Exercise 2: Your Personality

When I first thought about what aspects of my personality made me unique, I must admit that I did struggle initially. I started to think that very few of us are truly unique in this instance and, as we all share the same, or similar personality traits, perhaps we are not so different from one another in this regard. However, after doing further research into this topic, I now know that not to be the case. Theoretically, the moment one becomes ‘unique’, is the moment we are born. DNA is fundamentally what makes people unique – unless you’re an identical twin – and though it is often said that people are 99.9% identical – effecting the variety of behaviours that comes naturally to us and, which ultimately defines our characteristics – there are enough variables in the remaining 0.01% genomes to make us individual. It is within this 0.01% that determines if we will have red hair instead of brown, if we are more likely to be obese and/or suffer from heart disease or, how fast we will run. Of course, there are millions of people around the world with red hair, billions with obesity and, many ‘fast’ runners and, though these are all common denominators, they all help shape our unique personalities, which is determined by not one single gene, but a combination of many working together.

It’s certainly true that we all have our own individual differences when it comes to our personalities. For example, where one person might be sensitive, another may be thick skinned. What’s interesting and, not something we usually think of when growing up, is how our personalities can change over time. Theoretically, this also means our ‘uniqueness’ can change throughout our lives too. Perhaps, this is a possible reason why people who we haven’t seen for a while might appear ‘different’ to us when we reconnect. As this is such a complex field, phycologists no longer measure our personalities into ‘types’, but rather into ‘traits’. There are five personality traits that are widely accepted by those in the field and they are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Of course, each category has a ‘high’ and ‘low’ level – opposites if you will – of how, for example, conscientious a person may be and, this will ultimately show variable differences in an individuals’ personality relatable to the same ‘trait’. Taking into consideration these traits, I have come up a list of some aspects that makes my personality unique.

Openness – high level

Adventuress, eager to learn new things, artistic, imaginative.

Conscientiousness – high level

Organised, trustworthy, disciplined, planner, achievement focussed.

Extraversion – low level (introvert)

Reserved, Thoughtful individual, Solo activities, small group interaction.

Agreeableness – high level

Trusting, Helpful, Compassionate.

Neuroticism – high level

Anxious, Stressed, Self-conscious

I think the trait that represents me the most is ‘Openness’. The photographs I have taken for this exercise specifically relate to the topic of ‘adventuress’ and, allows the viewer to see elements in my life that gives me this type of personality. I think there are a couple of ways in which to develop on what I’ve done in order to make a larger piece of work. Firstly, I could select one subject, for example, fishing, and create a series of images based around the fishing community I’m involved in, or perhaps not. Taking into consideration the notion of ‘mirrors’ and ‘windows’, I could make a comparison set of photographs between a community I’m familiar with and one that I’m not – even though the sport is the same – and document the differences, if any. Secondly, and an idea I actually really like, is to make a typology series of my favourite wild fishing lochs in Scotland. By depicting the remote locations I often visit, I think this would highlight well the adventurous side in me.

References

Quartz. (2017). ‘Genetics has proven that you’re unique—just like everyone else’ [Online] Available from: https://qz.com/936525/personal-dna-testing-and-genetic-scientists-are-proving-that-youre-unique-just-like-everyone-else/

BC Campus. (2020). ‘12.3 Is Personality More Nature or More Nurture? Behavioural and Molecular Genetics’ [Online] Available from: https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontopsychology/chapter/11-3-is-personality-more-nature-or-more-nurture-behavioral-and-molecular-genetics/ Live Science. (2017). ‘Personality Traits & Personality Types: What is Personality?’ [Online] Available from: https://www.livescience.com/41313-personality-traits.html

