After visiting Will Lakeman’s art exhibition ‘Playtime’, he came into school to give us a workshop on how to use the AI feature in photoshop and some other cool features that we can use to develop our work further. We used an old image of what looked like an abandoned building and were allowed to added to it/ refine it however we liked. For mine I chose to make it look as if it was a late evening in the summer with the sun setting from behind the person taking the image leaving orange tones in the image. As you can see in the second print screen I tried to add a train that looked like it had been left there with the building as if it was an amusement park for children or some sort of activity centre. As we were using AI it didn’t quite come out as I was hoping. I am glad that Will was able to help and show us these tools as it means that I may be able to try an incorporate AI into other parts of my work in the future.
Faced with the question; ‘can a photograph lie?’, one may be inclined to think immediately of photography as an art form, without considering the importance of the medium as a documentary tool. In the media that we consume every day of our lives, photography has always – since its first press use in the beginning of the 20th century – and will always be used as a tool of conveying news and information. We are programmed to take every image that we see at face value, disregarding a need to obtain proof of what is before us – because, after all, isn’t a photograph proof in itself? This is evidenced in courts of law across the world, where imagery of crime scenes and suspects are used as firm corroboration of what took place during the alleged crime. Furthermore, it reinforces the importance of visualisation to the human brain – we process images 60,000 times faster than text – and this is perhaps why we, as a human race, are susceptible to the possibility of fake imagery and its negative consequences. Bright asks the question ‘what does a ‘real photograph’ even look like; is it something you can hold? Is it something you can see on a screen and alter?’ (Bright, 2019), and this may draw one to consider the validity of what we, as a society, view as indisputable proof.
To aid this investigation, I will be looking at two case studies, one historical and one contemporary. I plan to study Robert Capa’s 1936 Death of a Loyalist Soldier, as I believe that the weight it holds in an investigation into truth in photography is substantial, and the story behind it is truly interesting. Furthermore, I will look at Steve McCurry’s 1983 Taj Mahal and Train in Agra, on account of its controversial staging method and question of stereotypical portrayal.
Even prior to the invention of digital image manipulation, there were methods of concealing or altering elements of images in a darkroom, and hence this is not a new or modern phenomenon. My historical case study does not concern manipulation specifically within the image, although its circumstances are certainly hard to untangle. Allegedly taken in 1936 on the battlefields of the Spanish Civil War, the photograph originally appears to be of a man dying dramatically, presumably of a gunshot wound that is not visible to the viewer. For years, research was done into the casualty records from September 5th, at the Battle of Cerro Muriano, in hopes of obtaining details about the man in the image. However, it later transpired that Capa’s image was staged and did not in fact capture the moment of death.
Capa and fellow photographer Gerda Taro had travelled away from the brutality of the village of Córdoba and instead, dissatisfied with the images they had collated, toward the farming village of Espejo. Just outside of Espejo, they came across a group of Nationalist milicianos who were happy to pose for photographs, putting on a show of battle, death, and bravado. The final image was created when the subject fell to the ground dramatically, his rifle slipping from his fingers. Hence, it is clear that even in the most serious of circumstances and assignments, it is still possible that imagery can be staged for the benefit of the photographer and the image’s commercial value.
There is a multitude of hypotheses regarding the truth behind this image and its authenticity, with various photographers, historians, and journalists often speculating on the subject and backstory. Alex Kershaw’s book Blood and Champions discusses footage taken at the time of creating the photograph, taking the stance that the image was in fact staged. Another argument suggests that Capa’s general silence on the circumstances of the image could imply a feeling of guilt; perhaps, whilst the subject was posing for the staged image, he was shot and killed. Capa will have felt a sense of responsibility for the man’s death for the rest of his life, acting as an explanation for his speaking very minimally and reluctantly regarding the image’s context.
Overall, the inconsistencies in differing views on Capa’s image demonstrate the lengths that photographers may go to in order to conceal the reality of their work, and perhaps the importance of context in the value of an image. It is clear that whichever stance a viewer takes on the circumstances of the subject and his subsequent death, it will affect how the image is viewed and used and hence it reinforces the idea that photographs are not always as they first appear.
Steve McCurry’s 1983 image, Taj Mahal and Train in Agra, illustrates, in my opinion, the importance of considering the manner of presentation of one’s subject. Teju Cole, in an article for The New York Times Magazine, states his opinion on McCurry’s work, describing it as ‘astonishingly boring’ on account of ‘The pictures are staged or shot to look as if they were.’ (Cole, 2016). This, Cole argues, is McCurry’s means of perpetuating Western stereotypes of India and maintaining the age-old view that India and its South Asian counterparts are serially outdated and in need of modernisation. Cole’s antithesis suggests that McCurry could innocently be choosing to only present the romantically timeless India that is most aesthetically pleasing to the Western eye. However, it is not without consciousness that one chooses to portray a subject in one consistent manner, with the same stereotypes recurring in almost every piece, and so McCurry’s work could be harmful to any progression of Western views toward India.
In my case study, the foreground contains an old-fashioned steam train with two men, one crouching, in typically Indian dress (who Cole describes as having been ‘chosen for how well they work as types’ (Cole, 2016)). The background portrays that most famous of symbols; the Taj Mahal, slightly obscured by the clouds of smoke that bloom around the base of the train. Therefore, it is fair to say that the stereotypical nature of McCurry’s portrayal certainly extends to the image I have looked at, and this artist demonstrates the importance of reviewing one’s portrayals. By taking time to establish that we are not creating imagery that is harmful to a people, place or culture’s image, we are able to not only maintain a professional and modern outlook, but the standard and variety of our work will also flourish beyond what some may consider a repetitive and unadventurous lack of experimentation.
