Since my project covers the theme of homosexuality I will attempt to use same sex models, preferably both males since the project is about my past dating life.
Since the project is about my past dating life, I will attempt to shoot in similar or the same places that these dates occurred in order to relate it back to my life.
Feeling
With my pictures I want to convey the feeling of intimacy and romance as well as confusion and revelation to some extent. For example, some images will portray the same sex models being quite intimate with each other and then some will have archival imagery that relates to a Bible quote that kept popping up in my head while in dates with the other guy.
Lighting
Inside: since some photographs will be shot inside a studio, I will make use of the lights of the room to create a more natural look to my images as they’re not meant to seem too artificial.
Locations
Since this project is based upon my personal experiences I will attempt to go back to the locations of where these “dates” occurred like a car (driving around), interior setting and more
Camera setting
I will set my camera to automatic mode so that it can automatically adjust settings like ISO.
In what way have Jim Goldberg and Carole Benitah represented youth and identity through their work?
‘I decided to explore the memories of my childhood to help me understand who I am and to define my current identity.‘
For my area of study, I have decided to explore the theme of identity, more specifically the ideas of childhood and adolescence, and how the environment around you can have a significant effect on how you grow up, as well as how childhood can shape you into the adult you become. I have chosen to document this theme because teenagers are often ostracised by older members of society, and have gained a ‘reckless’ and ‘troublemaking’ stereotype. My aim with this project is to show how teenagers deal with this issue, as well as other problems they may face, such as pressure from school or problems with their home life. One of the artists who I will be focusing on is Jim Goldberg. His project ‘Raised By Wolves’ (1985 – 1995), shed a spotlight on the shunned and rejected members of society who lived along Los Angeles’ Sunset Boulevard; ‘I wanted to look at those people who were outsiders, like I was.’ (Goldberg, 2018). I have chosen to analyse Goldberg’s work because it is a raw, uncensored look at a world most people will never get to see, and it incorporates real-life people and their stories. Goldberg allowed his audience to sympathise and somewhat relate with his subjects through his use of personal objects which varied from hand-written letters and drawings to police and medical reports. This allowed the viewers to feel as though they were immersed in the world of ‘Tweeky Dave’ and ‘Echo’, and to draw attention to the problems that they face. The second artist that I will be focusing on is Carolle Benitah. Her project ‘Photos Souvenirs’ (2016) involved Benitah reworking her old childhood photographs from her family albums through the use of embroidery and stitching as a way to show how she had developed and to help her understand who she was; ‘Those moments, fixed on paper, represented me, spoke about me and my family, told things about my identity, my place in the world, my family history and its secrets, the fears that constructed me, and many other things that contributed to who I am today.’ (Benitah). I have chosen to analyse Benitah’s work because it gives her audience an intimate and personal look at her life, and the fondness and sometimes disdain with which she holds the memories of her childhood and her family, which I feel that most people will be able to relate to. For my response to these artists, I plan to capture candid images of myself and my friends when we are together in order to convey the unfiltered approach that Goldberg demonstrates. Additionally, I will also be incorporating old childhood and family photographs as a way to show how we have changed and developed, and as a response to Benitah.
Jim Goldberg’s Raised By Wolves uses a primarily documentary-style type of photography as a way of capturing an unfiltered look at the life of his subjects. Documentary photography found its roots as a way to record and accurately describe unknown, hidden, or difficult to access places, such as the ruins of Ancient Egypt or the undiscovered American wilderness in the nineteenth century. During the 1930s, the Great Depression brought about a new wind of change for documentary photography, both in urban and rural locations. Photographers such as Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Russell Lee are generally credited for adapting the style into what it is today; accuracy mixed with empathy, and with the main goal of encouraging the public to engage in social change. Conversely, whilst Goldberg works with fairly recent images, Benitah uses a different approach. By reworking and adapting her old family photographs as a way to reflect who she is now, Benitah utilises various techniques such as embroidery and stitching. Although embroidery is now practiced all over the world, its origin can be traced back to the Middle East during the Cro-Magnon days, around 30,000 B.C.. Elaborately embroidered clothing, religious objects, and household items served as symbols of wealth and status in many cultures including Persia, Japan, the Byzantine Empire, and Europe. The discipline can also be affiliated with the impressionist art movement, which took place in the nineteenth century. Impressionism is characterised by its use of bright colours as opposed to darker, muted ones, and thin, barely visible brush strokes as a way of conveying the changing qualities of both light and movement. It could be argued that embroidery is therefore a by-product of this movement and vice versa, as the two areas of speciality have corresponding attributes and components. Moreover, if embroidery can be compared to impressionism, then therefore documentary photography can be connected to realism. Realism is defined as ‘the faithful representation of reality’, and is focused on showing an unfiltered look at everyday life. The movement rejected traditional forms of art, literature, and social hierarchy, and was inspired by the new way of thinking which was sparked by the Industrial Revolution in the mid eighteenth century. This shift in art style brought about an elevation of the working class as the main subjects of many artist’s paintings, as it coincided heavily with many new social philosophies, including Pierre Proudhon’s System of Economic Contradictions, or The Philosophy of Poverty (1846) and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto (1848). Documentary photography therefore shares many affinities with this art movement, which can be explicitly seen in Jim Goldberg’s work.
