How can photography represent the realities or truth of war?

“Photography cannot change the world, but it can show the world, especially when it changes.”

– Marc Riboud

Within my study I will explore the lives of German soldiers stationed at La Corbiere. Using a combination of both tableaux and documentary approaches to photography, I will depict their lives as they lived them in their fortifications. For my inspiration, the artists I have chosen are Paul M. Smith, a UK artist behind the series ‘Artist Rifles’ (1995) and Michiel Peeters, a Belgian photographer who, through re-enacting archive images, creatively visualises and re-tells the lives of soldiers of the Second World War. Both artists share the theme of war, however through their depictions, varies greatly in the meanings and purpose behind them. As stated by Sontag in ‘Plato’s cave’ ‘Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the world so much as pieces of it, miniatures of reality that anyone can make or acquire.’,¹ I find this applicable to both of my artists within their respective genres and interpretations of the theme of ‘war’. In my eyes, Smith’s work falls into the artisanal category, using himself as the subject behind photoshopped scenarios, which can be analysed to reflect his own experiences involving the military. Peeters’ work on the other hand, focuses more-so on the observational aspects of documentary photography, creating a tableaux to re-tell events surrounding areas of historical significance in Belgium and France. 

Through both interpretations of war, I find it interesting to see how both explore the subject, in either a personal or educational manner. For my project I would like to recreate some original images of the Germans soldiers’ stories I’m visualising. To do this, I will edit them to appear in a similar manner to the quality and feel of the vintage film aesthetic. In addition to this, I would also like to create that de-saturated grittiness of Peeters photographs, as I feel it creates a sense of realistic immersion. From correspondence with Peeters himself, he told me, ‘my inspiration comes more from movies and TV than other photographers, such as with Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, the Longest Day, and some others.’². To merge these two aesthetics – photography and cinema – I will include filler images that fade like a gradient between them. For some of these filler images I will include some landscape shots of Corbiere, this will show elements of formalism as unlike the images of myself they do no not intend to show any emotion or context, but rather just inform the setting in which the photos take place.

With the subject of war, being associated to the thoughts of death and violence, I find these artists in their respective ways, present the side of humanity which can be found in those who were involved; their stories and experiences. Applying similar photographic methods and techniques, I wish to combine the two, to present a personal interpretation and to educate people on the lives of some of those stationed within Jersey during the Second World War. With scars of the war still residing through concrete emplacements along our Islands coast, this also creates the personal factor of heritage and history, which I wish to remind and educate viewers about a pinnacle point in our local history. Through these artists, I find that they will inspire me to create an informative and unique take on documenting history that reflects both on their creative qualities of editing. Using photoshop skills I have picked up during my studies, I feel I have a good basis on how I can go about creating my project. 

During the period of the occupation, many soldiers on the island were found cut off from mainland Europe, with limited ways to communicate to their families. Soldiers like Engelbert Hoppe found it a hard time to be away for so long. Like the islanders, many soldiers also felt imprisoned. For this reason, I wish to capture these stories within my photographs. Through my study into photographic art movements and approaches to image-making, I find that tableaux is the most applicable to my work. The origin of tableaux in photography as an aesthetic style is rooted in pictorialism, which emerged in the late 19th century and was the first attempt to consider photography and artistic expression. Performed in plays, Tableaux vivant was an early form of its place within art. Performed in theatres, actors would form visualisations of the past such as live recreations of historic paintings through costumes. In its simplest form, Tableaux can be used to convey a pictorial narrative through staged images.

With my approach to interpreting the German soldiers stories (through a personal expression of my passion for history), I find that through tableaux, I wish to create a representation of the lives of the often-generalised enemy. With the German people forced to serve by their fascist government, the unlucky young population that did not conform was what made up some of the men from 2nd Company of MG Battalion 16. 

In Susan Sontag’s ‘Plato’s Cave’ she speaks of the use of photography in war, with its initial use to document progression of battles and victories it eventually became a source of capturing the visual horrors and atrocities of war. Sontag examples this through the controversial Vietnam War. Unlike prior conflicts, such as the Second World War when the United States were fighting for a “just cause of the free world”, the conflict in Vietnam was a proxy-war of political ideologies, ‘No one brought back photographs of daily life in Pyongyang, to show that the enemy had a human face’.³ Artists that did so include the likes of Nick Ut with famous image ‘The Napalm Girl’ and Eddie Adams who captured the horror committed by man with his image ‘Death captured on camera’.

‘The Napalm Girl’, Nick Ut, 1972.

‘Death captured on camera’, Eddie Adams, 1968.

These images are compelling for the time as they showed the public the reality of ‘the enemy’; innocent people who were caught up in a war of politics and were facing the brunt of it. With all this in mind I find that despite the fixed mindset of ‘good vs evil’ people associate to a war, there is a deeper personal factor which often goes unrecognised within these conflicts, that is the people caught between it all, forced into these situations against their will. This is why I feel as tableaux approach is applicable, focusing on the subject matter of the personal lives, I wish to construct a narrative that people can follow to visually understand that these soldiers had their own lives too, not just the face of a hateful and oppressive regime. To quote Susan Sontag, ‘to photograph is to participate in another person’s mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing, all photographs testify to times relentless melt.’⁴.

Paul M. Smith –

To depict the lives of the German Soldiers in a way that I found represented the realities or truth of war, I found that Paul M Smith’s work, aided me through his images. After serving as a regimental photographer in the royal engineers he displayed his own personal interpretation of his military experiences by creating images of himself cloned and dressed as soldiers being placed in scenarios, remnant of work such as Eddie Adams. Here I found inspiration into how he utilised photography to visualise the personal effects but also ubiquitous effects of wars reality. 

‘Artist Rifles’, Paul M Smith, 1997. + ‘Death captured on camera’, Eddie Adams, 1968.

In these depictions, Smith attempts the question, how can photography represent the realities or truth of war? Presenting his own military experiences in an interpretative tableaux, Smith’s work aims to ‘debate about the truthfulness of many battlefield photographs (such as) from the First and Second World War; some, which we now know were taken during training’⁵. Looking into this image in particular my work takes influence from the methods applied by Smith in his work. 

Paul M. smiths influence:

‘Artist Rifles’, 1997, Paul M Smith.

My example – ‘Combat Exercise’.

Within ‘Artist Rifles’, Smith refers ‘to the nature of war photography and its sometimes-dubious status in another battlefield, the Media’.⁶ With many famous images surrounding World War Two such as ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’ being misinterpreted or used as propaganda to display the victory of a battle, the reality of photographs circumstances can differ largely. With this picture for example, the flags raising was only within the first week of a thirty-six-day struggle to control the Island. With Nazi-Germany being a significant user of such intended misinterpretations, many of their images were staged to convey victory, this was the case with Jersey which they saw as the stepping stone to England. From this, Smith’s work challenges the concept of how photography depicts the reality and truth of wars through a modern tableaux with a genuine but also interpreted lens. Smith brings to light the issue of media and its ability to change the past through their own interpretations of photographs and how realities of wars can only be true for those who have experienced it or have been closely associated to it such as himself. This therefore explains why he focuses on himself as the subject to create this visual metaphor for his audience to understand.  

