A discussion and analysis of various examples of vernacular photography, Making use of the seven perspectives for photographic analysis
Written by Crystal McLeod November 2010 www.crystalmcleodphoto.com
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Vernacular photography is a term that was coined for the action of taking creative photographs, without the intention of doing so. This essay will aim to give a thorough definition of „vernacular photography‟, as well as providing examples of such photography, from three different areas, namely found photographs, photographs from a professional photographer who is known for photographing his family, and also photographs taken for the purpose of creating a „Familia Book‟. The analyses offered will be written in accordance with the „Six Perspectives for photographic analysis‟ as discussed in the book, Images and Messages by Paul Martin Lester.
The term can be used to describe photographs which were taken by amateur photographers who documented family, friends or holiday trips, amongst other things. With the passage of time, these amateur images are sometimes recognized as artistic and therefore often gain value and may become sought after images. These photographs are characterized by a spontaneous subject captured in an artistic manner. Something that comes to mind is the classic family portrait that is taken in front of the family car, often having the house in the background too. This is similar to one of the photographs that will be looked at later on in this body of work, when discussing and analyzing different examples of vernacular photography.
First, a thorough look at what vernacular photography is. According to Senguttuvan, a graduate student of the University of Miami, vernacular photography has been used as a medium of personal memory, journalism and documentation, during which the photographer is not concerned with “aesthetics as defined by the art world.” Senguttuvan also quite accurately notes that “photography exists and operates on two separate (and different) planes. (www.vernacular-photography.org/about) In addition, he posits that two things can co-exist without ever intersecting, but he further questions whether there is something to be gained by such intersections. This, however, also the raises the question of how it might be possible to get these things to intersect.
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“Found photography” is the name given to photographs that have been recovered from a place where they were left, unclaimed. These types of photographs are very closely related to vernacular photography. The use of vernacular photography in the arts is almost as old as photography itself. Vernacular photography has become far more common in recent years. It has become more common as an art technique and is now a widely accepted genre of art photography. One could tentatively say that this is because of the availability, affordable and convenience of modern easy-to-use (digital) camera equipment. This ease of use could also be why social media sites have been bombarded with „snapshots‟ of everyday life. The next section of this essay will be concerned with giving an analysis of two different photographs that were found in a personal family archive. These photographs have historical importance, and also have importance from a personal perspective. Figure 1 (below) is an image that can be considered a family portrait, consists of an outdoor scene. The subjects are lit by natural light, and there is a car in the immediate background. One can see a section of a second car in the far background. The natural sunlight seems to be the cause of the squinting subjects, which is why there is little eye contact with the viewer. The subjects are trying to smile, but there expressions seem to show that they are uncomfortable with the direct light in their eyes. The photograph is a black and white one, so there are no visual clues of colour, but the deep tones show the high contrast ratio of the light. There is no evidence of movement in the photograph, with the static poses, and stationary vehicles. Fig. 1: Grobler Children by Coenraad Grobler, [n.d]
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The gestalt laws apply in this composition, as the vehicle has been cropped on ends, front and back, but one knows that it continues out of the image. The car in the background has also been cropped, but again the same law applies. One could note that the huddled group of children represents a family. One could safely assume that a group like this is universally recognized as either a group of friends, or family members. The eldest daughter appears to be a caring and protective character because of the way her hands are rested on the shoulders of the youngest child. The siblings appear to be quite closely connected to one another in this photograph. The style of the period was to have family portraits taken in studio, or to take your own „snapshots‟ at home. This photograph would fall into the latter category, but as a result of its vernacular nature, the image can be considered as an artistic one. The foreground, middle ground and background were not carefully considered, but the overall result is a relatively pleasing one, with a focus on the subjects. One‟s initial gut reaction to the image is what was discussed earlier, in the fact that such an image comes to mind when thinking about vernacular photography. There are technical considerations that must be taken into account here, but it is not likely that the photographer was thinking about composition, lighting, poses or background at the time. It is probable that it was the children‟s mother or father that took this portrait of all four children together, so they had a moral responsibility to represent their children in a fairly accurate manner. There is an element of hedonism in this image in that the photographer wanted to capture their children, and have a photograph of them together, so in a way, they were living for the moment.
The image below (Figure 2) is a photograph, also black and white, which is a documentation of an ordinary day. The photograph is strikingly composed and has a very interesting atmosphere about it.