USA. California. Dave in Car. From Raised by Wolves
These two images, taken from Goldberg’s Raised By Wolves, give the viewer an intimate and profound look at the relationship that Goldberg had with the people he photographed, and specifically this subject, ‘Dave’. It is constantly argued whether documentary photography is a reliable source of information, as one can often feel like an outsider looking in to a world which they will never understand. As the photographer spends time with their subjects, they will inevitably form a kinship of some kind, which can lead to their images shifting from the stoic, detached report that is expected, into a deeply touching and sympathetic anecdote of their time spent together. In his review of Goldberg, Adam Wray states that, ‘[Goldberg] formed relationships with the runaways he began tailing around LA, becoming enmeshed in their lives. He provided his subjects both material assistance and friendship.’ (Wray 2018). This shows that the relationships Goldberg formed with his subjects are clearly conveyed throughout his work, and that it affects the way in which people will view it. In the two images above, it is clear to see that Goldberg and his subject have become close friends, and that they regard each other with a certain fondness which would not have occurred if not for the compassion and fragility with which Goldberg treated their lives as his subject matter. It could, therefore, be argued that Goldberg’s intention with this project was to not only draw attention to the lives of the homeless running amuck in California, but to also allow his audience to sympathise and appreciate their struggles in the hopes that the public’s attitude towards them will change. Goldberg treated them not as subjects, but as people who were just like him, which shows in his work as every person’s story was given equal attention, and he respected each person’s identity and did his best to portray them in a way which was truthful and real. The concept of identity is one which Goldberg explores heavily in Raised By Wolves, and can be seen by his choice to include various personal objects of his subjects in the project, ranging from notes and hand-drawn pictures, to medical and police reports and even items of clothing. This adds another layer to his subjects, and helps the audience identify them as not just people in pictures, but as individuals with different personalities and ways of expressing themselves. Additionally, this helps Goldberg in his attempt to break away from the traditionally stereotypical opinion and view that the public has about homeless and disadvantaged people.
Les cafards (the cockroaches), from the series Photos Souvenirs, Carolle Benitah
Carolle Benitah explores various different themes throughout her project Photos Souvenirs, including the concept of childhood, and how this stage in one’s life has a significant effect on the adult that they grow to become. Additionally, Benitah delves into the sometimes traumatising effect that this period can have on a person’s mental health, which she represents through stitching and embroidery. In his review of Bentiah, Laurence Cornet states, ‘As the years progress, people disappear from the pictures, leaving her alone, submerged in thought in a photograph in in front of the ocean, about to be engulfed by a needlepoint wave.’ (Cornet, 2014). Benitah utilises a bold red thread in order to represent her feelings of pain and nostalgia, which juxtaposes the seemingly happy experiences she is having in the photographs. In the image above, Benitah tells her audience a story which is only possible through her newly-changed mindset in regards to her childhood. Benitah transforms her old photographs into fairy tales, each one filled with memories and emotion, both old and new. Benitah herself describes this process likeable to an exorcism; ‘With each stitch I make a hole with a needle. Each hole is a putting to death of my demons. It’s like an exorcism. I make holes in paper until I am not hurting any more.’ (Benitah). The many reworked photographs speak heavily on Bentiah’s desire for love and attention as a young child, and her feelings now as an adult looking back on that time in her life. Additionally, the use of embroidery is viewed as a ‘feminine activity’ by Benitah, which adds another layer of depth as to why she chose to include this medium in her work; it expresses the pressures and expectations not only Benitah, but also every young woman, faces during their childhood, such as the burden of being a perfect child, a submissive partner, and a loving but distant mother.
Overall, these two artists showcase the two themes of youth and identity thoroughly throughout their respective work and projects. In the case of Benitah, her use of archival childhood photographs is used as a form of self-expression, and as a way to show her audience how her identity and her concept of self-understanding has shifted over the years. Additionally, Photos Souvenirs showcases Benitah’s transition from child to adult in a unique and new way, and is a thought provoking project which will be somewhat relatable to her audience, due to her feelings of melancholy and nostalgia. Goldberg, however, showcases identity through his use of personal objects belonging to his subjects, such as items of clothing, drawings, and even police reports detailing their behaviour. The theme of his project has a more intense focus on identity as opposed to youth, however he does include stories from his subjects’ childhood, and how these events have shaped them into the people they have become, much like when Benitah says ‘I decided to explore the memories of my childhood to help me understand who I am and to define my current identity’. These two artists have inspired me to take a unique and different approach to my project, by breaking away from the traditional means of including strictly new images in my photobook, but instead incorporating old family photographs and personal objects to break up the images and give a more interesting narrative and concept for my audience to enjoy.
Bibliography
Cornet, L. (22 April 2014). Carolle Bénitah: Photos-Souvenirs. photograph. (https://photographmag.com/articles/carolle-benitah-photos-souvenirs/) Accessed on 29 Jan 2022.
Morris, J. (May 2009). History of Embroidery. Fibre2Fashion. (https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/4135/history-of-embroidery) Accessed on 10 January 2022.
Rosen, M. (2 June 2021). Fingerprint: Tracing the Roots of Jim Goldberg’s Raised by Wolves. Magnum Photos (https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/fingerprint-tracing-roots-jim-goldbergs-raised-by-wolves/) Accessed 28 Jan 2022.
Wikipedia. (25 October 2021). Documentary Photography. Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_photography) Accessed on 27 January 2022.
Wikipedia. (31 January 2022). Impressionism. Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism) Accessed on 26 January 2022.
Wikipedia. (7 November 2021). Realism (arts). Wikipedia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realism_(arts)) Accessed on 25 January 2022.
Wray, A. (5 May 2018). A Completely True Work of Fiction: Jim Goldberg’s Raised By Wolves. Magnum Photos (https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/art/jim-goldberg-raised-by-wolves/) Accessed on 29 Jan 2022.