‘Raising the flag on Iwo Jima’, 1945, Joe Rosenthal.

With Smith’s work displaying a fabricated aesthetic of war, he created it through the method of using props such as weapons and various poses between his clones, to form the immersive environment you expect to see in images of conflict. In addition to this, the use of double staging adds to the immersion as his images themselves are of staged military training to simulate real-life warfare tactics. Smith pays homage to the type of imagery associated to warfare provided from many eras of war photography such as the ‘Robert Capa photography taken during the Spanish civil war’ ‘alluded to in Artist Rifles’⁷. From these historical references I used my research into the Germans of Corbiere, who themselves held training drills like this, to link to his methods of image constructing to make an indexical reference in my own work and construct the same aesthetic that his images have in conveying photography’s more fictitious side to war.

Reference Image – Germans of MG Battalion 16, 2nd Company on training.

Michiel Peeters –

In Michiel Peeters work, he makes use of genuine locations of historical significance for his visualisations of the Second World War. Using re-enactors dressed in accurate uniforms, portraying the actual groups which fought there, I found that this was applicable to my project to demonstrate our Islands local history, but also to provide an answer to the question, ‘How can photography represent the realities or truth of war?’. Focused on telling the stories of the individuals that were present in these places, Peeters makes extensive efforts for accuracy in things such as uniform details, vehicles and weather. From all of this, Peeters brings out an immersive aesthetic, reminiscent of the observational documentation present in photographs from that time, yet with an advantage of modern technology such as with camera quality and access to editing software. 

Speaking to Peeters online, he told me that ‘the only correct way to capture the re-enactors is when you are next to them in the mud, snow, foxhole, tank, etc.’ ‘The only photographer I relate to from WW2 is Robert Capa with his famous quote ‘if your pictures are not good enough, you are not close enough!’.⁸ With Documentative photography having its roots in the illustrated photo magazines, popular from around the 1920s to 1940s, notable names included LIFE magazine which Robert Capa worked for during the war. Pictures featured in the magazines came from these correspondents being attached to the army as they fought through the war, their observational style reflective of the way Peeters conveys his images. 

‘Faces of War!’, 2024, Michiel Peeters. + ‘LIFE, In Normandy.’, 1944, Bob Landry.

Although differing in terms of motivations and mise-en-scene to my other artist, Paul M Smith, Peeters also makes use of tableaux photography. Used in a documentative sense, his photography is used to represent the reality of war through recreating the people present as accurately as possible. Taking from historical resources such as archive photographs, this aids his image making progress to ensure as much detail is included. This echoes from tableaux’s initial use such as in theatres where it was used to create a ‘living picture’. ⁹ In the same way Peeters does the same to educate and entertain through his photography. For this reason, I find that Peeters presents photography as a tool to inform and educate the realities and truths of war, through a tableaux, dedicated to historical accuracy to provide immersion into this real event. With the choice to present them in a modern context, this adds to the immersion of portraying wars reality as it creates something we can see. As Sontag states, ‘photography makes us feel that world is more available than it really is’. ¹⁰

‘Windhund, 116th Panzer division’, 2024, Michiel Peeters.

My example – ‘Achtung’.

For my project, I wish to combine the advantage of modern editing software to produce my images in the same way as Peeters with its lower saturation, tone and other adjustments to create that gritty realism his images represents. Replicating his image making process of being imbedded into the lives of the people he visualises; I copied this through close-up shots of me to make my uniform and appearance the focus. For my project I want to also create images with the same vintage aesthetic of originally taken images. Taking from Paul M. Smith’s inspired images, I can then apply the aesthetic of Peeters style of editing them to create a merger of the two.  

Reference Image – Early war photo of MG Battalion 16, 2nd Company, gun crew. + My Example, ‘Gun crew’.

In my study, I took the key points of my artist studies to influences and create an understanding of how photography can be used to represent the realities or truth of war. Despite wars various depictions, my artists; Paul M. Smith and Michiel Peeters, have taught me that the concept of war can be captured through photography in various ways, yet still portray the same meaning and sentiments. Where these artists can be seen to differ however is through their own interpretation of the subject. Paul M. Smith uses photography to retell his own perspective on war and through himself being the subject. He makes the point that the true reality of war is only experienced by those present within it and how media’s representation can often shift this fact through its own interpretations of it. In contrast to this, Michiel Peeters uses photography to educate on the history of war, and particularly those who had to go fight them. 

Despite their different approaches, both contain the key point of bringing the reality of war to light, whether it be artistically like Smith or directly, in a documentary fashion such as Peeters. Furthermore, both artists make use of staged images within their photography to depict war and retell experiences of it. With photography being the largest source to provide visuals of war, it is understandable that the only way to recreate that is through tableaux’s depiction. As Susan Sontag states ‘photography has become one of the principal devices for experiencing something, for giving an appearance of participation’. ¹¹

From what I have learnt from studying my artists, I have taken influence from Smith’s cloned use of himself as the subject to depict the personal lives of the many German soldiers of Jerseys occupation. My inspiration from Peeters came from the focus on historical accuracy in the right clothing, props and through details such as location where I photographed within the actual bunkers that the men of MG battalion 16, 2nd Company, served in. Furthermore, the focus on the Second World War was also a large influence from Peeters also. Taking from Smith’s use of photoshop, and Peeters edit style I combined these technical elements to create my final outcomes. With my focus documenting the lives of these soldiers, I used archive images to base my emotive language mainly in my face across some of the photographs, from these images I also tried to recreate them to the best of my ability. Through my work, I feel I have replicated the similar sentiments behind each of my artists work, and through a personal factor of my island’s history, I committed to informing about the lives of those stationed here and the often-ignored truth of wars reality for them. 

Word count (without including quotations): 2444

Bibliography:

1. S. Sontag – ‘Plato’s cave’ (1977) page 4 ↩︎
2. Michiel Peeters (2024)- Direct quote from answer to my questions I sent him. ↩︎
3. S. Sontag – ‘Plato’s cave’ (1977) page 18 ↩︎
4. S. Sontag – ‘Plato’s cave’ 1977) page 15 ↩︎
5. ‘Goliath’ – Paul M Smith (1977) (2004) – Introduction ‘ Stories of a young man’ by Paul Wombell ↩︎
6. ‘Goliath’ – Paul M Smith (2004) – Introduction ‘ Stories of a young man’ by Paul Wombell  ↩︎
7. ‘Goliath’ – Paul M Smith (2004) – Introduction ‘ Stories of a young man’ by Paul Wombell  ↩︎
8. Michiel Peeters (2024) – Direct quotes from answers to my questions I sent him. + Robert Capa quote ↩︎
9. A short PPT on Documentary Photography ↩︎
10. S. Sontag – ‘Plato’s cave’ (1977) Page 24 ↩︎
11. S.Sontag – ‘Plato’s cave’ (1977) page 10 ↩︎

Inspiration

For my photoshoot I will be taking inspiration from Wolfgang Tillmans and Vinca Petersen. I want to create a photo book where there is a mixture of club and party images with some images of me and my friends hanging out. I have taken Wolfgang Tillmans nightclub photos and inspiration from Vinca Petersen’s ‘No system’ book where she takes pictures of her friends hanging out and relaxing before going on another night out.

