The Grey Area
Over the years we have become less trustful of photographs to due having more knowledge in the field of media. The new generation of young people know a lot more than they think they do which is why they usually question whether things such as photographs, this is also due to improvements in photoshop and AI in photoshops which can create illusions in images and trick the viewer into thinking something is real. Therefor documentary photographers struggle with their work being seen as reliable as there is now doubt in everything we see online. However this does bring up the question whether we would even second guess whether a picture is real if someone doesn't make us question it by pointing out what part of it looks real or fake. On the other hand this can be used to a Photographers advantage when exploring the grey area between fact and fiction. This is because photographers can take pictures which can document an event that didn't happen but edits it and present it in a way that real this can then confuse the viewer into believing that the event really did happen. This why to me documentary uncertainty is the name of the overall attitude of not always believing in a photographers work because of ones knowledge of the media and the internet as well as our understanding of propaganda.
The Grey Area Experiment 1These images are of my first attempt at photographing different areas around my school which I believe represent the grey area. these pictures are meant to make the viewer question what they are looking at, where is it?, What is its purpose? Furthermore the fact that they images are black and white making them harder to see is also done for a purpose however my intention with these images is for the viewer to come up with their own interoperation of why they are black and white
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This sequence of photos called “My Little House” was created by me the capture the small parts of my daily life and interest. The series of pictures are not in any particular order to reflect a story or a genre, but instead the series of photographs are from moments in my life which i believe somewhat represents t me. Therefore is I had to fit it into a category of themes it would be identity and finding identity as I have been a person who has always struggled to find who I truly am due to moving around a lot as a child.
Go example in the imagers above there are my Iole of vehicles and modes of transport which is can be representative of movement but what type of movement that maybe is something I’ve left up to the viewer to think of. However I will say that although some images are more easy to understand and think about than others and that’s due to there still being gaps that need to be filled with the images to finish the story of my identity, as I am still growing and evolving into different versions of my self which is maybe where the viewer can relate to the pictures as well as the title.
Go example in the imagers above there are my Iole of vehicles and modes of transport which is can be representative of movement but what type of movement that maybe is something I’ve left up to the viewer to think of. However I will say that although some images are more easy to understand and think about than others and that’s due to there still being gaps that need to be filled with the images to finish the story of my identity, as I am still growing and evolving into different versions of my self which is maybe where the viewer can relate to the pictures as well as the title.
One of the times I independently analysed Jack Latham's work was in lesson when we looked at this image of a person who is standing in a forest with statues that are mainly surrounding the right side of the frame. When analysing it I looked at 4 main questions: What can you see? How does the subject matter and the way it's represented make you feel? How is the space in the picture organised? And finally what for you are the key ideas/ themes/question raised by the photographer? and from looking at the image, I felt that framing was really taken into consideration when taking this picture as the person is placed exactly in the middle of the frame horizontally. As well as this the vertical and horizontal crossover in this picture is on the persons right eye which therefor makes the audience concentrate more on the right side of the image. Furthermore, the person being in the middle makes the viewer feel somewhat uncomfortable as they feel that the person is looking directly at them and maybe even confronting them, which also makes us realise that this person invert territorial as they are standing by the object like a security guard.
The space in this photo is used to draw the viewers attention from one thing to another. First we have the person in the middle of the frame who's hand is leaning on what looks to be a wooden gate. Then we see the sphinxes, a small tiger and a broken plant pot. behind it we notice teethe deep forest and gates surrounding it. Therefore we can see that the photographer has used up the right of the frame in the back by filling it with statues of famous historical figures where as the front left is occupied by bushes and plants.
The space in this photo is used to draw the viewers attention from one thing to another. First we have the person in the middle of the frame who's hand is leaning on what looks to be a wooden gate. Then we see the sphinxes, a small tiger and a broken plant pot. behind it we notice teethe deep forest and gates surrounding it. Therefore we can see that the photographer has used up the right of the frame in the back by filling it with statues of famous historical figures where as the front left is occupied by bushes and plants.
JACK LATHAM - SUGAR PAPER THEORIES
The Sugar Saper Theories was Jack Latham's second major project , and was created around a real life unsolved double murder case that too place in Iceland. The book actually won the Bar Tur Photobook Award in 2016 which is why he was able to worked together with Here Press and the Photographer's Gallery to publish the photobook.
