[#5] Continuation of research for project idea – Culture

As my intended project is to be based on an ambiguous sense of cultural identity I therefore carried out some research on culture itself, and objects that represent it. I decided to first look for images that represent Turkish culture as this is something that reflects my personal position in society. I will not necessarily just include objects in my final project (I fully intend to take portraits also!) but it is good to get a general idea for what I may include, and how I may also try and present these objects in a way that conveys this sense of feeling out of place:

In addition to this I have taken a look at objects that effectively represent British culture so that I may find a way to contrast the representations of both cultures to therefore hopefully evoke a sense of uncomfortable ambiguity:

These are just a few ideas for what I believe to be good representations of the two conflicting cultures that I want to portray. Obviously I won’t just be taking pictures of tourist-style objects! I hope to photograph and arrange some of these in such a way that creates an uncomfortable contrast to create a sense of ambiguous tension. My previous research of ‘things out of place’ should help me to gain a clearer picture to achieve this. I also hope to use people to portray this, but it is important to me to include objects of culture to effectively reflect my own personal experience.

 

 

August Sander – First Group Presentation

This weeks presentation was on the German portrait and documentary photographer August Sander, who was most famous for photographing the Wiemar Republic after the events of the First World War. He was considered a pioneer of the portrait photographers and therefore he became one of the most influential for its genre. His portraits were set in simple environments and typically included working class individuals (e.g. farmers, women and skilled tradesmen).

He put a particular emphasis on facial expressions found in the foreground – these expressions were viewed upon as realistically ‘miserable’ and is the reason why it was seen as a true representation of the Wiemar Republic (his photographs were easily considered as ‘time capsules’ of his era).

In my opinion one of his most striking and interesting images that particularly showed off his style was a group gypsy photograph, shown below:

This is an effective example to portray Sander’s notable boldness to his photography – he photographed what he wanted despite the assured opposition he would inevitably face from the political and social ideologies of the time. In this instance, the fact that he photographed women and black people was very against the Nazi ideals during this period. It is this courageous motivation to depict reality and portray the truth that I have particular respect for, and it is easy to understand why he was so influential.

[R5] John Berger – About Looking – Uses of Photography 52 – 67.

The ‘Use of Photography’ chapter in Berger’s ‘About Looking’ begins by stating that when photography first came into existence it offered a new way of ‘habitual reading’ of an unexamined part of modern perception, and was therefore was a useful tool in capturing parts of history that were previously lost in time. As society became more accustomed to photography people began to realise the power being the photographic image. Berger stated that ‘unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does’ (p.g. 54).

However, meaning from a photograph can only be gathered through narration:

‘photographs do not in themselves preserve meaning… Meaning is the result of understanding functions… Photographs in themselves do not narrate. Photographs preserve instant appearances…’ (p.g. 55)

Therefore it’s only through my own analysis and feedback on my own photo series that the viewer will understand my images – especially if I intend to take abstract imagery to evoke feelings of discomfort. They need to be explained for context and generate intrigue through discussion and meaning.

Berger, John (1980), About Looking, London, Oxford University Press

[#6] Research for project idea

I’ve already mentioned this earlier in the blog, but I have decided to go ahead with the cultural identity idea for my project. The main sense I want to convey in my images is a feeling of emptiness and being out of place. Therefore I aim to research photographs that perhaps highlight a sense of cultural ambiguity, but mainly this sense of being out of place. Below are a collection of images related to culture and this sense of not belonging:

(“Cultural Ambiguity”, Paris 2010, Photographed by Mariah Jelena)

This photo is highly interesting as it is very difficult to say exactly what culture is being represented here. The model is wearing what seems to be traditional Jamaican/Afro-Caribbean garb, but is clearly not from that descent. The punctum of the photograph (other than what she is wearing) is the crudely placed broken chair and half eaten water-melon on the floor. Does this perhaps represent the photographers frustration with their own cultural identity? This is quite a useful piece of research for my intended project as it highlights the ambiguous sense of culture and identity that I would also like to evoke.

