I certainly feel I challenged myself with this assignment, and could have chosen the more obvious option of ‘mirrors’, which I believe would’ve been an easier process all round. I feel under the difficult circumstances I faced, I adapted to an almost impossible ‘windows’ brief, and by using what I’d consider to be an imaginative alteration in regards to how it was approached, I was still able to achieve what was required. For me, the questionnaire was the safest means to gaining information about communities and those associated with them. However, I do believe under different circumstances, I would have had greater results in regards to responses, and understandably, people were reluctant to take part in the process. Still, those who did, were absolutely fantastic, and I think showed the optimistic spirit that is needed right now. The process of creating the portraits’ was certainly testing, as I usually like to take my time and be methodical with my approach. Of course I wanted to take lots of purposeful images of my subjects’, but at the same time, spend as little time with them as possible, as my primary concern throughout was the well-being for everyone involved. I believe I got the balance right, and though I didn’t overstay my welcome, I took enough photographs of each subject for it to be beneficial when making a selection for the final series.
Technically, the process of taking the portraits’ was relatively straight forward. I swapped between two lenses – 18-35mm and 60mm – depending on the type of image I was trying to create, and what information I wanted included within the scene. I had to use manual focus for images 1 and 2, as the branches / leaves on the trees, and the reflection in the window, affected the autofocus considerably. I very rarely use manual focus, but as both subjects’ were fixed in one place, it wasn’t a difficult undertaking. My compositional technique is something I’ve been working very hard on, and I believe this is reflected in my images. Emphasising the notion of social distancing and isolation for the viewer, whilst making sure the subject remained the focal point, was probably the most important factor to consider, but the hardest to achieve. Consciously using leading lines in my photography isn’t something I do often, so having to view a scene and determine where to place my subject, based on what ‘lines’ will be most beneficial in terms of making them the point of interest, whilst considering the composition as whole, was very challenging for me. However, I think my use of leading lines are very effective and purposeful, and actually, apart from image three, are quite subtle. Framing my subjects’ effectively was easier to achieve, as the building structures themselves – on some occasions – created these frames for me. My subject in image one though, was the hardest to ‘frame’. Because I wanted the distance between myself and the subject to be less than the others – because I was able to – I ultimately removed the natural, but perhaps obvious ‘framing’ object from the scene – the window frame. However, I noticed the reflection of the dark hedge in the window, and felt it would work well at both highlighting my subject, but framing them also. I’m very pleased that I’ve be able to apply layering and depth within all my images – even image one which I didn’t think would be possible. I think the best example of this though is seen in image four, where by simply placing the subject to the side of door frame, the viewer is able to see to the very back of the scene, making it appear larger than it actually is. Plus, we get to see an interestingly designed door, which is also acting as a back light for the subject. The concept of juxtaposition is something that took me a while to understand, and honestly, is something I’ve never considered applying into my photography until this assignment. I tried very hard to depict both natural and manmade elements i.e. the buildings, and think there is a nice balance of each within all portraits’. I particularly like image four in this regard, as the ‘natural elements’ are subtle and requires the viewer to investigate the image closely to receive that information.
I always like to be creative as possible with my photography, and this assignment was no exception. I could have easily produced eight images of individuals’ standing at windows or in doorways, but that would have made for a rather boring and repetitive set of images. Instead, I used a variety of locations, and particularly enjoyed choosing objects that would represent the subjects’ ‘barriers’ to emphasis the idea of social distancing and isolation. Image two is a great example of this, as by just making the subjects head visible, it gives the impression that he doesn’t want to expose himself too much to other people. It also makes for quite an amusing photograph, despite the negative connotations surrounding it. I also tried to experiment with visual perception, and think the images’ where this has been applied work well. Obviously, for images’ three and five, I had no choice to photograph the subjects’ from below, so the perception created was inevitable. However, for image six, I purposely stood on top of the hill – which I didn’t have to – to get a view of looking down on the subject that ultimately helps create distance.
Overall, I’m very happy with the way I approached this assignment, and ultimately, with the images that I have produced. I think the questionnaires support the portraits’ effectively, and offers the viewer some insight into who the subjects’ are and the communities they are linked to. I have carefully considered the order my images should be presented in, and though I feel they all have a place within the final series, the images I consider ‘better’ are at the start of the set.
Iain Barbour - BA (Hons) Photography 