For my third photoshoot in response to my personal study, I once again chose my whole family to be the subjects. Although for this shoot I took the photographs in a staged manner of family portraits. I chose two locations for this shoot to provide myself with a variety of images that somewhat resembled several archived family portraits I had viewed. These included an inside domestic setting, taken in the living room, and an outside pastoral setting, which was taken in the dunes near St. Ouens beach. For the inside portion of the shoot I used both natural and artificial lighting to capture these images, as there was not enough natural light to allow all members to be seen clearly. With this I used a both a medium shutter speed and ISO, as well as a small aperture. After moving outside to take pictures, I used only natural light as it was within the golden hour, providing large amounts of warm lighting to the portraits. Due to this, I used a fast shutter speed, mid to low ISO and a mid to small aperture, for these outdoor images.
Image Selection
Here I started selecting and narrowing down the images I wish to edit by first flagging the images I believe are of good quality, using the ‘P’ key to do this, as well as flagging the images I don’t wish to develop, using the ‘X’ key. With this I discounted images that were perhaps too dark or out of focus, as well as photographs in which my family did not all have similar facial expressions.
After I had gone through the 170 photographs that this shoot was comprised of, I then filtered out all the images I do not want to edit and went through the ‘P’ flagged images rating them out of 5. With this I found that the photographs I had taken outside were my strongest due to the warm glow of the golden hour.
Once I had done this, I filtered through my photographs again this time choosing to look at the ‘P’ Flagged images rates 4 and above only. Here I was able to view the best products of this shoot. Finally, I narrowed down the best of my images by colour coding them, with green being my strongest photographs and yellow as the weaker ones. This allowed me to determine which of the photographs that were of high quality but too similar to each other, were the best out of them.
For my second photoshoot responding to my personal study project, I chose my entire family this time to be the subjects. However, the manner in which I took these images were different from my first shoot, as for this shoot I chose to take photographs with the aim of capturing candid moments, rather than staged ones. These photographs were taken at my family’s Christmas dinner. This was a result of both being one of the only times in the year when we all get to see each other, as well as being an occasion many associated with spending time with loved ones and making memories. I only used the artificial lighting already provided in my house with no extra set ups for this shoot, again presenting the candid nature of the images. This lighting however I did find hard to work with, due to it being quite dark with the subjects in movement, meaning it took some time to adjust and alter my camera settings to fit the conditions. Here I ended up using a high ISO, mid to high shutter speed and small aperture.
Image Selection
Here I started selecting and narrowing down the images I wish to edit by first flagging the images I believe are of good quality, using the ‘P’ key to do this, as well as flagging the images I don’t wish to develop, using the ‘X’ key. With this I discounted images that were perhaps too dark or over exposed, as well as some which were blurry due to the movement of the subjects.
After I had gone through the 170 photographs that this shoot was comprised of, I then filtered out all the images I do not want to edit and went through the ‘P’ flagged images rating them out of 5. Here I was able to see which photographs were the most interesting composition wise, and would best be able to communicate my narrative.
Once I had done this, I filtered through my photographs again this time choosing to look at the ‘P’ Flagged images rates 4 and above only. Here I was able to view the best products of this shoot. Finally, I narrowed down the best of my images by colour coding them, with green being my strongest photographs and yellow as the weaker ones. This allowed me to select images that showcased a variety of poses and angles making singular composite pieces.
For my first photoshoot, responding to this project, I used my grandparents as the sole focus of the images. I believe that they were the best subjects to focus on for my first shoot, as they are more or less at the centre of my personal study project. I went about this by taking staged portraits with each of them separately as well as together. I took these photographs to display both a medium shot and a head and shoulder frame. In addition to this style of portraits, I also captured a small amount of images that showcased my grandparents hands, including their wedding rings. I used natural light with this shoot as I was able to take them at midday in a space that allowed a large amount of natural light in the room. I thought this type of lighting would best fit this shoot as it provides a more natural and less staged essence to the image, as well as making it appear closer to something seen in a family album. My camera was set to a fast shutter speed and low ISO for this shoot, due to the large amounts of natural light entering the lens, and a mid to large aperture.
Image Selection
Here I started selecting and narrowing down the images I wish to edit by first flagging the images I believe are of good quality, using the ‘P’ key to do this, as well as flagging the images I don’t wish to develop, using the ‘X’ key. After going through roughly 200 photographs that my shoot was composed of, I then filtered out all the images I do not want to edit and went through the ‘P’ flagged images rating them out of 5. With this I filtered out all of the images that were und or over exposed, and not quite in focus enough.
Once I had done this, I filtered through my photographs again this time choosing to look at the ‘P’ Flagged images rates 4 and above only. Here I was able to view the best products of this shoot. Finally, I narrowed down the best of my images by colour coding them, with green being my strongest photographs and yellow as the weaker ones. This enabled me to see which of my images were the most interesting composition wise and best as singular standalone pieces.
In what way are family photographs extensions of our memories as well as our identities?
“Photographs thus are not just manufactured memories, they are also expressions of our desire to hold on to something.” (Colberg, J, May 28, 2012)
This extract from the thoughts of Jörg Colberg highlights the topics in which I will discuss in this essay; questioning also how Carole Benitah in particular, explores these past memories in attempt to gain a wider knowledge of her own identity. This investigation of identity through archival images resonates with myself, as within this personal study I wish to revisit past memories of the senior generation in my family, in attempt to argue that these depictions often do not recount the whole truth of the past and are in fact a method of regaining control of our identity. Carolle Benitah is an archetype for reshaping the past through the manipulation and reworking of archival materials, due to her emotional attachment to the images and people within them. Furthermore, I am also choosing to look at Benitah’s work in detail as a result of her multi-media methods she undertakes, in order to create her contemporary commentary of the idealistic family in contrast with reality, using stitching, gold leaf, ink drawings and beading to achieve this. This utilisation of multi-media by Benitah can be linked with my previous work throughout the course, such as my use of maps in digital collages for an identity project and recent experimentations with embroidery. I intend to respond to this unique style again by producing reworked images of my family, that centre around my maternal grandparents and the life they have built – a life that have been both archived and recently captured. The style in which these new photographs will be created, will be mostly staged tableau pieces, with some candid images also. I will achieve this also by using multiple media, similar to Benitah, such as stitching as well as digital collage.