Elina Brotherus

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the video of Elina Brotherus talking to OCA students’ about her work and in particular, how you can use yourself – the photographer – as the subject. It was evident to me that even simple tasks we do, could possibly lead to a photography project, and as ‘artists’, we need to be more aware of this. I’m specifically referring to the period in Brotherus’s life when she moved to France and stuck post-it notes on to everyday objects, in order to learn them. For most, this would have been a requirement, simply to learn a new language. But, Brotherus saw this as an opportunity to turn this into a personal and meaningful project that explored her experiences living in a foreign country, whilst trying to adapt to cultural and environmental differences. What I find inspiring, is that she continued with the theme of using post-it notes, in her series ’12 years later’. However, the descriptions this time, often consist of lengthy dialogues, which describe her thoughts and feelings about looking back on her life from when she first visited her residency in 1999, and how her life, if at all, has changed. What I find particularly interesting about this, is that despite the timeframe between the two projects, they just work, both visually and contextually. That got me thinking about my future assignments, and how under the current circumstances, the theme should be relatable from one to the next, in order to from a larger piece of work. This will hopefully show an evolution of my experiences, where, like Brotherus, I could draw up a conclusion or even write a ‘position statement’ of how I’ve changed – again, if at all.  

I think if photographers are to use themselves as the subject’s in their own work, they need to think carefully about what was, or is, meaningful in their lives, in order to draw inspiration for possible themes, where the end result will be a series of images that are genuine and has significance to them. That, I think, is the most important factor to be considered and hopefully achieved when creating a piece about yourself, and what others interpret from viewing your images, is perhaps irrelevant. One thing that is evident in a lot of her work, is the inclusion of the cable release. Asked, why she decides to keep this visible for all to see, she replied “it’s important to show me as both the model and the author”. I find this to be such a fantastic response, and reconfirms to me the personal aspect of her entire process. Where some photographer’s may find this unsightly, perhaps unprofessional, for Brotherus, it’s what makes her images unique to her.

References

The Open College of the Art. (2015). ‘Here is Elina Brotherus’ [Online] Available from: https://www.oca-student.com/content/photographers-talking?page=1

Elina Brotherus. (2018). ‘12 ANS APRÈS (1999 / 2011-2013)’ [Online] Available from: http://www.elinabrotherus.com/photography#/12-ans-apres/

Tina Barney

Tina Barney is a photographer, who is well known for creating images that focus on family life. As a viewer, we may just see work that has been created under strict direction from Barney herself, even if her portraits seem unforced, natural and on occasions, candid. But, there has been a lot influences in her life, both educational and personal, that has resulted in the images we see from her today.

Barney admits she struggles with the concept of visual perspective, specifically relating to how to create space within an image and how to draw the viewer in, so to speak. I too find this particularly difficult, so it was very interesting and potentially beneficial, to get a better understanding on how she achieves this, and with great success. Her main inspiration comes from historical art, and more specifically, Italian renaissance and 17th century Dutch paintings. Barney believes that paintings from this era, on the most part, show visual perception at its finest, and when I saw examples of this for myself, I would certainly agree. The first painting below, depicts the use of strong visual lines, which draws the viewers’ eye into the areas of the painting the artist wants them to go. The second, uses depth of field exquisitely, which makes the scene look bigger and longer than perhaps it actually is. Both of these examples can be seen in Barney’s work.

‘The Battle of San Romano’ by Paolo Uccello
‘The Mother’ by Pieter de Hooch

She also learnt about visual perspective from her own mother, who was an interior designer. By placing objects within the scene at different heights, whilst also using the techniques above, the viewer will be forced to investigate the whole scene, rather than a specific area. This allows the viewer to gain more information, and ultimately, help with their interpretation behind the photograph. Reflecting on my own work, I feel I’ve created some images using similar methods, to achieve visual perception – though perhaps not to the same standards as Barney. However, I am so pleased that I have discovered her work and have been inspired to look further into historical art, which I’m hoping will help with my photography in the future.

References

Interview Magazine. (2017). ‘Photographer Tina Barney captures the lives of the upper crust’ [Online] Available from: https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/photographer-tina-barney-captures-lives-upper-crust

The National Gallery. (2012). ‘Artist’s insight: Tina Barney | Seduced by Art: Photography Past and Present | The National Gallery‘ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3epp0imxkgg

Checkerboard Films. (2013). ‘Tina Barney: Speaking of Art – Trailer’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr9QJvbWitI

JP Morgan. (2016). ‘Tina Barney Discusses ‘The Reception’ | Paris Photo Fair 2016 | J.P. Morgan’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7QJamfJWWI

The Masterpiece Cards. (2010). ‘Famous Paintings: The Battle of San Romano’ [Online] Available from: https://www.themasterpiececards.com/famous-paintings-reviewed/famous-paintings-the-battle-of-san-romano/