Below are various images that are related to the sense of being ‘out of place’. They are not really to do with culture, but it has certainly given me some ideas as to how I will proceed to take the photographs aesthetically, as well as seeing what works best in terms of contrasting objects and people:

 

Definitely in future research I will look at what objects particualrly represent culture – particularity Turkish and British.

[#5] Stanmer Park Field Trip

Last lesson we were assigned our first field task with the D7000 cameras we are supposed to use for our final projects. The PDF contact sheet (linked below) contains all the photos I took on the trip, but a word of warning – this is just me experimenting my a** off, so a lot of these are not very good at all! However I did pick a few that I did quite like, and I offer my explanations for why I chose them below:

Contact sheet Stanmer Park

We were lucky enough to encounter some wildlife on our journey through the forest! And by wildlife I mean someone walking their dog. I liked this image as it was the most clear capture of the dog I could get (trust me he was running around quite a bit…) and I liked having someone really focus on capturing a similar image on the left of the frame – an effective representation of the frantic need to seize rare opportunities as photographers.

The contrast between the surrounding monotonous tone of the tree branches and the sudden burst of colour from the berry bush in the centre made for quite an interesting image. The subtle green colours in the background weaving in between the branches also provides an interesting contrast.

Although this could have been executed (a lot!) better, I still quite liked the how the position of the sun accentuated the head of the gravestone and made for a solemn image.

Perhaps the only picture here that I actually tried to represent something, I would say this is my favourite! I used a low depth of field to focus on the bush in the foreground and blurred out the gravestones in the background to create a contrast between life and death. Movement is captured (using a relatively high shutter speed) at the top of the bush, which is in stark contrast with the stillness of the blurred gravestones in the foreground.

[#4] Nikon D7000 Experimentation

As I’m pretty new to photography I took it upon myself to take a few shots around the flat – it’s nothing special, but I definitely am getting the hang of it a bit more.

This photo was taken with a high shutter speed and ‘normal’ depth of field to capture this natural expression and so I decided to not tamper too much with the camera settings as to capture the reality of the expression more effectively.

This was taken with a high aperture and very slow shutter speed whilst zooming out to create the blurred and ‘moving backwards’ effect.

Again, the main focus of this image was the facial expression and so I used a low depth of field to create a clearer image of the face whilst subtlety blurring the background to shift the focus of the shot.

These objects were left out after a typical student night out of heavy drinking and so I therefore used a relatively high depth of field with a lower shutter speed to hazily focus on the remnants of a heavy student night out. It could be interpreted to be a POV shot – one of regret or fond recollection?

So there you have it! These were just a few experimental shots just to get familiar with the equipment and is not related to the project in any way, but it was certainly a useful exercise for getting to grips with the course.

[R4] John Berger Ways of seeing chapter 1

John Berger’s ‘Ways of seeing’ firstly discusses how we ‘see’ and perceive things in the world around us, and later relates this to the photographic image. He states how ‘every time we look at a photograph, we are aware, however slightly, of the photographer selecting that sight from an infinity of other possible sights’ (p.g. 6). This is important as rather than perceiving the external world in general, when analyzing photographs it is the personal choice of the photographer his/herself to specifically focus on one aspect for their own personal reasoning. This gives the photograph much more artistic insight and meaning and as ‘the photographer’s way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject’ (p.g. 6), more understanding of the image is gained as a result. When taking my final project photos I fully aim to take this into account, and choose wisely the subjects of my images as to infer exactly what I want to in the photo series.

Berger, John (1972). Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-021631-6.