The Lashmar family, 1857–58
Forms of family photography have always been a prominent element in photography’s history; from formal portraits taken in the 19th century, to the blurry snapshots of everyday domestic life we are far more used to nowadays, these images are a way of identifying the stories of ourselves and lineages. It is known that some of the first products of photographic technology were depictions of human life, with the invention of the Daguerreotype in 1839 being a popular way to document loved ones, as a more efficient substitution for realistic paintings. This method of capturing a moment in time became more accessible, as well as affordable, as the 19th century progressed. With inventions such as the portable film camera being introduced in 1888 by George Eastman, and even a camera for children coined the ‘Brownie Camera’. Sold for one dollar in 1900, people were able to produce their own archival material specific to their family. As well as the technology, the manner in which these photographs were taken evolved, with family portraits moving from formal, staged pieces to candid images that often-celebrated notable events. All of which made with the intent to communicate the familial bond they wished to display “Through photographs, each family constructs a portrait chronicle of itself – a portable kit of images that bears witness to its connectedness.” (Sontag 1977: 8). The way in which Benitah utilises this supposed commonplace form of photography in the present day, in order to create new meanings and significance to these snapshots, can be said to be influenced by movements such as modernism in the 20th century. This is due to Tate gallery’s description of the movement that stated that during this time “artists around the world used new imagery, materials and techniques to create artworks that they felt better reflected the realities and hopes of modern societies” (Tate). Benitah displays this within her work by using the medium of embroidery and materials such as beads, in order to transform the narrative that had been created by both the photographer and society’s expectations of what a ‘perfect’ family looks like. In turn, producing a piece that more accurately depicts the reality of Benitah’s family. Furthermore, some of Modernisms key defining traits were artists experimentation with form, technique, and process, which Benitah demonstrates by the variation in the way she uses such methods of alteration; from simply covering the faces with thread or beads, to erasing identities in the images completely. In addition, this particular use of multi-media to reform false depictions, can also be linked to the movement Dadaism, which operated under the time period and characteristics of Modernism. Dadaism was a movement established as a result of the First World War and the atrocities associated with it, producing work of that was usually satirical in essence. However, the aim of this movement was “to destroy traditional values in art and to create a new art to replace the old.” (Tate), which closely relates to the intent of Benitah’s work, if viewing the art in question as the constructed memories of her past.
The Art Critic – Raoul Hausmann (1919-20)
Moreover, when looking at Dada artists such as Raoul Hausmann in comparison to Benitah, it is easy to draw similarities between their work; for instance, the physical parallels such as the concealment of identity through collage, as well as the way in which they approach their work in an emotional manner, that evokes anger towards the subject, shown by the harshness of the cuts and punctures.
la chute (the fall) – Photo Souvenirs – Carolle Benitah (2009)
This reworked image created by Benitah in 2009, displays a black and white scene, which originally appeared to be a mother standing with her two children. However, now the image showcases one of the children cut out and placed outside the photograph, with a red, silk thread connecting her hand to a large mass of stitching on the mother’s hand. Here, the dark tones of the original archival photograph heavily contrasts with the vastness of the cut-out sections, only leaving empty white space behind. Furthermore, elements of juxtaposition are only increased by Bentiah’s signature use of bold, red embroidery. This piece was named ‘La Chute’ by Benitah translated to ‘The Fall’ and is featured in Benitah’s photobook and series Photo Souvenirs, published in 2016. This photobook presents a retelling of her past through archival photographs, in chronological order, starting with her as a child and ending with her as an adult, with a child of her own. Benitah has stated that with this series “I decided to explore the memory of childhood through my family photographs, because it allows me to understand who I am and to define my identity today.” (Benitah, 2017). From this, it can be said that this particular piece is aiming to deal with a familial struggle, that was never portrayed through this original construction of so-called perfection, meaning that the child cut from the photograph is in fact Benitah herself. The issues Benitah is presenting here may be an expression of the child’s disconnection from her mother, possibly due to being replaced as favourite, by a younger sibling, or simply the pains of growing up and out of childhood bliss. Although, through Benitah’s alterations further depth is added to the piece with her embroidery, in which the red stitch here may represent the feeling of still being tethered to the pain through the connections of family. In addition, this could mean that this long stich connecting mother and daughter represents bloodlines, showing the connection between the two similar to a family tree. The element of embroidery here itself is significant due to the fact that the medium is associated with femininity as well as the stereotypical roles of a housewife, in particular repairing things. Consequently, this use of stitching into the archival photograph could possibly be a means of fixing a broken relationship, or even fixing the perspective that nothing was broken at all. Moreover, Benitah herself has claimed that “It’s like an exorcism. I pierce the paper until I have no more evil.” (Benitah, 2017) when referring to her use of embroidery. This means that this skill is used by Benitah as a form of therapy, as well as a means of finally being able to project the truth.
