Exercise: This is where I live

For this exercise I was to go out and photograph my local environment in two ways.

I chose to photograph the city of Lincoln, where I live. I needed to do the work on a compact camera without using a zoom. I needed to try to think of the viewer looking at my work in 100 years time. The images should be self explanatory - as in what's happening. I was to select 12 images to show the place 'warts and all'.

I need to write 250 words reviewing my images to establish to what extent I have managed to show the 'truth' about your town or area.

I then re-visit the same location with my DSLR and this time, apply a craft approach to the scene. Producing a set of images that shows the area at it's best or most intriguing. This second set of images is to be reviewed to consider the role of the social documentary photographer. Asking is it possible to create a false impression? When we look at the work of documentary photographers do we believe what we see? Is integrity therefore an issue for the social documentary photographer?

The first set of photo's I took were with a compact camera, two sets for the first part of the exercise are taken, firstly with a compact, secondly with an iphone. The reason for taking two sets had nothing to do with the choice of equipment. Once I compared the photo's I quickly noticed a stark contrast with the two sets and upon reading the brief again, I released I'd read it wrong and although uphill and downhill Lincoln are the same city, they are so very different I thought it too misleading for this exercise, even though the subject explores the idea of photographers misleading using different techniques, equipment etc I felt the photo's should be taken in the same area of the city, so I repeated the set taken with the compact and repeated the set which were also taken with an iphone.

The set taken with an iphone, reflect similar scenes taken in the DSLR set in order to achieve a good comparison, The photos are taken in the cathedral quarter of the uphill area of the city, an area which attracts many thousands of visitors each year.

Part - taken with compact:

Part one  - taken with iphone:

This image takes in the view looking up to the area called the 'straits'. There is a contrast in dynamic range, I would probably have altered the exposure in Lightroom to balance this out as it looks quite dark in the bottom half of the image

This image of the 'Straits' isn't very well focused, and again has a high dynamic range which I would have corrected as best I could in Lightroom, there are also distracting elements that I would have cropped out or erased, the top right and bottom left corners

This area looking up steep hill includes visible scafolding to the left of the image, this is not flatering at all to the image and is distracting, There is also highlight clippings on the bike sign which again I would have reduced

Half way up steep hill is an area that opens up a little. This image has an areas I would have addressed in Lightroom

This image of the Crooked House, Michaelgate  also takes in the Cathedral in the back ground. 

Further up steep hill, there are marble cobbles which form lines across the frame that are quite difficult to see in this image taken with the iphone

Another popular scene of the leaning lamp post, of which there are a few in this area, its's also half way up steep hill where out of puff visitors often stop for a rest

Looking from the Straits to Steep Hill 

Along the Straits you will find the Jews House and Jews Court, 12th century Synagogue, the current three-storey building seems dates from the 17th or 18th century. 

This image looks like it's in three parts, the part in shade, the blue sky and the street across the upper half, the van and the manhole cover appear to be the two dominating points in the image and not the view between the Straits and the ascent up Steep hill 

This is a lovely corner bric a brac shop, often has a dog sitting outside, which adds to the image. The high dynamic range of this image would really need attention in Lightroom 

Review of first set of images:

From a technical perspective, the images once loaded onto my blog without any post processing, are smaller than the second set, this was due to the images being taken on my iphone, which are also take with a fixed focal length of 35mm. Almost all of the images showed a high dynamic range and would have benefitted from post processing to correct the exposure. The focus of the images was also an issue, with many of the images appearing to have no point of focus giving a ‘point and shoot’ feel, which is primarily what they were. The sight of scaffolding in one of the images doesn’t make for an attractive view. Overall, there seemed to be a lack of detail with all the images.

Have I shown the truth about the area? I suppose that depends on which side of the city you look at, the initial set I took with the compact show suggestions of depravation, road works and rubbish bins, which whilst present in most city’s, I didn’t feel it gave a true representation, the fair approach probably being a mixture of the two. The second set of images for the first part of this exercise show the pleasant views but also don’t do the area justice at all as there is no detail and the exposure does the images no favours. When looking at the first set of images, it could be easily established that the viewer is looking at a set of images from a completely different place as there are no similarities at all. (words = 260)

Part two -  taken with a Canon 70d DSLR using a prime 24mm lens.