The case that actually inspired the Photobook was Gudmundur and Geirfinnur's murder case that happened in Iceland 40 years ago. in this case the 2 men, Gudmundur and Geirfinnur both went missing in the south west of Iceland but the details of their disappearance are till this day scarce. however we do know that on of the men and 18 year old, set of by foot in the late hours of the night form a nightclub when he was drunk. He then went on to walk 10km to get home in the middle of winter in his state. A few months later, a family man didn't come back home after going out to meet with a mysterious stranger. This case therefor became notorious in Iceland and the fact that its still unsolved has shocked the people to this day.
Therefor Jack Latham's photobook consists of images from the crime scene which where taken by the police during the time of the crime, as well as copies of news papers and articles that were published at the time of the incident that covered it. the book also contains images that Jack Latham himself took from the areas that where surrounding the murder scene such as houses and people and workshops.
The case that actually inspired the Photobook was Gudmundur and Geirfinnur's murder case that happened in Iceland 40 years ago. in this case the 2 men, Gudmundur and Geirfinnur both went missing in the south west of Iceland but the details of their disappearance are till this day scarce. however we do know that on of the men and 18 year old, set of by foot in the late hours of the night form a nightclub when he was drunk. He then went on to walk 10km to get home in the middle of winter in his state. A few months later, a family man didn't come back home after going out to meet with a mysterious stranger. This case therefor became notorious in Iceland and the fact that its still unsolved has shocked the people to this day.
Therefor Jack Latham's photobook consists of images from the crime scene which where taken by the police during the time of the crime, as well as copies of news papers and articles that were published at the time of the incident that covered it. the book also contains images that Jack Latham himself took from the areas that where surrounding the murder scene such as houses and people and workshops.
JACK LATHAM - PARLEMENT OF OWLS
Is again another photo book that was inspired by another unsolved mystery of today which strikes the question of : What is The Bohemian Club?
Jack Lathem's Parliament of Owls is a book is based on The Bohemian Club which is a group of elite male politicians and businessmen who gather at Redwood Forest in California every year for a 2 week long summer retreat where what they do and talk about is until this day unknown to the general public.
Therefor this photobook contains many images from not only the surroundings of Redwood Forest which is open for the public to visit but also inside the forest which is actually closed to the public. How ? you may ask, well due to Jack Latham's great interest of finding out what is inside the forest caused him and is friend to sneak into it and were therefor able to take a few pictures of the inside of the forest before they were caught and removed from the area.
however the forest its surrounding are not the only thing on the book as the book also contains essays which people like Alex Jones' have written about their conspiracy of what goes on in The Bohemian Club. A s well as this the book also contains lot and lots of images of owls which are said to represent wisdom and knowledge.
In the picture where the is a man in the water he centred in the middle of the frame so that the audiences attention is evenly split between the forest in the background and the man in the forground. In the left hand cornbread of the image on the bridge there is a danger sign warning people to not swim in the water. This is ironic as the man is swimming in the water. This also makes the viewer think about how The Bohemian Club doesn’t listen to society all thought they are political figures who go there every year to discuss how to make the world a better place however don’t take action. They don’t listen the people so why should the people listen to them?
Jack Lathem's Parliament of Owls is a book is based on The Bohemian Club which is a group of elite male politicians and businessmen who gather at Redwood Forest in California every year for a 2 week long summer retreat where what they do and talk about is until this day unknown to the general public.
Therefor this photobook contains many images from not only the surroundings of Redwood Forest which is open for the public to visit but also inside the forest which is actually closed to the public. How ? you may ask, well due to Jack Latham's great interest of finding out what is inside the forest caused him and is friend to sneak into it and were therefor able to take a few pictures of the inside of the forest before they were caught and removed from the area.
however the forest its surrounding are not the only thing on the book as the book also contains essays which people like Alex Jones' have written about their conspiracy of what goes on in The Bohemian Club. A s well as this the book also contains lot and lots of images of owls which are said to represent wisdom and knowledge.
In the picture where the is a man in the water he centred in the middle of the frame so that the audiences attention is evenly split between the forest in the background and the man in the forground. In the left hand cornbread of the image on the bridge there is a danger sign warning people to not swim in the water. This is ironic as the man is swimming in the water. This also makes the viewer think about how The Bohemian Club doesn’t listen to society all thought they are political figures who go there every year to discuss how to make the world a better place however don’t take action. They don’t listen the people so why should the people listen to them?