Wikipedia. (2017). ‘Woman Lacing Her Bodice Beside a Cradle’ [Online] Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_Lacing_Her_Bodice_Beside_a_Cradle

The Brooklyn Rail. (2018). ‘Tina Barney with Phong But’ [Online] Available from: https://brooklynrail.org/2018/02/art/TINA-BARNEY-with-Phong-Bui

Pelican Bomb. (2016). ‘Taking Direction: An Interview with Tina Barney’ [Online] Available from: http://pelicanbomb.com/art-review/2016/taking-direction-an-interview-with-tina-barney

Exercise 1: Mirrors and Windows

First and foremost, I found this exercise to be much more difficult and thought provoking than I initially anticipated. It was a lot easier for me to find examples of ‘windows’ than ‘mirrors’, and after some consideration into why this might be, I think it simply comes down to the subjects’ that I historically have an interest in photographing. I believe its human nature to be immediately fascinated with anything we witness that isn’t considered the ‘usual’ in our daily lives, and when we have a camera at our disposal, a picture of this event is usually taken. For me personally, ‘windows’ photographs are taken with the conscious decision that I want to record this ‘unusual’ moment. I don’t think it’s any surprise that the majority of the images’ I have chosen for ‘windows’ were taken in China, as culturally, socially and historically, it is – on the most part – very different to where I live in the U.K. Of course, it’s hard to say, but I wouldn’t be surprised if most photographs in individuals’ archives contain more images that can be placed within the category of ‘windows’. I found choosing ‘mirrors’ images that allow us to learn something about ourselves, to be a challenging task. It wasn’t until I really looked at the images, did I then decide, if in fact it did say something about me and why. I believe these types of images are taken in the moment, and with little consideration about why we are taking them. Perhaps, subconsciously, we do take them because we feel at the time, that person or scene does tell us something about ourselves, but, it isn’t until we review them in a more concentrated manner, do we actually realise this.  

Mirrors

This image was taken by my girlfriend, at a prestigious art exhibition in London. This was a period of my life when I was trying very hard to be someone I wasn’t, and this image reconfirms that for me. Reflecting on the photograph, I found the majority of the art work to be terrible and I would never wear what I was wearing then, now. But, I felt at the time, to be accepted into a ‘group’ that I would realistically never be a part of, those were the types of events I should be attending, whilst dressed in that manner.

I took this photograph when I first moved down to London. It depicts something which I cannot stand – crowded spaces – and during my two years living there, it was something I never got used to. This image shows me that I am far more suited to a quieter, simpler life, and even though I love London as a city, I would never move back there.

I took this photograph of my brother playing his guitar a few years ago, through his bedroom door and without his knowledge. What I’ve learnt about myself from this image is how different we are from each other. Musically, he is very gifted, and though I wish I was too, I never will be. Also, he is more of a free spirit in the way he lives his life, and I am certainly more highly strung and calculated in the way I do things.

I took this photograph when I was living in Shenzhen, China. The image depicts a mountain of ‘mobai’ – effectively ‘Boris Bikes’. Unlike in the U.K where there are dedicated parking stations where you can return the bikes after use, in Shenzhen at least, there isn’t, and this is the result. This image reconfirms to me that I like a degree of order in my life and don’t appreciate unnecessary mess. I understand this isn’t a portrait, but I feel in this instance, it doesn’t need to be.

Windows

I took this photograph when in Paris, France. It depicts a long queue of people waiting to get into Louis Vuitton. I find this image interesting, as it shows me to what extent people are willing to go to, in order to gain access to a shop, where realistically they couldn’t afford to buy anything and fundamentally it’s more about being seen by others. Perhaps, this image does show us how the ‘other half’ live, but I think it’s tells us more about those who dream to be the ‘other half’.

I took this image at a kids Birthday party in China, which my daughter was invited to. Celebrations there are often more elaborate than in the U.K and children’s birthday parties are no exception. These types of birthday parties are very expensive and ultimately are a sign of the family’s wealth. I think this photograph shows how these events are often more about the parents than the child – the way they are dressed the same and sitting at the head of the table for all to see.

I really like this photograph, but at the same time, it sends chills down my spine every time I look at it. I took the image in China and it shows not one, but five people on a scooter – four being children. I think this shows that even though China is the second richest country in the world and leading in so many areas, they are years behind in health and safety practices.

