Photography - The Shape Shifter
- Laura Marsh
- Jan 28, 2021
- 7 min read
Considering the contexts in which my practice may operate in, I feel it ultimately depends on how I work. My practice currently could be considered as observational and documentary, as I am capturing moments and objects in the street. In that instance, my current practice could suit online transmission and dissemination, via social media and online galleries, but it could also be as a book of a project, thereby collating all relevant images together for viewers to see in context of the project. Online they could lose that impact somehow if text is not included with some explanation. Similar to James Mollison’s work ‘James and Other Apes, 2004, which was discussed in the presentation this week, which was used by Benneton in 2004 for advertising, to touch upon diversity and races within apes, but Mollison’s work was in fact a 4 year project and book, which would not have been evident to viewers.
Berger’s explanation mentioned in the presentation, considering the context, and meaning behind photographs, I felt resonated with my work, in terms of the choices I make when constructing the image in my head once I find an object of interest. “An Image is a sight that has been recreated or reproduced. It is an appearance, or set of appearances, which has been detached from the place and time in which it first made it’s appearance and preserved – for a few moments or a few centuries” (Berger, 1972:9)
I have an awareness of how certain images within my project could be received by viewers. These images are those of deceased animals, I am aware that some viewers may be sensitive or offended by these, so I consider the image while I shoot it. My human choices, as I discuss in my blog post ‘Human Choices’, include making any images of dead animals respectful, I capture the animal as it lays/appears, but I check whether it is suitable, such as if it could be too graphic and include blood or if it has signs of decomposition/age. If these exist, I choose not to capture it, as I feel it documents the cause of death rather than the beauty of the animal. I wish to inform the viewers of this beauty and gracefulness of an animal lay peacefully, as a reminder of the fragility and observation of the details, instead of documenting deaths of animals in a way that could be an awareness campaign.
Photography, Photographies
John Szarkowski’s five characteristics of a photograph in his book The Photographer’s Eye, 1966, was discussed in this week’s presentation video Photography, Photographies. The five properties or characteristics Szarkwoski discusses are The Thing, The Detail, The Frame, Time and The Vantage Point.
The Thing relates to my work as I bring an object to the forefront of our attention, one thing that stands out to me on the ground I am walking on, making it noticed when ordinarily it would be ignored or missed. Szarkwoski cited in the presentation “ A photography evokes the tangible presence of reality” (Szarkwoski, 1966:12).
This links to The Detail discussed next. Detail is an important element of my work, as I seek out to highlight those details we do not see. It is discussed that a photographer is tied to representing elements of reality and can only capture those fragments, something I must choose. For example, do I include the surrounding ground, the edge of the pavement or just the object and crop out anything else. My choice to leave pavement edges within some shots is to bring familiarity to the photograph, and a sense of place. Szarkwoski cited in the presentation “ From the reality before him he could only choose that part that seemed relevant and consistent, and that would fill his plate” (Szarkwoski, 1966:42).
This also links to another of Szarkowsi’s characteristics, The Frame and another I identify with within my work and the choices I have discussed above and within my blog post ‘Human Choices’.
My aim to capture the beauty and detail in all subjects I choose links to Susan Sontag, who is quoted from her book On Photography in the presentation “ To photograph is to confer importance. There is no subject that cannot be beautified; moreover, there is no way to suppress the tendency inherent in all photographs o accord value to their subjects” (Sontag, 1977:28). This I feel is relevant to my images of dead animals, as they are seen as ugly once dead on the ground, but in cases I see peace and beauty and I try to capture that in my images.
My practice also includes Time. Szarkwoski is cited “All photographs are time exposures of shorter or longer duration, and each describes a discrete parcel of time. This time is always present” (Szarkwoski, 1966:10) . This links to Cartier-Bresson's ‘decisive moment’ a notion that has inspired me within my own work, capturing a specific moment that may not be there in moments time, whether is it blown away, removed or will decay further.
This also can be included in the final of Szarkowski’s characteristics, The Vantage Point. Although it is discussed that these can relate to aerial shots and satellite views, I relate this to my vantage point of looking down. Selecting and framing of the world and surroundings at my feet. I can see this in an image I shot recently, not related to my project, but I wanted to try and capture the moment of two pigeons looking at each other on the edge of a cliff. As I am too small to see further over the rails separating me and the pigeons, I decided to hold my phone out and try taking a ‘blind shot’ without scaring them, not knowing what I would capture. When I reviewed the image later in the day, I realised had I not only captured what I intended, but I also managed to catch two people walking below the cliff, just as they passed between the pigeons.
