photographer: Colin Gray
idea: people/ portraits
Genre: Human Existence
LEVEL 2B
Candidate no. 1308
Xuxa Kidd
Contents Page Introduction Photograpgers Personal ideas and practical work
Conclusion Bibliography
Contents Page Chapter 1:Introduction
Introduction
Chapter 2:Photographers Chapter 3:Personal ideas and Practical work Photograpgers Chapter 4:Conclusion Personal ideas and practical work Bibliography
Conclusion Bibliography
Chapter 1:Introduction In my work I have become interested in incorporating time with human existence. I feel that time is a huge aspect of human existence and that it becomes a very important part of every day life, as in a way it controls us and manipulates our day into what we can do. I am hoping to show how time and human existence link together by showing how it can effect different people in different situations. I like the idea of showing a narrative/ sequence of photographs as it instantly becomes more interesting to look at. I am going to experiment with ways in which I can create a narrative and am going to do some more research into how I can incorporate time with human existence as I feel that this is a huge factor in human existence. I am also interested in showing how technology has become a part of human existence. Technology has slowly become a bigger and more detailed aspect of human life and many people nowadays feel that they cannot go somewhere without their phone, therefore I would like to include the idea that technology has become a part of human existence as time has gone on. I have developed my ideas into mainly focusing on how time is one of the biggest aspects of human existence. Time has the power to change our plans and often we plan our day around time. I am going to try to show in a picture, something that is happening due to time. I want to be able to show the effects of time onto human existence and I would like to show how time has effected people through their posture, their facial expression and by also using manual edits on my work. My work has developed into detailed photographs expressing the idea of time and human existence. I have shown the effects of time on different peoples lives and events as I felt that this allowed me to show variety in my work. I have looked into photographers such as Jaroslaw Kozlowski and Diane Arbus. By looking into artists work with numbers and human existence, I am able to pick up key aspects of each ones work and blend them together into creating my own piece. I have chosen to look at human existence and time as I feel that this really allows me to show human existence in an important way and also allows me to send a message to the audience that time is a huge manipulation in our lives. Both Kozlowski and Arbus have focused work around the time of the 1950s, which is a period of time I am also very interested in. Throughout this time there were conflicts such as the Korean war and Cold war which I like to think had an influence on these pieces of work. During this time, technology and time were both minor factors in life compared to nowadays, which I felt was interesting to research into as I felt that I could then show how times have changed over different generations and different years. In the years 2000 onwards, there has been much less conflict and technology has gradually risen, which can ask questions which determine whether this may be a factor to how we live our lives.
Chapter 1:Introduction
Chapter 2:Photographers Jaroslaw Kozlowski is a photographer who uses numbers in his photography to display a different abstract composition. Over a photograph he will place numbers over different objects in the photograph, which he will then display by taking away the photograph and showing just the numbers. i like how he has done this as it shows how human existence can be depicted by numbers. this relates to my work as i am showing how time is such a huge aspect on human existence and how is manipulates us into what we do in our lives. Kozlowski creates magnificent pieces through using these numbers which allows him to show his work as meaningful and personal as the audience begins to think behind the reasoning for the placement of the numbers. the numbers create a strong significance in the piece, which is what i am aiming to do with my work in time. I felt that this photographer/ artist enabled me to understand how time and stills can come together to create one piece and helped me to think of my own idea to incorporate the use of time into my work. 45 21
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Diane Arbus
Chapter 2:Photographers
In this photograph by Diane Arbus, we can see a model in the centre of the composition looking just past the camera. The models objects suggest that she is heading somewhere, as she has a sleeping back on her back and is standing in a street. She is also carrying a cat, which suggests to us that she will not be gone for long, or she would not have taken her cat with her... This shows Human Existence as it shows what we do through everyday life. It shows an aspect of a person living and existing in life. As the model is in the centre of the photograph and is in deep focus, all of our attention goes straight to the model in the centre. This allows us to pick up small details on the model, such as the expression we get from the look in her eyes. From her eyes she looks annoyed and tired, and we may not usually pick up this feature if the rest of the photograph was in focus. By having the photograph in black and white, the absence of colour makes the composition much more emotional. We can feel more emotion to the model as the absence of colour represents an absence in her life. The shadows and exposure used also help us to focus onto the model. Her dark coloured clothes create a strong shadow which draws our attention straight to her, as the high exposure in the background creates a much lighter background against her darkened figure. The angle of the camera shows slight body language and gives us enough to see how she is feeling towards what she is doing (annoyed and tired). The texture of the photograph has a slight grain to it which also shows a sharper touch. This means that we are able to pick up on more detail and analyse the photograph in much greater aspects. Diane Arbus allowed me to focus on how human existence can be shown and allowed me to look into more depth in the photograph by trying to understand the reasoning behind a facial expression, a posture and a location. This has helped me to discover ways in which I can show human existences through how I portray the model, not just how I portray the photograph.
