Photography 1 – Context & Narrative… · Ian Shaw 513626 Assignment 1 3 Photography 1 Context...
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Ian Shaw 513626 Assignment 1 Photography 1 Context and Narrative 1 Photography 1 – Context & Narrative Assignment 1 – Two sides of the story For this assignment I wanted to explore two opposing aspects of London. Having worked and lived there in the past, I enjoy returning to its many positive attributes but I’m never there long before I once again yearn for the more natural, less intense lifestyle of rural Derbyshire. This assignment is an attempt to explore this dichotomy and express it through two sets of documentary photographs: • London: Place of Inspiration and Opportunity. The world's leading banking & finance centre offers luxury, wealth and upward mobility for any who are prepared to work for it. The capital's rich history, stunning architecture and endlessly diverse social scene are an inspiration for us all. There’s always something to see and do. For this set I wanted to avoid the usual tourist shots and instead focus on the legacy of the City’s fine heritage and urban regeneration of the old dockland area. • London: Place of misery and exclusion. Here I wanted to show the inequality, hopelessness and gentrification which steadily pushes ‘undesirables’ out of their own local communities to make way for wealthy overseas investors. Doorways become the temporary homes of the homeless until they are moved on. Society places a ‘No Entry’ sign between the lives of the fortunate and unfortunate - even public benches are now ingeniously designed so that the homeless can no longer sleep on them. I approached this assignment by identifying locations in advance using guidebooks and existing knowledge, thinking reflectively about how London both inspires and saddens me. Earlier approaches can be seen in my blog and were rejected for being too ambitious for a single day’s shooting. https://ian513626photography1contextandnarrative.wordpress.com/category/assignments/assign ment-1/ At the end of the Assignment, I rationalised that London is far too complex to ‘compartmentalise’ as merely two conflicting ideologies. And in that complexity lies its real appeal. (300 words)
Transcript of Photography 1 – Context & Narrative… · Ian Shaw 513626 Assignment 1 3 Photography 1 Context...
Ian Shaw 513626 Assignment 1
Photography 1 Context and Narrative 1
Photography 1 – Context & Narrative
Assignment 1 – Two sides of the story ForthisassignmentIwantedtoexploretwoopposingaspectsofLondon.Havingworkedandlivedthereinthepast,IenjoyreturningtoitsmanypositiveattributesbutI’mnevertherelongbeforeIonceagainyearnforthemorenatural,lessintenselifestyleofruralDerbyshire.Thisassignmentisanattempttoexplorethisdichotomyandexpressitthroughtwosetsofdocumentaryphotographs:
• London:PlaceofInspirationandOpportunity.Theworld'sleadingbanking&financecentreoffersluxury,wealthandupwardmobilityforanywhoarepreparedtoworkforit.Thecapital'srichhistory,stunningarchitectureandendlesslydiversesocialsceneareaninspirationforusall.There’salwayssomethingtoseeanddo.ForthissetIwantedtoavoidtheusualtouristshotsandinsteadfocusonthelegacyoftheCity’sfineheritageandurbanregenerationoftheolddocklandarea.
• London:Placeofmiseryandexclusion.HereIwantedtoshowtheinequality,hopelessness
andgentrificationwhichsteadilypushes‘undesirables’outoftheirownlocalcommunitiestomakewayforwealthyoverseasinvestors.Doorwaysbecomethetemporaryhomesofthehomelessuntiltheyaremovedon.Societyplacesa‘NoEntry’signbetweenthelivesofthefortunateandunfortunate-evenpublicbenchesarenowingeniouslydesignedsothatthehomelesscannolongersleeponthem.
Iapproachedthisassignmentbyidentifyinglocationsinadvanceusingguidebooksandexistingknowledge,thinkingreflectivelyabouthowLondonbothinspiresandsaddensme.Earlierapproachescanbeseeninmyblogandwererejectedforbeingtooambitiousforasingleday’sshooting.https://ian513626photography1contextandnarrative.wordpress.com/category/assignments/assignment-1/AttheendoftheAssignment,IrationalisedthatLondonisfartoocomplexto‘compartmentalise’asmerelytwoconflictingideologies.Andinthatcomplexityliesitsrealappeal.
(300words)
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Index Sheet 1 – London: place of inspiration and opportunity.
1 – ‘Up Market’. Leadenhall Mkt/Lloyds Building
1/125th at f3.5
ISO 640
50mm lens
2 – ‘Eye on the time’: Canary Wharf
1/5th at f13 ISO 100 35mm lens
3 – ‘Power Tower’
1/50th at f22. ISO 500 16mm lens
4 – ‘Going Places’
1/100th at f4.5 ISO 400 50mm lens
5 – ‘High Risers’
1/15th at f 5.6
ISO 640
30mm lens
6 – ‘Chasing Your Dreams’
1/160th f5.0 ISO 400 50mm lens
7 – ‘Fine Dining’
1/40th at f5.6 ISO 400 28mm lens
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Index Sheet 2 – London: place of misery and exclusion.
