Research and Reflection – Page 4 – Iain Barbour

Tutor meeting (18/01/20)

I had an introductory meeting today with my tutor David Wyatt. It was very nice to speak with him and I feel I will benefit greatly because of his photographic knowledge and experiences.

Things we discussed:

As David specialises in Landscape photography and this is the style of photography I enjoy the most, we talked a little about the subject. It was interesting to hear David’s views on what he considers to be ‘true’ landscape photography. Not so much photographing sunsets over mountains but more to do with how a landscape can help reinforce someones identity. He recommended that for IAP I consider both people and land.
David mentioned that under new rules set by OCA, each module must now be completed in 12 months and not 15 months. This does not comply for me fir this module as Assignment 5 must be completed by August 2020.
David discussed how the OCA like to see progression from one assignment to the next and suggested it may help if I stick to what I know though experimentation is a good thing.
We discussed Assignment 1. He suggested I focus on a specific ‘group’ within the community i.e. the choir. I asked if portrait photography has to be of someones face. He said no, but, for Assignment 1 I should focus on a conventional portrait i.e. the face and progress with ideas / techniques later on in the module.
Photographers to research: Brian Donnelly? (political photographer) and Niall McDiarmid

Difference between the ‘description of an individual’ and the ‘inscription of social identity’

“The portrait is a sign whose purpose is both the description of an individual and the inscription of social identity.”

Tagg. J. ‘The Burden of Reprsentation: Essays on Photographies and Histories (1988)

Thinking about this quote from Tagg, I believe a “description of an individual” related to portrait photography is simply what the viewer sees from the individual being photographed and what information can be obtained about them. Take this portrait of King Edward VII, for example. Depicted, is a white and fairly large man, who is slightly balding with a black and grey beard and hair. This would suggest to the viewer that this individual was in his 60’s and possibly unfit and/or unhealthy.

The “inscription of social identity”, on the other hand, are things which have been adopted by that individual to give the viewer some understanding as to what social group they belong to. In this example, we see the individual wearing extremely smart attire and presenting his medals for all to see. From this, the viewer can perceive that this man is of some importance, though, not having prior knowledge of who he is or having an understanding of what the uniform and/or medals represent, that ‘importance’ would remain unknown. Another difference between the two is that, to a certain extent, the latter is a choice or a requirement the individual has to abide by. Royal portraits are incredibly important, so, if the King was to wear nothing but his best this could possibly bring ‘in-house’ tensions and scrutiny from the outside.

‘Social Identity Theory’, as defined by social psychologist Henri Tajfel, is a “person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership” which in this example, would be the Royal Family. Being part of a specific group can give that individual a sense of immense pride, especially if that group is part of an ‘elite club’, so to speak. However, Tajfel’s theory suggests, that members of any ‘ingroup’ for example, the Royal Family, will hold prejudice against all ‘out-group’ individuals, for example, all non Royal Family persons. However, in present day, I don’t necessarily believe this to be true.

References

Royal Collection Trust. (2020). “Portrait photograph of King Edward VII (1841-1910) in military uniform, c. 1902”[Online] Available from: https://www.rct.uk/collection/2107471/portrait-photograph-of-king-edward-vii-1841-1910-in-military-uniform-c-1902

Simply Psychology. (2019). “Social Identity Theory” [Online] Available from: https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html

What I want / need from course unit

A new year, a new module. Though I am looking forward to moving on with my studies, it took me a long time to decide if I actually wanted to. Context and Narrative, for me, was a bitter sweet affair and though I thoroughly enjoyed the module and felt I produced my best photography work to date, my passion and motivation for the course dwindled overtime. Family commitments made it increasingly difficult to dedicate the time needed and, as a result, I was almost unable to complete the module. Thankfully, with the help of my tutor and the support of the OCA, an extension was granted and I miraculously completed my work on time. I understand the commitments I must undertake to keep on track with ‘Identity and Place’ and realise there are certain things I must do to help achieve this and improve on my overall assessment score.

What I want (though I prefer “would like”) and need

For my tutor to push me to become a better student / photographer.
To frequently use the student resources available, especially the online library.
To interact with fellow students more often via email, meet ups and live online discussions.
To work hard and to the best of my abilities, meet my ‘study plan’ deadlines.
Research more photographers’