Quatre soeurs, (Four sisters) – Jamais je ne t’oublierai – Carolle Benitah (2018-2020)
This reworked photograph also produced by Benitah more recently, showcases an originally black and white scene containing at first glance three sisters in the frame. However, when referring to the name of this piece ‘Quatre soeurs’ translated to ‘Four sisters’, it becomes just about possible to notice the legs of another girl hiding in the back of the image. With this particular photograph, Benitah has made the choice to cut out the heads of these girls, replacing this empty space with the material of gold leaf and blending it into the background. This method of reworking archival images is a relatively new one for Benitah, although a large contrast is still created through the juxtaposition between the darker tones in the grass, of the black and white image, and the extravagance of the reflective gold. This piece is one of many taken from Benitah’s photobook and series ‘Jamais je ne t’oublierai’, which can be translated to ‘I will never forget you’, published in 2019. In this series, Benitah has used not only her own archival materials, but also photographs she has collected at flea markets, analysing the happiness and joy constructed for these images. With this, Benitah has stated her intent in creating this photobook, claiming “I am rebuilding the memory of my family that I missed” (Benitah, 2019). From this it can be said that this piece is aiming to confront issues of neglect or mistreatment of the hidden sister, by either parents or siblings. It is clear that this child is not valued as highly as other siblings by the photographer, who most likely is a parent, as her position in the frame is not equal to those around her and is overshadowed by the sister standing in front of her. It is not clear however, if this photograph specifically is a piece of archival material from Benitah’s personal collection or a piece she rescued from a flea market. Benitah’s decision to use gold leaf with this project, instead of her signature red stitch, is significant in the way that the photographs featured in this series, which she purchased for a low price “change status by a simple gesture: the application of gold leaf on the photograph” (Benitah, 2019). In addition to this, Benitah also uses this this new material as a tool to allow the audience a retrospective experience, as a result of the new properties gold leaf provides “The golden flat surface operates both as an obliteration and a shiny surface on which our own faces are reflected” (Benitah, 2019). This piece of work is similar to the previous image analysed in the way that both are dealing with a struggle for love and attention from a youthful perspective inside a family. In addition, the relationship between sisters is emphasised in both images with at least one receiving a higher standard of appreciation than another, from what it appears. Furthermore, their physical similarities are also prominent due to both original images being taken on black and white film, meaning they are dated and may reference issues that have now been solved for Benitah or at least something she has able to have come to terms with through this work. Although, the differences between the two are also substantial from their use of different mediums alone, with the red stitching representing elements of pain whilst the gold leaf represents a sense of self-reflection. This may be a result of Benitah’s personal growth and healing through her progression in this style of work, and the relief it has brought her.
Overall, it is clear that Benitah uses the alterations of archival photographs as a method in better understanding her own personal identity, as well as using it as a form of self-expression. This is evident throughout many series she has produced, using both her own and others family memories to construct a new narrative, that demolishes the ideals of a perfect family and the notion that we must present this façade to the world through family portraiture. Here Benitah has been able to come to terms with the truth of her past as well as react to the lies that were told through these photographs, on behalf of her childhood self. My work that I will produce for my personal study, will resemble many of the elements seen in Benitah’s. One of which being the retelling of the truth, through alterations made to archived family images of my own. The aim in developing these pieces, will be to highlight how the production of these past images were often a way of holding onto the supposed perfection of the past, which never existed. However, I will also be using new photographs of my own to reject the notion that photographs must be made for this reason, therefore reinforcing Susan Sontag’s statement on how photography is used to produce memories “A way of certifying experience, taking photographs is also a way of refusing it” (Sontag 1977: 9). This means my new photographs will attempt to counteract the untold truths in the archived images.
Olivia Mooney-Griffiths (2022)
Bibliography
Sontag. S (1971), On Photography. London: Penguin Books
How can photography capture and explore an environment, and accurately record it’s atmosphere to a viewer?
Introduction
“I am interested in the influence of place, and the shape of it around us, as we follow in the footsteps of those who came before.” (anna-Katrina Jędrosz, Isle, 2019).
Environmental documentary photographer Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz said this is how she experienced and encountered a place. She is an influential photographer to my project as I’m studying the environment surrounding Bouley Bay in Jersey. I plan to investigate different features, like Fort Leicester, the Islet, and boats, and other elements of the bay through different methods of photography, such as long exposure, aerial photography, and minimalistic close ups in a studio. This location is especially important to me as I grew up in that area, and regularly went to the beach in the summer. There are many memories that brings cheerfulness, for-instance meeting my friends at the pontoon in the bay, and many barbeques in the hot summer evening. I know this area extremely well and is relishing the opportunity to explore it from different perspectives and viewpoints. Using a selection of photos I have produced, I plan to prove that using photography you can accu depict an environment in detail. I plan to look at photographers Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz and Robert Adams as they document landscape environments well in in a clear way that captures the area in detail. I am using historical context of the bay from the Societe Jersiaise, because they have images and in-depth information on the history of the bay, which I can use in my project to juxtapose time. There are a few links to my pervious projects, such as the Anthropocene project, and how I linked it to water pollution by capturing images around Bouley Bay, which I used to create a photo manipulation from in Photoshop. I have also taken photos at Bouley Bay in other projects, for example, long exposure of the mini waterfall, and a slow shutter speed of waves crashing on the rocks near the L’Islet. For my current project I would like to develop long exposure photography of the bay, and it’s smaller features, also aerial photography to capture unique angles that showcases the bay that aren’t accessible to the average beachgoer. It would be displayed via a photobook that consists of images of the bay, the history of the bay and, images relating to the bay. All of the images that I will use in the photobook I will edit them in Photoshop, mainly using the camera-raw filter as it works extremely will since I only shot in RAW which, produces a .CR2 image. This helps me bring back shadows, highlights, and colour in post production as there is greater dynamic range. Compared to a JPEG file which uses compressed data as there is less information in the image file, so recovering and editing the images is more challenging. The processes I use the most in Photoshop are gradual and radial filters, spot healing brushes, and the clone stamp tool.
Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography, visual and popular culture
There are four main art movements and isms in photography and, they are, Pictorialism, Realism/Straight Photography , Modernism, and Post-Modernism. I plan to look at modernism, creating images inspired by Robert Adams and, Ansel Adams.
