The power of the photograph – Reflection

“The photo becomes a memento or reference point for an experience or memory we have forgotten or never actually experienced.” http://www.flickr.com/photos/31794205@N02/show/

“The way in which I want to represent this is idea is by creating a number of staged images of memories that never happened but to the viewer they look as if they are genuine representations of the experience.”

These are my original aims from my proposal for this artefact. The outcome of this project I feel is not what I wanted it to be. I got too distracted by creating images that were staged, (an idea that I didn’t carry through) which lead to me spending less time thinking about the content of my images. Although I talked about the effect of the lighting within the images and how it influenced me solely as a viewer the actual events I’ve portrayed don’t represent any memory in particular therefore leading the viewer to a mundane or insignificant experience. The images failed to convey my intended meaning to the viewer the images fail to provide a ‘trigger’ which allows the viewer to relate the content back to their personal experiences enhancing and extending the narrative of the photo.

Within photos that we look back at events are what trigger us to remember them. This has to happen before the image can overtake the memory to become our main memento. Events such as Christmas, birthdays and other seasonal celebrations like Halloween and fireworks night often appear in family photo albums which is where I originally thought of the idea of the photograph being more powerful than the memory. The triggers within my images are only of everyday events; no signifiers of times of year are used there is just a meal time at a table that could anywhere at anytime. These events won’t engage with a viewer as they largely won’t share any connection with the content of the images meaning that they dismiss the image altogether.

After finishing my piece on power I know that I need to produce a higher standard of work in my next artifact based on spectacle. There are many ways in which I feel I can improve on the work I have just produced; within this piece I feel I stayed too much within what I already knew and didn’t challenge myself enough. The images would have been harder to do if I had tried to stage them all as originally planned therefore I need to develop a simple idea and then stick to its constraints and difficulties and try to produce the best work possible. I need to look back to how ‘Leth’ was forced into compromising situations by ‘Von Trier’ the outcome for Leth helps him to produce something that is arguably better than his original piece. I need to create my own ‘obstructions’ the first of which will be to work in one of my less favored mediums: moving image.

Producing the images – The power of the photograph

When I first set out to produce this set of images I wanted to completely stage the memories that I was going to produce; like the works of Hannah Starkey as I mentioned but also like the works of other photographers such as ‘Paul M Smith.’ The set of images that I like the most and think relate most to the images I’m trying to produce are the ‘Make my night’ series (http://www.paulmsmith.co.uk/portfolio/make-my-night/make-my-night.html) This series deals with a certain part of today’s society but in an extensive and detailed reproduction. ‘Smith’ manages to reproduce many of the images that we would recognise from the screen of our own “point and shoot camera” but to the highest degree. “Using the snapshot as a stylistic template” means that the memory and experience of the photo immediately transposes to one of the viewers pre-existing memories especially within today’s youth culture; very much following ‘Goldberg’s’ theory that “lifelike images produce responses close to our reactions of actual people and events.”

 

 

The two images above show how closely ‘Smith’ has been able to reproduce the reality of youth culture today; ‘Smith’s’ images could be any young person’s memory apart from the fact that he is each of the subjects in the image. This means that ‘Smith’ retains the power of the experience not only as “the narrator… but… as well as the protagonist” a trait that he has produces in nearly all of his images. This is something that I don’t want to do with my images but is a technique that I could try and take into my future work as a spectacle of a certain subject being repeated again and again. The main aspects that appeal to me from this work are the techniques ‘Smith’ uses to reproduce the reality of a night out; something that I need to produce in my images if I am to produce a believable experience and memory for the viewer.

 

I soon realized that within the time I had I wouldn’t be able to set up images to this same standard and had to approach my photograph in a different way. Instead of staging my images in the sense of directing my subjects what to wear and how to sit within my photographs; I decided to photograph my friends and produce images which documented and produced memories of the everyday activities they carried out. The reason that I wanted to use my friends for this process and not complete strangers is the way in which they have become comfortable with having a camera pointed at them allowing me to document their real actions rather than an act we perform for the camera as talked about by ‘Smith’ in his work above. This also posed the question ‘When does a photograph become staged?’ Every time we take an image we are always looking for a certain subject acting within a certain context that we almost have a preset of in our minds meaning that many images seen to simply document reality can be argued as staged at least from the photographer. This is how I hope to capture my friends in a moment of action but not performance that I have pre-envisioned in my mind.