My aims

My aim is to create a book where it shows the youth and fun within clubs and nightlife where there is also looks of regret throughout the book. The first filler image I want to use will be one of us hanging out a car window, this is to symbolise the fun at the start of the partying. After the first fun filler image I want the rest of the filler images to be used to symbolise the regret and unpleasant experience after the night out. Then finally the last image to be my friend hungover. This is because I want to show the cycle of going out every weekend and the result after it happened showing it to be fun at first but then eventually gets tiring and repetitive. I also aim to show the different type of people that I go out with and all my friends in one book. showing the different personalities and identities in the people throughout the book

Photoshoots

I will be taking 1 actual photoshoot of set up images where I will get my friends to be acting drunk and then hungover. We will also be getting a photoshoot of us in a car hanging out the windows and having fun and laughing, which will be filler images. I will then be taking photo of different nights in town or parties then present them in a photobook, I want the first image to start off with us out at a party or in town and then the final image to be one of my friend being hungover in the morning after all the partying throughout the photobook.

UNDERSTANDING PHOTOBOOKS:
NARRATIVE, EDITING, SEQUENCING, DESIGN, FORM, FUNCTION 

1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating  with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.

2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)

3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:

• Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
• Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
• Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
• Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello
• Cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping.
• Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
• Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?
• Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
• Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.
• Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.
• Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others.  Use of captions (if any.)

Vivian Maier: Street Photography

This photobook is not very colourful but still has a way of standing out, the front cover is a picture of Vivian Maier herself, in a black and white effect, her photograph exhibit a rich tonal range and a strong sense of contrast. This monochromatic approach lends a timeless quality to her photographs, allowing the viewer to focus on the subject matter and composition. Maier’s aim was to take pictures to show that the world keeps spinning no matter what happens, its a moment in time.  “She had a tentacular way of embracing the world, picking up little narratives she found just in the street or wherever—little things.” she liked making small things into something important, as all her photographs have a strong meaning to them.

This book has a dust jacket, with all the details attached. The actual book itself has a grey hard cover and is quite plain, the dusk jacket provides the information needed for the viewers, with the author, the book name and what the book is about, this would also be called an image wrap due to the image of Vivian taking up the whole page. The format of this is book shows an A3 portrait book with the length of 10.125 x 11.25 inches, 136 pages included, the title is relevant to the book but it is quite basic but literal, its an open title, stays original. The book was published on November 16, 2011. The editing of this photobook was very put together, they made sure to put photos that link together to make the book more powerful. for example, they had put an photograph of a man on a horse walking through New York next to a man wearing a cowboy costume, they link and make the book relevant. The photograph are also put on with a white border leaving space around the photograph.

The Book does have an introduction written by John Maloof who had found Maier’s photos, he describes how he had stumbled onto Maier’s work and what they had done to him. He also implied how Maier’s photos had a sense of hunger. They showed how curious Vivian was and exactly what she had found. He states how grateful he is to have an opportunity to find these photographs and is happy to share them to the world he describes it as “a simultaneously a very humbling and extremely surreal experience”. Geoff Dyer, also created a piece of writing based on Maier stating that Maier represents an extreme instance of posthumous discovery. At the end of the book there is a page dedicated to acknowledgments thanking the many other people who helped with the findings and history of Vivian Maier, with the last pictures being pictures Vivian taken by herself through the use of a Mirror or a window. Vivian would tend to find multiple mirrors around her and wouldn’t hesitate to snap an image of herself, this becomes very useful for John Maloof to get an idea on who Vivian Maier really was. Most of the paper was white but at the end of the book the paper become black, attached with the photograph of Maier. This could be a sign of dedication towards Vivian and all her work and how it has changed street photography and how people have a different perspective of the world.

Vivian Maier’s, street photography photobook, edited by John Maloof, in 2007 Maloof discovered Maier’s negatives, Maier was deeply interested in the world around her. She started photography in 1950s until the late 1990s where she started to photograph everything around her, she took over 100,000 photographs worldwide— from France to New York City to Chicago and dozens of other countries, she didn’t seem to get rid of any of her photographs either almost as it was a sign of the past, the past that you cant get back. It was said that Maier had lost her possession of her art when her storage locker was sold off for non-payment. she had later passed away in 2009 at the age of 83. One quote that Maier used that influenced many people including Maloof was ” we have to make room for other people. it’s a wheel- you get on, you go to the end, and someone else has the same opportunity to go to the end, and so on, and somebody else takes their place. There’s nothing new under the sun.” it’s representation of life and death, everyone should get the same opportunities

MORE ABOUT VIVIAN MAIER:

Vivian Maier was seen as a person who fit the stereotypical European sensibilities of an independent liberated woman, accent and all, yet born in New York City. she was seen as very  guarded and private and didn’t seem to share anything with the world, Vivian would go to amass a group of storage lockers stuffed to the brim with found items, art books, newspaper clippings, home films, as well as political tchotchkes and knick-knacks. Vivian was firstly known as a nanny, by only a certain amount of people then become recognised thanks to he incidentally recorded marvels and peculiarities of Urban America in the second half of the twentieth century. Her images become very famous due to the unknown and sense of mystery that was added, every person she photographed was natural and didn’t react to her photographing them, mostly as her images were candid and she was hidden from the world.  Vivian bounced between Europe and the United States before coming back to New York City in 1951. By 1956 Vivian left the East Coast for Chicago, where she’d spend most of the rest of her life working as a caregiver. Vivian had unfortunately became poor and was saved by three of the children she had nannied earlier on in her life. They had remembered Maier as a second mother, they had assembled together to pay for an apartment and took the best of care for her. However, one of Vivian’s storage lockers was auctioned off due to the delay of payments. In those storage lockers lay the massive hoard of negatives Maier secretly stashed throughout her lifetime. Later on in 2007, John Maloof had discovered most of Maier’s negatives and had later published her photos for the world to see. Now, with roughly 90% of her archive reconstructed, Vivian’s work is part of a renaissance in interest in the art of Street Photography.

Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.

• Essay Question
• Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
• Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.

possible-essay-questions-to-investigate

Some examples of Personal Study essays from previous students:

Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure

• Essay question:
• Opening quote

To what extent does Cindy Sherman and Justine Kurland explore female stereotypes.

‘To collect photographs is to collect the world’
Susan Sontag, On Photography 1977

• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

• Sontag, S. (1977) ‘In Plato’s Cave’ In On Photography. London: Penguin Books

Essay writing: Here is a link to another blog post which will provide you with guideline about how to structure each paragraph in your essay.

To what extent does Cindy Sherman and Justine Kurland explore female stereotypes.