Pictorialism
Firstly, pictorialism was most popular in the time period 1880-1920, and the goal of it was to make photographs look like art, and to make them look handmade. There were many methods of creating this effect. The main two ways were to rub Vaseline on the camera lens to blur parts of the picture. Scratch the negative, and use chemicals to create an interesting print, information from The Genius of Photography. (Archive, 2007). Alfred Stieglitz was later dubbed Hill “the father of pictorial photography” and featured his and Adamson’s photographs in his publications and at the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession in 1906. (TheArtStory, 2018).
Realism and Straight Photography
Realism and Straight photography was effective approximately around the time period 1915, and its purpose was to use the photographic medium and it’s ability to provide accurate and descriptive records of the visual world, information from The Genius of Photography. (Archive, 2007). Gustave Courbet was the first artist to self-consciously proclaim and practice the realist aesthetic. After his huge canvas The Studio (1854–55) was rejected by the Exposition Universelle of 1855. (Britannica, 2020).
Modernism
Modernism is what relates to my project the most, and I what Robert Adams fits into, as he is most know for taking photos of the American West, which is the same objective that Ansel Adams had, who is considered the most important landscape photographer of the 20th century. (Britannica, 2020). Ansel Adams and Robert Adams are both environmentalists and use photography as a tool to highlight areas of the natural world that they care about. However, Ansel focuses his lens on the beauty of nature and he produces romanticised images, compared to Robert, who photographs the man-made world in the American West.
Modernism is characterised intellectually by a belief that science could save the world and that, through reason, a foundation of universal truths could be established. The common trend was to seek answers to fundamental questions about the nature of art and human experience. (The Genius of Photography, 2007). To get answers to their questions they would have to view the situation from a different angle, the quote sums it up nicely. “Our vision will be changed because we can see the world from unfamiliar viewpoints, for instance, thought a microscope, from the top of high buildings, from under the sea.” (Photography: A Critical Introduction, 1988: 19) This implies that by viewing the situation differently, there is a whole new way of thinking that introduces new ideas and new concepts, as it was a whole new notion, “modernism aimed to produce a new kind of world and new kinds of human beings to people it. The old world would be put under the spotlight of modern technology and the old evasions and concealments revealed.” (Photography: A Critical Introduction, 1988: 19). This is explains the changes in art movements and, how people are focusing on the future by putting the old movements behind them, however not completely forgetting them, which would help embrace the future and, what it holds.
Postmodernism
Finally, Postmodernism is the newest art movement and ism, and it has been in place since the second half of the 20th century. “Writers on postmodernism postulated the idea that modernity had run its course”. (Photography: A Critical Introduction, 1988: 21). Meaning that there was a new way of work, which allows new artist to take lead and express themselves.
Postmodernism is relativism, and it is the belief that no society or culture is more important than any other. It explores power and the way economic and social forces exert that power by shaping the identities of individuals and entire cultures. (The Genius of Photography, 2007). It gives everyone a fair chance as, “no longer governed by, so called, ‘grand’ or ‘master’ narratives.” ((Photography: A Critical Introduction, 1988: 21), which allows people to embrace the full chance of freedom, so they can create what they ideal.
There are many examples of post-modernistic art, however the most recognised founder of the Postmodernism movement is Jacques Lacan, who was a prominent French psychoanalyst and theorist. His ideas had a huge impact on critical theory in the twentieth century and were particularly influential on post-structuralist philosophy and the development of postmodernism. (Tate, 2017). A good example of Postmodern work would be “The Destroyed Room” that was created by Canadian artist, Jeff Wall in 1978.
This image shows exciting and vibrant colours that contrasts the abandoned, destroyed room. It aims to explore themes of violence and eroticism inspired by Eugène Delacroix’s monumental painting The Death of Sardanapalus. (Gagosian, 2018). The emotion that Wall is trying to express within his artwork is the anger and hatred after a breakup from a relationship. This explains why the main colours in the image is red, because red represents violence and blood. However, red is also the main colours that dominates Delacroix’s painting, along with the skin tones of the women in the painting. Therefore, I believe that Wall has created a modern version of Delacroix’s painting by taking inspiration form it, however instead of focusing on people and their emotions, he has focused on objects and belongings to visualise a heartbreak .
Robert Adams
The first photographer I have decided to study is Robert Adams, as he is a historical photographer who has documented the extent and the limits of our damage to the American West, recording it in over fifty books of pictures, both reasons to despair and to hope. (Fraenkel Gallery, 2012) His work is very well known and he fits into the modernism art movement, as his photos embrace its social, political and aesthetic potential, experimenting with light, perspective and developing?, as well as new subjects and abstraction. (Tate, 2016). Adams study on the American West link to my project in the same way that Jędrosz’s work does. This is through the study of an environment within an area. After reading a small section in Robert Adams book, “Beauty in Photography”, Adams describes how an image is meaningful even if it isnt the best image in the world. “For a picture to be beautiful it does not have to be shocking, but it must in some significant respect be unlike what has preceded it (this is why an artist cannot afford to be ignorant of the tradition within his medium). This is quote is from Adams influential book Beauty in Photography (which provides a theory on his approach to landscape photography), and it means Adams feels that for an image to be good it must be different and unique compared to what other people have captured.
When analysing one of Adams many books, “Beauty in Photography” he started the essay off with the quote, “The beautiful places to which we journey for inspiration surprise us by the melancholy they can induce.” (Adams, 1996: 13). A reviewer said, “I found this to be an interesting statement and one I can agree with. I am not really a landscape photographer myself, I can appreciate a good image but I often feel uninspired in my own attempts.” (35mmc, 2020) This really shows how Adams produces exceptional photographs which have the ability to inspire other people, which is why he is considered one of the most important and influential photographers to capture the American West. By Gilman (the reviewer) being inspired to practice photography herself, means that Adams has had a strong influence on her, however when Gilman realises that she is not a master at photography, it makes her more appreciative of Adams work. Many people may agree to the statement, “I often feel uninspired in my own attempts.” (35mmc, 2020). And the main reason is because they are not decided to photography in the same way that Robert Adams is, therefore the work they have produced seems bad and less important when being compared against Adams work.
