of the camera. Realism took on an emphasis on geometric framing and a focus on shape and form taking on an almost abstract aesthetic which was noticeable in two of the pioneers of photographic realism, Paul Strand and Jaromir Funke. These two images give insight into how realism was introduced into the medium of photography.
Paul Strand
Jaromir Funke
Pauls image on the left contains harsh natural light to create the intense shadows bordering each of the subjects. He used a narrow aperture to create a deep depth which is supported by the leading lines running parallel through the image. His image has been infused with sharp highlights and deep blacks to accentuate the shadows and the images tonal range. His image also includes repetition, this is seen through all the duplicating steps. This image also has a sinister essence with the baby’s face emerged in a shadow it almost juxtaposes that an innocent being could be portrayed as having an evil soul. Jaromir Funke’s image contains abstract light experimentation that plays tricks on the mind. He uses a harsh fluorescent looking light to draw out shadows and create the images contrasting tones. The image contains a lot of sharp geometrical features which frame certain streams of light and let through others. His image is slightly under exposed to add depth to the shadows. A high ISO has been used to add sensitivity to the film which has created a slight grain and given the image texture. The space in the image is quite populated with little negative space. He has also shot the shapes at an angle instead of straight on which gives a unique perspective to how the shadows elope and given the image more depth. In order to further analyse how this realism can be used through a documentative eye and begin developing a narratology viewpoint in order to answer my hypothesis I looked at the work of Jeff Wall.
Jeff Wall
Jeff Wall is best known for constructing and photographing elaborate mise-en-scènes, which he displays in wall-mounted light boxes as large-scale colour images. He takes his cues from the neorealism of Italian cinema, working with nonprofessional actors to stage scenes of everyday life. The above is Jeff Wall’s image titled, ‘Passer-by’ (1996). It is a street photography image where Jeff has captured a naturally occurring event. An event that he has encountered almost by accident that portrays a scene and can be interpreted beyond the frame by using intuition. This encapsulates one of Wall’s strong views of what makes an intriguing and meaningful image.
Quote from David Company’s So Present, so invisible
The image is of a sidewalk in what seems like an urban American suburb. Framed in the centre of the image is a tree, and on either side of the tree we see two men. The man in the foreground is wearing denim jeans and a denim jacket, we cannot see his face as he is looking over his shoulder at the other man while continuing to walk. The other man in the background is running towards a stop sign in the distance in the opposite to the man in the foreground. Overall the image has an overwhelming feeling with a low exposure and abundance of shadows the image has a sober emotion throughout. The image has a wide tonal range with the man in the foreground being well lit, along with an illuminated white wall which possesses the images highlights. In the background where the man is running is very dark and underexposed giving the images its pure black’s and therefore this wide tonal range. This tonal range connotes a sense of innocence for the well exposed man in the foreground who can be seen looking over his shoulder into what can seem like a world of darkness he is leaving behind. The man in the background is presented as a more corrupt character in the scene as he can be seen to run towards the theoretical ‘ dark side’. This lighting looks as if it has been achieved using an artificial source of lighting during the night time to achieve the vast contrast between the foreground and background. The lighting casts long shadows from the subjects and the tree in the centre of the image. These shadows aid in making the image significantly more dramatic as it adds more to the dark, ominous aesthetic while introducing a sense of depth. These shadows also connote to the theme of innocence and corruption, almost insinuating the man in the foreground is leaving his dark side behind him. The lighting also adds a shiny highlight to the leaves of the tree in the middle of the image. This gives it a glistening texture adding to the innocence of the foreground, while the background remains without light and therefore keeps a grainy texture adding to the theme of corruption. Analysing the method Jeff used to create this theme of corruption in his image can be recognised as a fundamental ingredient to the way in which I will be studying the tenets of identity in a way where discourses of masculinity can corrupt and battle a young rugby player’s sense of themselves. Returning to the notion of Jeff’s use of an aesthetic created by photographic methods, I think this method of casting shadows shouldn’t be overlooked. It can bring more meaning to how photography is interpreted. The development of modern photography has preached a certain aesthetic to be correct, I think Jeff’s work challenges this. Having these drooping shadows can be undesirable by the modern photographer seeking to achieve this ‘correct’ aesthetic with a lot of photographers using fill-lighting to cancel out shadows in the background. Jeff challenged this view and believe in a balance between aesthetics and narrative. He used the shadows to add to the narrative of this image.