‘To collect photographs is to collect the world’
Susan Sontag, On Photography 1977

To explore stereotypes means to focus on something that is a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong. They are able to shape our perceptions of groups of individuals which can lead to misunderstanding and sometimes discrimination. I am going to be looking at the area of female and teenage stereotypes. The artists I want to explore are Cindy Sherman and Justine Kurland. I have chosen Cindy Sherman as she focuses on female stereotypes within her work, her photography is important because of the way it depicts how women are viewed in society. I have also chosen Justine Kurland as her focus in photography is on girlhood. Her images are representations of both childhood adventures and current experiences. Both artists explore the issues with stereotypes and draw attention to it. Both photographers stage their photo shoots instead of them being documentary photographs. Cindy Sherman regularly alters her appearance beyond recognition through make-up, prosthetics, and costumes. To create her images, she assumes the multiple roles of photographer, model, makeup artist, hairdresser, and stylist. She becomes the character in the story she is attempting to portray through her images. Justine Kurland also sets up her images but not with herself, instead using real people she approach in her elaborate staging of photographs. Kurland has used staged tableaux to explore the social landscape of girlhood, life on communes, and life in the wilderness. Both photographers’ images represent mirrors. Mirror images are usually called this when the photographer is trying to demonstrate or reflect something that they feel about themselves. John Szarkowski in his text, said a mirror is ‘reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it’ and ‘a mirror- a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself on the things and sights of the world (Szarkowski 1978). These two artists are mirrors as Cindy Sherman is a women herself and is trying to reflect her feelings and opinions on it to the viewers, and Kurland mirrors her own childhood through the use of other girls a representation.

Historical context: Feminism

Both of he artists I am focussing on have images published between 1977-2002. Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills composes of over seventy black and white photographs made between 1977 and 1980. By 1970, feminists had inspired women and men across the United States. Whether in politics, the media, or private households, the topic of feminism was everywhere. The representation of women in art in the past shared the idea that women were good enough to be painted, but not to paint. They were usually represented for their physical appearance and not as the ones who would do the paintings. Theorist L van Zoomen said, ‘a core element of western patriarchal culture is the display of woman’s spectacle to be looked at, [and] subjected to the gaze of the (male) audience.’ (van Zoomen 2019). I agree with this quote as it was usual for women to be in the paintings and not be the painter, usually posing in certain ways that would be more appealing for a male audience. Historical female photographers include artists such as Julia Margaret-Cameron and Claude Cahun. Cameron (1815-79) revolutionised photography and immortalised the age of the eminent Victorian through her monumental photographs with their muzzy focus and dramatic use of light. Cahun presents herself in a variety of guises, adopting different personas and exploring the fluidity of identity. She dresses as both men and women when exploring the theme of identity and gender roles. A quote she said was: ‘Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that always suits me.’ (Cahun, Claude (2008). Disavowals: or cancelled confessions. The MIT Press. p. 151.) This shows her link with the theme of masculinity and femininity as she does not care which identity she takes and in a few of her photographs you can see her looking more feminine than others. Cindy Sherman’s work is one of the most direct link with the male gaze in art history. her images show woman in roles hat seem disempowered. she makes the image appealing but also leaves the viewer to interpret certain things which can often be unsettling as they wonder what the real meaning is behind the image.

Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman makes her photos come to life by using herself as the main aspect. She doesn’t merely represent stereotypes, she embodies them in different ways which then draws attention to the roles she plays which captivate the viewers. Sherman is known for creating fictional characters in her photographs, often using props, makeup and clothing to transform her appearance which is seen as an exploration of identity. Sherman uses elaborate makeup and costumes to create transformations in her appearances and characters. This allows her to explore issues of identity, subjectivity and gender, while challenging the conventions of visual representation. Cindy Sherman said, ‘I never thought I was acting. When I became involved with close-ups I needed more information in the expression. I couldn’t depend on background or atmosphere. I wanted the story to come from the face. Somehow the acting just happened.’ Being a woman, she is able to share her ideas possibly from her own experience which could make the images more personal to her and important to her. Sherman satirizes the audience’s gaze on the female body and solidifies female aesthetic standards. Cindy Sherman’s work has had a major impact on contemporary photography. Many artists were influenced by her work, and her technique of deconstructing stereotypes and conventional representations is still an important reference for many artists today. Sherman’s work is often credited as a major influence for contemporary portrait photographers. One such photographer is Ryan Trecartin, who manipulates themes of identity in his videos and photography. Now 30, he began taking pictures of himself and his friends role playing and cross-dressing while still in junior high school, when he was also introduced to Sherman’s work. Sherman’s influence on other artists work was known as “The Cindy Sherman Effect”. She focusses on stereotypes to the extent where it has an impact on the community where she considers social and political issues surrounding stereotypes and woman in general such as female representation in popular culture and the performative nature of identity. In the image below, It could be interpreted by the viewer that Sherman is impersonating a stereotypical house wife from the late 1950s or early 1960s. This can be clear by the objects she adds to the image to subtly create this thought. The use of the sauce pan and soap bottle suggest to the viewer that she could be pictured in a kitchen. As well as this, she is also wearing an apron. The construction of the picture hints at a number of possible narratives and is open to a range of analyses. One analysis a viewer could make is a negative event occurring. The black and white can cause an ominous feeling or sense of tension and the tone of the image makes it feels like a dark and scary moment for the woman. she can be seen to be looking over her shoulder and the viewer can interpret that to what they like but it was usually be a negative thing she may be looking at as her eyes look concentrated on something that could be making her scared. Sherman is also seen holding her stomach which could be a usual comfort for a woman so this could further suggest something to make her uncomfortable is going on and further shows how she depicts the theme of vulnerability in her photos.

Justine Kurland
Justine Kurland focusses on themes of freedom, rebellion, and the defiance of gender expectations. Kurland’s main project was called Girl Pictures. Kurland started this project in 1997 when she was a graduate student at Yale. Kurland decided to reverse certain stereotypical representations by rather than showing girls as passive or vulnerable, she represented them as strong, confident and free-spirited. The main environment of her images are usually in wild settings like rural or urban places which would be the opposite of a typical environment where girlhood would be imagined to be placed. She first photographed a fifteen year old girl called Alyssum who was the daughter of Kurland’s partner at the time. As well as this she also photographed groups of friends who were teenage girls and she staged the images where she depicted life on communes and life in the wilderness. In her project Girl Pictures. writer Rebecca Bengal says, ‘one in six of us will never figure it out. One in six of us will never leave here. One in six of us is bound to disappear. One in six of us, she’ll surprise you’. (Bengal 2020) This quote important as its showing how every teenagers life is different and the decisions they make now will impact where they end up. She represents the stereotype of a teenager who is figuring things out at the same time as going through things. The lighting in the image below is natural and seems to be at either sunrise or sunset. The lighting sets a feeling of calmness to the viewer as it looks tranquil and relaxing. The warming tone also contributes to the idea of tranquillity. In this image, Kurland is photographing her partners daughter, Alyssum. This image shows Alyssum in the centre of the image holding onto a tree. The way she is holding onto he tree creates a sense of fear as she seems to be clinging onto it and not wanting to let go. Her being in the centre of the image I think works really well to create a deeper meaning of the image. the water next to her seems to be travelling one way on the left of the image whereas the direction of the headlights of the cars suggest the road travel the opposite way. as well as that, there’s a pathway on the grass which is also creating a direction. Alyssum’s body faces the road whereas she’s looking over her shoulder at the water which creates the idea that she doesn’t know what direction to go in or what path to take and seems to be lost. This links to stereotypes of young people as its showing the confusion of the mind and having the ability to make decisions for yourself but still not knowing which direction to go. Teenagers could relate to this image as they may also not know what to do or where to go as they enter the part of their life where their decisions have a major impact on their futures.