[#2 & #3] Main project research & inspirational images 2: Contradicting realities – Sarah Rahbar

After some thought for what subject to tackle for my final project it occurred to me that I don’t really feel like I have a definitive cultural position in society. Being a Turkish Cypriot who has spent his whole life in England it has been difficult finding my footing in a set cultural identity. Therefore one of my most solidified ideas for this project was born out of this fact – I aim to capture through 6-8 images this feeling of not belonging to a particular set of cultural ideals, and the research I initially intend to carry out will be primarily based around cultural identity. Below is a photograph taken by Sarah Rahbar depicting a powerful image of conflicting nationality and is an important image in highlighting contrast in culture:

Denotation: The photograph depicts a Muslim woman fashioning the American flag as a religious head scarf with the word ‘Terrorist’ written upon her forehead.

Connotation: I believe the photo was taken to highlight the level of disdain and cultural hatred is felt towards the Muslim population by the general American public. The aggressively written ‘Terroist’ across her forehead is an obvious indication of branded hatred against someone who is simply practising their right to believe in something.

Studium: Being Iranian born, but spending most her life in the states, Rahbar defines her work as a ‘mirror image’ of her geographic environments and historical memories. This is in fact a self portrait and she is using the United States flag to question the state of national identity. The framing is centred around her expression and uses a close up to bring forward her emotions and feelings on this serious subject.

Punctum: There are a number of interesting features associated with this photograph, most notably the contrast between what the religious garment represents to the Muslim community and the fact that it is an American flag – a country that is predominantly un-accepting of this culture. The harsh branding of the word ‘Terrorist’ on Rahbar’s forehead represents the negative social stigma that surrounds the Muslim culture in the States, and how most Muslims are viewed upon with a highly racist and judgementally negative stereotype. Does the fact that she is donning the American flag convey a sense of a yearning to be accepted by the wider American populace? It seems that for now Rahbar is trying to express that this yearning is a futile attempt as the branding is an oblivious rejection to even the most accepting and solace seeking Muslim individuals. Rahbar’s blank expression is also of note – she is neither smiling nor upset and therefore is accepting of this seemingly blind rejection in American society. An interesting commentary indeed.

I found a helpful video! (and YouTube channel for that matter…)

I had a bit of a hard time defining ‘studium’ and ‘punctum’, but after a quick YT search I managed to find a very helpful explanatory video. In fact, it seems this whole channel is pretty darn useful for photography. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/user/PhlearnLLC?feature=watch

[#2] Inspirational Images 1: Pool surrounded by flood – Thomas Peter

Throughout this blog I will be including a variety of inspirational images that have peaked my interest, either for direct influence for my own work or simply because a certain feature particularly caught my attention. Below is an interesting photograph taken by Thomas Peter who attempted to document a flood that occurred in Germany in 2013, with my accompanying analysis:

Denotation: The photograph shows the back garden of someone’s home completely engulfed in murky flood water – all but for the clear pool of water that is left untouched.

Connotation: It is this contrast between the surrounding opaque water and the clear pool that creates an absurd sense of desperation that natural disasters commonly cause. The photo therefore was taken to highlight how commercial/man-made structures no matter how perfectly built and revered by the owner, will ultimately mean nothing in the face of a natural disaster.

Studium: Thomas Peter’s initial intentions were to document a significant flood in the German region north of Magdeburg. He at first waded through the streets to capture the ’emotional dimension’ of the tragedy, but later took this photograph from a bird’s eye view position from a helicopter at a seemingly rare and opportunistic moment. He believed the absurdity of this image better encapsulated the force of nature against man, and the moment of capture was fleeting – only a split second was allotted for this image thus making the astute framing and composition an impressive feat under the circumstances.

Punctum: The man-made swimming pool is perfectly untouched by the earthly flood waters – this stark contrast is an effective allusion to how the order we as individuals take for granted is in fact merely just an ‘illusion’ in the face of nature. The fact that the pool itself is completely surrounded by water has a sad irony attached to it – the owner of this establishment  spent a lot of time and resources building an elaborate and lavish feature to house water, and yet with zero effort one momentary sudden force of nature destroys this fleeting attempt to surround that with which was the primary goal in the first place. Nature is the ultimate power, it seems.