Quote from David Company’s So Present, so invisibleQuote from David Company’s So Present, so invisible
Jeff used a narrow aperture to achieve the depth of field in the image and get everything in focus which allows him to tell relay the narrative of innocence and corruption between the foreground and background. Shooting with a closed aperture also aids in underexposing the image and making it appear darker. The way the image is framed where the tree separates the two men and the man who represents corruption is hiding behind the tree almost representing hiding from his true identity. Jeff Wall’s perspective of photography and the importance to investigate pictorialism and how imagery can create art. He talks about how photography is like poetry where all elements of a photos narrative and aesthetic qualities evoke emotion and relay purpose like a poem does. This aligns with the above Quotes from David Company’s So Present, so invisible where Jeff discusses the relationship between the vernacular and the pictorial and how there is no one way to create art. I believe that the strongest pictorial images originate from a documentation of accidental circumstances that outline a subject. I believe art can be interpreted in all images that relay a narrative and also the importance of imagery in accurately documenting in an artistic fashion. I therefore wholly agree with Jeff’s view on photography. Another photographer who explores narrative through documentary photography is Doug Dubois.
Doug Dubois
Doug DuBois (born 1960) is an American photographer living in Syracuse, New York.
Most of DuBois’s photographs are portraits, and he is best known for his intimate family shots. He is part of a group of contemporary American photographers, including Philip Lorca diCorcia, Laurie Simmons, Cindy Sherman and Tina Barney, who have depicted domestic spaces predicting transformations of family life in a “tide wave of individualism and late capitalist aspirations”.
During Doug’s tertiary education studying a Bachelor of Arts, his father experienced a near fatal accident and spent several years recuperating at home. Dubois noted the process as a “Kind of emotional protection”. His mother was the primary caregiver of his father and during this time Doug experienced the decent of his mother into a deep depression resulting in subsequent decay of his parents marriage as well as the maturation of his siblings. Family portraits formed the basis for a group of works around his family that would continue for twenty-four years and eventually be published by Aperture as a picture book titled All the Days and Nights. DuBois’ concern for his family, both himself and others, was also evident in a later set of photographs, “Avella”, which presented life in the mining town Avella, where his father grew up. Themes of economic turmoil and provincial life are also central to a recent series of photographs by DuBois, published under the title My Last Day at Seventeen. This is the project I want will be taking inspiration from for my study. This is because Doug is able to unveil the true identity of the subjects in this project. He does this by capturing the scene in which they live and their personal styles that give us great personal insight into the subjects he shoots. His work forces the viewer to interrogate the subject by his use of central framing and and neutrally arranged compositions. His images are usually taken with a 4 x 5 large format camera which allow his to capture great amounts of crisp detail while laying down a blanket of warm hues used to accentuate gestural echoes, emotion, plays of light and texture.
The above image is part of Doug’s collection; “My Last Day at Seventeen”. This collection was published in 2015 and was a project to highlight themes of economic turmoil and provincial life as well as the idea of teenagers coming of age in these conditions. “Doug DuBois was first introduced to a group of teenagers from the Russell Heights housing estate while he was an artist-in-residence at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, on the southwest coast of Ireland. He was fascinated by the insular neighbourhood, in which “everyone seems to be someone’s cousin, former girlfriend, or spouse.” Little can happen there that isn’t seen, discussed, distorted beyond all reason, and fiercely defended against any disapprobation from the outside. DuBois gained entry when Kevin and Eirn (two participants of a workshop he taught) took him to a local hangout spot, opening his eyes to a world of not-quite-adults struggling — publicly and privately — through the last days of their childhood. Over the course of five years, DuBois returned to Russell Heights. People came and left, relationships formed and dissolved, and babies were born. Combining portraits, spontaneous encounters, and collaborative performances, the images in My Last Day at Seventeen exist in a delicate balance between documentary and fiction. A powerful follow-up to DuBois’ acclaimed first book, All the Days and Nights, this volume provides an incisive examination of the uncertainties of growing up in Ireland today, while highlighting the unique relationship sustained between artist and subject” .
The image features a natural lighting scheme which brings authenticity to the idea of capturing the true nature of the location as well as the subject. This allows the image to be consistently exposed with no artistic efforts to create a darker mood but rather to capture detail from the scene. The image has a warm hue which accentuates a homely mood and the orange hair and warm skin of the Irish teenager. This hue helps achieve a smooth glow over the whole image.
Doug uses a narrow aperture to ensure both the Irish boy as well as the whole kitchen is in focus, this allows the viewer to see the coffee cups and the curtains and the syrup which gives insight into the subject and the themes of economic turmoil and provincial life.
The subject is positioned slightly left of centre frame, this allows focus to be placed equally on the subject and the scene around him to place focus on the aesthetic of provincial housing. It also gives the image a unique shape.