Stephen Shore, as discussed in this week’s presentation, characterises photography into levels Physical Level, Depictive Level and Mental Level in his book The Nature of Photographs, 1998. Two of these levels I feel relate to my own work and I recognise processes within.
Firstly, The Depictive Level. This is broken up into four ways in which the world can be seen in front of the camera and transformed into a photograph. Flatness, Frame, Time and Focus. Frame and Time are remarkably similar to those mentioned and discussed by Szarkwoski previously. Shore describes Frame as being Passive and Active, with passive looking outwards of the frame making you wonder what is in the world outside of the photograph, something I choose to do within my own work. Selecting a top-down approach, cutting out any surrounding features to identify the location of the object/subject. Active therefore is looking inward, making the photograph a self-contain world, again, similar to my own practice.
Time is also something that relates to my practice and a notion I use, capturing moments as they are before they change or removed. An element of Time Shore discusses is Still Time, where the content is at rest and time is still. This context could be applied to my own work, and something I have noticed but not explored.
Secondly, is The Mental Level, Shore describes this as when we understand and make the photographs ourselves. I discuss this aspect in my previous post on Human Choices, when discussing my thought process while taking a photograph. When I spot something of interest, I imagine how it could be framed before taking the shot, using visual cues of its surroundings, is it next to something that juxtaposes its place? Are there contrasting colours and tones? Here I can see reference to Shore’s The Frame and Time.
Shore is cited in the presentation, “You see a mental image – a mental construction – when you read this page or look at a photography or anything else in world” (Shore, 1998:55).
Where am I Now?
Here, I reference my previous blog post ‘Intent: Moving Forward’ where I discuss where my practice is now and my intent for this module. My aim is to continue with my idea of looking at our surroundings and the details, but to develop it to include how we can use this method to help deal with health and mental health, including my own experiences, influenced by my current circumstances.
My work past and present has always had undertones of links with my own health and my circumstances at the time, as I discussed within my oral presentation. I do not plan to delve too deeply into my own health, but upon reflection over the Christmas break, along with stopping and taking time to feel how my body is coping with having to stay at home and work and study from home, I was beginning to see links to how my mood and feelings were directing if I went for a walk or not and the act of looking helped to ease any stress and pain.
I will reflect on the topics raised within this week's presentation, and how they can further develop my practice going forward regarding The Frame, Time and construction of my photographs.
In response to my forum post this week for ‘Human Choices’, I received some feedback from my peers that have helped me understand how my idea is portrayed and a general understanding of what I want to achieve. My use of colours and high contrast have identified my choices and a sense that if I did not compose my images mentally beforehand, I could only show something briefly. Others can see a personal style emerging from my work from these colours, high contrasts, and choice of lighting, as well as using my visual cues to crop or frame an image while shooting, something they reference to our experience using film, where you must slow down and think about what you capture. I have been given some points of reference which I am and will be looking into, one Charlotte Cotton’s notion of ‘anti-reportage stance and a couple of practitioners suggested from my tutor: Ori Gerscht’s still life work of exploding fruit and fine artist and taxidermist Polly Morgan.
References:
Books:
Al, Et. Ways of Seeing : Based on the BBC Television Series with John Berger. 1972. London, British Broadcasting Corporation, 2008.
Shore, Stephen. The Nature of Photographs. Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press, 1998.
Sontag, Susan, and Penguin. On Photography. London, Penguin Books, 2008.
Szarkowski, John. The Photographer’s Eye : [Exhibition At] the Museum of Modern Art, New York [1966]. New York, N.Y., The Museum Of Modern Art, Cop, 1966.
Images:
Theophanidis, Philippe. “James Mollison Photography: ‘James & Other Apes’ (2004).” APHELIS, 17 Aug. 2011, aphelis.net/james-mollison-photography-james-other-apes-2004/. Accessed 28 Jan. 2021.
Bibliography:
Websites Visited:
“James & Other Apes.” JAMES MOLLISON, 2021, www.jamesmollison.com/james-other-apes. Accessed 28 Jan. 2021.
Figures:
Fig 1: James Mollison, 2004, James and Other Apes
Fig 2: Laura Marsh, 2020, Compositional Experiments (Uncropped)
Fig 3: Laura Marsh, 2020, Compositional Experiments (cropped)
Fig 4: Laura Marsh, 2021, Perfect Capture
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