Glossary of words Human existence The detail in this photograph has been made more prominent by the crop used, which has allowed the photograph to have a clear focus and understanding for the audience. We can see a clear contrast between the two models in the photograph, as one is in a healthier state than the other. The contrast has been altered so that the healthy man is in the dark and the dying woman is in the light, as white colours represent death, but this also suggests that the man is sad to have what we can assume is his wife leaving him, while the wife is peaceful. The brightness of the right hand side of the photograph allows the audience to visualize a range between the two models. The brightness of the photograph gives us an indication of how we should be feeling towards the photograph. The focal length of the photograph is small so that our only focus on the composition is the two models interacting, the small focal length gives a closer perspective of what is actually happening in the photograph. The human interest story of this photograph gives us a clear indication of what is happening in the photograph. A sense of meaning has been created and we are instantly given a sad atmosphere when looking at the photograph. The context of this photograph shows angst, which suggests a stronger meaning to the photograph and gives a more meaningful message, which makes a stronger composition. The quality of this photograph gives instant pathos to whoever sees it. The sadness and empathy is instantly given as the emotion is so clearly shown in the photograph with techniques to portray it, such as the contrast and the Chiaroscuro. We can see from the emotion shown in the photograph that there is a sense of sceptic as on the right hand side, we can see that the model seems to feel hopeless and sad, suggesting that he is sceptic about the condition the other is in. This creates a very emotional piece for the audience as a very sad atmosphere is created. The idea of alienation has also been created in this composition, as from the depth of the emotion that has been shown, we can assume that more empathy is needed as we instantly have a negative feel towards the photograph. The context to this photograph is very clear as the photograph has been cropped in a way that our only focus is on what is happening to the two models involved in the photograph. The shadows have been used in a way to suggest that the sadness of the photograph actually lies in the healthier model, we can assume that this is because he is lost without the other, so we feel a strong connection in the photograph and have a strong empathy for the shadowed model. The photographer (Colin Gray) clearly used a decisive moment when photographing this image and it is clear that there is a strong story to be told within the context of this photograph.
Photograph: untitled photographer: colin gray date: 2002
Global Influences 1960, London UK
10 January – British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan makes the “Wind of Change” speech for the first time.
6 May – The Princess Margaret marries photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey in the first televised Royal marriage.
26 March – The Grand National is televised for the first time. The winner is Merryman II.
17 April - American rock and roll singer Eddie Cochran, 21, is killed in a car crash in Wiltshire.
19 February – The Queen gives birth to her third child and second son.
30 July – “Battle of Beaulieu”: At a jazz festival at Beaulieu, Hampshire, fans of trad jazz come to blows with progressives.
17 August – The Beatles, a five-strong male band from Liverpool, perform their first concert under this name in Hamburg, West Germany.
28 June – 38 miners killed in an explosion at Six Bells Colliery in Monmouthshire.
15 September – The first traffic wardens deployed in London.
27 October – Film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning released, first of the British social-realist wave.
