The History Of Photographic Journalism.
Jodie Roberts
The Myth of The Egyptian Afterlife What is a myth? A myth is a story that has been told many times to convey some sort of meaning or lesson. The story is told and usually spread to family members or members of tribes/villages. Story telling was the basic creation of myths as story telling was very important in all aspects of ancient life. Myths can originate from thousands of years to explain to future family members why there are storms, or why one ritual is important to that family or something as simple as what could be good or bad luck. Most myths include gods and goddesses or other mythical creatures such as minatours or in Egyptian time’s curses and the afterlife ECT.
Egyptian Gods:
Amun- King of Gods Anubis- God of the dead Horus- God of the sky, protector of Egypt Isis- Goddess of help and protection of the people Orisis- Ruler of the underworld, and god of resurrection Seshat- Goddess of writing Seth- God of chaos
It’s fascinating to look at how the Egyptians as they worshipped Gods for different aspects of life such as Underworld, Love, and Protection. Their lives revolved heavily around those beliefs and the thought of upsetting one of the Gods meant that a punishment would be made, usually resulting in extremes of flooding or drought. These beliefs and were usually the birthplace of all myths from that era. Egyptian life was heavily impacted by mythical legends. Most of their philosophies came from observations with nature and their beliefs were based around elements for example the moon/stars/sun and other natural occurrences such as rain and for the Egyptians the Nile river. Gods would be given a specific element, it would be their duty to protect, keep the balance/peace or to help their worshipers. Language and storytelling was very pictorial during ancient times as myths would appear frequently in the hieroglyphs which decorated temple walls in Ancient Egypt and in scrolls and tablets found by archaeologists.
The After Life Myth. The afterlife was one of the most important philosophies that radiated in Egyptian life. The afterlife was the one belief that was passed on through generations for thousands of years, it was their biggest belief that Egyptian people would spend their whole life preparing for. The attitudes towards death came to one conclusion; death was not the end of your life but a necessary part of life to help aid your entry to the ‘Afterlife’. This philosophy was also known as ‘The field of offerings’ or ‘The field of rushes’ The afterlife was always portrayed to be the ‘Ideal version of Egypt’ and every Egyptian prepared their whole life for the privilege of being able to pass through to the afterlife if a person was not worthy of passing through to the afterlife by passing challenges in the underworld then that person was doomed to living their life in the underworld. That was every Egyptians worst nightmare. The preparation for the afterlife would consist of mummification which included on removing organs from the body and incasing them in canopic jars to take with them to the afterlife, the heart was precious as it was thought that it was the most important part of the body and an essential part of the process of the journey to the afterlife. Worshipping the various Gods/Goddesses was another essential part of an Egyptians life, their Priests would create legends and myths about the afterlife and tell people that they must worship the Gods and be selfless in their mortal life to allow them to continue to the afterlife. This was fundamental in their religion and is probably where most of the beliefs and legends came from that radiated throughout life in Egypt. The myth of the afterlife led to the belief that the soul was perishable and at great risk if the soul had lead a selfless life. If the mortal should lead a good life full of good deeds then they were more likely to succeed in facing the challenges the underworld had to offer. The underworld was feared by every Egyptian and it has been foretold that if your soul cannot pass the challenges in the underworld you are not able to pass through and your life will continue in the underworld forever. If you were lucky enough to pass through the underworld the soul would be greeted by the God of the Dead, Anubis. He would great each soul at the Hall of Two Truths, it is there where the fate of the deceased is decided in a hearing in front of 42 gods. Scales would be presented which would weigh the heart of the mortal. The heart would be weighed against the feather of truth which belongs to the goddess Ma’at, the good deeds were said to be measured in the heart therefore the more good deeds the lighter the heart would be. If the heart was heavier than the feather of truth the heart would be swallowed by a monstrous creature known i n legends as the ‘Devourer of Souls’. If the Egyptian was eligible to follow on to the afterlife he/she would be greeted by Orisis in the afterlife and be in an everlasting paradise in which they would be able to visit deceased family members. The myth of the Afterlife has been a myth that has been recorded thoroughly in more than 3000 years of Egyptian history. This just shows the enormity of the strength of myth and legend that has surrounded Egypt’s way of life. The idea of the afterlife links closely to the myth of today that once we pass the body decays but the spirit lingers on into a heaven, and this theory has been put forward by means of religion, showing that our way of life is very similar to that of Egyptians just out beliefs and gods have changed through the power of storytelling and legend through our ancestors.