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It appears as though natural light was used here, but the building was either shaded or it was late in the afternoon. The light seems to be coming from the front of the subject (left side of the image). This is evident because of the way the shadows are falling on the subjectâ€&#x;s arms and legs. There are no harsh shadows, but the image has good tones and contrast. The subject is not making eye contact with the photographer or with the viewer because he seems fixated on the task at hand. The photograph does not have a lot of Fig. 2: Freddie Grobler by Coenraad Grobler, [n.d]
T
depth as the wall is in the direct background.
here is a section on the left, however, that seems to be further back than the right half
of the image. Movement is implied in this image, and it may be associated with the laws of gestalt. The viewer knows that that the subject was in action, and this helps create movement within the image. The action taking place in the image is evidence of the historical period in which the photograph was taken. We no longer need to pump water into a bucket, showing the viewer that the image was taken in the region of 40 to 50 years ago.
Although the image is a strikingly artistic one, it is not likely that the photographer at the time was taking note of the composition or lighting, he was most likely documenting his son on an average day. Oneâ€&#x;s gut reaction to this image is that it is an artistic one. The viewer might feel that viewing this photograph leads them to mimic the smiling expression of the little boy (subject). Again, as in the image discussed previously, the moral responsibility of the creator is to portray his son in an accurate manner. There is no fixed rule that is followed in this image; it seems to have been a mere documentation of an action. In a way, a message is produced by the image, but more than that, it is a documentation of the times, and has become an all-important record in history. pg. 5
This next section of this essay will analyse two works of a notable professional photographer who is known for photographing his family. This chosen photographer is Larry Towell. He is a magnum photographer who has focused on documenting his family. His most recent book (2008) is entitled The world from my Front Porch. Larry Towell said in a video essay, that for him, the most difficult subject to photograph was his children (http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essa y/frontporch). Towell, as the title of his latest book describes, photographed the world from is front porch, and photographed beyond his porch too. He documented his family, and wars, but most of all, he focused on photographing land and landlessness. Figure 3 (shown above) is a portrait of Larry Towellâ€&#x;s pregnant wife and his daughter, Naomi, taken at their home in Fig. 3: Pregnant Ann with Naomi, Lambton Country, Canada by Larry Towell, 1989
Ontario, Canada.
The photograph appears to be using window light that is coming from above the subjectâ€&#x;s heads (the top of the image). This is evident as a result of the fairly soft shadows cast down towards the bottom of the image. The subjects are not clothed, but they are not exposed in any way. It is a simple image that is free from clutter, showing only the subjects and what seems to be a bed that they are lying on. The eye contact that is present in the image is between the subjects, rather than with the viewer. This created a feeling of voyeurism, as though the viewer is looking in on a special moment. There are no visual cues of movement, but the shapes and lines created in the image, by the positioning of their bodies, are very organic, and flowing in away. pg. 6
The gestalt laws do apply to this image as the grown woman‟s legs have been cropped off, but the viewer has a sense that there is more to the photograph, and that her legs do continue, even though they are not shown in the frame. The image is of a personal nature, and gives an initial feeling of intimacy between mother and daughter. The moral responsibility of the photographer was to portray the relationship between these two females without exposing their bodies in an improper manner, which would have resulted in an image that is explicit in its nature. The above image, however important in history, or in a more personal perspective, does tell a story, and most definitely creates a message that speaks to the relationship between the subjects, but there is no message that is created to serve a greater good or educate the public; it is a mere documentation of a mother and a daughter. The image on the left is also one from Larry Towell‟s book, The World from my Front Porch. Again, the image was taken of Towell‟s wife, Ann, with one of his children. This image, like the one before it, is a simple image. The image Fig. 4: The Pear, Lambton Country, Canada. Larry Towell, 1983
has a simple composition,
and quite a clear message. The image consists of an outdoor landscape, in a landscape format, together with a lady and what appears to be her child both sitting in a vehicle which may have been called a „truck‟ in the period in which the photograph was taken. The vehicle and subjects are in the immediate foreground, while the landscape stretches out into the distant background. The „road‟ on which the vehicle is parked appears to be a long one that extends over the hilly horizon. One can assume that natural sunlight has been used to light the landscape and the subjects, by looking at the overexposed sky and also the harsh shadow that is cast under the woman‟s arm. pg. 7
It is notable that there is no eye contact with the viewer by the subjects. They look like they are totally concerned with their actions and the time and space that they are in. They appear to be oblivious of the photographer, which might be the result of the photographer using a relatively long lens. This is a good example of an image that makes use of depth of field, and as a result of the outstretching road, there is some implied movement. The image is a narrow section of what appears to be a vast landscape. The laws of gestalt also apply to this image because it is easy to understand that the vehicle does not end there, even though the whole vehicle is not included in the frame. Again, the image here of the photographer‟s family is probably a personal one because of the subject matter The next section of this body of work will be concerned with discussing and analyzing two recent photographs, which were taken with the purpose of documenting a personal family and including them in a “Familia Book” that was produced. The style of these two photographs is quite different to those that were discussed previously, because even though they are a documentation of everyday life, and not studio portraits, they are more static as a result of the poses. This section will discuss Figure 5 and Figure 6 simultaneously as they are so similar in their composition, lighting and overall style. Figure 5 is of an early-twenties female, who is alone in the
frame. Ambient light has been
blocked out of the background as a result of bounced flash onto the subject. This has created a dark background, which looks almost like a dark wall. The window light used in Figure 6, has caused a similar effect, but the background (which was quite far away) was also intentionally darkened in postproduction. Fig. 5: Heather McLeod by Crystal McLeod, 2010
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Each of the images have female subject that are looking directly at the viewer. They are in very static positions, cancelling out the chance of any movement in the images. Both Figure 5 and Figure 6 are colour images Fig. 6: Jeanette & Leilani by Crystal McLeod, 2010
with little depth.