 

The inspiration for this envisioned photograph came when I was playing around with the flashgun I was using changing the strength on the flash and the surface I was bouncing it off.

 

 

Although this image is not of any great quality I really liked the way the light falls just above the computer screen in almost an upturned semi circle; the darkness in the rest of the picture seems to produce a truth and realness that transcends to me when looking at the image simply as a viewer. The techniques I used were to simply set the aperture of the camera on a low setting with reasonably high shutter speed for the amount of light within the room; I would then use the flashgun to bounce light off the wall above my subject or the ceiling but an amount that heavily effects the area above my subject almost pooling light onto the remainder of the photo. This picture is obviously too dark at the bottom and something I need to improve within my final images but I want to produce the same feel with the light above my subjects. The feeling that I get when looking at this photograph is similar to ‘Hannah Starkey’s’ work a paused moment within reality that as I mentioned earlier displays a truthfulness related to the lighting that somehow within the ideologies of society today leads the viewer to believe the image is a real memory and experience that if displaying the write content they can relate to their own lives much like ‘Starkey’s’ own images. (http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/artpages/hannah_starkey_butterfly.html)

 

 

 

Staged Photography

One photographer that I’ve looked at before which I know produces staged images is Hannah Starkey. http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/hannah_starkey.htm I was first drawn to her work not because it was staged but because her images themselves. For me ‘Starkey’ manages to capture and recreate the culture we live in today but in a clean and clear sense that we very rarely see when living our own lives although her images represent a moment that we all have seen before. The power of these images is linked very heavily to how ‘Goldberg’ described the power of images “life like images produce responses close to our reactions of actual people and events.” The images’ produced by ‘Starkey’ “present a platform where fiction and reality are blurred” the resemblance of reality being so evident in her images immediately heightens our sense of memory with the image. We feel that we have experienced the scene in a coffee shop or in a nightclub; but in fact the experience and memory belongs only to ‘Starkey’ as the images are completely staged. The power of the discourse lies completely with her. When I create my images I need to work out how to transpose the memory and experience of my photographs while the power will still reside with me as the photographer.   

This image is one of ‘Starkey’s’ that I was able to see at the ‘Herbert’ museum. Within the picture I feel Starkey wants to create a feel of voyeurism for the viewer, the subjects have been out drinking and one seems to have passed out. This is a state that we don’t really see unless we are out ourselves unless we have been on a night out too; therefore heightening the discourse of the memory and the perceived gained experience from it. My own emotions when looking at the image make me feel sorry for the girl passed out this is a state many people have experienced but one that we regret after reflected in the ideologies of society. This again outlines ‘Starkey’s’ power to enable the viewer to produce a memory of the photograph linked between past memories they may have and the subjects within the image.

The image tries to convey a message of real life a replication of the society and culture we live in. The viewer is placed in a position where each meaning can be specific to them depending on the prior memories. One meaning that I took from the image is that the passed out girl is being looked down upon; both of the models in the image are similar and could be interpreted as being the same person, the girl sitting up looking back at what happened. I think the lighting within the image plays a big part in the way in which the viewer receives the photograph; it helps to create a feel and atmosphere that we can relate to our own memories and place the image in reality.

My first response to the image reminds me of my own memories of nights out and I thinking about them in a humorous way, on a secondary level it makes me think of the effects of drinking and how it is portrayed especially within young people within the ideologies of society; binge drinking and irresponsibility.

This is a personal analysis of ‘Starkey’s’ image that I wrote after viewing it for the first time, like my own work ‘Starkey’ wanted to produce scene’s of reality that prompts the viewer to relate memories of their own and produce an experience of the image.

My own interpretation of the image is different to the meaning that ‘Starkey’ intended and experienced when making the image. In ‘Starkey’s’ mind the image was to” show the supportive relationship between two friends at that age… It’s meant to be quite a tender moment, like when you think “I’ll just sit here for a minute . . .” and you keep your eye on your friend because she’s fallen asleep. It’s not that you’re necessarily out of it, it’s just the excitement of having a really good night.” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/feb/15/photography) This shows the way in which a viewer may react to my images and I have to make sure that the photographs’ “evoke suggestive narratives” to the viewer but without losing the original memory I want to convey.