1 – ‘No Entry’, Leadenhall Mkt
1/60th at f4.0
ISO 500
18mm lens
2 – ‘Revolution’
1/60th at f4.5 ISO 640 24mm lens
3 – ‘Can’t Sleep Here’
1/80th at f4. ISO 400 50mm lens
4 – ‘Head in Hands’
1/30th at f4.0 ISO 500 45mm lens
5 – ‘Gentrification’
1/15th at f 5.6 ISO 640 30mm lens
6 – ‘Oppression’
1/18th f4.0 ISO 800 16mm lens
7 – ‘Fine Dining #2’
1/60th at f5.6 ISO 320 26mm lens
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Reflections / A personal evaluation against assessment criteria
OverallIenjoyedthisassignmentandamfairlypleasedwiththeresultsgiventhatIwasconstrainedtoshootingalltheimagesinasingleday(duetothepracticalitiesoflivingover100milesfromLondonandhavingtopre-bookatrainticket).Havingtheabilitytoreshootsomeindifferentconditionsand/ortimeofdaywouldhavebeenbeneficial(forexampleLeadenhallMarketwouldhavebeenbetteratduskwithartificiallightingandwithatripodtoavoidthecompromiseindepthoffield/ISO/shutterspeed).Theprevailingweatherconditions(lightrain)suitedthefeelofthemonochromebetterthanthecolourimages.
IattemptedtokeepawayfromtheexpectedtouristattractionssuchasBigBen,LondonEye,etc.andseekoutmoreobscureandunusualthingswhichfittedwiththekeymeaningsthatIwasattemptingtoportray.Ithoughtthiswouldhelpmeavoidclichésandforcemetolookharderforsubjectsthatfittedmyideas.
Lookingatthefourspecificassessmentcriteriaforthecoursemypersonalevaluationwouldbeasfollows:
EvaluationCriterion PersonalEvaluation
Demonstrationoftechnicalandvisualskills
SinceIstartedmyOCAstudiesitisinterestingtonotehowmydisciplinesaroundwhitebalance,colouraccuracyandlensdistortioninparticularhaveimprovedwiththesupportofmyprevioustutor.Itakegreatercaretousecorrectcolourcalibrationwithmycameraprofiles,monitorandadeeperunderstandingoftheuseofcolourspaces(shootinginAdobe1998butconvertingtoanarrowergamutsRGBforjpgsintendedtobeshownontheblog/web).However,myprintingskillsarenotasstronglydevelopedyetandsoIintendtofocusonimprovingthesethroughoutC&N,inparticularmatchingtheprintoutputtothatonscreen.
I’veuseddepthoffieldpurposefullytosupportmyvision–forexampletheskyscraperimageusesasmallaperturetoretainsharpnessthroughoutwhiletheredbicyclesuseashallowdepthoffieldtosuggesttherearemanyofthem,whiletheboldredcolourmakesthemstilleasilyidentifiableassuch.Similarly,slowshutterspeedwasusedtosuggestthehurriedmovementofpeopleintheCanaryWharf‘EyeontheTime’shot.AsIwascarryingnotripodthisrequiredtheuseofimprovisedsupportstoeradicatecamerashake.
Theuseofcolourandblackandwhitewasselectedtogivebothsetsofimagesaverydifferentlookandfeel,thesesemioticsunderpinningtheopposing‘colourfulandprogressive’and‘harshreality’themesIwasseekingtoportray.ThiswasinspiredbytheearlierexerciseonStreetphotographyinC&NPart1.
I’vetriedtodemonstratevisualawarenessthroughthewayinwhichthisassignmentforcedmetolookcreativelyatmychosensurroundingson
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arrival.AsIlivealongwayfromLondonandcouldonlyvisitforasingleday,Ipre-plannedasbestIcould,choosinglikelyvenuesandareas.However,onthedayIhavetoobservewhatwasaroundmeandbeselectiveforthosesubjectsthatsupportedmyintendedmeaningandcontext.Forthe‘negative’aspectofLondon,forexample,Ifoundtrivialthingslikeadiscardedsandwichwrapperfoundinadoorwaywhichcouldbegivenpoignantmeaningwhenputintocontext.
Qualityofoutcome I’veselectedtheimagescarefullytosupportthetwoverydifferentmessagesofLondonbeingeitherapositiveoranegativeimpactonthosewholivethere.
TothisendthereweresomeimageswhichI’dliketohaveincludedbutIfelttheydidnotunambiguouslysupportonesideofthestoryortheother,suchasthisonecalled‘TheMoneyTrap’.
Thisimageisametaphorforwealth(intheformofanexpensivecar)beingina‘trap’.Equally,itdidnotfitwiththe‘negative’setassociatedwiththehomeless.