They are of a more commercial nature than an artistic nature. Gestalt laws apply to both images, where the arms of the different subjects have not been included in the frames. The viewer automatically knows that the subjects have arms that continue out of the frame. A closer and more personal portrait is created by such a composition and close cropping. Oneâ€&#x;s initial reaction to the images might be that they look like ordinary portraits, and this might be an accurate one, however, in figure 6, a message is created by the pose of the two women. It is possible to conclude that they have a fairly close relationship with one another, and that they are in fact related, being mother and daughter. No specific rules have been followed in these images, and they have no societal impact or educational messages. As can be concluded from several image analyses that were provided in this body of work, styles and photographic approaches vary greatly between photographers. Though vernacular photography may be considered as „snapshotsâ€&#x; which have gained artistic importance over the passage of time, vernacular photography may mean something different to different people. One has to question whether vernacular photography has its place in history, or whether people continue to take photographs which will become
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considered as „vernacular‟ once time has passed, and they are found further down the line. In addition to this question of the creation of vernacular photography, one has to consider the importance of these photographs, and also their use, which brings us to the point of combined documentary (and vernacular) photographs. The production of a book based on one‟s personal family history is an interesting and quite important venture. There are various things that can be gained through this process, including an understanding of the past, the lives of those who lived before you, and the things that were part of life. It can be an emotional journey at times, but an educational one, none the less. This essay has aimed to provide a comprehensive explanation of „vernacular photography.‟ It has done so by offering opinions of others, as well as discussing and analysing found photographs, and also the work of others. The analyses use Paul Martin Lester‟s „Six Perspectives for photographic analysis‟ as discussed in his book, Images and Messages.
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Reference List: Babette. 2009. Found Photo: Vintage Vernacular Photography. [Online] Available: http://www.thefoundphoto.com [Date Cited: November 2010] Foster, J. 2010. Accidental Mysteries Website. [Online] Available: http://www.accidentalmysteries.com [Date Cited: November 2010] [n.a] [n.d] Vernacular Photography on Wikipedia [Online] Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernacular_photography [Date Cited: November 2010] Rosenthal, R. 2000. Vernacular Photography Website. [Online] Available: http://www.vernacularphotography.com [Date Cited: November 2010] Senguttuvan, V. 2010. Vernacular Photography: University of Miami. [Online] Available: http://www.vernacular-photography.org [Date Cited: November 2010]
Reading List: Griffiths, A. 2010. Luminous Lint: For Collectors and Connoisseurs of Fine Photography. [Online] Available: http://www.luminous-lint.com [Date Cited: November 2010] Langford & Bilissi. 2008. Langfordâ€&#x;s Advanced Photography: The guide for aspiring photographers (7th ed.) London: Focal Press [n.a] [n.d] Vernacular Reframed: An exploration of the Everyday. [Online] Available: http://www.bu.edu/art/webPages/vernacular/biblio2.html [Date Cited: November 2010] van Loo, A & Dijkman. D. 2010. Time Tales Website. [Online] Available: http://www.timetales.com [Date Cited: November 2010]
Image References: Fig.1: Grobler, C. [n.d] Grobler Children from McLeod Family Archives Fig.2: Grobler, C. [n.d] Freddie Grobler from McLeod Family Archives Fig 3: Towell, L. 1989. Pregnant Ann with Naomi, Lambton Country, Canada. Fig 4: Towell, L. 1983. The Pear, Lambton Country, Canada. Fig 5: McLeod, C. 2010. Heather McLeod. From McLeod Memoirs Book Fig 6: McLeod, C. 2010. Jeanette & Leilani McLeod. From McLeod Memoirs Book pg. 11