When Adam’s was asked in an interview, “How do you go about finding the photograph you want to take?”, he spoke about how Ansel Adams pre-visulises all the details and specially plans the photoshoot, however Robert Adams doesn’t take the same approach and he said, “You do try to get as much as you can right there on the spot when you make the exposure, but there are a lot of surprises in photography. If you’re not interested in surprises, you shouldn’t be a photographer. It’s one of the great enlivening blessings of the medium.” (Art21, 2017). This shows how Robert Adams has a natural eye for photography and is very good at improvising according to his surroundings. It also shows how Adams had patience as he would have ended taking more photos than he planned and each exposure would have taken a long time. Finally Adams is also saying how unique and different each shoot can be, by using the word, “surprising”, this is the way to get the best photographs, which Adams described as the, “blessings of the medium.”
These are two of his photographs that I picked from a wide range of Adams work in Western America.
These two images where both taken by Robert Adams. The image on the left shows temporary caravan housing which contrasts with the mountain in the background, as the rectangular lines on the caravans clash with the smooth nature lines from the mountains on the horizon. The bottom half of the image being congested creates a busy, active, loud atmosphere that creates a conflict in emotion with the tranquil, clam, peaceful mountains and clear sky. Despite the cameras not being as advanced, this image is very clear and contains lots of details.
The image on the right is a more zoomed in shot to create a deeper personal connection. This effect is achieved by focusing in on the drive way of the house. The image is slightly under exposed, which makes the highlights more noticeable, therefore making the car a focus point. Adams commonly makes the 50/50 split in the image rather than using the rule of thirds, but in both of these image it works out well.
Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz.
The second photographer I’ve decided to study is Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz. She is a contemporary photographer who does documentary work with places, people and the environment in focus. In 2017 she did a photo series on the Rummu quarry. It stands as a remnant of the cold war. She highlighted the recent trials of refurbishing the area into something more beneficial to the nearby society. (Academy, 2021). This links with my study on a geographical point, such as Bouley Bay. I can study how Jędrosz has captured the quarry in a way which makes the viewer see the historical value of the site, before it is destroyed. Jędrosz uses several photographs from different vantage points to represent the location. Doing so she creates unique and interesting angles that reflects the areas age and emotion. The shots consist of a variety of close ups of walls with iron rods in them, barbed wire fences vanishing into the horizon and, a low squatted building on a frozen lake. All of the images have been shot during winter, and what seems to be a single photoshoot. This gives the collection of images a general look, which is a cold atmosphere, however it would have been nice to see the location in different seasonal states, as it would have give the quarry a whole different look. Although, after research, this aproach of showing the area in different lighting, seasons and, moods goes against Jędrosz’s way of work as this question in an interview was asked, “What influenced your photography?”, and she replied, “The people and places I photograph have the biggest influence on my photography. I try not to impose too much, and to respond to what’s happening in front of me in a genuine way, to make photographs that are a documentation of an encounter.” (Academy, 2021). This is evidence that Jędrosz likes to capture the initial, untouched environment, and how she doesn’t want to manipulate the location, as it wouldn’t produce an authentic image. This would take some of the meaning away from the final image.
Jędrosz fits into the contemporary documentary photographer category, which is a style of photography that provides a straightforward and accurate representation of people, places, objects and events. (Tate, 2017) These are my two favourite images from the Rummu Quarry photo collection, and they are an accurate representation of place, as she has used the quarry landscape to set the scene. Photos captured for contemporary documentary purposes, like Jędrosz’s images, are often used in reports such as, in the newspaper and on the news. Jędrosz’s images of the quarry were useful as the Rummu Quarry was being assessed for redevelopment, therefore she documented the quarry before it was repurposed or destroyed.
The image on the left is my favourite image. It shows the area in a wider perspective, and Jędrosz has made an extremely powerful composition by including small hints of the side of the cliff, which creates depth to draw the eye into the middle of the image, where the building is located. The spacing between the building and the land is mostly consistent, which adds to create a visually appealing composition. The building having the same colours as the rocky cliffs around it means that the blue, frozen ice emphasis the focus on the building. The blue ice constructs a balance between the light blue, hazed sky, which makes the viewer notice the brown areas more, this is because blue and brown are the main two colours in this image. Overall, the vantage point Jędrosz has taken this image from and inspired me to use high pinot to take images from to get the aerial photo type look.
The photo on the right is extremely different to the other image. It doesn’t show the general area that is surrounded by miles of trees, instead it show the security measures in place and provides a more realistic representation of what it would of been like to work at the quarry when it was open during the rein of the Soviet Union. The meaning changes when you look into the historical context of the quarry. “The workers were drawn from the near by Rummu Prison” (Hanna-Katrina, 2010?). Knowing that prisoners use to work at the quarry creates links to the barbed wire fences, and the graffiti, which could have been done by the released prisoners or street artists.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Jędrosz and Adams capture an environment in detail and, they accurately recreate the atmosphere as if the viewer was there. The main similarities between both photographers, is that they both include a wide variety of shots from the same location to provide more infomation about the place. For example, a wide angle view of the location, and a close up shot of objects in the environment. On the other hand the main difference is that Adams shoots in black and white, where as Jędrosz shoots in colour.