2 November – Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley’s Lover case.
8 October – Closure of the Sheffield Tramway, leaving Blackpool as the only place in England with electric trams.
9 December – The first episode of soap opera Coronation Street is aired on ITV.
Similarities • The use of the centre in the photograph, both models have been placed into the centre to draw the audience to the centre of the photograph. (Technical) • The faces of the models are not clearly shown in the photograph. (Technical/ symbolic) • The postures of the models are very similar as they are both hunched over to suggest a sense of age. (Symbolic) • They are both outdoors. (Literal/ technical) • Both of the photographs are a medium shot. (Technical/ symbolic) • Neither of the photographs show the sky, only the ground. • They both show aspects of the earth. (Literal/technical) • They both give a sense of physical movement. (Symbolic) • A sense of tension is shown. (Technical) • There is a lot of darkness shown in each photograph. (Literal/ technical) • They both show lighter aspects of the photograph. (Literal/ technical) • The models are both of similar age. (Symbolic)
• One of the images shows colour and one of the images has used black and white. (Technical) • One uses a male model and one uses a female model. (Symbolic/ technical) • One is on land one is in water. (Cultural/ technical/ literal) • One photograph has just one model and one has two models. (Technical/ cultural) • One of the photographs shows people working, while the other shows a relaxed man swimming. (Cultural) • One of the photographs is much more detailed whereas the other is plain and simple. (Cultural/ technical) • One has more texture than the other. (Technical/ literal) • One of the photographs is taken eye level, while one is taken above eye level. (Technical/ symbolic) • One of the photographs shows people fully clothed, whereas one shows little/no clothing on a man. (Symbolic/ technical)
Differences
Literal: Based on my research of the two photographs, I feel that these points show literal aspects; the fact that they are both outdoors; how they both show aspects of the earth; the light and the dark shown in each photograph; how one is on land and one is in water and how one has more texture than the other. I felt that these fitted into the literal category as they show the exact subject of the photograph. In the first image, the man is the only subject in the photograph and so is the only meaning of the photograph. The only message that is being shown through that photograph is the man himself. In the second photograph, we can see manual labour taking place, which we can understand is the only subject of this particular photograph. The subject that is being photographed is the only meaning of that photograph. By both showing aspects of the earth, the photographs can easily link to human existence and show that they have a literal meaning of different aspects of the earth. The lighting in both photographs also helps us to focus on the central subject as they have both been made the lightest areas of the photograph. This draws our attention to them instantly and allows us to focus onto the main subject of the photograph. The different uses of texture in the images allows us to focus onto different things. For example, the second photograph shows plenty of detail which allows us to find different aspects of the subject that is photographed, however the first photograph makes it much easier to see as there is little texture shown. technical: Based on my research of some photographers, I felt that these particular aspects fitted into the technical category; the use of the centre in the photograph; the absence of their faces; how they are both outdoors; the use of the medium shot; the use of no sky shown; the tension shown; the light and dark areas shown; the use of black and white/ colour; how one uses a male and one uses a female; the difference between land and water; the difference between one model or two; the difference in detail; the use of the eye level on which the photograph has been taken and the difference between clothing. I felt that these fitted into this category as they show aspects of the photograph that the photographer must have put thought into. In order to make the photograph what it is, the photographer has to think about certain areas of the photograph, such as where to take the photograph from, where the location should be and how the model should look etc. I felt that the similarities and differences between the two photographs show an equal amount of technical aspects. It is clear that the photographer has done things for a reason, such as making the manual labour photograph in black and white, to add more emotion and to give more empathy from the audience, whereas the photograph of the male has been shown in colour, to show stronger emptiness, as the man stands out much more against the nothingness of the sea. The technicalities of the photograph are very important as they give more depth to the image and make the composition more meaningful and much stronger.
Symbolic:
Given my research into two photographs, the symbolic areas I found were; the fact that the faces of the models were absent to the photograph; the age of the models; the physical movement shown in each photograph; the difference between male and female models; the level in which the photograph has been taken and the absence of clothing/ full clothing shown. I felt that all of these fitted into the symbolic category as they all give more of a message to the photograph. The symbolism in both of the photographs varies from the age of the models, to the gender of the models. The differences show things such as the gender and the clothing difference/ angle difference. All of these aspects help to make the photograph what it is. These differences help to symbolise the life behind the model and the depth behind the camera. The difference in angles shows how the manual worker is on the same level as the photographer, suggesting that people are equal, however are not necessarily treated as equal. Whereas the man has been shown from above eye level, this helps to emphasize his frailty, as does the posture he shows and the little aspects of his face that are shown. All of these symbolise the person in front of the camera and help to give the photograph a lot more meaning. They help to add more of a story to the photograph and they help to explain human existence. By showing a male relaxing and a woman working, we are shown a direct opposite. We would stereotypically see a man as working and a woman as relaxing, however the photograph suggests otherwise, which also helps to show inequality. This also helps to symbolise how times have changed and that inequality is everywhere, no matter what gender you are or how old. We can instantly see the differences in the two models lives. The story behind the models becomes much clearer to the audience through the symbolic aspects of the photograph.