Roy DeCarava - Light Break
"My pictures are immediate and yet at the same time they're forever. They present a moment so profoundly that it becomes eternity."
Roy DeCarava trained as a painter and printmaker and his work showcases a mastery of desperate domains in areas such as abstract , landscape, urban scenes and personal portraits . In his work he uses ambient light to neither monument his subject nor over-sentimentalise them. this is particularly shown through his portraits of John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday.
He didn't particularly like photos that where just labeled as black and white, which is why he decided to explore the infante palette of grey tonalities through his work. his photos capture moments in times which he believes chooses you. This links well with our threshold concept 10 which is about how photographs warp our senses of time which can remind us of whats lost or existed however for the case of roy DeCarvas his believe that the image chooses you makes the audience view his pictures of moments in time that have passes and and even if we were to recreate the image it would not be the same. which further puts am emphasis on the fact that even though the same image can be taken but not the same moment as ever photo I unique to its self.
Chris Dorley-Brown - Drivers in the 1980s
Chris Dorley-Brown spent 2 summers in the mid 1980s taking photographs of drivers who were stuck n traffic in the East London Areas. when he first started this project he was supposed to take pictures of the privatisation of Rolls Royce, but instead his attention was caught by the traffic jams around the financial district . Through the 2 summers he shot a total of 8 film rolls consisting of 12 frames each, and although it was his first time shooting with coloured film he ended up using coloured film for the next few decades. Although only a few of the images were ever showcased in group shows, when he finally made his own website and upload some of the images Ann Wakdavogel of Hoxton Mini-Press found this work and asked if there was more of these phots. This led to him publishing the rest of the photos in his phonebook Drivers in the 1980s in 2015.
He says what drives him to make photos is thinking about the future , and that he is making photos for the people ho aren't born yet. Which is why he also believes that the older the photograph is the more seductive it becomes. and with this he also approaches photography with the mindset that he is a witness to a moment that will never occur again which is what also makes photography exhilarating for him no matter how mundane the situation he is photograph is.
Paul Almasy - Travels In A Enlightened Kingdom
Paul Almasy was a French photopournalist who died in 2003 but was born in Budapest in 1960 to a Jewish father and an aristicratic mother. he started his career in 1930s covering the days of the second world war. He was awre of the fact that the world was more than just conlfict and violece which is why he vistied everycountry in the world expet for mongolia.
He vistied afghanistn between the 1950s and 60s in the years of the last king of Afghanistan Mohammed Zahir Shan who made sure that childeren wre gieven eduducation and the emansipation of women. Paul during this time captuerd Afghanistan as a free and modern counrty then it is today. Until today his work paints not olny a pictuer of hope for afghans for the future but also a nostalgic view of the past which also helps presever Afghan history for futuer generations to be able to look back on.
Although there isn't much of his his work that is published from his years in Afghanistn fo r many Afghans hsi work is one that does not dipict Afghanistan as kust a country of war but he also captuers it in its moments of beauty of girls and boys being abke to site in the same classes and women being able to be artist and musicians .
After much consideration I decided to photograph architecture instead of graffiti after being inspired by photographers such as z.a.o and Matt Livey who takes photographs of any-type of architecture . When taking these pictures I was considering things such as exposure to IOS and and F stop as I was using Manuel settings for most of them. This is so I could capture specific details of light on some building and the day was also very cloudy and dark. These images are from the architecture which surrounds the area I live in which include Lee Green Blackheath and Greenwich park. One of my favourite pictures from the ones I've taken is the on of the staircase as it captures the outline of the stairs as the light travels through the window.
Environmental portraits are typically taken of a person in their current environment . they are in the moment and nothing like studio portraits where lighting is fixed background is fixed and even the persons pose. Environmental portraits photographers try to make the person they are taken pictures of feel comfortable yet not too comfortable. This is why photographers like Niall try to first talk to the person they are photographing for a bit to get to know them a little.
The images above are taken on a black and white film using a film camera which needed two images to line up to be able to be in focus . I personally find that the first photo is more successful than the the second as the first image is more in focus than the second one . We came to realise that when taking the picture from more close up creates a better focused image with a good balance of the depth of field, this therefore helps separate the subject from the back ground. The other reason I believe that the first photo is better is due to framing, in the first image the subject is well centred and there isn’t too much sky thats showing. However in the second image the subject is not in the centre and there is too much space above their head, I personally don’t lie this as it makes the viewers eye search for something above the head and takes the focus away from the subject and puts it more on the background.
