Blog posts, thoughts, things

The unconventional composition of this photograph implies a furtive glimpse behind the curtains, which are brightly coloured and better suited to a nursery than a brothel. The girl looks healthy, pretty, relaxed and almost playful – even innocent. We can only see the man’s hand. It rests on or perhaps plays with her mouth. The gesture indicates possession – in a different context it could suggest affection.

This photograph is part of Mark’s book Falkland Road about the brothels of Mumbai. As a standalone image it would not even be obvious that the relationship portrayed is of a prostitute and her client.

Did the relaxed and almost tender mood that we are witnessing persist after the shutter closed? The girl clearly knows that she is being photographed. Even if she had no real choice in this, her expression seems natural and unforced. In this particular image, the man is not identifiable, but presumably he is aware of the photographer’s presence.

Mark must have built up a strong relationship and a great deal of trust with the brothel keepers, the girls and their clients.

This is a very strong and memorable photograph which, for me, asks more questions than it answers.

Sarah Robbins

L1 Photography, University of the West of England

 

My first thought when I look at this photo is a sense of unity. The hands are that of a man and a woman. The hand placement shows the intimacy between the couple and how they fit together to become one. The rock in which the hands are placed upon is a symbol for solidarity within their relationship. the emplacement of the hands on the rock is a metaphor for the solid foundation to their relationship.

Bill Brandt captures the bodies form by positioning the hands and angling the camera in a way that shows a look of distortion. The fact that the photograph is in black and white really emphasizes the detail in the skin and captures the viewer’s attention to the beauty of human form.

Shadows within the shot create a sense of realism and continue the beauty of the photo. The way Bill Brandt has positioned the photo- slightly off side- emphasizes on the distortion as all you can see is the fingers, where as if the hands were positioned in the middle you may be able to see the palms which would take away the confusion of the photo as the viewer would be able to see how it has been made to look like the way it does.

Louis Smith

L1 Photography, University of West England

 

This image is taken from the series entitled ‘Capture’. Dryden Goodwin took 11 portraits of passers by in the same London location one evening. He uses the point of a compass as a drawing device, and scratches over the head and face of each portrait. The net like matrix of lines that are scratched over the portraits acts as a device to reveal and emphasise the individuals physical structure, yet also act as a mask. The subtle and almost gentle scratched tracings has the unintentional effect of distorting the individual’s facial expression. Dryden Goodwin successfully extends the moments captured within each image by going beyond soupy taking a portrait image, by tracing over it. Once again, the subject is staring off into the distance and appears to have no knowledge of the photo being taken. The focus gradually decreases into the background, with subjects at the back of the image being unrecognisable. As I live in London, I understand the overwhelming atmosphere that can be caused due to the busyness and hectic lifestyle of such a crowded city. The intricate and different personal masks that Goodwin draws on all his subjects shows how we remain a sense of individuality in such an over populated capital.

Alice Maklan

L1 Photography, University of the West of England

 

This photo is by Vivian Maier, I love how the reflections create a depth to the photograph almost creating a surreal, double exposure look. I find this photograph really interesting as there is so many layers and shapes building up this photo, along with the wide tonal range that enhances these shapes making the incredible wide depth of field. Maier was good at framing her images, as you can see in this above image all the people are central. The two people sitting inside stand out a lot more than the other objects inside. This is because she has used the darkness of her coat to help enhance the reflection making them stand out more, I feel because of this the image is much more powerful and bold. It almost looks like Vivian Maier is framing the two people inside with her own silhouette. On the street around her I love how you can see the movement and busyness of day to day life in Chicago, this makes the inside (where the two people are) look warm and cosy almost like Maier is lonely in the cold and possibly wishes she was inside with them.

Lucy Mather.

L1 Photography, University of the West of England

 

Initially this photograph interested me because I found the slight blur of the photograph eye catching, but upon looking at the photo further and thinking about what the darkness of his photographs represents I found a much deeper meaning to not only this photograph but the others in his series also. This particular photograph is part of his landscape series and so it is very desolate and empty, it creates a sense of sadness and emptiness with the overall dark tones and contrast between the black trees and the white/grey clouded sky. Hido’s photographs are very conceptual, he uses dark colours and isolated locations to represent emotions of loneliness and isolation. A common theme among Hido’s work is the weather, he tends to photograph foggy, misty, rainy or cloudy scenes, and they’re often out of focus – I think this could be to represent the confusion and uncertainty of the mind, creating a very dismal image. I like that Hido’s work is very conceptual rather than direct, I find it thought provoking and think that it is interesting that different people can interpret the emotions behind the image very differently. Hido’s work inspired me to take on a conceptual project of my own to depict the loneliness and isolation of those with mental illness which I would like to develop further.