Cultural:
Using my research into the two photographs, the cultural areas I found were; the history shown in one photograph; the thoughts that could come from both photographs; the clothing and styles shown in each photograph. In the second photograph, we can see a period of history shown. The image suggests to be in America slavery time, thought to be in the western region shown from the clothing and shoes shown. This represents how the culture has changed and what the culture used to be like. We can see from the tatty clothes and the ill equipped people that there was not great modernisation at this point in time and that is shown clearly through the use of a black and white effect and a focus onto the props used (such as the potato sack). the second image can show culture as we can think about how different people may act. In some cultures, swimming with little clothing would be frowned upon. We get an idea that maybe it could be frowned upon during this point in time that the photograph was taken, as the model is swimming very much alone from what we can see. The photograph shows history to how times have changed and how different people react. The photographer may have been trying to prove a point that people should be allowed to do what they want to do, and should not be stopped by any form of culture.
Chapter 3:Personal ideas and Practical work Artists and photographers work can inspire my work because they can show me different ways of thinking into depths of photographs. I can begin to develop my ideas through researching into how they have expressed their ideas, thoughts and feelings into their work in order to create a composition. I have then researched further into the background behind the artists and photographs to see whether any events may have influenced their ideas, or whether personal events have influenced their ideas. For example, Colin Gray used personal experiences at home to document the life and decay of his parents, which I feel is incredibly personal and powerful for the audience to see and creates an exceptional composition with great depth and meaning. The subject matter of the work is also very important as it determines to the audiences what the photograph may be about. I feel that by using the subject matter of the photograph in a way to display a meaning behind the photograph is a great way to show human existence as there are so many ways in which I can show the different aspects of human existence and different ways in which I can portray certain elements to someone’s life. Media and techniques can help me to explore my theme as they can help me to experiment with different ideas and allow me to think with more depth into why I am doing something, what I am trying to achieve and what the meaning behind it is. This has helped me into planning out my ideas more so that I can grasp a clear idea of what I want to do and help myself achieve my aims with different sources of media and experimenting with different techniques. Likely outcomes of my work are narratives of a day in someones life that also show how time is an influence in their daily routine. I feel that this could be a likely outcome of my work as I feel that time and human existence have a very strong bond as they both link so well together as time is such a huge influence on human existence, without time, our existence would be unprepared and there would be less to depend on. I believe that human existence has learned to depend on time, and therefore I feel that this will be a great way in which I can portray my ideas and feelings on human existence. The development of ,my levels has allowed me to experiment with ideas and has allowed me to research into more depth on different ways in which I can portray my feelings on human existence. In each level I have developed further the theme of using time and human existence together in a way that I can show them as one. I have looked at different artists and photographers to see how they have shown their own work and have looked into different
Chapter 3:Personal ideas and Practical work A greater theme in human existence. The process of the production of my work has developed into 5 different compositions all similarly showing a narrative on how time has effected their daily routine. I went through different ideas on how to layout my work and how I can incorporate different times and ideas into the composition. I was able to decide on a layout which clearly showed a narrative throughout the photographs and allowed me to show timings of specific events happening throughout the models day. I used artists such as Vito Acconci to help me decide on layouts for my work, however I developed his layouts into my own so that I could show the photographs in a clearer light. I felt that my practical work allowed me to really express my feelings of how time effects us individually and differently depending on the events that happen throughout our day. I have used manual edits to emphasize the timings of specific events so that the photograph and the time can link together better and the idea of time with human existence can become clearer to the audience. By working alongside others who are studying a different theme, I was able to grasp different ideas on how different themes can link together. I was able to help my friends when they helped me back to gain ideas and feedback onto what worked well and what did not work. This allowed me to understand what aspects of human existence are aesthetically pleasing to an audience and what aspects do not always make sense.