This is a picture of my wife’s cousin – who is an extremely wealthy businessman in China – serving tea at his ‘tea table’. When guests are invited to his home – like myself and my parents were – it’s polite for the host to sit everyone around the table and serve various teas – very different to what we drink in the U.K. But, it’s also an act to show of the wealth of that individual. Some teas in China are stupidly expensive and are collected as an investment, rather than to be drunk.

Assignment Two: Vice versa

Before starting the photographic process, my confidence was extremely low, due to the fact that every idea I had prior, I was unable to carry out because of the public restrictions put in place by the government, as a direct result of the coronavirus. I knew being in lockdown would have its limitations in regards to creative ideas, and of course, who I could use as my subjects’ – after all, this is a portraiture assignment. However, once I rediscovered Jeff Wall’s work and studied it in greater depth, I found his creativity and imaginative mind set to be incredibly inspiring. His chosen process for creating his images is one I’ve not seen used by any other photographer, and as I really appreciate its originality, I wanted to adopt this method in to my workflow in order to create ‘Wall-esque’ images of my own. He has a natural ability to observe his surroundings for interesting moments that he will then recreate and photograph at a later time. And, after spending a week observing moments with my family that could be later translated into images, specifically related to my chosen theme that explores the coronavirus and being in ‘lockdown’ because of it, I witnessed some fantastic and more importantly, relevant events that I thought would be suitable for such a purpose.

There were three key elements which I needed to consider when creating each image – preparation, organisation and collaboration – in order to mirror Wall’s photographic philosophy and produce images’ similar to his own.

Wall is a perfectionist when it comes to composition, and I tried to echo that trait throughout the entire process. I wanted my compositions to be the same, if possible, relative to how I witnessed each of the memorable moments for the very first time. However, this couldn’t always be achieved, more so when I was part of the event, and therefore, a different composition was needed, irrelevant to my original perspective. Collaboration with my subjects’ started when selecting my compositions, and by having them set on their ‘marks’, effectively, I was able to construct the frame around them, choosing which objects and elements within the scene should be included, in order to achieve the best composition possible. Wall will often add or remove objects from the scene, if he feels it will affect the composition and overall image, either in a positive or negative manner, and again, this was a technique of his that I used, which I found to be incredibly useful, if not time consuming. Of course, I didn’t want to alter the scenes too much, and tried to keep them as true to when I first witnessed them, in regards to specific objects that were evident to me at the time. His photograph, ‘Tattoos and Shadows’ originally featured four individuals’, though he eliminated one, as he felt by using only three, the image appeared more ‘balanced’ and aesthetically pleasing. This is a concept I actually agree with, and have used on many occasions prior, so wanted to incorporate this notion again within my images where possible, for example, the three birthday cards in the bathroom scene. I found that because I was photographing indoors where space and movement was limited, a perhaps slightly wider field of view than I initially anticipated using, was in fact needed. I felt that using an 18mm focal length – equivalent to 27mm in full frame terms – worked best for depicting the key elements I wanted to feature within each frame, thus, helping to achieve the best composition possible.

Jeff Wall – ‘Tattoos and Shadows’

As my intention with each image was to achieve what Wall calls a ‘near documentary photograph’, I understood the importance I had, as the photographer, in collaborating with my subjects’ to ensure I didn’t end up with ‘snapshot’ style portraits. Of course, I understood that there would be an element of performance involved – unlike with Wall’s subjects’, where he considers them to be just ‘behaving’ – but this was understandable, simply because my family couldn’t become unfamiliar with the situation, in the short time we had during the photographic process. I requested that my subjects’ act naturally, like they usually would if doing the same activity in a ‘real life’ situation. Once I saw a suitable moment worth capturing, I simply fired off a shot, and continued to do so until I felt I had enough images for consideration. One of the biggest challenges I faced, as I was shooting indoors, was the lack of natural light available. Because of this, I had no option but to use an external flash, in order to properly illuminate the overall scene and achieve a more balanced exposure. I have used this technique only a handful of times before, so the process, certainly at the beginning, was trial and error, but still a fantastic learning experience in which I have gained a great deal of confidence from. Each image contains a signifier that has relevance to the coronavirus, and my family’s experience of living in ‘lockdown’, though some of these are more obvious than others. But, unlike Wall’s work, where each image sits as a standalone piece, my portraits’ are part of a series and will be shown in chronological order. I believe most viewers will be able to identify the true meaning behind my series, but, what I really hope to achieve, is that there will be at least one ‘moment’ that truly resonates with the viewer that will give my work some authenticity.