The images above are taken on a black and white film using a film camera which needed two images to line up to be able to be in focus . I personally find that the first photo is more successful than the the second as the first image is more in focus than the second one . We came to realise that when taking the picture from more close up creates a better focused image with a good balance of the depth of field, this therefore helps separate the subject from the back ground. The other reason I believe that the first photo is better is due to framing, in the first image the subject is well centred and there isn’t too much sky thats showing. However in the second image the subject is not in the centre and there is too much space above their head, I personally don’t lie this as it makes the viewers eye search for something above the head and takes the focus away from the subject and puts it more on the background.
HAYWARD GALLERY - HIROSHI SUGIMOTO
On the 30th of November the Photography department went on a trip to visits tow different photographers at two different galleries, the first artist was Hiroshi Sugimoto at the Hayward Gallery in Southbank. Sugimoto is a photographer and architect from Tokyo Japan who has been creating thought-provoking, meticulous and subversive photographs of the past 50 year.
Upon entering the gallery the first thing that captured my eye was the way the photographs were laid out with he architecture of the gallery. I believe that when putting the photos in the gallery one thing that was definitely taken into consideration was to put the photographer with the most amount of detail in a place with great bright lighting. this is why when walking into the gallery the first photos that you will se are ones of animals in their natural habitats. when first looking at these phots me and others thought they were images of painting due to how realistic and lively the photos were. although photos do capture a particular moment in time it has always been said and know that what we can capture with a camera very comes close with what our eyes can capture, yet when looking at these photos for it made it clear to me that with great photography skills such as Sugitmots one can take photos that are depict real life to a great extent.
Furthermore when looking at Sugimotos work what I noticed is that his work is very clean cut and sharp. weather he Is taken a photo of a person, a place or a thing the images are very detailed and thought out. for example when looking at the photos of the there's we can see even from first look hoe everything in frame is made of straight lines and 90 degree angles which activate the viewers attention straight to the middle not only because its the brightest area in the photo but all because there is nothing else that distracts the eye. However another thing that I have notices is that when taking protases of famous people or object he likes to do it in a very simplistic way he doesn't like to distract the audience from what is the centrepiece of the photo, he makes it clear so the the viewer have more time to take in the image and less time thinking about its meaning and main point. yet in the few photos that were at the lowest level of the gallery he had images that seemed staged and somewhat more crowded. This is were it made me think that he had placed the more meaningful and abstract images that had hints of evil, danger and mystery at the lower ground on purpose, this is also partly because the images of lighting bolts and blocks of colour as well as the Buddha statues on the top floor. could he be drawing connections with heaven and hell. was he trying to deliver a particular message.
Upon entering the gallery the first thing that captured my eye was the way the photographs were laid out with he architecture of the gallery. I believe that when putting the photos in the gallery one thing that was definitely taken into consideration was to put the photographer with the most amount of detail in a place with great bright lighting. this is why when walking into the gallery the first photos that you will se are ones of animals in their natural habitats. when first looking at these phots me and others thought they were images of painting due to how realistic and lively the photos were. although photos do capture a particular moment in time it has always been said and know that what we can capture with a camera very comes close with what our eyes can capture, yet when looking at these photos for it made it clear to me that with great photography skills such as Sugitmots one can take photos that are depict real life to a great extent.
Furthermore when looking at Sugimotos work what I noticed is that his work is very clean cut and sharp. weather he Is taken a photo of a person, a place or a thing the images are very detailed and thought out. for example when looking at the photos of the there's we can see even from first look hoe everything in frame is made of straight lines and 90 degree angles which activate the viewers attention straight to the middle not only because its the brightest area in the photo but all because there is nothing else that distracts the eye. However another thing that I have notices is that when taking protases of famous people or object he likes to do it in a very simplistic way he doesn't like to distract the audience from what is the centrepiece of the photo, he makes it clear so the the viewer have more time to take in the image and less time thinking about its meaning and main point. yet in the few photos that were at the lowest level of the gallery he had images that seemed staged and somewhat more crowded. This is were it made me think that he had placed the more meaningful and abstract images that had hints of evil, danger and mystery at the lower ground on purpose, this is also partly because the images of lighting bolts and blocks of colour as well as the Buddha statues on the top floor. could he be drawing connections with heaven and hell. was he trying to deliver a particular message.