The History of Image Aquisition
Henry Fox-Talbot 1834
Camera Obscura 1500
Ancient Times
Artists used this revolutionary technique which involved a blacked out room with a tiny hole which projected direct light onto a �lat surface, the projection would be colour. David Hockney discovered this and used this theory to answer why paintings were perfect in the 1500's. This technique explained why paintings had taken a dramatic improvement around this time.
Cave paintings, very advanced �indings, some theories that they had 'photographic memories'
Ancient Times Ancient Times
Ancient Greece- Stories told through paintings on vases and temple walls.
Hieroglyphics found on scrolls, walls of pyramids and ancient artifactsHieroglyphics were images that represented language. - Portraits and paintings of stories and myths such as after life, pharaoh's, and other leaders.
Henry Fox Talbort created 'Mouse Traps' which produced negative prints. "Within a few months, he began to experiment with the idea that had occurred to him at Lake Como and soon found that a sheet of �ine writing paper, coated with salt and brushed with a solution of silver nitrate, darkened in the sun, and
1816
James Clerk- Maxwell - 1861 First colour photograph taken by James Clerk- Maxwell - Black and white images through red, green and blue �ilters.
1871
Nicéphore Niepce combinded camera obscura with photosensitive paper.
Dr Richard Leech Maddox uses an emulsion of gelatine and silver bromide on glass to create the �irst dry plate.
1830
new discovery! certain chemicals reacted to light to create images
Louis Daguerre 1839 Louis Daguerre- Creates the 'Daguerreotype' experimenting with �ixing images into sheets of metal and mirror "�ixing shadows" he started experimenting in 1824, but perfected the art in 1839- looks like a polaroid.
1839 John Herschel experiments with hyposul�ite of soda and creates �irst glass negative.
1885 Kodak
Henri Cartier- Bresson begins his 60 year career in Photography
�irst Kodak camera. --> revolutionized photography, mass production of �ilm rolls.. 'you press the button and we do the rest' not actual photography as the camera is doing the work not you...
1948 Henri Cartier- Bresson 1931
�irst system camera Nikon
1986 Fuji created �irst disposable camera- single use cameras are now Eco-friendly
1933
First SLR camera began in 1933-1976... began in Germany but the factories were bombed during World War 2.
1900 George Eastman
1924 First Leica camera manufactured- 35mm
George Eastman sets up a dry plate company- Half tone photography appears in New York Graphic
1934
Fuji Started up their brand.
Haiti- The earthquake that devastated
Narrative Photography
The earthquake hit Haiti at catastrophic magnitude on Tuesday 12th January, 2010. The world witnessed this tragedy and the detrimental effects it had. We all sat at watched the brutal force of the tidal waves continue to devastate Haiti for days. The Haiti devastation was such a unique disaster as it has never been whitnessed before, certainly not or that severity. It was shown that 52 aftershocks caused an estimated 316,000 deaths, 300,000 injuries and a shocking 1,000,000 people left homeless. This shows the severity of the natural disaster that nobody saw coming. It leaves us to think about these people at such a sad time and we ask ourselves... What would I do in that position? What if my home was destroyed? I think it’s fair to say you could not imagine putting yourself in such a horrible position. This is why photographers/journalists and photojournalists quickly rushed to Haiti to offer help and support by constructing and capturing images to publish world wide to help raise funds and helpers who are able to fly over to Haiti to offer voluntry work looking after the sick, injured homeless orphans and manual work. Help for Haiti campaigns started worldwide to help raise the funds to help this country in need.
The Frozen Moment- Captured and Constructed. http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/how_to_help_haiti_earthquake_v.html This image ( RED BORDER) shows a young boy helping distribute high protein food packs to the helpless. This image strikes me as Haiti didn't only need to recruit the help from the world but also needed the people of Haiti to unite and work together to get the country out of crisis. This image shows the younger generation stepping up and helping their people. What strikes me most about this image is the fact that this young boy shouldn't be providing help to this disaster, he shouldn't even be in this position at all should he?No. This young boy should be out playing with friends and family. Another notable point about this image is the fact that the background is blurred making the focal point right on the young boy, in the background you are able to see the legs of what I presume is soldiers provided and dispatched by the United Nations to help stereo typically images that have been constructed like this one to use in aid posters ect, however it's the young boy in this particular image which is providing help. It's clear to see that this image has been carefully constructed to help gain more sympathy and funding for this disaster that has struck Haiti.
http://www.haitiquake.com/children-ofhaiti-pictures-10.html
Social Comment
Photography.