Leigh-Pemberton house - large timber framed merchant's house of 1543

The view of the castle entrance from the Cathedral squrare

Looking from the top of Steep Hill, I took this image with the cobbled curb stones forming a curved line that takes the eye to Leigh-Pemberton House, just visible at the top right of the frame 

The Crooked house again, the buildings and the Cathedral in the background enhance the image and are more noticeable as they are in focus.

View across Michael gate on the way up Steep Hill, with the Cathedral spires in the background.

View up Steep Hill with the scaffolding cropped out, the object of the image now becomes the people starting their climb up the hill.

Jews House and Jews court, without people in the image, makes the image appear timeless

The Straits

The Guildhall and Stonebow, early 16th century building which forms an archway over high street.

High Bridge in the centre of Lincoln, spans the river Witham, the history of the bridge itself goes back to at least the 2nd century AD when the Romans established a colonia on the side of modern Lincoln and is the oldest bridge in England with buildings still on it, that being High Bridge, a building with steps down either side and dates from the 16th century and nw houses an authentic tea shop/cafe.

Leading down the steps either side the High Bridge is what's locally known as the Glory Hole, which dates back to 12th century, a narrow gap under the bridge, visible under the High Bridge building with a boat just visible as it navigates this tight passage. The pathways either side of the river Witham, used by hundreds of people every day leads through to Brayford Waterfront. 

The Brayford Waterfront, an area of regeneration over the last 20 years which is now a vibrant and exciting area of Lincoln here you will find stylish restaurants and internationally renowned hotels.

All of the photo's in the second set have been post processed the same in order to produce a set of images that look like they've been intentionally produced in that way. I used Lightroom 5 to apply changes to exposure where needed, contrast, and to add a defined and 'gritty' affect I used the clarity slider. This exercised considered photo’s in 100 years time, which led me to review images of the same area I took my photo’s to get some direction. Many of the images had been replicated from the original black and white images and given a slight tinge of colour, an effect I remember from photo’s in my parent’s house. I wanted to give my images that ‘almost black and white’ effect, which in retrospect took too much colour out of the images, so I increased the colour a little more to a level I was happy with and which I felt shows the area at it’s best.

The exercise asks to consider the role of the social documentary photographer, asking is it possible to create a false impression. I would say this is certainly true, when looking at the same scene with a photo from set one and two, they could be mistaken as being a different place altogether, not only that, as Graham Clarke states ‘Far from being a witness, it is often a director of the way events are seen’1, I take from this that the photographer can direct a photo, not only the subject and surroundings but also the equipment used and post processing puts the photographer in the role of director, the image can be a record of the time or can be loaded with emotional charges such as surroundings and symbolism.

When looking at early documentary photography, I mainly believe what I see as I naturally assume they didn't have the same methods available that we have now and the images are considered an accurate record of what once was. 'But in many contexts the notion of a literal and objective record of 'history' is a limited illusion. It ignores the entire cultural and social background against which the image was taken, just as it renders the photographer as a neutral, passive, and invisible recorder of the scene'2 I have become aware of this in the images I've taken for this exercise, the first set were of the 'downhill' and not so nice area of the town, and replaced them with two sets of images from the 'uphill' side of town, the first set of images are a true record 'warts & all' of the heart of the city, maybe where nothing is hidden as the tourists don't often stray that far across the city, I'm certain that all cities have their 'sides' of town which are preferable to visit. Is integrity therefore an issue for the social documentary photographer? I suppose it depends on what it is you are trying to achieve, if you simply wish to take a record of an area of town, then choosing the most pleasing to look at images would be acceptable, but if you were recording social documentary then a true picture of the 'warts & all' would be a more accurate approach. (words = 540)

1 - Clarke, G. (1997) the photograph: A visual and cultural history. Oxford University Press. pp 150

2- Clarke, G. (1997) the photograph: A visual and cultural history. Oxford University Press. pp 146

Project: early social documentary

What moved or motivated the photographer to get hold of his or her camera and get involved? Where did it start? What was its purpose? Many of the early practitioners of documentary photography remain quite famous today within visual culture for the way that they contributed to the development of film and cinema.