Conclusion

Both Cindy Sherman ands Justine Kurland are two of the most important photographers when it comes to themes such as identity, gender and roles in society. They have different techniques such as Sherman taking her images as self portraits which have been constructed an staged way. Whereas Kurland takes her images of other individuals and not herself in open naturalistic aesthetics where the environment is a rural wide-space. Though they have differences, their main themes are femininity, gender roles and identity. Both photographers attempt to present themselves in their images when focussing on the theme of identity however they do this in slightly different ways. Sherman uses her identity to show her opinions on the stereotypical female roles through using herself. She embodies them in different ways which then draws attention to the roles she plays and ultimately captivates the viewers. She is able to transform her appearance which is seen as an exploration of identity. Kurland shows her opinions and thoughts by using other people to reflect herself onto them. In her work Girl Pictures she depicts young women in wilderness settings and shows the ongoing theme of freedom and rebellion where she often places the individuals (herself) in natural environments in the wild. Another difference is how they explore identity in different ways. Sherman shows the stereotypical female societal roles in her images where she sticks to showing how woman are viewed where they are presented as disempowered and link largely with the male gaze. Whereas Kurland shows the female identity in opposite ways by depicting girls rebelling and being out in fields and rural areas where hey seem to be empowered rather than disempowered which would usually not be the typical image of a female. Both artists don’t just use their images to represent themselves, they represent everyone who can relate. Sherman represents every woman and Kurland represents most teenage girls. Though the artists approaches to this theme differ, they both manage to challenge the reality of being a woman. With the work I have produced, I would say it is more similar to Kurland’s work than Sherman’s. In one of my photoshoots, it focussed on group of my friends who were all girls. This is already a similarity between Kurland’s work and she also takes images of groups of girls. The settings of hers and my work could be seen as fairly similar as I also used places such as fields to take my photographs and got the subjects of the images to engage in activities such as tree climbing. In terms of Cindy Sherman, as a large majority of my images surround females I am able to compare mine to hers as a similarity. My photographs are images of others which links with Kurland’s work rather than Sherman’s as she tends to do self-portraits instead. I also believe that, like Kurland, my images would be seen as mirrors as I am reflecting my life through the use of my friends. in comparison to this idea, some of my other photoshoots could be seen as windows as I photograph the subject engaging in activities that is normalised for them (for example dancing) and so this would be a window as its taking a look into someone else’s normal activity that I don’t relate to. One of the photoshoots that focuses on one of my friends dancing links to Cindy Sherman and the idea of female stereotypes as dancing could be considered a female stereotypical sport (especially in the past).

Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced

347, 315, 576, 502, 332

(Male vs female gaze, representation of women in art, feminism, staging of photographs or tableaux takes it origin from Pictorialism. Examples of historical female photographers: Julia Margaret-Cameron, Claude Cahun

Read some of the key texts in bibliography below here and reference them in the paragraph here)

Bibliography

Feminist theory
van Zoomen, L. (2019). ‘Feminist Theory’ in Dixon, M. Media Theory for A-Level Students. London: Routledge.

Justine Kurland

Bengal, R. (2020) ‘The Jeremys’ in Girl Pictures. New York: Aperture.

Cahun, Claude (2008). Disavowals: or cancelled confessions. The MIT Press. p. 151. 

Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.

Essay Question

• Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
• Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.

possible-essay-questions-to-investigate

Some examples of Personal Study essays from previous students:

How can elements of Surrealism be used to express and visualise the personal……?

new topographics and traditional street photography

In what way can abstraction make visible what is invisible in the natural and urban landscape?

What is abstraction exactly?

……..William Klein’s confrontational approach to street photography?

Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure

• Essay question:
• To what extent are Saul Leiter and Sigfried Hansen influenced by Formalism in their work? 
• Opening quote

‘To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed.

It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feel like knowledge– and therefore, like power.’ (Sontag 1977:4)

‘To collect photographs is to collect the world.’ (Sontag 1977)

To what extent are Saul Leiter and Sigfried Hansen influenced by Formalism in their work? 

• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?

“I happen to believe in the beauty of simple things. I believe that the most uninteresting thing can be very interesting.”
Saul Leiter

Introduction

Saul Leiter suggest that what goes unnoticed is in fact the most exciting. The fact that we are almost unaware our surroundings of unique shapes and formations, with the only way that we truly see it is through abstract approaches. Throughout my personal study I aim to investigate street photography and how it can be portrayed through various ways. I believe there is more to street photography and that it’s not just a standard photograph of a building, it’s in fact different visual elements such as vibrant colours, unusual shadows, textures, and patterns, to diverse formations and compositions that all intertwine, overall creating these contrasting effects. All these visual elements are otherwise known as formalism, compared to what we see on the streets it shows a very similar effect. The way colours are distinguished between more colours, separated by distinct lines is further represented within the streets whether we notice it or not. My aim is to bring this to life, presenting this through very abstract and diverse approaches, and makes you question the photo as it is so unrecognisable. Siegfried Hansen perfectly describes formalism. His similar approach overall achieves abstract, unrecognisable images, that are so bold and full of colour and life it changes our perspective of our surroundings – viewing things for their details and unique features that define them. Saul Leiter expresses this more excitingly, expressing very hectic and busy images, however are clearly defined through formations, colours, and shadows. I am going to investigate various visual elements such as colour, formations and shadows and how they present their own narrative as we engage in different ways. Producing my own response in a formalist way, will create depth and meaning behind what I capture. More meaning will be revealed as I capture things in an abstract approach for example the colours chosen and formation expressing how uninteresting images can be made more interesting.

• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 

Formalism

Formalism is a study of art, where compositional elements are presented to us through elements of colour, line, shape, and texture. Rather than focusing on a specific meaning, reason of creation, historical background or context within the photo, (that goes unnoticed), we therefore consider the medium used or visual elements that is presented to us through such expressive and dynamic formations. The colour wheel greatly impacts formalism, as the small selection of colour complements one another therefore creating a very appealing and engaging feature.

Formalism is the most important aspect of art, presented through visual aspects rather than narrative content -connecting closely to the outside world. Within this we see a dynamic relationship of colour, brushstroke, line and composition. Isaac Newton developed the colour wheel based on his findings. Proving that white light was not a single entity, instead it was composed of a spectrum of colour combining to make white, otherwise meaning white is a source of all colour. Newton’s experiment consisted with passing a thin beam of sunlight through a prism which produced a spectrum of colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Then by placing an inverted prism in the path of the coloured light beams, combined the colours producing white once more.

