LM116 – Photographic Practice – Mali Lines Harvey

Susan Sontag examines the relationship between photography and truth in her book “In Plato’s Cave” (1977). Sontag uses the analogy of Plato’s Cave to explain how photographs are representations of a truth and therefore can never be the full truth.  In Plato’s Cave, prisoners were facing a blank wall and had been dong all their lives. They believed that shadows on the walls were the “real thing”, however when they were freed they realised that the shadows were not the real objects, instead they were representations of real people and objects creating the shadows. In this analogy the audience experiencing a photograph are equated to the prisoners who have are facing the wall. The photographs an audience is looking at are the shadows or representations of the real thing. The objects and people that have been photographed are the real thing or truth. This is because photographs are not the real life object, person or environment pictured. Also, photographs are framed and can be edited and presented in certain versions/artistic portrayals by photographers.

Sontag goes on to explain how advances in technology have blurred the distinction between the real thing or the truth and an altered representation f the truth. She identifies technologies such as the modern camera that can adapt to the mobile reality of the everyday, creating more opportunity for casual, authentic images, making it more convincing as being the “truth”. It is also easier to change the fabrication of an image with editing software. This can mislead an audience into believing that the edited version of a representation are closer to reality than they actually are.

Sontag explains that,to her mind, photography is a practice of “non-intervention” and is a vehicle for documentation. This made me think of the war photography in Vietnam’s War Museum (Saigon/Ho chi min city, Vietnam). During the Vietnam war, many journalists used photography to document the horrors of war. These photographers were not there to change the events in the present, but document moments in time that would prove to be a very important part of understanding the war and contributes to the delivery of justice for those who suffered from war crimes. Sontag also explains that events that seem unimportant at first sight can be respected and valued as pieces of history and art. To Sontag’s mind, photography can add more importance to an event, with the presumption that it was deserving of photographic documentation and therefore important enough to attain a certain “immortality” in photographic form.

Sontag brings to light issues with photography “violating” people. The act of photographing someone, gives you a higher power over them, as you will have a document/ representation of them, from a perspective they can never see themselves from in “real life”. Sontag compares photography to hunting, explaining that the camera is like a gun, when you have a camera you have a certain power over anyone in your frame. This reminded me of the importance of consensual photography. Also, in order to take more authentic shots, I will attempt to avoid making people feel uneasy and instead capture them in a natural, relaxed state, even if that involves extravagant visuals and movement.

In conclusion, Susan Sontag uses Plato’s Cave analogy to highlight the fact that images are mere representations, artistic views and versions of reality, yet reality itself is lost in an illusive moment in time and space. She explains how recording events/ moments in time give them a sense of immortality and importance that may not be immediately recognised in the present. However, photographs may hold nothing more than the rights to artistic value. Sontag reminds the reader that it is important to acknowledge the potential for photography to create feelings of violation in the subject and steps should be taken to reduce the chances of this violation. I will take into account these points raises by Sontag, in order to create a more sensitive portfolio.

Portfolio Introduction:

The photographs in my portfolio were all taken at my family home in Bristol. I wanted to covey an authentic representation of my home which, through my eyes, would capture the quirky, energetic vibrancy of my family and house. However, I also wanted to capture the quieter moments within family life. I aimed to create an honest, balanced representation of my home, with a mix of exciting, vibrant images and darker, more evocative images. I sketched my ideas and began the process of creating these photographs.

The first couple of images in my portfolio are of my mum’s tutu’s. I took close up shots of the fabric. The fabric fills the entire frame, making the subject of the photograph more ambiguous and intriguing. Also, the close up images allows the audience a very intimate, unusual view of the clothing, which to my mind makes the photograph more interesting and engaging.

I wanted to portray my mum as the energetic, bubbly women she is. I adjusted the shutter speed on my camera to capture movement in my photographs. I think that, the photograph of my mum dancing highlights her energy. This is because I captured the blur of the sequins of her dress as she danced, showing movement and making the photograph feel less still and isolated from “real life”.

The picture of the chair legs and floorboards was a representation of those spaces in my home that are very strangely magical and familiar but unnoticeable and insignificant to those who have not lived at my house. However, I think that most people have places like these in their homes, perhaps this image will remind someone of their own magical space.

I took photographs of our family photo draw and a little box of photographs of my dad. I felt really nostalgic when looking at the photographs, so I decided to shoot the photographs to highlight the feeling of “time gone by” and belonging. I like the way that objects such as photographs can capture moments in time and keep memories alive. Most of these photographs were from quite a long time ago, which made me wonder how material things can represent people’s presence and emotions in the more recent past. For example, I was inspired to photograph the cigarettes, messily flicked onto the table. I believe this photo is particularly interesting because it has my mum’s bright pink lipstick on the butt. I love the way that people’s influence over their material environment can leave clues that represent their true self and character.

