Documenting Communities
Documenting Commuities is capturing the moment and is used to create a record of that memory. It is also used to create light to overlooked moments in history or the present. It can show social injustices and big events.Until the mid-twentieth century, documentary photography was a vital way of bearing witness to world events: from shoot-from-the-hip photographs of the Spanish Civil War by Robert Capa to the considered portraits of poor farmers by Dorothea Lange.
During this period the tradition of documentary photography was reinvented. Artists began to see the camera as a tool for social change, using it to shed light on injustice, inequality and the sidelined aspects of society. However, social documentary photography is often a subjective art and not all photographers in this category intend their images to aid the bettering of society. -Tate
During this period the tradition of documentary photography was reinvented. Artists began to see the camera as a tool for social change, using it to shed light on injustice, inequality and the sidelined aspects of society. However, social documentary photography is often a subjective art and not all photographers in this category intend their images to aid the bettering of society. -Tate
Dawoud Bey photographs his local street to have keep the memory and also has a personal connection with his work. This allows there to be a more natural style of his work. He is interested in this genre because of the way he becomes familiar with his surroundings. He could use normal everyday things as inspiration. Usually the people feautured in his images look quite comfortable and I believe this gives the photo an idea of a close collaboration between the subject.
He has a positive relationship with whoever is in the picture to their relaxed looks. This is linked to street photography because he finds the people out in a public space which indicates it isn't staged.
the first photograph is my favourite because of the colours used and the intriguing background. For the second photo I took it in a school setting so it seemed more natural and closer to documenting communities. For the rest i used a similar idealogy and took them all in around the same place, all except the last. For the last one i chose a nature looking background and waited for it to be sunny; this gave the picture good lighting in comparison to the others. I used my phone camera for this. To improve the photographs i’d go to better places for the surrounding and maybe even do different angles. If i had more time i would take more photos and develop them all. These are all examples of documentary photography.
- This task was enjoyable because we have never done anything like this. I began by making the image black and white before inverting it. From here I made the photograph a negative. I would describe this picture as abstract because of the way it is presented.
- The shadowing gives the photo character.
- I decided to choose this image in particular because the lighting compliments the person very well.
- to create the image like this I inverted it on photoshop which was a quick process.
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A photographer like Dawoud Bey may want to document their community because it could create an interesting photograph and is linked to street photography because they both consist of taking photos of the public. We can tell by some of the images the person featured in the image is comfortable and at ease. I think it is important to take photos in this genre because they make people wonder the context of the photograph. His inspiration may have been the lack of this style of image. People out of the ordinary might've allowed him to approach them. They collaborated within creating the product of the picture.
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TPG new talent 2019- this video mentions similar topics like "trying to keep a memory alive" however it also includes having the ability to form an intimacy with some of the subjects she comes across, relating to Dawoud Bey's style. This is a large part of documenting communities as you have to become familiar with the people in that community. For intance the way you approach them and the manner which you speak to them in. It can affect the photograph because of how the person is stnading. It can bring a negative outlook to the image if the person looks uncomfortable. |
Sian Portrait of a Photographer- this video talks about how this photograpger documents her kids and family members. She refers to "not seeing anything" when she takes the photograph. She uses the images to capture moments which is an additional purpose to documenting photography.
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Niall Mcdiarmid-
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Liz Johnson Artur- This video mentions on this photographers similar style to the others however her particular focus in her archive is people from the African diaspora. She takes photos in her local area which represents herself as a person due to the fact that it is her community.
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I chose these images because the calm background relates to peaceful music and the fact there aren't any loud colours. Slow and relacxing music inspired me for these photographs. I felt the colour scheme of green and white complimented the pictures well.
These photographs could be described as vibrant . The backgrounds of these are eye catching and to describe it to someone who can't see it I would say that they're portraits which focus on different areas.
This is my favourite image due to the backgrounds and the placement of the person. For example the side view brings more focus to the details in the back. In addition the floor as orange also adds a warm complimentary colour. The angle this was taken affects the image as it would have a different arrangement.
Here is the process of editing the original image. I first changed the photograph to black and white for a better contrast, this created a more interesting view. I then cropped the excess plain space and did the same to the other side. This resulted in only the main points left and brought out an overall improvement.
Tyler Mitchell
Mitchells work specialises in "photographing black people at leisure" and refers to it as radical. He is inspired by black folks denied history and luxurious enjoyments of life. It includes subtle symbols of repression in order to present a new view of black folk, subverting the old ideals and visualising their contentment. His home town Georgia features in his work a lot and his photography began simply with his hobbies such as filming his friends and skateboarding. He uses images of where he grew up and is in comparison to the gangs there, His art then progressed after his trip to Cuba in 2015 and saw the range of colours and took a new step to his work after this. He focused on neutral backgrounds with incorporation of lights and different frameworks. For example, he improved with the use of props and the portraits close up contrasting to mid range, specifically creating a self contained utopia with his subjects. First black person to photograph Beyonce on vogue adding a floral style to her image.
In the photographs, I see grassy backgrounds on both images and would describe them as naturalistic. The framework of the second one really focused on the angle and appearance of it looking like a documentary style.. The subjects of the boys are something new and show still life. Mitchell used a technique of constructed nature in these photos. It isn't much different from real life and the composition interests me the most with this art. There isn't much ideal of space within these pictures and has a close up view. Personally I would ask Mitchell why they are like this. As a result of its appearance I would title this work "the woods" and I think they're simply just enjoying life as Mitchell put himself. I think the color aspect if effective in this however the angle not so much. Ive learnt about a new style of work by exploring this.