Mia hosts a pretend dinner party for her father Iain, and younger sister Holly. There was limited food in their home, due to food shortages in the supermarkets, as a direct result of extreme panic buying. (02/04/2020)
Shan returns from a food shop, wearing a mask to help protect her from contracting covid-19. Masks were incredibly hard to buy, and those available had a mark-up of 1500%. (07/04/2020)
Mia sings along to a musical ‘Happy Birthday’ card – the preferred song when washing hands for the recommended twenty seconds – to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. (04/04/2020)
Shan wipes down food packaging with disinfectant wipes, as it’s possible to contract coronavirus by touching items, if they have been in contacted with someone infected. (03/04/2020)
Shan and Iain sit in disbelief, as Boris Johnson addresses the nation, stating that the United Kingdom has gone into lockdown, due to the uncontrollable spread of coronavirus. (23/03/2020)

References

Tate. (2000). ‘Jeff Wall: room guide, room 12’ [Online] Available from: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/jeff-wall/jeff-wall-room-guide/jeff-wall-room-guide-room-12

WSJ Magazine. (2015). ‘Jeff Wall’s Unique Photographic Vision’ [Online] Available from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/jeff-walls-unique-photographic-vision-1441375796

Art Times. (2020). ‘Jeff Wall Interview: Pictures like poems’ [Online] Available from: https://arttimes.co.za/artflix-feature-jeff-wall-interview-pictures-like-poems/

YouTube. (2015). ‘Jeff Wall Interview: We are all Actors’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8P9S6FeAuU

YouTube. (2010). ‘Jeff Wall: “I begin by not photographing”’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yG2k4C4zrU

YouTube. (2014). ‘Jeff Wall: Tableaux Pictures Photographs 1996-2013’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNWWrKXNeBA

Pugay, Angela. (2016) ‘Image denotation and connotation’ [Online] Available from: http://students.smcm.edu/ampugay/denotation&connotation.html

Barthes, Roland. (1964). ‘Rhetoric of the image’ [Online] Available from: https://faculty.georgetown.edu/irvinem/theory/Barthes-Rhetoric-of-the-image-ex.pdf

Assignment Two: Vice versa – Jeff Wall (how his work has inspired mine)

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Due to the change in circumstances, I’m now only able to take photographs from inside my home. This means I’m limited in regards to ideas, and of course, subjects’, and in this instance, will have to rely on my family for participation. The theme will remain the same – Coronavirus – but instead of documenting how this has affected other people, my images will depict specific moments and events, during my family’s time in isolation. I have made the conscious decision not to take candid style portraits, as I feel most of our activities that are undertaken throughout the day, aren’t worth documenting, and as a result, the final images wouldn’t work together as a series. Instead, I’ve chosen to approach this similar to that of assignment three, from the ‘Context and Narrative’ module, where each image was fundamentally staged. From carrying out research into photographers’ who use this method in their photographic process, I have rediscovered Canadian photographer, Jeff Wall. As a result, I have been inspired to adopt his chosen practices and techniques for this assignment, which I feel will not only lead to a more, well-constructed piece of work, but show evidence of my photographic development and learning.