Piet Mondrian (Dutch painter) incorporated an art movement that worked around his abstract works, becoming introduced in the early 20th century. A reductive theory was all created from this, where by taking a larger scale image, brought it to life, focusing closely on the architectural works, sculpture forms, and graphic arts as well. Mondrian was greatly inspired by impressionist techniques, in which he used certain technique’s within his own work. Similar to Van Gogh, Mondrian uses ‘pure, glowing colours and expressive brushwork in which was influenced by pointillism. During the 20th century, Mondrian started to use pointillist and cubist style, also including other abstract mediums, followed by previous techniques he learnt. He said, ‘the more basic the color, the more inward, the more pure.’ (Mondrian reference source) Visualising Mondrian’s work, we notice this more and more. Through his abstract style and bold use of pigmented colour, perhaps suggests ‘basic’ is in fact the most captivating. It is ‘inward’ in the sense you have to look into it, where you notice the true beauty of the dynamic – the compositions of line, shape, and colour.

image captions; artists name, title, year

Composition 8

Having seen cubist paintings by George Braques and Pablo Picasso in 1911, Mondrian moved to Paris where he painted Tableau No. 2/Composition No. VII. Mondiran was greatly inspired by cubist paintings. From looking at tree to, scaffolding with interlocking black lines. Having spent years in Paris, he later returned to Holland (home) in 1914, and began to work on an abstract form of art which was later classified as a neoplastic style. The work he produced during this time wa

• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Saul Leiter

“Seeing is a neglected enterprise” Saul Leiter

Immersed within painting and photography since a teenager, Leiter found ways to incorporate both within his work, however his aim was never to create an obvious relation between them as they are still two separate works of art. ‘Photography is about finding things,’ Leiter said. ‘Painting is different. It’s about making something. (Leiter) Having enjoyed both types of art, Leiter couldn’t decide which he preferred, so did both. Leiter enjoyed using a brush, making a mark, then another, describing it to be a bit like ‘Jazz’- you don’t know what your going to do next. In relation to formalism, (expressed through the defining abstract strokes of colour, outlined my more shapes and marks of colour, which instantly lures you in) Leiter expresses this through his own style expressing unique features, creating a similar approach as you don’t know what to expect next. The loose strokes of colour creates a similar, mesmerising relationship- a bit like formalism describing how blocks of colour are fitted together.

image captions; artists name, title, year

An obvious relation is presented through his paintings and photographs. We can see his style of loose strokes of colour painted compared to how he captures his photos, both achieving very similar, abstract effects. The photographs look like strokes of colour, expressing a painted quality, then the paintings create this abstract up-close complexion of colour, making us ‘look twice’ at what it is we are seeing, as the colours and shapes are ‘merged’ together creating a similar feature seen in the images. From Similar perspectives, Leiter’s very prominent and abstract marks of colour create an interesting feature that strangely lures you in, as you wouldn’t expect strange (unsymmetrical) highly pigmented strokes of colour to be that engaging. Instead it is the hidden details and minor features, that entices you in – automatically making you see things differently. This effect continues throughout his photographs, as we’re presented with a confrontational perspective, where unique angles are expressed. It is clear Leiter’s work has a close connection to formalism. The colour creates this contrasting feature alongside the riveting lines, shapes, and patterns which are revealed, therefore creating this captivating aesthetic.

Leiter returned to New York in 1940, where he began experimenting with colour photography using slide film such as Kodachrome. Quickly becoming one of the most popular materials used for film; being lightweight, affordable, quick exposures allowed for producing brilliant, intense coloured images. ‘Leiter’s use of colour was subtle, yet impactful,’(Pioneering colour photography- line 4) https://proedu.com/blogs/photographer-spotlight/saul-leiter-master-of-color-in-street-photography-a-pioneers-urban-palette?srsltid=AfmBOopX8LW-V_29lHSs0z5jH_pYfF2itOAX582cDeEaF1q5LsumReP8

Described through the use of muted tones and soft palettes of colour, create this minute, tranquil effect with an unobvious effect made to be very obvious. ‘Atmospheric images that evoked emotion and mood.’ Correlating to the simple use of colour and the subtle impression we get, this in fact creates an opposing effect creating enhanced character and heightened emotions. ……..

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/colour-photography#:~:text=Invented%20by%20Leopold%20Mannes%20and,images%20on%20a%20plastic%20base.

By 2006 was the release of his monograph, Early Color, which ‘revealed radically innovative compositions and a ground-breaking mastery (colour theory) that permanently changed the history of colour.’ However this didn’t apply to all of his work, as he refused to give meanings or background within his fine-art-photography. “I don’t have a philosophy,” Leiter said. “I have a camera” https://www.saulleiterfoundation.org/

Leiter said “The world is full of endless things, and there are many beautiful things around us, they (us as people) lack the imagination to see what is around us, is actually sometimes very beautiful.” (Leiter reference source)

Some of his work was written in his own neighbourhood “the street is like a balllet, you never know what is going to happen,” (Leiter reference source)

Le

https://www.saulleiterfoundation.org

Kodachrome

• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Siegfried Hansen is a contemporary street photographer focusing on visual links to formalism; colour, geometry, abstraction and cityscape. Hansen looks through these visual compositions focusing on the graphics and colours found within the street. Hansen doesn’t focus on capturing people, instead he looks at the formations and relations found elsewhere, “It shows the Aesthetics of coincidence in a public area, which is full of surprises.” https://siegfried-hansen.de/en/about-english-2/ (line 2) The way coincidental features take form within the images, is what makes them so intriguing creating an in-depth narrative. The diversity between the lines, structures, and signs combine with the architectural features, complementing one another whilst adapting to his abstract and graphical way of seeing. Hansen has this unique way of revealing surfaces, shapes and colour – that go unnoticed often described as ‘poetic.’ https://leica-camera.blog/2021/03/29/the-flow-of-the-lines/ line6. Our attention is brought to unique perspectives and angles which would otherwise go unseen. Relating to this poetic theme it gives a sense of rhythm as new things are constantly being revealed to us as it is Hansen’s perspective of the world around him, perhaps communicating a different world. ‘Colour can make the motif appear even stronger,’ (Hansen reference source) Having mainly worked in black and white the motif (design) was the most important and what Hansen focused on. However Hansen figured by adding colour, the motif could easily be made even stronger. This meant coloured images could easily be turned into black and white because the motif was so strong.

When Looking a Siegfried Hansen work, I notice the simplicity straight away that lies within the dynamic formations of colour and shapes. I produced a series of images which i felt would challenge the viewers, as your being confronted by a unqiue perspective.

https://leica-camera.blog/2021/03/29/the-flow-of-the-lines

https://siegfried-hansen.de/en/about-english-2

• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced

show how ive responded 1 / 2 examples

• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used#

Sontag, S. (1977) ‘In Plato’s cave’ in On Photography. London: Penguin Books.

The Colorful Compositions of Saul Leiter

https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3666

https://www.clerkmaxwellfoundation.org/html/first_colour_photographic_image.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formalism_(art)#:~:text=In%20art%20history%2C%20formalism%20is,purely%20visual%20or%20material%20aspects.