I’vesoughttokeepthecontentfairlytighttothefinancialdistrictsofLondon,CanaryWharfandtheCity,purposefullystoppingoffatShadwellwhenIsawtheopportunityfortheforegroundlow-riseflatssetagainstabackdropoftheencroachingcityskyscrapersfromthetrain.
Demonstrationofcreativity
IbelievethatI’vekepttotheremitofthebrief,showingtwoverydifferentsidesofthesamesubjectinadocumentarystyle.However,I’veattemptedtoselectsomemoreunusualdetails,anglesandperspectives.
Myearlierplanningthoughts,whichcanbeseeninmylearningblogforAssignment1,identifiedapossibleapproachoftakinglatephotographyor‘aftermath’styleimagesofsomeofthehighlightsanddisastersthathavehitLondoninthepast,suchasBlackfriarsBridge,thesceneofahorrificfireandbridgecollapsein1212.
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ThemoreIresearchedthis,itbecameevidentthatthiswouldrequiredseveraldaystoshootduetotheverydisparatelocations.IbelievethesimplerlogisticsofthefinalapproachItookonthedayforcedmetothinkharderaboutmyimmediatesurroundingsandhowtheysupportedthetwinthemes.
Forexample,thefirstshotineachsetisofLeadenhallMarket,takenjustafewstepsapart.ThefirstoneshowsitsornateandcolourfulstructurewiththearchitecturallyuniqueLloydsBuildingsetinthebackground.Forset2,theuseofblackandwhitediminishesmuchoftheopulentfeelofthepaintworkwhiletheNoEntrysignsprovideametaphorforsomelowerclassesinsocietybeingexcludedfromtheluxuryshoppingestablishmentsinside.
Afurtherexampleisthelastineachseries–FineDining.Oneisofafinerestaurantwhereawaitercanbeseenattendingtoacustomer’sneeds.ThiscontrastswiththealleywayattheendofSet2wheresomeonehassoughttemporaryrefugetoeatapre-packedsandwich.
Context I’vetriedhardtoreflectonthevariouspractitionersandapproachestophotographyhighlightedinPart1andapplythesethemestothisassignment.
Forexample,IreflectedonhowSarahPickering’sPublicOrderworkcarriesadditionaleeriepoignancyfromnothavingpeopleinit,leavingtheviewertoimaginewhathappenswhenpeoplearepresent.Iappliedthisthinkingtothe‘ParkBenches’and‘TableforOne’ratherthantakephotographsorrealhomelesspeoplewhichfeltexploitative.
Similarly,for‘Revolution’Ileavetheviewertodecidewhathappenstoalltherubbishcastasideaspartofthemostrecentrefitofatrendybar.Itseemsperversetoripoutperfectlygoodfurnishingsandreplacethemwithanewthemewhen,justaroundthecorner,isevidenceofpeoplelivingwithnofurnishingsatall.
‘Gentrification’isanattempttoshowhowthewealthoftheShardisominouslycreepingeverclosertothepoorerEastEndareaofShadwell.While‘HeadinHands’and‘Oppression’aremoreobviousindicatorsfortherisingfearandmiserythatisneverfarawayinthiscity.
Conversely,forthe‘positive’colourimagesI’veusedvariousmetaphorsfor‘rising’andbeing‘upwardlymobile’alongsidebeingabletohavefunfollowingyourdreams(orbubbles).Thesetfinisheswitharelaxingdinnerinafine-diningrestaurantwhereI’vesetthewhitebalancetoretainthewarmglowofthetungstenlightinginside.
Ichosecolourandblackandwhiteforthetwoopposingsets–echoingtheharshcontrastbetweena‘colourfulfuture’anda‘grittyreality’in
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additiontomakingitclearthatthetwosetswerediametricallyopposedineverysense.
ThroughoutthisAssignmentI’vebeenmindfuloftheearlierresearchundertakenforthecoursearoundSontag,theFarmSecurityAdministrationphotographs,andhowphotographycanportrayvarious‘truths’dependingonthepersonalagendaofthephotographer(e.g.RoyStryker).IhavepresentedtwodeliberatelyopposingviewsonLondonmakingmereflectonwhichisactuallythe‘real’one.
WhileworkingonthisassignmentIcametotheconclusionthatthereal‘trueLondon’isactuallyacomplexmixofthesetwoperspectivesandmyriadothers.ButbybeingselectiveaboutwhatIphotographedIwasabletoteaseouttwoveryseparateaspectsofthewholecityandplacetheminopposingsets.Neitherisreal.Bothareaviewpoint.
References:Short,M.ContextandNarrative(2011).Switzerland.AVAPublishingSA.Ford,L.(2015)DaysofJudgmentCats1and2[sculpture]At:150LeadenhallSt,CityofLondon,oronlineathttps://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visit-the-city/art-architecture/sculpture-in-the-city/Pages/descriptions-of-artworks.aspxWarnerMarien,M,PhotographyACulturalHistory,4thEdition(2014).London.LawrenceKing.