In each of my sequences I have shown photographs which show a narrative and therefore link together in a way that is clear to the audience. I have varied the photographs to show different angles as I felt that I wanted it to look more interesting to the audience. I wanted them to feel as if they are with the person and so majority of my shots were either close up shots or medium, so that they can grasp a clear idea on the models feelings and emotions as the facial expressions and postures shown are so easily seen by the audience as the model often takes up majority of the photograph. I have used both natural and artificial lighting in my work as I wanted to use both outdoor and indoor environments. Some of the images I used higher angles, which do not as clearly give the vibe that the audience is with the model, however I felt that these angles allowed me to focus in onto particular aspects of the photograph much better and allowed me to show a variety in my work which developed my theme further into being able to use angles to show specific aspects of a photograph.
Throughout the process of my work I feel that I have been able to develop my ideas in a way that have given me a much clearer understanding of the term ‘human existence’ and has allowed me to understand the depth behind photography in a much clearer way. I have clearly been able to express my thoughts and feelings into my work to make my composition more personal so that it can mean more to an audience. I also feel that I have been able to develop my understanding of photography as a whole, which has enabled me to become more skilled in my thoughts and ideas behind my work. I have developed skills using different software such as Photoshop in order to develop edits in a way that can help me to show human existence and have gone out of my comfort zone by sewing and stitching into my final piece. I feel that I have pushed myself to an extent where I have developed not only my work but myself as well, which has developed my work as I have gone a long as I feel = can relate myself to my work in a much better way.
Chapter 4:Conclusion
The effective aspects of my work is that all 5 of the pieces link together to show the same ideology, however they all differ at the same time to show different daily routines and how time can effect people differently. I feel that this works very well as I am able to portray the idea of how time is a huge aspect of our human existence and how it manipulates us into what we do in our daily routine, however I have shown a variety of narratives which can all link to different people, so my work can attract a number of different audiences. The aspects that do not work so well is that I have used similar aged models. All of the models that I have shown are within 5 years of each other. To show more variety in my work and to link better to a wider audience, I feel that I could have shown very different age groups, such as young people, middle aged and elderly people, to also show how different daily routines are and that time can be more important in different age groups. I think that other people would say that my work shows a clear idea of how time is a huge aspect of our lives and that each one is showing a journey based on time. This is because each composition shows a clear narrative with a clear time on each individual photograph. I have also written in note form the estimated time and actual time in which to complete an event that happens in each daily routine, so the idea of time and human existence being linked is clearly shown to an audience. The thing worth remembering about my work is the idea that time manipulates us into what we do and how we plan our lives. I want to get the message across of how important time has become to us and how human existence has learned to revolve around time. I feel that to become more independent, we should try to think of ways in which we can control the time in which we are involved in. I also want to show the idea that different people are effected differently and live differently. I want to show how different some peoples lives are and how some people feel, as to some people, everyone is seen as the same, when they are not. My final piece compares to the original genre by reflecting how human existence has developed over time and how human existence has learned to deal with different aspects of human form. My final piece represents how different cultures, classes and different people are and how they live, which is what I was aiming for. From exploring this genre, I have learned that the meaning and depth behind a photograph can be so much more than what we see. I have learned how the meaning behind the photograph is a huge drive in the photographers aims in the work and the work often reflects aspects of the photographers life. I have discovered that photography in human existence is extremely personal and allows me to express my personal emotions in a way that can make my composition much more meaningful.
Bibliography November 2015, Matthew S. Witkovsky, 2011, Light Years, The Art Institute of Chicago November 2011, Carol Squiers, 2010, What Is A Photograph?, International center of Photography http://chartersschoolphotographydept.weebly.com/uploads/4/3/9/4/43940293/level_2_phgcea2_exercises_and_assignment_ description.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s https://www.pinterest.com/ http://www.human-existence.com/ https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=human+existence+in+photography&safe=strict&biw=784&bih=790&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIwrSW08fKAhXDJA8KHQ7jBk4Q_AUIjQIoAQ http://www.biography.com/people/diane-arbus-9187461 http://culture.pl/en/artist/jaroslaw-kozlowski http://www.brownie-camera.com/ http://www.solargraphy.com/index.php?Itemid=5&id=4&option=com_ content&task=view https://www.silverprint.co.uk/cyanotype-instructions/