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Research Task 05 - Photographic Brief

Self-Portraits from photographic culture:

Martin Parr:

A selection of Parr's self-portraits can be viewed in his book 'Autoportrait'. This small publication contains 57 portraits of Parr taken by studio photographers, street photographers and in photo booths across the world. (Magnum Photos, 2014)

  • Act as humorous self-portraits - not too serious, reflects his personality

  • Range of colour tones to portray the scenario/time of day etc.

  • Similar facial expressions throughout the whole book – become banal? Need something to keep the viewers’ attention – Parr uses the humorous background to do this e.g. shark

Ilse Bing:

Ilse Bing was a German avant-garde and commercial photographer who produced pioneering monochrome images during the inter war era.

(Edwynn Houk Gallery, n.d)

  • All of her photographs were in black and white - can be seen as a way to capture the soul as oppose to materialistic items or even emotions

  • Uses direct facial expressions - connotes she has a very direct personality, doesn't shy away from the camera

  • Also connotes a sense of seriousness as she is not smiling in most of her self-portraits

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Vivian Maier:

Vivian Maier was an American street photographer, she worked as a nanny but pursued photography as a hobby.

  • Decides to show the camera in her self-portraits, acts as a signifier for what her hobbies are - reveals more about her character

  • Banal/serious facial expressions, connotes she is serious and straight to the point

  • Direct gaze - looks straight into the camera - not shy of being in front of the camera as well as behind it

Lee Friedlander:

Lee Friedlander is an American photographer and artist who was born in 1934. He began photographing the American social landscape in 1948.

  • Uses shadows to create a version of himself - can be questioned as to whether this is a portrait. Unconventional - what Friedlander was about

  • Car - in one way takes the focus from him - also acts as a signifier

Man Ray:

Man Ray was an American visual artist who spent the majority of his career in France. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements.

  • Range of direct vs. non direct gaze, connotes real vs. fake - direct gaze usually means the person is real/confident whereas a non direct gaze may suggest fakery/deceitfulness

  • Used staged scenes to depict what was going on in his mind - way of bringing his thoughts to life via a self portrait

  • Items act as a signifier for when the viewer is reading the image e.g. the rope around his neck signifies death and/or suicide

David Bailey:

David Bailey is a British fashion and portrait photographer. In 1960, he began photographing for British Vogue, and his fashion work and celebrity portraiture, known for stark backgrounds and dramatic lighting effects, transformed British fashion and celebrity photography.

  • The use of direct gazes suggests a sense of authority - looks to be in control of what he is doing

  • This, along with the stern facial expressions help the viewer to understand more about his character/personality

  • Use of black and white connotes his age - as he ages and gets older

Jo Spence:

Jo Spence was a British photographer. She began her career in the field of commercial photography but soon started her own agency which specialised in family portraits, and wedding photos.

  • The props in the first image are used to connote childhood - shows how her upbringing/childhood was important to her becoming the person she was, however, the sad facial expression connotes that maybe her upbringing was not the best

  • The two very different facial expressions create very dramatic narratives, the second image has connotations of power through the use of direct gaze, however, the 'x' could be a signifier of vulnerability

Aneta Ivanova:

Aneta Ivanova is a 21 year old photographer born in Varna, Bulgaria.

  • Uses abstract concepts of combining two images to form one self-portrait, could connote she has more than one personality, one she shows to the world and one only she sees

  • Uses other components to illustrate parts of her character, such as the birds, which could connote being young/free

  • The contrast of direct and non direct gaze in the first image suggests a narrative of truth vs lie

Helmo:

Thomas Couderc and Clement Vauchez are a graphic design and photography duo called 'Helmo' from France. Their project titled 'Betes de Mode' includes experiments with blue portraits and red animal pictures made with silkscreen. By projecting red or blue lights on them, it is possible to see the portrait and the animal portrait.

  • Use a contrast of human and animal to reflect a persons characteristics e.g. a lion for a strong character

  • Contrast of red and blue -  could have connotations of good vs evil

  • Use of black background helps the viewer to see both parts of the image

Two photographs that represent me:

Two Minds:

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Denotation - The main denotation of this image is that it is a photo of myself, however for people that may not know me, it cold denote to them that it is a photograph of a young woman.

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Connotation - This photograph connotes a sense of uncertainty and perhaps shows that a person can have two, or more, sides to their personality, and maybe one of those is hidden from the outside world. Another connotation could be that you are never sure of someone's past because they may not choose to show it, and keep a happy face on them at all time, while their feelings stay hidden.

New in Old:

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In recent months I have become more and more interested in street photographs and architecture, and have ventured into photographing in black and white, that is why I decided to shoot this image as one that represents my current photographic interest.

 

Denotation - The denotation of this image is that it is a photo of a building in a city

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Connotation - The connotations of this photograph could include the narrative of how the new is taking over and in some ways ruining the old/historic features of a major city in Britain. This is signified by the futuristic looking building and the crane behind the building. The use of a low angle shot connotes how important these structures are becoming to the development of inner cities.

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