Ashleigh Mote

L1 Photography, University of the West of England

 

I have chosen an image from the series “Ray’s a Laugh” by Richard Billingham as his choice of such personal subject matters combined with his approach towards photographing them using a variety of techniques, particularly interests me to question how photography is used as a device of expression. This series of images has been incredibly successful and due to the familiarity and accessibility of his family, Billingham has been able to document the mundane occurrences of his home and it’s inhabitants.

This photographers approach towards photographing his loved ones puts a spin on the traditional sense of ‘The Family Album’ as Billingham portrays his family with a brutal honesty, particularly towards his father Ray who suffered from chronic alcoholism.

 

There’s no name on this article.  Can you let me know who write it please, thank you.

 

THE FALLING MAN

The Falling man by Richard Drew is one of the rawest, more disturbing photographs I have seen, and upon its publication in The New York times it was greeted with anger and distress. It was not seen for a long time afterwards; audiences had rarely seen such a personal account of the bombings, and it hits hard because audiences must know of his impending death.

Not only is the photograph so strong psychologically, but also aesthetically, the way the man intersects the two tones of the building perfectly, matching his apparent gracefulness in such a stressful situation – it looks as if he is falling straight down but the photo was in fact one of many, he is really tumbling through the air out of control, perhaps already passed out from the shock. It makes me think about how this was his last resort, whether he was blown out of the building or was forced to jump. In my mind I compare his calm pose to that of an aerial rope dancer or trapeze artist, it looks as if he is in no struggle and expresses little emotion just like one of these dancers, adding to the eerie mood of the image.

Albert Rendle

L1 Photography, University of the West of England

 

I find this image interesting not only due to its historical content and fame as it is world renowned, but also because of the spontaneity that is evident in the image. This photograph was taken on ‘V-J Day’ which is the day in WW2 when it was announced that Japan had surrendered to its allies, ending WW2 on 14th August 1945.

This photograph not only shows the celebration of the war ending, but also a celebration of love, expressed with a kiss between the sailor and the nurse from the war. The image has an element of business to it around the couple at the front of the photograph, giving the impression that time is stood still to them, as there is not anybody close around them either, as if they are the only people in the world in that moment. You can also see people laughing around them and smiling, looking at them, as if they too are appreciating their display of affection towards each other and excitement of the war ending by celebrating in the most natural way to humans, with affection towards another, after fighting for so long for the exact outcome that had been announced only moments before.

Holly Cadman

L1 Photography, University of the West of England

 

When I first saw this image it automatically made me question what is happening with many questions needing answered such as why is the building on fire? Who smashed the pumpkins? And why has the fireman taken this moment to buy a pumpkin? Is this fireman as reckless as the image is letting you believe?

The photograph is using the laws of thirds to help tell the story. The pumpkins smashed in the foreground, the fireman and farm shop in the midground with the building in flames in the background. The autumnal colours fill the image with the flames complimenting the pumpkins and the fireman’s suit.

With a title that is just a date and time there isn’t any prior information, this photograph makes me question if this scene was set up or was this a real life situation.

With a little bit of research I discovered this was a training exercise the fire service were doing. Joel Sternfeld came across this scene during his travels, he took this shot capturing a fireman on his break. To me this photograph is a great example of how an image can manipulate the viewer and twists a simple story into something new.

Joe Clare

L1 Photography, University of the West of England

 

A photograph that made me think

Sally Mann was the first photographer who really captured my attention and triggered my love for photography, so when told to write about an image that made me think, Sally Mann’s work came straight to mind.

I love the intimacy of her work, how a soft light always contrasts the darkness in both a physical and metaphorical sense. Mann is incredibly controversial in her work; you need to depict the image to understand the deeper meaning. The presentation of her work can be morbid, however I always feel her love and how she views her subjects to shine through the photographs and overshadow the gloomy atmosphere.

by Gabriella Melville-Shaw

L1 Photography – University of the West of England