Under the influence

What does the term the power of the photograph really mean we all know the saying an ‘image speaks a thousand words’ but what was it that preceded this and gave photographs and images such power and place within our society, ‘Vicki Goldberg’ is a photography critic I have looked at to try and answer this question. Her book ‘The power of photography’ (http://www.amazon.com/Power-Photography-Photographs-Changed-Lives/dp/1558594671) although written in 1991 Goldberg still makes many points that are relevant to how we view the photograph today even if in a slightly different context.

 

Peoples first impressions of images used within reporting were largely based around the fact that “photographs have a swifter and more succinct impact than words, an impact that is instantaneous visceral and intense.” Today this is very much a basic reading of images we see within the media although still a very true one because of the passive way we are conditioned to view these types of texts.

When studied in a more detailed level we are able to breakdown the image and decide its impact upon us as the viewer in an active manner deriving our own meaning. This use of photography to display an event that has happened within a news setting has led “photography to create a communal reservoir of memories;” memories where the “photographs promise experiences we do not know or haven’t earned.” This is one of the main areas I want to address in my work, I think the use of the word memories rather than knowledge by ‘Goldberg’ shows to the reader how what is very often perceived as true the fact that images give knowledge to the viewer of whatever they are depicting is false. Photographs especially within a news context lead the viewer to believe that they have now experienced this event. For example a picture of wars which can be seen very often transposes to the viewer that they now know what it is like to be in a war zone. This is something I need to take into account in my own work realising that it is not a discourse of knowledge but a discourse of memory and experience.

 

Within my proposal I outlined wanting to look at photographs of memories but in a staged environment; ‘Goldberg’ also wrote that “lifelike images produce responses close to our reactions of actual people and events.” As I plan to produce staged memories it is important to take this onboard the more lifelike the image the more believable the memory will become to the viewer, the main aim of my work.

Power of the Photograph proposal

For my first artefact I’m trying to produce a piece on the power of the photograph; the original way I thought about this was the power of the photograph in respect to memory. We tend mostly to remember events and things we have done through images; after a period of time the photograph is what we remember rather than the memory. Therefore the photograph is our main memento of the experience.

 

This then led me to think about the way in which images are used within the mass media. Images are used to enforce the reality of an event or story in our minds as the reader or viewer of this story. In this context the images promise experiences we do not know in many news stories. This is similar to how an image we have taken ourselves can become (as described above). The photo becomes a memento or reference point for an experience or memory we have forgotten or never actually experienced. This then exposes the power of images to create a discourse which allows the person producing the image to give knowledge to the viewer shaping how they feel about the subject of this image. Although the context of the image is totally controlled by the producer leading the viewer into a false sense of knowledge.    

 

The way in which I want to represent this is idea is by creating a number of staged images of memories that never happened but to the viewer they look as if they are genuine representations of the experience. 

The Power of the Photograph

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jan Svankmajer

Jan Svankmajer is a film maker many people perceive as a surrealist, creating films that blur reality and time whilst revealing fairytales and stories that can be best described as dreams.

 

His film Otesanek or Little Otik is one of his examples based on fairytales; 

 

this small clip conveys to the viewer many of the techniques used by Svankmajer. After viewing the clip I realised how Svankmajer breathes life into each scene of the film; this scene which otherwise would be much less engaging is brought to life through the use of the stop-motion animation and the way in which is transposes with the live action almost seeminglessly through the language of the film and the way we are conditioned to view it. One moment the old man is just looking at the girl, this portrays a much different message to the audience one that the old man could be excited to see her for many reasons. The stop-motion used allows Svankmajer to add a whole new meaning and interpretation of the scene also a meaning which many people would feel much less ethically happy seeing if it were shot in live action like other parts of the film. The hand clearly indicates that there is a sexual lust from the old man for the young girl. Even within this sentence I have changed from calling her a girl to a young girl with shows a reflection of how we think of this subject in society. The next part of the clip is all in live action again with the old man perversely looking at the girl in a way which is now acceptable in the mind of the viewer. There may be some audiences who still find this offensive but the earlier animation by Svankmajer almost calms many of the issues raised by portraying them in a humorous way. The live action piece is also changed within the viewers mind because of the way Svankmajer plays with time replaying the same sequence twice but with different outcomes, what is the purpose of this? I think Svankmajer is trying to disposition the viewer although we are able to derive which instance is fantasy and which is the reality; the first instance of the story is still playing in the mind of the viewer in a subjective manor.