Mondrian, P. https://www.piet-mondrian.org

Leiter, S. (painting section) https://www.saulleiterfoundation.org/#:~:text=He%20maintained%20a%20lifelong%20habit,such%20as%20Bonnard%20and%20Vuillard.

https://www.saulleiterfoundation.org/color

Essay writing: Here is a link to another blog post which will provide you with guideline about how to structure each paragraph in your essay.

In terms of the second shoot I think that the images look good and I definitively will produce more in this section of the photoshoots as I believe the images/ final result will look good layered on top of one another as the writing has historical context behind it especially down to my Polish roots and generations before my parents and my parents parents as the book I photographed goes back to the 1800s and 1900s presenting Poland before and after the War and the poorness of the country at times as well as the impact of Catholism in the country which my family still resonates with to this day keeping traditions alive and Christian symbols around the family home.

I think it was also important for me to bring this part of historical context into my photos as it provides a visual element of background into the composition but also can enhance the understanding of the photograph is it written in paper and in real life the result which are both my parents and my parent backgrounds as through human connection every little bit can connect and have an impact on people especially living in that country of the provided information of the eastern European land.

Poland’s history before and after the war is remembered by hardship yet there is a strength within the culture, hope that survives through even the darkest times. It is in this resilience that I see the echoes of my family’s journey how, despite the hardships faced by previous generations, they managed to hold on to their faith, their roots, and ultimately, their identity.

As I plan to layer the images over one another, I not only revisit the past but also reflect on how those generations still resonate in my life today. The traditions, the prayers, and even the simple acts of care around the home are all echoes of the perseverance that has been passed down. The rich cultural heritage and strong Catholic foundation that once shaped the lives of my forebears continue to influence my family’s worldview, shaping our values, actions, and identity in subtle yet profound ways.

Their history is my history, as well as their resilience too. Through my personal project I will try to capture not just their faces but the essence of what they endured, they believed in and what they cherished including the sacred connection between family, faith, and heritage that continues to develop and change across time.

“Explore the dichotomies of the characteristics between the day and the night.” 

‘Photographs are perhaps the most mysterious of all the objects that make up, and thicken, the environment we recognize as modern. ‘(Sontag 1977:4) 

During the day, the natural sunlight brings energy, clearness of the landscapes around and life to the world around us, however, at night the same landscapes/spaces give a sense of mysteriousness, loneliness and emptiness. These changes not only alter the location/setting itself but the emotional impact it has on those who experience it. The contrast between the day and night creates a powerful effect, one where the light and shadow shape the way we perceive the environment as well as the way we engage with it emotionally.  My personal study focuses on the polarity between day and night, specifically how the shift from day to night creates different judgement of areas, time and emotion. To explore this theme, I have chosen to analyse the work of William Eggleston and Todd Hido, these two photographers approach the use of light, colour and the setting in unique ways. Eggleston`s photography captures the ordinary in extraordinary ways, differently Hido`s style of photography highlights isolation and mystery. In addition, I will include Pierre Putman, whose work compliments both artists by offering a different perspective on the play between light and shadow. Putman’s cinematic photographs focus on solitary dark urban settings, where artificial lighting and glowing lampposts create a dreamlike, interesting scenery, turning empty streets into powerful, emotional stories. I will respond to their work by featuring both daytime and night-time images, influenced by the work of these three artists, in my final photobook.  

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Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure = 2000-2500 words

• Essay question
• Opening quote
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

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Essay introduction: convert draft introduction to final version.

• Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can use an opening quote that sets the scene. Or think more philosophically about the nature of photography and its feeble relationship with reality.
• You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study, e.g.
• What are you going to investigate?
• How does this area/ work interest you?
• What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument?
• Whose work (artists/photographers) are you analysing and why?
• What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within?
• What links are there with your previous studies?
• What have you explored or experimented with so far in your photography project?
• How will your work develop.
• What camera skills, techniques or digital processes have you used, or going to experiment with?

Below is link to a blog post which will provide you with helpful guidelines if you are struggling to structure your essay or writing paragraphs.

ESSAY WRITING | 2024 Photography Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

How have Todd Hido and Hiroshi Sugimoto used the medium of photography to record and present the intangible?

Introduction:

‘A photograph might be a fixed image but, socially speaking, photography does not keep still.’ David Campany, The Photographic (2004)

A Photograph Is Intangible

A photographs takes a fleeting moment – the natural atmosphere and emotion – and immortalise it in a still frame. Once taken, that moment can no longer be revisited: it is intangible. Intangibility is the absence of a physical body. While a print out can be held and felt, the subject of the image is now immaterial – a copy of a memory. Take for instance a tourist. He may photograph himself in front of a landmark as “indisputable evidence that the trip was made” (Sontag 1977:9). But once he moves to the next location he cannot return to that same spot, the moment has passed. It does not exist any longer outside the frame. All the same people will exist, the same landmark stands however the exact makeup of that image is only present within the bounds of the frame. “The shutter clicks and the clock jumps to the past” (Stakel 2003:7). Similarly Susan Sontag draws parallels between the shadows in Plato’s Cave and the photograph. The shadows are a believed truth based on bodiless projection used to show the deceptive nature of our own perception. Both these shadows and photographs mislead the viewer into believing they know the ‘full picture’. What’s seen is believed as fact. “The picture may distort; but there is always a presumption that something exists, or did exist” (Sontag 1977:5). On the contrary, a photograph is a physical representation of what did happen, tangible evidence. Photographs are “fixed traces of the light” (Stakel 2003:7). You can hold it, share it and even fix it in a book. Photographs are the physical body of a memory. “any single statement about photography is likely to fail on some level.” (Campany 2004:10). Like anything physical, a photograph has dimensions. A photograph cannot be fully explained in one sentence, they connect emotionally to the viewer. Between even just 2 people, a photographs summary can vary drastically as throughout a photographs timeline it will pass through many different hands and the view of many eyes, a result of a physical form. “photography does not keep still” (Campany 2004:7).

Photographing the Intangible

How do you photograph something that doesn’t exist? There is a common consensus that the camera in one way or another killed the paranormal. If something exists there’s a picture so if you haven’t seen it, then it mustn’t exist. Tales of beasts in the woods and monsters in marshes have become increasingly difficult to believe without evidence. For early photographers like William Hope and William Mumler this was a matter of manipulation: using simple double exposure techniques to create ghastly effects. While its impossible to photograph the ghost of a loved one, printing a copy of them achieves a similar effect. Photographer Todd Hido captures feelings of isolation by alluding to humanity without ever showing it. The loneliness of his images utilises familiar imagery to trigger a personal response. Hiroshi Sugimoto turns something familiar into something unrecognisable through distortive blurs. “any single statement about photography is likely to fail on some level” (Campany 2004:10). This is because a photograph on its own has no context. It is an abstraction. Without context any interpretation is valid. In a collection, a narrative can be crafted however the ambiguity is what makes images resonate with the viewer. Any feelings associated with an image are entirely disembodied. “Photographs actively promote nostalgia.” (Sontag 1977:15). If a photograph represents a passed moment of time and nostalgia is the universal longing for the past then photography is the act of presenting nostalgia, intentionally or not. This is most easily seen with family photobooks but any photograph will elicit some level of nostalgia at some point in its timeline.