Describing his work as “near documentary”, in that his images aren’t ‘snapshots’, but rather “contemplations of its characteristics”, Wall’s approach to his photography is different to many others, in that he remembers a memorable scene or moment, and photographs it at a later time. In an interview with the ‘Louisiana Channel’, Wall says one of his best attributes is his ability to observe things naturally, and his experiences – which ultimately are produced into photographs – come around by being observant. Using this method, I will spend a week observing situations involving myself and my family – what Wall calls an ‘occurrence’ when people are involved – and make a mental note of memorable moments that I think will be worth photographing later. A big part of Wall’s process, is ensuring that the composition is perfect. And, though he doesn’t like the term ‘staged photography’ to be associated with his work, he will in fact add and subtract objects within the frame, to help achieve the composition he feels is best, ultimately resulting in a finer photograph – in his eyes anyway. Again, this is a technique of his that I will adopt, however, will ensure that any objects purposely added or removed, are done so for the greater good of the composition and won’t affect the underlying message surrounding each image. I will try to work having a similar mind-set to that of Wall, where he will always consider three key elements within his process – preparation, organisation and collaboration – reinforcing the fact that his images are not ‘snapshots’, even though they have ‘candid’ qualities. In a talk, aptly named ‘We are all actors’, Wall debates if individuals that feature in his work are “performing” or “behaving”. He goes on to say that after some time – as he usually works with his subjects for many days – people stop ‘performing’ and their behaviours become more natural. I’m well aware that this occurrence won’t happen when photographing my subjects’, and appreciate there will be an element of ‘acting’ involved that I’m hoping won’t lead to a lack of authenticity surrounding my images. However, Wall beautifully describes his photographs as not being representations of his memories alone, but memories of many others. He believes that if his work “feels true to your own experiences then it has to have some authenticity to it”. Ultimately, with the theme I have chosen and the way I would like to create my images, I hope to achieve authenticity by forming a personal connection with the viewer, surrounding the events taking place within the photograph.

References

WSJ Magazine. (2015). ‘Jeff Wall’s Unique Photographic Vision’ [Online] Available from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/jeff-walls-unique-photographic-vision-1441375796

Art Times. (2020). ‘Jeff Wall Interview: Pictures like poems’ [Online] Available from: https://arttimes.co.za/artflix-feature-jeff-wall-interview-pictures-like-poems/

YouTube. (2015). ‘Jeff Wall Interview: We are all Actors’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8P9S6FeAuU

YouTube. (2010). ‘Jeff Wall: “I begin by not photographing”’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yG2k4C4zrU

YouTube. (2014). ‘Jeff Wall: Tableaux Pictures Photographs 1996-2013’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNWWrKXNeBA

Dream Idea Machine. (2020). ‘PHOTO: Jeff Wall-Appearance’ [Online] Available from: http://www.dreamideamachine.com/en/?p=36808

Assignment Two: Vice versa – Initial thoughts, ideas and preparation

To say this assignment has come at the wrong time is a massive understatement. The pandemic affecting the whole world currently – Covid19 – means all of my initial ideas are no longer possible, and I’ve had to rethink my approach in order to keep not only myself safe, but others too. I understand that taking portraits of people at this present time – other than my family – might not be sensible, or possible, and I’m finding it incredibly challenging to think of a theme that is both interesting and creative that I can do from the confinements of my own home.

During my feedback session with my tutor regarding assignment one, we discussed briefly the topic of environmental photography – the process of taking portraits of individuals’, usually in their working environment. After doing some additional research, I thought this would be a theme I could consider for this assignment. My idea would see me steer away from what a traditional environmental portrait would depict, and instead, I would photograph my subjects’ in a home studio setting, which would consist of a white backdrop and studio lighting. I understood that this method wouldn’t have met the brief I was trying to achieve, and knew I needed an additional element to support the portraits’. I had an idea of recording a sound bite from each of the subjects’ places of work, where the viewer would have to be reliant on the sounds to form a conclusion on where that individual worked, for example, a restaurant. I still think this idea is interesting and one I hope to undertake in the near future when normality resumes. Until considering this theme, I believed that I had never done an environmental portrait before – but this isn’t true. Scrolling through my personal archive, I have in fact done many. Below are some examples of my environmental portraits.

Before the government tightened their policies, which effectively saw the country go into lockdown, I had a few ideas that specifically focussed on the effects the coronavirus has had on other individuals. I hoped to use some of the photographic methods I had learnt in ‘Part Two’, as well as incorporating some of the rules and regulations enforced by the government within my work.

Inspired by ‘Residents of June Street’, by Daniel Meadows and Martin Parr, I liked the idea of photographing subjects’ in their homes to reinforce the notion of ‘self-isolation’. I planned to produce five portraits’, depicting different sitting rooms belonging to individuals of the same family – specifically mine – who have taken it upon themselves to self-isolate. Each image would’ve been supported by text stating how many days they have been in isolation and the reasons why. I did takes some images – more for test purposes – but felt the whole process wasn’t working for me and ultimately, I wasn’t happy with the results I was producing. At the time, I didn’t give up on the idea entirely, but understood something would need to be changed if I were to proceed with this theme.

