Over and out

For anyone following the blog, this is my last post.  I have decided to cease my OCA studies and focus specifically on my street photography and shape my development myself.

If you like street photography and want to see more, go to:

• http://www.alisonadcock.com/  
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/alisonadcock/
• https://www.facebook.com/alison.adcock.14
• https://www.facebook.com/alisonadcockphotography?fref=ts

note - website is still under construction so keep checking back!

Anecdotal lesson about authorial control

I recently posted a photo on Flickr:

Oxford Street, London, England

And I entered this photo into the Instruction #01 of the "Street and Repeat - 105" group.  Unfortunately, my photo wasn't selected as one of those to go through to the curated pool, but it was very interesting to read the comments added by fellow group members.  In street photography, I deliberately do not give my images captions when they are posted to Flickr.  They are named after the location I took them in so as to leave interpretation open.  Not one of the comments I received reflected what I saw when I took the photo. What I had noticed and the reason why I took the photo, was firstly that the man and the woman in the poster had the same straight white hair, so the photo is about the irony of that juxtaposition.  The other thing I was excited about was having seen the fictional "Lucius Malfoy" from the Harry Potter series, so it was also a shot with a bit of humour.  These are the comments I received:

The comments refer to:

• Sci-fi exploration
• Two other characters: Biff Byford and Bill Murray
• Fantasies about glamorous ladies
• Deep thinking
• Conjuring up a magician's accomplice
• A floating head
• A head being a badge

I amazed that the interpretations went deeper than my original thinking, and also very pleased about this.  But this process also taught me a bit more about loss of authorial control.  In this case, I didn't want any authorial control, hence the image is not captioned or described, but it does show that you cannot predict how other people will read an image and what context/narrative they will assign to it.

It's the first picture I've ever posted on Flickr that has received feedback like this and it was also very interesting to see how a whole narrative can be created out of a simple two-point composition.  If I had added a caption that directed interpretation, the reaction might have been quite different.

More about Dougie Wallace

Great to see that Dougie Wallace has been shortlisted for the WPO awards for his work on life expectancy differences between Glasgow and Knightsbridge called Glasgow; Second City of The Empire. On the run up to the Scottish Referendum as mentioned on the BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-31587522 (also shown on the WPO site http://worldphoto.org/images/image-gallery/26209/?page=4) and this is particularly encouraging as I would like to produce the sort of work that Wallace does: a sort of blend of street photography, documentary and photo journalism, but the result of which is a social commentary.  I know how hard he has worked for this, and he seems to have gone from strength to strength since publishing Stags, Hens and Bunnies, and so I am pleased he has this latest success, and am looking forward to going to the exhibition.

Websites

• BBC News - Sony World Photography Awards: 2015 shortlist available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-31587522 [accessed 1 March 2015]
• WPO -  Professional Shortlist - Portraits available from http://worldphoto.org/images/image-gallery/26209/?page=4 [accessed 1 March 2015]

Part Four - Reading Photographs: Project One - The languange of photography: Exercise - Elliott Erwitt

Page 97 of the course materials includes the iconic photograph by Elliott Erwitt, New York, 1974, showing a tiny dog standing next to a person and a bigger dog.  When you first see the little dog, you also notice the person's legs and then it takes a second look to notice the bigger dog's legs.  The photograph is of course meant to be comical, it uses a classic street photography technique of finding disproportionate contrasts.

The image is structured using three subjects along the rule of thirds; using threes and thirds is a popular technique in photography composition.  The three sets of legs along the vertical thirds and the feet all positioned on the bottom horizontal thirds.  The face of the small dog is in the bottom right intersection between the vertical right third and the near centre.  If this a vertical classic portrait, that would be the ideal positioning for the eyes!  But there are also some out of focus objects in the distance that add some resonance: on the left-hand side, two tree trunks echoing the bigger dogs legs, and on the right-hand side, there is the outline of a structure that looks like the frame of the small dog.  Also, bizarrely, the little dog is wearing a hat.   Why is this?  But, cleverly, the folds of the hat look a bit like the wrinkles in the boots.