Alfred Stiegliz (1864-1946), for example, was active in New York in the late 1890's and was initially a practitioner in the 'artistic' sense of documentary photography trying to emulate or deliver what drawing and painting had been delivering. Photography was viewed as a replacement for painting so the thinking was that the practices and values of art should be subsumed within photography. However the new century, especially after World War I, saw a growing respect for photography as an independent medium that could offer something different and this was reflected in the work undertaken by Stiegliz in documenting the ephemeral nature of everyday life.

 
The Terminal 1893 Alfred Stieglitz

In the image above, Stieglitz portrays the crudity of a fledgling transport system. The destination board - Harlem - tells us that this harsh winter weather in a poor area of the city. The image shows how much effort the driver and horses have to put in to be able to operate under such conditions - note the steam coming off the horses. Stieglitz was prepared to wait for four hours to capture this image. He wanted something different and he got it.




The Steerage 1907 Alfred Stieglitz

Stieglitz was very concerned abut the initial treatment of immigrants arriving in large numbers fro Ireland and Europe, hoping for a warm welcome but receiving the opposite. The authorities were concerned about typhoid and other infections diseases and most immigrants were held in isolation for weeks being allowed into America.



Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye (199)  - Masters of Photography documentary video about the 'new way of seeing' that Stieglitz wanted to bring to American photography.

In the early 1900's Stieglitz introduced a new approach to the art world when painters of the time considered photographers to be lazy, Stieglitz wanted passionately for photography to be accepted as a form of art. He had a selfish devotion to art, putting his passion before his ill matched first marriage, he was obsessed with his search for truth.  

1902 was a watershed year and a turning point regarding the attitudes of painters, Stieglitz formed an elite body of photographers, the internationally acclaimed Photo Sucession with the avant garde Edward Stieglan, a creative and imaginative photographer who was also a painter. They produced Camera Work, a high standard magazine which was a highly prized document.

He collaberated with Stichen to develop 291 on 5th avenue, which they converted into galleries, nothing like this had been done before and was a huge success, Photo Sucession had made photography history, creating a whole new vision for the arts. From 1902- 1907 photograpers were promoted through 291, but Stieglitz had neglected his own work. In 1907, he left for europe, on the journey, he took one of his most famous images 'Steerage', capturing shapes and stirring deep feelings within Stieglitz.

In Paris, Stieglitz brought together the artists Picasso, Cessane and Matise in a social circle where their art could be displayed.  Joined by the scuptor Rodin, with whom Stieglitz became close, Stieglitz used Rodin's drawings to produce an exhibition which was considered scandalous and daring, one of the visitors to this exhibition was a female artist Georgia O'Keefe, who would become a significant part of Stieglitz' life.

The venue of 291 with it's social circle brought together groups of the most creative and intelligent people of the time, and became a place where artists would go to find their own road of expression, where there would be a free exchange of ideas. One of the artists to exhibit was Picasso, who shocked critics with his 'mad' pictures which would 'never mean anything in America'. In 1913 Stieglitz felt he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do with the Armery show, a collection of modern art and became a watershed for US and european art.

Let's get started

I have spent the last 6 months trying to find the motivation and inspiration to progress with level 2 Landscape, making no progress I had to consider where I was going and why I was struggling.

One of the reasons was the commencement of a senior management role in the NHS, which not only takes up a lot of my time but also my energy. If I am to make progress with my degree I need my studies to motivate me when I have little time.

After reviewing the content of Gesture and Meaning I was excited, the content in part one alone had my interest and enthusiasm fired and I couldn't wait to get started, in fact I didn't, I printed off the sample, ordered some books and after what seems like a long time of feeling completely blocked, made a start.

Starting behind my intended schedule, I have until January 2017 to aim for completion. But I'm enjoying it already, the subject matter fires my enthusiasm, the course looks challenging but explores areas I am genuinely drawn to, passion restored, motivation returned, I look forward to what this course brings.