Communities are an important factor in peoples’ lives, and there are a number of reasons why individuals’ choose to be a part of them. When we have a deep interest in something, for example, photography, most want to seek other like-minded people who share the same passion, and as a result, communities develop. As is often the case, we may not know who belongs to what community, or realise a ‘type’ of community even exists. Photography can act as a ‘window’ – in this instance – into communities that are not our own, and enables other’s to gain a better insight into them, and those involved. In an ideal world, time would be spent within these communities, talking to members and photographing important elements to help generate a better understanding for both the photographer, and the viewer. However, due to current affairs, I unfortunately didn’t have that liberty, and as a result, had to reconsider how I was going to find out about a community I knew little about.
I took into consideration the notion of ‘community of circumstance’, which relates to people united by a common situation or challenge, not of their making. For example, lockdown. I saw this as an opportunity to find out on a broader scale, what communities’ people in my local area are involved in, and how both have been affected as a direct result of lockdown. In order to do this is a safe manner, I created a questionnaire, and along with a cover letter, delivered them to thirty homes along my street. Unsurprisingly, I only received eight responses.
To emphasise the notion of social distancing and self-isolation within my portraits, I took into consideration the spatial relationship between myself and my subjects’, and where possible, used tangible elements that acted as physical barriers. However, to ensure that each subject didn’t become ‘lost’ in the space that I hoped to achieve, I incorporated leading lines created by objects present, in order to direct the viewer towards the subject, ultimately ensuring they would remain the point of interest. I tried to use other photographic elements and compositional techniques effectively. For example, creating a sense of depth within the image, by purposely placing subjects’ – where applicable – to the side of an open door frame, essentially making the scene appear bigger than it is, or by using the buildings structures to frame my subjects’ or to create a symmetrical balance. To make certain my portraits’ weren’t repetitive in style, I photographed my subjects’ in various locations – on balconies, through windows and in doorways alike. However, I made a conscious effort to create a juxtaposition between the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’, so chose to incorporate within the scene, both manmade and natural elements.
The final series consists of six portraits’ – supported by their relevant questionnaires – that I believe help strengthen the impression of social distancing and isolation, whilst giving the subjects’ a sense of identity in regards to the communities they are associated with.
There were two other portraits’ which I took for this assignment. However, after some consideration, I didn’t feel they were suitable for the final series, and I’ll explain my reasons why.
I decided to exclude this particular portrait from the final selection, simply because it’s very similar to that of image four, and isn’t as visually strong in regards to the photographic elements depicted. Yes, it has leading lines, depth, strong composition and placement of the subject – even symmetry. But, placed side by side with image four, it’s evident that these elements don’t create the same impact. Also, the juxtaposition I was trying to achieve between the ‘indoors’ and ‘outdoors’ isn’t apparent, and as a result, isn’t in line with the other portraits’.
I knew almost immediately after photographing this subject that his portrait would not be included in the final selection. Throughout, I felt incredibly rushed – more so than the others – as surprisingly, there was a steady flow of individuals’ walking on the pavement directly behind me. I believe this affected my process, and rather than looking into how I could incorporate the required elements within the image, I was rushing to take photographs, with little thought about the end result. It’s evident that almost none of the elements I hoped to include, are present.
I’m feeling a lot more positive going into ‘Mirrors or Windows’ than I did for assignment two, despite still being in lockdown, and feel I’ve some good ideas that if perused, will hopefully enable me to produce a strong set of images. As suggested by my tutor, I’ll continue to explore the theme of ‘lockdown’, but will ensure that the topic of ‘community’ – the premise for this assignment – is met. I’ve done a lot of research into ‘communities’ and have discovered there are broadly speaking, five different ‘types’. These are: community of action, practice, place, interest and circumstance. It is the latter which I think is most relevant to this assignment, and the ‘type’ I will concentrate on specifically, as it explores how communities have been united due to a common situation or challenge not to their making, i.e. coronavirus / lockdown.
That brings me on to the main problem I’m facing currently – the aspect of ‘community’. Due to the current situation, the majority of communities have separated, and are currently non-functional for obvious reasons. Social distancing means that having close interaction with individuals’ – unless done in a safe manner for myself, the subjects’ and the general public – is almost impossible. Of course, there are some types of communities that could be explored. For example, the distant learning community, which is a great example of a ‘mirror’, and like any topic chosen within this category, could be done from the confines of my home, due to its self-reflective nature.
At present, I’ve only one idea that falls under the category of ‘mirror’. Inspired by the work of Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase – specifically his photographs from the series ‘Family/Kazoku’ – my notion is to create a series of family portrait’s that reflect our feelings and emotions triggered by being in lockdown. Though, Fukase’s intimate portraits – that were taken over almost two decades – explore the theme of time passing and the changes to his family within this period – there are elements I’ve seen in his images that I’ve been drawn to, and feel I could adopt to my own portraits to portray the message I’m trying to achieve. In many of his photographs, we see family members holding up framed portraits of presumed deceased relatives. Of course, this wouldn’t be my reason, but, rather to show the family members we are unable to meet due to being in lockdown. However, the framed portraits used in Fukase’s photographs are large format prints, and his intentions for doing this are clear. Even though these individuals’ are deceased, he’s representing them as if they were present – alive if you will – standing or kneeling beside other family members. As a result, these portraits are incredibly powerful and do leave an impression on the viewer. Unfortunately, I own no large format prints of my family, and because of this, feel my images, in this regard, could lack in what Fukase was able to achieve. In other portraits’, we see his family with their backs turned towards the camera. I’m not certain what this represents, but, perhaps it’s depicting a family looking back (in time) and reflecting on what they were then, and what they’ve become – for better or for worse. Applying this notion within my portraits, my family could be looking back – metaphorically speaking – and contemplating our lives before, during, and even perhaps, after the coronavirus pandemic. I particularly like the portrait that shows Fukase himself, and I believe, his father. They are both topless and depicts clearly the effects ‘time’ can have on the human body. Fukase, who is still relatively young, appears strong and fit. Where his father, an elderly man by this point, appears weak and fragile. My idea is to take a self-portrait – topless of course – showing the effects lockdown has had on my body – specifically my weight gain – due to infrequent exercise that I’m usually accustomed to.