We are asked to consider what the picture is saying.  My initial reaction is maybe nothing, perhaps Erwitt saw something funny in the park and reacted in the moment?  He is after all renowned for photographing dogs.  Or maybe it is a lesson in looking closer, because at first you don't notice that the legs on the left belong to a dog, not another person.  But on thinking more deeply, is Erwitt saying something about giving everyone a chance?  In this image, he has given the smallest subject the biggest prominence; it is the only subject to show its face and stare directly at the camera.  Or is he saying something about the role of dogs in our society?  One of the dogs has legs the same size as a human, whilst the other dog has been dressed up like a human.  What therefore is the relationship between these dogs and human?  Companions?  Bodyguard?  Plaything?

I am going to a talk and book signing with Erwitt on 24th April, so maybe I'll find out!  If I do, I'll add to this post.

References:

• Erwitt, E. (1974) New York, image reproduced in OCA Context and Narrative Course Materials (2014) p. 97

Websites:

• Elliott Erwitt, Artist Talk & Book Signing in World Photography Organisation available from http://www.worldphoto.org/festivals-and-events/events/elliott-erwitt-artist-talk-and-book-signing/ [accessed 22 February 2015]

Dougie Wallace - in yer face - BJP January 2015

I was really pleased to see Dougie Wallace get a mention in January 2015's BJP.  Not only because he is a great (in my opinion) social commentary / street photographer, but also I often hear negative opinions expressed about this kind of "in yer face" photography - including its lack of ethics, imposition on people's privacy and space, shallowness, lack of engagement, shock tactics, and so on (none of which is true, by the way).  So it's reassuring, if nothing else, to see this style of photography recognised in print.

In the article, Armstrong describes Wallace's approach: like Maciej Dakowicz in making his social commentary Cardiff After Dark, Wallace spends years, weekend after weekend, immersing himself in the environment: for Stags, Hens and Bunnies Wallace made 30 trips to Blackpool over two and a half years and Shoreditch Wild Life was shot over ten years.  And I know that Wallace is currently going backwards and forwards to Mumbai shooting for a forthcoming publication Road Wallah.  

Wallace's images are fun, garish, bright, close, revealing; I imagine that alongside the hard work, he had a lot of fun shooting them.  But the article is actually pretty poor and I'm surprised by this.  Armstrong has not written to BJP's usual standard.  For  a start, she has not even mentioned Road Wallah, yet four photographs of from this series were included in the article.  So for somebody not familiar with his work, this would be confusing.  And I really don't understand why, when writing about a contemporary photographer, would you not mention their most current work?  Street photography is such a spontaneous event, that the present is surely the most interesting point of where a photographer is?  And then a separate piece of work about differences between Knightsbridge and Glasgow (untitled) was mentioned, but some photographs from a series called The Omnibus were included in the article.  Are we supposed to make the connection?  Incidentally, that series is not called The Omnibus, it's called:
Glasgow; Second City of The Empire. On the run up to the Scottish Referendum.  Armstrong, do your research!!

And by the way, Harrods is not on the Kings Road, it's on Brompton Road.

So, poor journalism aside, how does this relate to my work and where my photography is heading?   At the moment, my street photography is totally random.  I go out as often as I can and take what I see, mainly practicing different approaches and techniques still.  And I know from looking at other street photographer's work, e.g. Pushkar Raj Sharma's Faceless series, that a good theme is a great way to build a portfolio.  And since I first looked at Cardiff After Dark, I have wanted to produce a monograph.  Trouble is, I don't have any ideas yet, well at least none that are going anywhere.   One idea I had was a series on street photography in Cumbria, the twist being the unlikely destination for street photography!  However, perhaps easier to shoot and along the same theme of drunken revelry as the work by Dakowicz and Wallace, I am also thinking about a City/Canary Wharf idea - maybe on Thursday and Friday nights.

I ordered my flash unit from Argos this weekend....


Reference List:

• Armstrong, E. (2015) Dougie Wallace - in yer face. British Journal of Photography 161 (7831), pp.48-51 

Websites:

• Dougie Wallace Glaswegee available from http://www.dougiewallace.com/ [accessed 22 February 2015]
• Maciej Dakowicz available from http://www.maciejdakowicz.com/ [accessed 22 February 2014]  
• Faceless in So Many Photos So Little Time by Pushkar Raj Sharma available from https://pushkarrajsharma.wordpress.com/streets-stories/series-faceless/ [accessed 22 February 2014]

Bibliography:

• Dakowicz, M. (2012) Cardiff After Dark. London: Thames & Hudson
• Wallace, D. (2014) Stags, Hens and Bunnies. Stockport: Dewi Lewis Media
• Wallace, D. (2014) Shoreditch Wild Life. UK: Hoxton Mini Press 

Part Four - Reading Photographs: Introduction: Notes - Photographs not used as a means of expression or communication

The introduction to Part Four describes how photography can be thought of as a language, with its own codes and symbols that allow the artist to convey a meaning and the viewer to interpret that meaning.  Language can enable people to share an understanding, or it can also divide them.  I imagine that as with a language, differences in understanding may mean that the intended meaning can be lost.  We discussed the concept of loss of authorial control earlier in the course in Part Two in the post on non-visible themes; I made the point that the understanding of the photograph is subjective and will depend on the experiences of the viewer.  This is a natural part of the process.  So, just as in a conversation, you may say one thing, it can be interpreted as another.  And with written languages, there are more constants; we are taught to read and write at school, we can refer to dictionaries when we need to look up a meaning.  Is it the same with photography?  Are there constants in meaning that will always mean the same to the artist and the viewer?  I imagine that the scope for difference in interpretation is greater with a visual language than a written/spoken language.

The introduction asks us to think about any photographs that are not used as a means of expression or communication.  This was tough!  I ran through a mental checklist of genres and purposes of photography to try to find an answer:

• Advertising: clearly a language (saying "buy me") designed to penetrate your subconscious
• Documentary/reportage: communication of stories
• Fine art: used to communicate the artist's feelings on a subject
• Wedding photography: good question...what is it communicating?  Like holiday and party photographs - is it just a record of an occasion or are the photographs actually saying something?
• Wildlife photography: depends - some is used to highlight eco/conservation issues - but some, including the wildlife photographs I have taken - is just used to make cute pictures - these are however - still communicating how I felt about the animal?
• Landscape photography: could be used for a variety of means - to communicate eco/conservation issues, to be used by the artist to express something, or could be used just to make pleasing pictures
• Still life: could be used for fine art - could be meaningful or meaningless?
• Journalism: communication of stories
• Portraits: will communicate the subject and the artist's emotions
• Street photography: communication of stories.

So of the genres, they could all be communicative, or not.  It depends on the purpose of the story.  On the basis though that all photographs are telling somebody something, even if just "look at me when I was on holiday", I'm not sure there are any that are not a means of expression or communication, but clearly the levels of complexity in meaning will differ.  I quick snapshot taken in a bar does not have the same meaning as something that is complex, shocking and designed to cause a reaction, such as war porn, or a fine art photograph rich in symbology that expresses the artist's emotions.

I may come back to these notes later on in this chapter - perhaps some photographs that are not used as a means of communication or expression will come to mind.

Part Three - Putting yourself in the picture: Reflections

A very interesting part of this module!  My feet briefly touched the ground in early December and early January but other than that it was all systems go!  And I have now managed to secure a routine that is working.  On Saturdays (when I'm not in Cumbria or at an event) I practice my street photography and on Sundays I do my coursework.  During the work I am still trying to read but am constantly distracted by looking at photos on Flickr.... But, at least I know feel that I have addressed the imbalance I was feeling between academic and personal work.

All in all though, I'm really pleased; my street photography is moving and I'm loving it.  I don't think my submission for Assignment Three was great, but it was a departure from what has been a consistent approach to my street photography since October 2014.  So at least I tried something new! And I think I found out that from a personal style perspective, I prefer making colour and humour to making something dark (but the photos I took were only dark in black and white, in colour they looked funny!).

So, what else have I done during Part Three?  I have:

• Practiced Street Photography LOTS :)  both in Japan and in London
• Had conversations with two inspirational photographers
• Recapped a project from last year - a revisit to a childhood memory
• Researched Dana Popa's Not Natasha
• Researched various street photographers that are new to me
• Visited the Conflict.Time.Photography exhibition at the Tate Modern and participated in the group discussion afterwards
• Posted my review on the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition and understood how your state of mind can impact your enjoyment of photography
• Learned about different approaches to self-portraiture / self-documentary / auto-biographical / introspective photography
• Still read 0 books, although I am now halfway through The Bang Bang Club
• Still have a stack of BJPs to read through...

Looking forward to moving on to Part Four - although there are no photos to take for Assignment Four :(