  • GB. England. ‘June Street’. Collaboration with Daniel Meadows. 1973.

Another idea was to take portraits’ of those who have unfortunately lost their jobs because of the Coronavirus. I actually know at least five people who are now jobless as a result of the pandemic and thought this would have been a good way of highlighting this specific issue that has affected so many across the country. The portraits’ would have effectively been tight head shots, as I wanted the viewer to purposely see the emotions on the subjects’ faces. To help generate their true emotions at the exact moment the shutter was pressed, I planned to ask each subject the same a question, “Without telling me, how do you feel?” I also wanted to apply the 2 metre social distancing rule, which at that point had just been issued, but perhaps wasn’t being fully respected. Taking the image from exactly 2 metres away from each subject, whilst using my 60mm macro lens, would offer an interesting dynamic to the series as all the portraits’ would have the same perspective and help me achieve the ‘tight head shot’. But on further consideration, and again, after a few test shots, I felt this wouldn’t work either ethically, or logistically, and had to abolish the idea.

References

Magnum Photos. (2014). ‘Martin Parr – GB. ENGLAND. June Street. 1972’ [Online] Available from: https://pro.magnumphotos.com/Catalogue/Martin-Parr/1972/GB-ENGLAND-June-Street-1972-NN162445.html

Assignment Two: Vice versa- Reflections

This was by the far the most stressed I’ve been whilst working on an assignment. Not just because of the environment I had to do it in, but, also because I was struggling to think of suitable ideas, after so many failed attempts. However, I quickly had to succumb to the fact that this was the situation I was in – like so many other OCA students’ – and effectively, I had to get on with it to the best of my abilities. I have always understood the importance of research before carrying out an assignment, but even more so in this instance. I truly feel the success of the entire process, and ultimately, the quality of my portraits’, was due to the thorough research I did into Jeff Wall, which resulted in me gaining a huge amount of inspiration and confidence, giving me the drive and determination I needed to carry on in difficult circumstances and produce the best work possible.

As I very rarely shoot indoors and am not used to photographing subjects’ where the natural light is limited, I had to quickly learn the art of low-light photography. Working the manual controls on my camera to choose the correct settings wasn’t an issue, however, using an external flash and understanding how to use it properly, and effectively, took some time. But, the more test shots I did before introducing the subjects’ into the scene, proved to be beneficial, and my confidence in my abilities grew as the process went on, and I think this is evident in my final images. Getting the compositions right was vitally important to me, so working in confined spaces proved to be difficult at times, and more often than not, my camera was attached to my tripod in some precarious positions. But, instead of choosing the easiest, but, perhaps not the best compositions, I took my time and persevered to get those I thought would work best with that particular image. I felt I have utilised some of the compositional ‘rules’ effectively, such as the rules of thirds, foreground interested and depth, framing and elements of symmetry.

This assignment allowed me to be creative, in that I was able to use props in my images. Obviously, the props I used were objects that were already an integral part of the ‘moments’ that I witnessed, so they weren’t randomly added into the scenes, per say. I feel that when using props correctly, and if they are relevant to the theme, like mine were, they can be a powerful tool to help promote the message the photographer is trying to deliver. One of the best points to come out of my research was how an image can appear more balanced and aesthetically pleasing if only three objects are evident within part of the scene. I tried to use this concept as frequently as I could, and the first real opportunity I had to do so was with the Birthday cards. Not only do I feel it works incredibly well as concepts go, but it also emphasises the point I was trying to make regarding the singing of Happy Birthday when washing your hands. Though I was using an external flash, there were opportunities to use natural light to help illuminate the scene or my subject. I think the best example of this is the image depicting my wife wearing a mask. There was natural light coming from the bathroom and hallway windows, and because the area in between was darker, a lovely ambience has been created and my wife is beautifully lit.

Perhaps, in the past, I have concentrated more on either the quality of images, or, the narrative, but have sometimes failed to combine both. However, in this instance, I really do feel I have created images that are both visually and creatively strong, whilst being part of a broader series where the narrative is relevant throughout. I certainly feel I have achieved what I set out to do, and under difficult circumstances, I’m very proud of that.

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