Whilst looking through the ‘photography’ section of the BBC news app, I’ve come across a visually beautiful photographic series aptly named ‘Field (2020)’ by photographer Jemima Yong. Her idea may seem simple, but in fact, it’s an accurate reflection of current times and depicts the notion of lockdown and social distancing extremely well. Her images show individuals’ – families and solitary soles alike – in a field that is overlooked by her home (where she took the photographs from) trying to regain some normality to their lives, if only for a short while. Though, like Yong, we know nothing about these individuals’, as a viewer, we get a better understanding of the communities they may belong to, just by observing the activities they are undertaking. I think this is a very fascinating way of gaining insight into local communities one might be unfamiliar with, and as a result, would allow my images – if I were to adopt a similar approach – to operate like a ‘window’. My ‘field’ would be a small area of garden behind the block of flats where I reside, which is sometimes used by the local residents for various activities – sport, relaxation, work etc. I overlook a section of this garden from my top floor flat, so have a great vantage point for taking photographs in a safe and discreet manner. One thing Yong does extremely well, and a compositional technique I often use, is the use of negative space. I think it isolates the main subject(s) within the photograph, thus, placing a stronger emphasis on them. I’ve taken a couple of test shots, and unfortunately, I’m unable to create the negative space which I desire, due to unwelcomed objects visible within the scene. Of course, there is the option to crop my images to eliminate these objects from the final image, but again, I feel this would be counterproductive in what I’m hoping to achieve visually. However, this certainly isn’t an idea I’ve excluded, and may in fact – after more planning – pursue further.
Currently, there are a lot of photography projects being done – surrounding the theme of ‘lockdown’ – where individuals and families alike, are being photographed through their windows or doorways, to represent isolation and social distancing. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed looking through these types of images, and feel they are an important documentation of current events, which will hopefully stand the test of time. However, I’ve noticed on many occasions, details surrounding these individuals’ are vague, and as a viewer, we don’t really get a sense of who these people are. However, I fully appreciate under the current circumstances that each photographer will have limited time with their subjects’, so, obtaining more information on them, just wouldn’t be possible. I’ve thought about ways in which I could create a similar project, specifically related to the communities that the subjects’ belong to. Unfortunately, I will not be able to spend time within these communities – as the brief for ‘windows’ suggests we do – so an alternative method is of course needed, but needs to be one that can be done in a safe manner for everyone involved. I’ve thought about creating a questionnaire – related to communities – that I would deliver around my local area. These documents would ultimately support the portraits of those who completed them – if they chose to participate further – which I’m hoping will offer the viewer a better insight into their community lives. I feel it’s important to strengthen the notion of social distancing, so would take into consideration the idea of ‘distance’. However, it’s vital that the subjects’ don’t become lost in the space created, so using leading lines to draw the viewer towards them is also a factor I must consider. I’ve revisited Tina Barney’s work, to gain a better understanding on how she creates space, and noticed that in many of her images, the inclusion of an open door is used, which results in the photographs depth – or ‘distance’ – being increased instantaneously. I believe I may have opportunities to apply the same photographic technique within my images. I’ve also done some brief research into architecture photography, to see how ‘lines’ – created by the buildings themselves – can be used effectively, which in my case, would be for the sole purpose of leading the viewer towards the subject and perhaps framing.
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.
As my tutors report can be found on my blog, I won’t repeat what has already been written, but will however, reflect on some of these points further and mention topics that have not been included that I believe to be important for my development.
To be honest, only a short time from our discussion was spent talking about my assignment. However, from the feedback I did receive, I left the call feeling happy with the thoughts my tutor had on it. Overall, he appreciated the effort I put in – especially under the difficult circumstances – and thought the inclusion of a questionnaire was a clever way of gaining information about individuals’ and their communities, but also made the project more ‘personal’ – something I’ve been working hard on since assignment one. He also noted the variety between each of my images’, which I was pleased about, as this was an important part of the brief and something I worked hard on to achieve. We discussed the use of flash – again – and how by using it, my images would benefit greatly, if used in the right situations. For example, he felt that if I had used flash in image four and six, it would have acted as a fill light, highlighting the subjects’ and enhancing them within the image. We have discussed using flash before, so for the next assignment, I must use it if I think it will be beneficial.
My tutor made a very good point about my presentation of my posts on my blog. I currently do this in a very systematic way, for example my ‘initial thoughts and preparations’ are at the top, with my selection of images near the bottom. He explained for assessment purposes, I need to do this differently, and by having an ‘assessment’ tab perhaps, produce a short written explanation that supports each assignment, followed by the relevant images. This means if the assessors want to read such things as my main essay, or my ‘reflections’, they can do so by navigating through a separate tab.
We discussed the importance of why images should ‘sit well’ together within a set, and ways of achieving this. My tutor mentioned he makes prints of his photographs, as having physical copies in front of you, is very much different to reviewing them off a screen, for example. That got us talking about printers, and if it would be worth me investing in one. I’m still not sure, and think it might be cheaper, but perhaps not easier, to have an online printing company do this for me. I learnt about a process called ‘lightjet’ printing, which sounds interesting and something I will do further research on.
Iain Barbour - BA (Hons) Photography 