The subject is seen to have his head resting on his hand with his facial expressions signalling he is unimpressed or bored. This presents ideas of the turmoil’s associated with growing up in an impoverished neighbourhood as an Irish teenager that Dubois was trying to capture. This emotion that Doug captures is not a tableaux encounter, meaning the image is not ‘staged’ for the most part. This complex, yet natural conversation between the photographer, the subject and the viewer is how the narrative of the subjects experiences and identity is captured. This relates back to the theories of Jeff Wall. Jeff states that “pictorial problems emerge from the accidental encounter that reveals the subject”. This approach of documentary photography will be the direction my personal investigation will follow in order to answer my hypothesis.
Opening Quote – “The whole point of photographing people is that you are not intervening in their lives, only visiting them. The photographer is a supertourist, an extension of the anthropologist.” – Diane Arbus
Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Documentary photography centred around exploring the theme of identity. Which artists will you be analysing and why? Doug Dubois, his narrative style and inspiration around documentary photography and capturing the emotionof a subject. Tom Jenkins for his technical ability regarding sports photography. How will you be responding to their work and essay question? Through the medium of photography. Specifically a photobook, in which a narrative response is presented through the use of an essay and sequential imagery.
Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
By studying this analysis, it allows a broader scope of interpretation of Doug’s work to be considered rather than my own biased opinion.
Matt Day uses Dubois’ work to talk about the responsibility photographers carry, specifically the role of considering what story you are trying to tell. Matt talks about how the sequence of a foreword from Donald Antrim followed by the photographic progressive arrangement concluded by the afterword by Doug himself created a huge impact and delivered emotion effectively. This is something I want to perfect by including an essay and a sequential photographic arrangement in my personal study to also effectively entice emotion from an audience. Matt talks about the effectiveness of Doug’s method of shooting over a long period of time in terms of bettering a narrative. The introduction talks about the role of a memoirist in terms of documentation and how photo selection, especially when shooting over a long period of time, plays a role in how we understand a story. He talks about the use of light alongside the detail of the subjects facial expression that Doug uses to capture a mood.
NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction – Pg 70 -76 Tzvetan Todarov – Structural analysis of narrative
Tzvetan Todarov was a Bulgarian-French historian, philosopher, structuralist literary critic, sociologist and essayist. He was the author of many books and essays, which have had a significant influence in anthropology, sociology, semiotics, literary theory, intellectual history and culture theory. I want to apply his work on narratology to my personal study. His study’s on the structural analysis of narrative would be beneficial to apply to my project as I want to emphasise an impactful narrative through the medium of photography. Todarov states that all effective narratives share a structure that involves movement of one state of equilibrium to another. He describes the notion that two states of equilibrium are separated by a disruption in the narrative. Referencing my photo-shoot-plans I have implemented this idea of disrupted equilibrium – https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo22al/wp-admin/post.php?post=42513&action=edit. This idea is also presented by Kurt Vonnegut – Shape of a story – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ
Useful Quote from this piece of literature:
“The object of our study must be narrative mood, or point of view, or sequence, and not this or that story in and for itself. […] The minimal complete plot can be seen as the shift from one equilibrium to another. This term “equilibrium,” which I am borrowing from genetic psychology, means the existence of a stable but not static relation between the members of a society; it is a social law, a rule of the game, a particular system of exchange. The two moments of equilibrium, similar and different, are separated by a period of imbalance, which is composed of a process of degeneration and a process of improvement.”
Judith Butler – Gender trouble
Judith Butler is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory.
Her work on the gender performativity theory is what I am interested in. This theory presents the idea that “identity is performatively constructed by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results (it is manufactured through a set of acts)”. This can be applied to my project where I will be documenting an individual struggling with performing identity in different environments, overall aiding in answering: How can the medium of photography interrogate the notion of adopted hypermasculinity by individuals who are part of a sporting community, specifically rugby? Judith describes gender as a social construct – masculine and feminine are created through repetition.
“To operate within the matrix of power is not the same as to replicate uncritically relations of domination.” ― Judith Butler, Gender Trouble
“As a result, gender is not to culture as sex is to nature; gender is also the discursive/cultural means by which “sexed nature” or “a natural sex” is produced and established as “prediscursive,” prior to culture, a politically neutral surface on which culture acts” ― Judith Butler, Gender Trouble
“On the one hand, we frequently assume authenticity and truth to be located on the inside (the truth of the subject), and, at the same time, we routinely – culturally – locate and define objectivity (as in repertorial, journalistic or juridical objectivity) in conditions of exteriority, of noncomplication.” – Abigail Solomon-Godeau
“The whole point of photographing people is that you are not intervening in their lives, only visiting them. The photographer is a supertourist, an extension of the anthropologist.” – Diane Arbus