Bibliography

Campany, D. (2004) ‘Thinking and not thinking photography’. Engage 14 (Winter) The Photographic: 7:12. London.

Stakel, U. (2003) ‘This is Photography!’ in Well, What is Photography?. Switzerland; Fotomuseum Winterthur.

Sontag, S. (1977) ‘In Plato’s cave’ in On Photography. London: Penguin Books.

Question: How have Historical Periods of Time influenced Architectural Changes and therefore Photographic Styles?

Introduction

Photography is a way of preserving the world around you. It allows you to capture a moment of time and freeze it. This is significant as the world we live in is ever-changing. The world changes due to different movements and events. For example, the Climate Movement has caused people to be more considerate of the environment and, as a result, produce sustainable and energy efficient buildings. Similarly, the Romanticism movement, an artistic and intellectual movement during the Industrial Revolution, influenced Architects and Artists to use nature as an inspiration for their designs. As we can see, there is a tie between social activities and world development. In photography, The New Topographics Exhibition was a reaction to the Romanticism movement and idealised landscape photography. Lewis Baltz, a photographer who was associated with this exhibition , explored the beauty within the realistic, industrial environment at this time.

Final Images

In comparison to Justine Kurland

For this photoshoot, I borrowed different ideas, concepts and compositions from Justine Kurland’s book ‘Girl Pictures.’ As seen below:

I took inspiration from the activity in this image, because I also used to climb trees with my friends during my youth. However, I had less models in my image and didn’t want to copy her image exactly, so I changed the layout in the image, by standing on the opposite side of the tree and arranging my models differently.

This is not an activity that I usually do, but I wanted to include this activity, as I feel like it is a more masculine activity. I included this, so I could use it to present a range of identities ranging from more masculine to feminine.

I took inspiration from this image, because I have done this quite often, especially in Photography in the past, so it was an easier photo to take and showed a more feminine identity.

I took inspiration from the activity in this image, because I also used to play at the park and play on the swings with my friends during my youth. However, I had less models in my image and the I chose to use the swings at St Ounes on the trees, because I thought it fit the setting of the urban woodslike areas. However, the lighting of this image wasn’t the best, as it was more of a sunny day, instead of a cloudy one.

I took inspiration from this image, as I also had two models run down a long road. However, my setting is more of a modern road, compared to the dirt road.

I took inspiration from this image, because I also used to climb trees in my youth, so these images display my identity.

I took inspiration from this image, because the setting suited the theme well and was a very similar setting to the setting Justine Kurland uses in her book ‘Girl Picture’ and the setting I want to achieve for my images.

How does this relate to my theme of youth and identity?

These images relate to the theme of youth and identity, in particular, my youth and identity. I have explored my youth in these images, because I had my models do the activities I used to do when I was younger, such as playing on the 100ft hill at the sandunes, playing on the swings at St Ounes and climbing trees. I used to do all these activities during my youth, so I wanted to explore that and present it through my work. In doing this, I also explored my identity during my youth, by reminiscing on what I enjoyed doing, what I didn’t enjoy doing and who I did these activities with. I was also then able to compare my identity now to my identity during my youth, because I was able to see if I still enjoyed doing these activities, and see if I still had these hobbies to this day, or not.

I also took inspiration from Justine Kurland’s work and borrowed ideas, concepts and compositions from her to create a wider range of activities to show case. These images relate to the theme if youth, because I have borrowed other activities that Justine Kurland presents as youth to her. I have also used my friends as models in these images, and they are still in their youth, so they present this theme of youth. These images also explore identity, because they portray more feminine and more masculine activities, so this presents to the viewer that they can be whatever they wish to be, no matter if it doesn’t follow social norms. I also presented a range of activities, so that I could present a range of different identities, even though I have used the same models. I have also only used female models in these photos, similarly to Justine Kurland, so that I could explore this concepts of girlhood just how she has in her book, because I relate to this theme of girlhood, because I am living my girlhood right now so I want to present this through my work.

Analyses of 1 Image

In this photograph the lighting used was natural daylight, but there is also a lot of shade in this image, due to the tree blocking the sun. This has caused high levels of contrast, due to the darker tones from the shade, contrasting the highlights, where the sun is coming in through the tree branches. There are high levels of control in this image, as I manipulated the positioning, distance and location of my subjects, as well as myself, in order to create the best composition I possibly could. There are also lots of vibrant colours in this image, including green, brown, blue etc, which creates a range of different warm and cool tones, which creates more contrast throughout the image. The colours are also very complimentary to each other as well, which makes the photograph visually aesthetic.

There is also lots of texture throughout this image, coming from the branches, the texture of the muddy floor and the grass which pulls the viewer into the image even more. The composition of this image has the subjects on the right hand side of the frame. The centre of the tree is in the centre of the image, with the subject sat on the tree slightly off centre and is the main viewpoint of the image.

F Stop: f/11

Exposure time: 1/60 sec

ISO: ISO-100

The narrative of this image is two young girls climbing trees, during their youth. This relates to the themes of youth and identity, specifically my youth and identity, which is what I am exploring through my work, because this is an activity I used to do in my youth. Therefore, this narrative presents my identity during my youth, by presenting what I used to do and therefore who I used to be. This also relates to the work of Justine Kurland, as she also explores the themes of youth and identity, especially in her book ‘Girl Pictures.’ She also created a very similar image of her subjects sitting/ climbing a tree, as she presents the same narrative that I have presented. However, she had quite a few more subjects than me.

Photoshoot Conclusion

I think this photoshoot went quite well, as I was able to explore my youth by presenting different activities I used to do, or still do. I also explored a range of other activities, some similar to the ones Justine Kurland presented in ‘Girl Pictures.’ I was also able to explore the theme of identity, while doing this, because I was able to present my identity during this work, as I displayed the activities I enjoy and what makes me myself.

However, it was the wrong time of day when these photos were taken as it was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, so the lighting was not how I wanted it to be. Next time, I will aim the take photos at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon instead, so that I can attain a less exposed lighting where the sun is not shining so bright. I want to achieve this lighting, because I think it will best suit my images, but also because this is the lighting Justine Kurland used in her ‘Girl Pictures,’ and it worked extremely well.

I would also like to display more masculine activities in my next photoshoot, so that I can strongly portray that female stereotypes aren’t the only identity choice and that during girlhood my models are ‘trying on boy,’ like in Justine Kurland’s work where she explores a range of different identities. However, I would also like to display more feminine activities just as much, so that I can present a range of identities through my work, so that I can spread the message to the viewers that they can chose whatever identity they wish.

I also experimented with my composition during this photoshoot, by using things such as being in the centre or to the side, or being in the foreground, middle ground and background. However, I do think I could improve my composition for my next photoshoot, by taking inspiration from other photographers and artists, as well as using other compositional tools, such as the rule of thirds, or just using the same compositional tools but better. I also want to experiment more with visual elements, such as texture, colour, tone, light, shape, form, line, pattern and space.