In the last picture, I stood in my back garden at night and took a picture of the bright windows of my house. The contrast between the light in my house and the darkness outside represents how uplifted and safe my home makes me feel, especially with the addition of my dad, holding our little dog in the window.

I believe that I have taken photographs that are true to my personal sense of place. Authenticity is difficult to achieve. However, I believe that creating images that capture the emotional significance and ‘energy’ of a place is a sincere interpretation of real life. I really enjoyed creating this portfolio and I hope that my photographs are interesting and visually engaging for those who view them.

We altered the shutter speed and aperture settings to explore the ways in which they affect the photograph in relation to movement and light. We also experimented with different angles of shot, in order to create cohesive series of photographs. 

The cigarettes in the first image are soggy, grimy and placed messily. The second photograph shows fallen leaves. These leaves have also built up overtime and share similar colours to the cigarettes on the bin in the first image. I felt that these similarities meant that the photographs complimented each-other. The cigarettes immediately made me think of how smoking affects human health. For example, the idea of “accumulation overtime” and “griminess” made me think of another interesting link between these two images. Smoking fills your lungs with grimy, blackish tar which builds up overtime (tar). To my mind, this can be represented by the accumulation of fallen, rotten leave overtime, suffocating the ground below, just as smoking reduces your lung capacity.

As part of our photography workshop, we split into groups and had the task to photograph the Grand Parade School of Art . In these photographs we attempted to capture the artistic nature of the school. We photographed contrasting colours to create more visually bold images, that could represent the vibrant creativity of the school and the students studying in it. We also photographed the students lockers because they were covered in the students stickers, as well as quirky, hand drawn names, bringing a sense of reality to our shoot. Finally, we took photographs of each other as”art students”, which we thought was important as the students and creative people, were to our minds, the most important sculptors of the creative atmosphere.

I explored Alain Laboile’s “La Famille 2015” series.  The black and white photographs allowed me to focus on the subject more clearly. I felt that the absence of colour allowed me to view a more simple and sincere portrayal of the subject. B&W photography hightlights the contrast between light and darkness, perfect for intense, violently beautiful images. This contrast often allows more detail to be highlighted, for example in the last photograph the water droplets shine clearly, as they are lighter than the girls back. I want to create a contrast photographic series, with the backdrop of my brothers all white bed covers. The white backdrop will create a contrast with the darker elements of the photographs in the series (middle series in the  image below). In the first picture, movement is captured. I want to incorporate movement into my photographs, using a longer shutter speed. I feel inspired by Alain Laboile’s usage of movement because it suggests a sense of immediacy and “real life”, as it is not still and controlled.

The photographer Alex Majoli: I find the elusive sense of home captured in this series to be really intriguing. He captures strange, ambiguous objects that form an interesting paradox between hostile objects/ unwelcoming images and the feeling of belonging and safety of home.

This made me think about what paradoxes are present in my idea of home . I want to incorporate photographic paradoxes in my portfolio, such as  the contrast between the ordinary and strange. The strangeness of home, when familiar and known, becomes the ordinary. The character quirks of the people you love and the environment you feel comfortable in, compared to the socially defined “ordinary” is what i define as home. Home is a place that you can be yourself, however quirky than may be.

I want to take pictures of my mum who is to me, the essence of both home and vibrant strangeness.

We experimented with lighting techniques such as reflective light…..

In this interview, essential points are raised concerning the need for carefully a chosen subject for a photographic project . David Hurn expresses the importance of choosing the right subject with a series of useful tips and comments, in response to Bill Jays questions.

Hurn explains that subject choice is of crucial importance when photographing anything you intend to communicate meaning and to engage an audience. He explains that photography should only be a “vehicle for transmitting a passion in something else”, other than photography as an act. He argues that passionate images are only possible when the photographer has a subject matter they are passionate about in mind.

Hurn supplies some useful information about how to approach choosing a photographic subject, suggesting a few steps that he uses, to ensure he selects a good subject. His steps are composed of a number of questions that he suggests we ask ourselves. For example, he encourages us to consider “Is this subject visual”. He is asking the reader to question whether or not their subject will engage an audience and if their passion can be communicated visually. This question is similar to his other question ” Is it practical”, he raises the point that a photographer must select a subject that can be accessed by them and in a way that will allow them to produce interesting photographs. He also suggests you pose the questions “do I care enough about this subject” and “do I know enough about it?”. He explains that it is important to know enough about a subject to avoid misinterpretation and important to care about the subject matter in order to creative emotive images.

In conclusion, David Hurn encourages us to carefully assess our choice of subject. He offers a basic framework of criteria for choosing a subject. At first these questions may feel too clinical, however they allow you to increase the creativity of your photographs as you have a clearer idea about what you want to convey through them.