 

By mixing the live action and animation Svankmajer recreates a concrete world to the viewer which is not real. This format gives power to desires of people within the real world much like the old man and the girl described above. How can I visualise such desires and issues from today’s culture without being unethical in my work?

 

Another piece of Svankmajer’s work I’ve looked at is Conspirators of Pleasure.

Although I have only seen this one clip from the film it too fuses the use of live action and stop-motion, the film is Svankmajer most surreal to date but it is important that I realise and remember surrealism is not an aesthic but is just surrealism within the film not a surrealist film. The animation used is therefore a tool to aid the surrealist element of the film. Svankmajer never calls himself “an animated filmmaker because I am interested not in animation techniques or creating a complete illusion, but in bringing life to everyday objects.”

 

 Within the film Conspirators of Pleasure “The animation is mostly used in the sequences where the character creates an artificial [sexual] partner.” The use of animation here again allows Svankmajer to tell the narrative of strange and weird sexual fantasies. The most important word to me is fantasy which I have used myself to describe this scene.The fantasy allows Svankmajer do what he wants without alarming the audience and the response they have the animation is simply an accompaniment to heighten this fantasy and create the surrealist element within their minds. To the question I posed earlier issues of power desire and many other matters within society and culture today could be produced in a similar way through interchanged the medium I use to convey them, perhaps an obstruction of one medium for each issue described within a short piece. ?  

http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.3/issue2.3pages/2.3jacksonsvankmajer.html

 

 

The Five Obstructions

‘”Here is the human, here is the human, here is the perfect human, we will see the perfect human function” These are the opening lines in Jorgen Leth’s ‘The Perfect Human’; although originally meant as an argument against imperfection and social problems highlighted in Danish documentaries the film is now renowned as one of the finest pieces of filmmaking of its time, so much so that Lars Von Trier challenges Leth to remake the film but under a number of limitations… ‘The Five Obstructions’.

 

Before I discuss the obstructions Leth faces I think it is important to determine the role of the viewer or observer and the fact that they are supposedly viewing and experiencing the perfect human. What does it really mean to view the perfect human? The film challenges the viewer’s conceptions of this model as Leth asks many questions of the way in which the characters carry out simple everyday tasks that usually we would not scrutinise. This puts the viewer in a varied position of both power and confusion; the viewer is empowered as they are seeing something which is apposed to the mainstream and makes them query more of what they are seeing, but also confused as the questions which Leth asks are not answered within the film leaving the viewer to comprise their own opinions and potential outcomes.

 

The answers to these questions are part of the first challenge Von Trier sets Leth the first obstruction is that the film is made in Cuba no set can be used, each cut must be at most 12 frames and the questions in the original film must be answered.

 

Leth is put into a position where he has to deconstruct cinema and the values of his original film in order to prevail against Von Trier’s limitations. Although at first Leth seem to be troubled by these new rules the finished film shows his skill as a filmmaker. The 12 frames per edit allows Leth to establish a new set of cinematic rules within the piece creating a feel of stop motion animation but more jolted and unpolished. The ease at which Leth is able to convey this change in the way of reading film to the viewer is demonstrated by the acceptance of images in front of you to flow as if they were following conventional cinematic values something which I personally found as early as halfway through the film. The two other limitations seem easier for Leth to overcome; he intertwines the icon of the Cuban Havana cigar into the film itself. Like the 12 frame limit this reference is uncompromising to the film and can even not be recognised by the viewer showing that the power relationship is now centred largely with the director. This change is the relationship does not affect the way in which the viewer is reading the film compared with the original as there is still querying of what they are viewing but the changes due to the limitations mean that the form of the film is less recognisable and therefore the viewer is more easily influenced. Leth uses the limitations as a spring board for creative drive and vision; this is something I must try and do within my work to avoid not only living within my comfort zone but also to try and create something that doesn’t fall into a repetitive mainstream model.