THE PHOTOGRAPHERS GALLERY - DAIDO MORIYAMA
The second photographer we wen to see that same day was Daido Moriyama who is from Osaka Japan and is now 85 years old, meaning that this is probably one of his last exactions of this size from now on. I am achy that I was fortunate enough to see is work in real life and to understand why people find him to be a wonderful photographer.
interestingly enough out of the two photographers I felt more drawn to Daidos work more, this is because I found it interesting how its clear that his photos aren't thought out to a huge extent. its clear that he takes photos because he enjoyed it he hoist have a particular aim , which specially shows from the set of pictures that where shown not he top floor which where of grocery store products, surveillance like photos and explicit photos of women. his work has a clear verity and is very different to Sugimote's, this is because when looking at Daido's photos they look hectic and chaotic however Sugimote's are clean and thought though.
Another thing I particularly like about Daido's style of photography is that his images almost look like CCTV images, he takes shoes of people without their knowledge to show people how they are constantly being watched without their notice. This is significant as during the time he was taking these pieties Naps use of technology was improving and evolving and Japan now had better security with new cameras which could capture everything. furthermore the way he then captures the people somehow either makes them look guilty of something or captures their purest and most beautiful moments. this can be seen in the mages of the two children playing and the man and the women going up some stairs.
Finally the way that Daido has presented these images are some what unique, as I found out majority of the photo graphs that were on display were originally rejects from different shoots and rolls of film. They were supposed to be apart of his first photo book "A Photo Theater" which had been a huge success he felt a pressure to have the seconding book be just as successful, and although it was it didn't do as well as his first one which made Daido slowly run out of inspiration and hope which is why he released all of these notes as part of the book 'Farewell Photography' . This is why in this phonebook he has put in all his work even the ones that the film has been somewhat damaged in the ones that were just laying around, and he has done this by presenting the photos in their natural film form. this is particularly shown in the series of images of people at the beach as wells the image of a fountain in what looks like a hotel/Casino.
I think for my final product to make my own photo book I will draw a lot of inspiration from Dairo Mariyama's work as I have really enjoyed seeing the particular type of photography he produces. however I think I do still want to incorporate some more peaceful and clean photos like Hiroshi Sugimoto as I still like the look of a sharp photos like the ones he takes.
interestingly enough out of the two photographers I felt more drawn to Daidos work more, this is because I found it interesting how its clear that his photos aren't thought out to a huge extent. its clear that he takes photos because he enjoyed it he hoist have a particular aim , which specially shows from the set of pictures that where shown not he top floor which where of grocery store products, surveillance like photos and explicit photos of women. his work has a clear verity and is very different to Sugimote's, this is because when looking at Daido's photos they look hectic and chaotic however Sugimote's are clean and thought though.
Another thing I particularly like about Daido's style of photography is that his images almost look like CCTV images, he takes shoes of people without their knowledge to show people how they are constantly being watched without their notice. This is significant as during the time he was taking these pieties Naps use of technology was improving and evolving and Japan now had better security with new cameras which could capture everything. furthermore the way he then captures the people somehow either makes them look guilty of something or captures their purest and most beautiful moments. this can be seen in the mages of the two children playing and the man and the women going up some stairs.
Finally the way that Daido has presented these images are some what unique, as I found out majority of the photo graphs that were on display were originally rejects from different shoots and rolls of film. They were supposed to be apart of his first photo book "A Photo Theater" which had been a huge success he felt a pressure to have the seconding book be just as successful, and although it was it didn't do as well as his first one which made Daido slowly run out of inspiration and hope which is why he released all of these notes as part of the book 'Farewell Photography' . This is why in this phonebook he has put in all his work even the ones that the film has been somewhat damaged in the ones that were just laying around, and he has done this by presenting the photos in their natural film form. this is particularly shown in the series of images of people at the beach as wells the image of a fountain in what looks like a hotel/Casino.
I think for my final product to make my own photo book I will draw a lot of inspiration from Dairo Mariyama's work as I have really enjoyed seeing the particular type of photography he produces. however I think I do still want to incorporate some more peaceful and clean photos like Hiroshi Sugimoto as I still like the look of a sharp photos like the ones he takes.