No wonder our perception of beauty is distored!”- Dove Campaign Social Media is heavily influenced around image, around how women look and how women aspire to look. Publications constantly show images that are brainwashing the younger generations. Magazines, runway models, Britains next top model, Vogue. All of these aree showing and publishing images of small, skinny models who have had make up done by professionals, and probably airbrushed in post production! PLASTIC SURGERY. - A significant amount of girls, if they had the money would get plastic surgery! = No Sef Confidence. Adverts show unattainable beauty.
“to all the girls that think you’re ugly because your not size 0, your the beautiful one, it’s society who’s ugly”- Marilyn Monroe. Social media has a very strong message that young girls are picking up on. The world is so concerned about fashion, dieting, plastic surgery, hair products, beauty products. ( i’m guilty, i’m so concerned on all of these things) But nobody is actually educated on this topic. from such a young age girls are trying to grow up too fast, putting make-up on at a young age, dressing up to look older then they are.Why can’t people put off growing up, enjoy how they look, and enjoy life.
THE DOVE BEAUTY CAMPAIGN. Trying to let the world know that all your flaws and imperfections actually make you beautiful. All of the models haven’t had make up applied, or have been airbrushed, they are all REAL WOMEN.
Nazi Propoganda.
Nazi Propoganda. Hitler. The worlds most famous dictator. Nazi Germany was under the rule of hitler from 1933- 1945. Hitler rose to power through the power of propaganda. The Nazi party was the largest in the Reichstag this was because of Hitlers secret weapon was Joseph Goebbels- Minister for Propaganda.
“the essence of propaganda consists of winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it� – joseph goebbels.
War time propaganda was a huge aspect of that generation as it was a way that the government could communicate with the public. Most propaganda radiated around recruitment, keeping peoples attitudes positive and rationing. Rationing was a major part of every countries war effort. Governments had to promote the action of growing and storing your own food ready for the war. This was because during the war in England especially huge ports and docks were bombed including my home city Hull! - Hull was bombed heavily as she was a major dock holding ships that have traded food from surrounding countries ect. Farming declined in the war as farmers would have to volunteer for the war, and obviously people weren't as wealthy as money had to be used for mass production of weaponry.
Propaganda was so powerful in Nazi Germany because it steered the whole nation to support Hitlers Nazi idea. Hitler controlled all aspects of life, he re-wrote books, dominated the cinema and made sure that cheap radios were available so everybody could listen to Hitlers speeches. Hitler also created the Gestapo and SS (secret police) to work with Joseph Goebbels to capture any publishers, editors, writers creating anti-hitler or anti-nazi articles/propaganda ect. He then created the Editors Law- everything was now censored by the Nazi Party. This all happened to help recruit voters to keep Hitler into power and help develop his ideologies for an arian race. This was to be created by world domination and means of war.
Germany weren't the only country who were able to mass produce propaganda to support their war effort. Great Britain and America are the most common propaganda i've found. Showing Anti-Nazi posters urging people to recruit as they want to abolish the Nazi ideologies. The most popular form of poster was 'Stamping out' wether it be the Germans stamping on our way of life or Great Britain and her allies stamping on the German way of life.
This image is really fascinating, the Russian has manipulated real life transforming ordinary objects such as the musical instruments and replacing what should be their with those instruments... This technique is very effective as looking at the image at �irst, the image doesn't appear manipulated even though you know that it is. The focal point of the image is obviously the trumpet which has replaced the main elephant head. Kush was very clever in creating this image as it's fair to say that the instruments bare some resemblance to what they are replacing making the image very surreal. After looking at the image for while the eye captures and reveals other manipulations such as the antelope, the horns of the antelope haven't been distorted at any point however the strings of an instrument have merely been added to create the instrument. Another notable point is the grass of the african plains have been transformed into trumpets and various other golden instruments. This again is very effective as the colours and shapes that the instruments have created is mimicking the shapes the grass would have made therefore creating an illusion.
I believe that the reason Vladimir Kush created this image is to show what all of your senses see when you picture the African plains. When i picture the plains i picture the golden muddy �loor with the golden straw poking through the ground, i also imagine to hear the melody from the birds, the gigantic roar from lions, and the distinctive sound of the herds of elephants.