For Adams only being able to shoot in a monochromatic format, the image he produces often contains a more moody atmosphere which creates stronger emotions, as there is a greater contrast between certain elements in the image. Plus, shooting in black and white can removed some visual distractions by removing distracting colours to simplify the final image. Without colour, it is sometimes easier to make out the photographic camera techniques used in an image such as, framing, form, positioning and, surface texture. Robert Adams once claimed, “Black and white are the colours of photography,” (NYTimes, 2012) meaning that Adams feels that he doesn’t need colour to create the perfect image. On the other hand, colour is an important variable in landscape photography. It creates a visually appealing image which draws the viewer into the image where they can notice smaller details, which might have been missed if the image was in black and white, as colour in landscape photography can help differentiate depth and detail in an image. Colour can be used to convey emotion such as, cold and warm, it can also show emotion using the lighting conditions and the weather.
Another difference is that Adams composition in his images seem more precise, compared to Jędrosz. The main reason I think this happened is because Adams uses a large-format camera which is much slower to operate and can only make one exposure at a time, whereas Jędrosz uses a digital camera, so she can quickly and efficacy capture images. The large format camera was the best camera at the time for taking landscape images, as it had incredible detail and focus, a shallow depth of field and, interchangeable lenses. Both photographers capture different environments in their own style, and affectively showcase a whole geological location with a selection of images.
MT: You need to redo the way you reference sources as it doesn’t make sense. Use Harvard system of referencing
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.
I used my phone camera to get a few wide angle photos of buildings whilst I was walking and when I didn’t have my camera out. Then used a 100-300mm telephoto lens to focus on parts of buildings and, whilst shooting off rooftops such as, The Garden at 120 and, Sky Garden in the city of London. And I also used a 18-55mm lens on my camera to get sharper photos of the skyline and individual buildings. Using my camera I took a total of 319 photos.
Sky Garden
I was a video online showcasing spots around London, and Sky Garden was one of them. You had to book a free ticket to access the rooftop, and there was a long queue of about 20-30 people. Most of the night/sunset time slots were fully booked. It is located here:
Once you come out the lift there is a café and access to the outside part where you can take photos. There is great opportunities to shoot down such as, the streets, and at the different bridges. However the main two subjects are the Shard, and Tower Bridge, and maybe St. Pauls Cathedral. I also focused on the Skyline over at Canary Wharf.
Garden at 120
I saw people online showcasing this location in the same video as the one that mentioned Sky Garden. Its was really easy to access and there was no queue, so security was very quick. It is located here:
There is a full 360 degree view when your on top of the building, which allows you to get amazing shots of the Gherkin building and the Walkie Talkie building (where sky garden is located). There’s good opportunities to shot up into the surrounding buildings as it isn’t as elevated as Sky Garden. On the roof top there is a small water fountain which let me get some reflection shots of the Walkie Talkie building.
General London
The photos were taken over 2 days, the first evening I shot during sunset which gave the vibrant pink and orange atmosphere. Later that evening I got all of the night shots around St.Pauls, Tower Bridge, and near the Scoop, which was great for leading lines.
Overall, I’m very happy with all the outcomes and it has produced 15 crazy images. The different lighting helped my take a wide range of photos and the different locations were interesting to shoot from.
The project title suggests a theme of images that when we look back at them we will think that it was unusual but familiar. I took upon myself to photograph COVID-19 testing kits, as I thought it fitted the theme well. It fits the theme well as COVID-19 came out of nowhere and we all got used to it and regularly testing ourselves. Most people are required to take daily tests for work or eduction, therefore it is “strangely familiar”.
I planned to collate a set of 5 images that shows the process in chronological order, showing how the lateral flow tests are used.
Image 1: The Setup. I setup the objects that are in the lateral flow boxes, and placed the two main elements in the centre, the solution and the test strip. I created a focus in the centre of the image by using a shallow depth of field, doing this allowed me to have the information on the bottle label and test strip in focus and sharp. I used a 1 point light setup with a white light on the right to cast shadow which makes the image more dynamic.
Image 2: Droplet. I used a macro lens to capture a droplet at the end of the the pipit. Originally, I was going to try and capture the droplet mid-air, which demonstrates motion. However, I wasn’t able to capture it as clear as I wanted to, as the shutter speed was too slow, otherwise there would have been a lot of noise. I shot on a black background, which I made from a black piece of card. It contrasts the shape of the droplet, and makes it stand out when it’s under the light. I also used a 1 point light setup, however I positioned it on the left this time, as the person holding the pipit was on the right.
Image 3: “Apply 2 Drops”. I used the same techniques and setup as image 2, although I changed the composition, as I wanted to include the test strip in the photo. It shows the part where you add two drops of the testing solution to the test strip. This is my favourite image from the project. The white on a black background works well as it creates a contrast, the black background can be seen in the water droplet, which helps define the shape of it and makes it more noticeable.
Image 4: Wait. This stage happens after you apply the solution to the test strip, and have to wait 15 minutes to see the result. I used one light source in this photo, and it was positioned low to the desk, as it created an outline on the edges of the phone, which adds depth and define the basic shape of the phone. However, the test strip is still well lit, and visible. The black and orange colour scheme, which dominates most of the image works well as it adds a “punch” of colour to the image and contrasts the white test strip.
Image 5: The Result. I collected used test strips and created a frame around one of the negative results. I think this composition works really well as it has a lot of geometric shapes. Firstly, there’s an oval shape where you read the result that is being framed by a triangle, which is contained in the images rectangular aspect ratio. The shallow depth of field really helps shift the focus to the middle of the image where the result is, which is the important part of the whole testing process.
Evaluation: Overall I think this project really fits the title, “strangely familiar” and it has produced some strong images, which shows the unusual process that has became a daily requirement for some people, to protect them and others against COVID-19.