In conclusion, I think that these images both portray the importance of context and external factors in the viewing of photography, yet they also differ in their methods of concealment of the truth. The two case studies have allowed me to consider the importance of representation and portrayal, as well as considering what may be outside of the frame – we as viewers are only ever given the opportunity to see what the photographer chooses to let us see, and this is important because it can bring us to draw conclusions that may not be fully informed. Therefore, the idea that a photograph can ‘lie’ is just as justified by the existence of manipulation methods as it is by a lie of omission – what we don’t see may just be the key to an image’s reality.
I chose this image to be one of my favourites because I like the smooth contrast between black and whites, but that it also captures life in St.Malo because of the people who just minding their own business enjoying themselves without the knowledge of the camera being there. This image is good because it shows the setting of a local business but also captures a good angle, and shows the variety of people, not just an image of one person.
This image was chosen to be one of my favourites because I like the use of the lines and shapes in the image for example the buildings and the restaurant in the middle right of the image. I also like how it shows people practically in the middle of the street which is apart of the restaurant, showing how local these streets are. Even just the fact that there isn’t many people in the shot creates a good effect, it shows casualness.
This was chosen to be a favourite because it was in the main entrance of St.Malo and the black and white contrast is especially good, along with the use of positioning of the people eating at a restaurant, and the use of lines I like.
This one was an adaption of the image taken above but using a different angle and a different exposure time. I done this to capture the people walking by to be blurry but the people eating in the restaurant to look pretty much normal, I liked the effect these settings gave the image.
I like this image and chose it because of the high black and white contrast, and how it shows a lot of features, but also creates almost a sad but normal effect to the image of a dog, and what seems to be a homeless persons things, but without the homeless person being there, it creates mystery but also a solid feeling.
This image was nice because of the use of lines and shapes in the centre of the image, which also shows a restaurant. This image also shows an event of people eating with passing people, showing how busy the areas is, as you can even see another restaurant in the background packed with people.
This image was also an adaption to the image above this one, which zoomed into specifically 2 old people dining. This stands out to me because of how close the image was taken and what it shows, for example the horizon and the sea in the background along with others eating. I just like the contrast of things going on, like its part landscape, part event image. The facial expressions show relaxation and calm creates the feeling of the image of calm.
This one was definitely my favourite one. I really like the black and white contrast in this image, and just the fact that this tourist looks like an absolute boss with a cigarette in his mouth, what seems to be a bag going across his body, and I like how the shade of his hat covers his face, giving him a slightly mysterious look, he just looks like a character.
This one I thought was nice it captured a good landscape and also a couple enjoying the view with the woman’s hands around either her husband or boyfriend, capturing a moment. I also like the scenery that it captures.
This image I chose because it shows people sitting on the side of a shop, who look like tourists with their bags chilling, the person on the right also fills the image but also drags your eye into the image.
This last one I chose was because it was similar to the image with just the dog but instead it also had the owner with him, it creates a sympathetic effect but also a fulfilling effect in some ways. This image also uses good lines and shapes, it has good depth of field as well.
We went to St Malo for a day trip for our street photography project. The setting was perfect for street photography as we were in the walls of st malo, lots of little side street and people around.
My images and final out comes:
I decided to make this image black and white after editing it a bit, this is because the light in the sky was a bit too bright against the light colored buildings, black and white works better.
I like this image both ways as the colors in the coloured image really stand out, like the red on the mans shirt, and give the image some character. However, I made the choice to put it in black and white as it makes the image more authentic. It also emphasizes the focal point of the couple.
This image isn’t my strongest one as it is quite blurry, but as I’ve edited it and tempered with different settings, I’ve seen it from a different point of view. It kind of works as an action shot as it is only a bit blurry, also, the lady in the image ( the focal point), she isn’t looking at the camera at all as it wasn’t a staged photo. I like this about the image. I decided to put this in black and white because it distracts from the clutter in the image.
I like the composition of this image. It sort of appears staged as the man on the right is stood in a good position, however, its not. We began photographing in St Malo in the morning through to the afternoon so we were able to make images in the prime sun time. This photo was taken in the morning when the lighting was good.
This is one of my favourite images i took out of them all. I captured this old couple walking and it’s almost like they are foreshadowing the couple in the background of the image. This mage works well in colour as there’s lots of bright, vibrant colours in it; he yellow cap and pink shirt of the man on the left draws attention to the viewers.
This image juxtaposes itself. The foreground and background are highly contrasting. I placed a yellow line in the image to show the two different parts of the image. In the background (top of the yellow line) the buildings appear old and auethentic, the architecture of them is from a long time ago. This is because that building is really old, same with all the buildings and walls around St Malo, this is also why that particular part of St Malo worked really well for street photography.
-The St Malo town was built in 1689 by French King Louis XIV’s master military architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the massive fortress was primarily intended to protect Saint-Malo from the British.
On the other hand, the foreground of the image (below the yellow line) is very modern. You can see clothing shops and cafes, even the people in the image contrast with the background as their fashion is modern day.
After editing this image, i found it resembles Robert Franks’ work.He captures images of people, however, some of his images are staged. The images that aren’t staged captured the moment of people in their everyday life.
I captured this image of 3 women walking in the streets of St Malo. Although the image is a bit blurry, i think it works really well and adds context to the image. The blurriness shows that i was mobile when i took this image and therefore captured these women in the moment clearly having a nice time.
I decided to put this image in black and white to distract from the clutter and over stimulating colours, the blur was enough.
I like this image of a little vintage shop I took. The colours accentuate the image. The spacing and layout of the image naturally works really well. I edited the saturation of the colours in the image and that is why the colours appear exaggerated.
I took this image from above. I thought id experiment with a different angle and composition.