Focusing more on the second photograph, the two subjects give a different sense of contrast
.I think other people would find the composition of this work good because of the neutral background. The framework of the subject follows an up close to mid range view and highlights the interesting features.
A successful photograph consists of good framework which I have demonstrated by including mostly just the torso and head with a collection of mid-range and close-up photos. The task was to take several image incorporating props and relate to Tyler Mitchells photographs. I approached the task differently by adding my own features, I personally enjoyed the project and it was fun because of the style we did. Trying to cover the uniform and also balance the fabric was quite difficult. To do something different I would, find new backgrounds and patterns to use. I will use this idea of fabric for my personal project.
I edited this image on photoshop, by changing the exposure, cropping it and adding a black and white filter
These look like a series because of the same background
The last row work well as a series because they incorporate the same features. These photos are more natural in comparison to previous pieces due to the fact they focus on more neutral colours and less dramatic props. They are composed thoughtful throughout the main subject of the head nd shoulders. The framework is a big component of the photographs however to better them I would include the use of black and white filters and crop the unnecessary edges on the side. I made the subject try not looking at the camera incorporating main aspects of documentary photography.
these photographs look like they were taken in and outside a house. They all have the same style and theme in common. They portray the community as alarming and frightening.The combination connects the images together and the same places creates the sense of a series. I feel different colour contrasts are missing from the images. I think the images of people should be left out of the selection. The use pf colours show a dull perspective and scary in a way. The image with pink jacket creates an unnerving effect.
I chose these images for my collage because of the colour contrast and because I think this is some of my best work. For example, the angles and natural lighting contribute to the interesting points of the series.
I chose these selected images because I felt as if they were some of my best photographs and complimented each other well. For example the colour incorporated into the image allows it to stand out. The background pulls the image together. Some of them were created smaller in the display piece to make a range.
I decided not to choose all of the images because I liked the look of using pieces from the same theme, artworks that establish a collaboration which flattered them all. Personally I enjoyed creating this
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This is my final display piece. I used Pinterest for collage arrangement inspiration. I chose this display because of how interesting the placement is. I decided to cut the head and rearrange it to create an abstract effect.
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Looking at practical and online research relates to understanding context. This is how I created my piece. For example, I viewed a range of work before portraying my images in its final arrangement. I gathered this information and from this and made a personal project. I made the decision of using similarly collected photographs as it establishes a theme , linking back to documenting communities. In order to improve it I would include more of a variety and increase the number of images, creating an exploration of differentiations. Demonstrating the ability to modify id make these changes after finishing my art.
I have analysed images and viewed a range of pieces before deciding to use the ones I chose. This allowed me to create the best possible outcome.For example, I refined my work several times before finalising my piece. I decided to use a range of resources such as Pinterest and looking at other photographers work to combine my knowledge and understanding. I then created an appropriate response by selecting a variety of resources. I chose to display my work on a mirror stand and creat a form of puzzle within my work. This is because I reviewed my work and made the necessary changes to fit my personal favourite arrangement.
Documenting Place
Nick Meyers images reflects a certain place and the reference to exits and dead ends link to somewhere close to him. The collection of photographs called "the local" contends with the shifting socioeconomic landscape of small town America. It is portrayed as what Myers feels is local to him and could relate to his childhood community. They could represent what used to be familiar to him however they give the impression to the viewer to think of the curiosity behind what they mean. They don't necessarily fit int the same sequence of images but speak as a community. For example, the colours incorporated are similar.
Zoe Leonard photographs her community and her images differ from each other. For instance, the collection of shop fronts uses several styles. There aren't any people in the images of the shops as she tends to picture them from a slightly oblique angle, suggesting the front is abandoned in an attempt to minimise the illegibility and interference caused by reflections in the windows. despite her primarily photographing style, Leonard something takes pictures of other things. Personally, her shop front project stands out to me the most due to the range of stores and she conceived these over the course of a decade. The disappearing storefronts and neglected products are echoed in the obsolete focuses of this piece.
These images all include red and I decided to use them because of the aspect and the shop fronts are mostly covered in the design. I decided to focus on these because of how the scheme of colours compliment each other. This is part of Zoe Leonards project in the sense that she had an ongoing theme to her shopfronts. Additionally, the presentation of them creates a neat layout and I'm pleased with how it looks. Next time, when. taking my own images id create the focus on intriguing shop fronts and add an aspect of similar colour scheme. They also relate to one another because they sell food
Peter Mitchell takes most of his photographs of shop fronts and he depicts within them himself and his area. He photographs his city during his rounds. His work reflects on Leeds and the small factories and shops, all photographed in a very formal manner with the aid of a stepladder. He derelicts his home from his pictures and they portray an abandoned tone and dull mood. He uses a film camera and we can tell this by the quality of his images. His pieces differ from other photographers from the same genre due to the sinister tone suggested in them, contrasting with the more vibrant options.
3D Sculptures
For this project, I took pictures of shop fronts and mounted them. In these photographs, there are the previous images I took put in a placement. They all have a the similar theme of stores in the area. The colour composition follows a range of schemes, however all incorporate blue. This photo reminds me of a street view of a collection of shops and links closely with reality. There are several interesting aspects of this work. For instance, I was influenced by the artist Zoe Leornard.