Surrealism
Manipulated Photography Chema Madoz is a spanish photographer who is most famous for his black and white photographs. His work is work is to create new dimentions ledby metaphors which alters your perceptions of everyday things. He almost creates irony within his work and used objects that have clear relationships visually or metaphorically
Once Upon A Time
A good photographer can tell a story with their images, They can document something as part of a story, they can follow something and create a series of images and they can also document something changing like the seasons. All to create a story. But do all stories have a happy ending?
Once Upon A Time
911 Bombings September 11th 2001. A large scale terrorist attack took place in lower Manhatten, New York. Suicide bombers from the Al-Qaeda hijacked 2 boeing 676 planes and flew them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre. Nobody knew the severity of this coordinated terrorist attack but after 56 minutes of burning the south tower had collapsed, crushing and killing anybody in it's way. NewYork city fire department deployed more than half of it's forces to help aid the site of the World Trade Centre. Brave members of the fire department went inside both towers trying to rescue civilians. Due to the disruption of the attacks all radio links had been affected and most of the fire fighters in the buildings did not receive the signal to withdraw from the buildings as the south tower collapsed just half an hour after the first. The overall casualties during the day resulted in 2,753 deaths. The whole operation clean up process took a staggering 8 months. This is because as the towers collapsed they affected surrounding buildings of the World Trade Centre. Any buildings that didn't collapse had to be demolished as the damages were so severe they were beyond repair. All of these photographers are able to capture a chapter in the story of the events of the 9/11 Bombings. They all help you understand and try to empathise the people in the images and the people in the buildings, helping realise what they must be feeling, thinking, wishing, hoping. Anybody who was unfortunate to witness the attack on the world trade centre would probably describe the event as traumatising. Any of the poor individuals who were involved and victims of this horrible attack would probably agree. But as the world watched America fight and try to recover from this terrorist disaster we could only empathise and hope that they would be able to recover from this event. The images collected from that day will be apart of history forever and will be nothing but a painful reminder of what terrorism has created in this world.
R.I.P to everyone who sadly lost their precious lives during the 9/11 bombings.
A Journey
A Journey. - Through somebody's life. A Journey through time! "If old hands could speak, what would they say?" -Annette Zeidman
What stories would they tell you? I can only imagine the stories they could tell of the journeys they have been through. The sadness they have experienced, compared to they joys they have held, the joys of holding children, grandchildren. The sadness of loosing friends, partners, pets. The writing and hard work these hands must of gone through. The cooking, the driving. The list goes on. The one thing we use most in the world is our hands, without our hands what can we do? When I look at these images my imagination goes wild! I can just picture being told a story from when that young person was younger, how their life would be, and how those hands would be young again. Playing in fields, picking flowers, playing with toys, playing football, skipping ropes, reading books- so many different books as that person aged, the history the have touched. Old women have fascinating hands. Sometimes they posses a wedding ring. This could open a truely wonderful chapter of their story of their journey through time. I look at the hands and think of all of the sewing they could have done through their journey, all of the cooking, Imagine all of the birthday cards they would of have to have written, All of the children they would have mothered and grandchildren after that.
A Journey In countries such as India and China, the elderly are of great importance. They are the head of the family as they have grown into their life and grown with wisdom and knowledge. This knowledge is very sacred and important. The stories the elderly tell are said to be lessons in which the young can learn from. Native American Indians had tribes, the tribe leaders would be the eldest in the tribe as his/her knowledge would protect the tribes, stories, hunts, rituals would all the led by them as they have lived life and know what may be hiding around the corner. I find this so fascinating as I would think to find a story in something so simple, something so obvious. When i look at hands I look at finger nails, if they are painted what colours are they how does that reflect on the person also I usually see scars. Scars are stories all by themselves. How did the person get that? What's the story behind it? How through their journey they have created more scars. I think the mind can take you anywhere on this journey, as every person is unique and will have a different journey to tell.
Contents Myths History of Image Aquisition Narrative Photography Social Comment Photography Propaganda Surrealism- Manipulated Photography Once Upon a Time A Journey
About Jodie. My Name is Jodie Roberts. I am currently studying Photographic Journalism at Leeds Metropolitan University. I have always loved photography, my great granddad was a photographer and actually got me started in all of this. He would show me some of the work he has done and tell me about how ‘we didn’t have digital cameras back then’. It fascinated me so much I decided to pick it at A-level. In the future I hope to land myself a job working for a magazine or a newspaper as I’m really loving the journalism part of this course. I would also love the opportunity to shadow a fashion photographer just so I could get a real feel of the industry.