What kind of photographer am I?
Some of my favourite images so far...
Here are some of my favourite photographs that I have taken in the last five months. I would say some of them relate to some of the things I have included in my mind map. A lot of them rely on chance due to the capturing of light at different points in the day, something that is of course not permanent, and the physical appearance of cannot be predicted or guaranteed. This reminds me of threshold concept 6 - photographs rely on chance, more or less. I like incorporating the placement of light in my photographs, as I think it can make something ordinary appear more compelling, perhaps allowing for the atmosphere of the image to be contemplated, adding an element of intricacy to a photograph.
Far Away But Close by Jessica Backhaus
Not unlike the photo, we succumb to the poem, with its brief and paused breaths"
My initial thoughts
Initially after briefly looking through the photo book I am left with questions. It is evident that Backhaus' photographs value subtlety, and although this means the meaning of her work may not be immediately obvious, I like the element of ambiguity that her images present. This ambiguity evokes close consideration, encouraging me to ponder on the photo for a bit longer than usual in order to answer my own questions about the artists supposed aim.
Another thing that particularly interests me is the order of Backhaus' images. Why have specific photographs been placed next to one another? What does she attempt to achieve through the order of the photographs? I would refer to the arrangement of images as almost random, as Backhaus seems to jump from image to image, with no instantly explicit reason why. For example, a landscape photograph will be placed on one page, followed by a seemingly opposite close up image on the next. This incorporation of different colours and photographs to me, appears somewhat chaotic as I flick through the book. However, I am sure her decisions are not random at all, and through my own thought and research, I would like to explore the meanings behind Jessica Backhaus' choices in 'Far Away But Close'.
Another thing that particularly interests me is the order of Backhaus' images. Why have specific photographs been placed next to one another? What does she attempt to achieve through the order of the photographs? I would refer to the arrangement of images as almost random, as Backhaus seems to jump from image to image, with no instantly explicit reason why. For example, a landscape photograph will be placed on one page, followed by a seemingly opposite close up image on the next. This incorporation of different colours and photographs to me, appears somewhat chaotic as I flick through the book. However, I am sure her decisions are not random at all, and through my own thought and research, I would like to explore the meanings behind Jessica Backhaus' choices in 'Far Away But Close'.
Photobook analysis
After some research, I found out the photographs in 'Far Away But Close' are a document a number of visits to Chile. An introduction to the book by Antonio Skármet states, "The power of the colour" allows us to experience the, "sensation that we are seeing something we see everyday but haven't actually seen before." This explanation has given me an insight into why the photographs possess this element of subtlety. Backhaus' understated, thoughtful images along with the lack of text on each page, seem to possess these modest qualities in order to encourage a viewer to take a few extra moments to observe the photo, consequently allowing us to notice the smaller details. As Skármet's quote suggests, for the people who live in the documented area, the subject matter of these images are daily sightings - things that after a while we grow to hardly notice, becoming mundane. Though we may see these things, we are not really seeing them. However, Backhaus' photographs challenge this concept. Through her almost poetic images, I believe she makes the everyday new, allowing us to see what we once perceived as dull in a new light.
I think the work in 'Far Away But Close' feels aesthetically sophisticated. The images that inhabit each page of the book communicate an almost dream like atmosphere. Backhaus' use of variations of colour, and the differentiating contents of each image, as I suggested above in my initial thoughts. seem almost random when placed in juxtaposition to one another. This quality reminds me of the perplexing characteristic of a dream, and the confusion we feel when trying to piece together events that have occurred in our dreams - it's almost like every photograph in the book is a fragment of a dream, and I feel as a viewer it is my job to connect each photograph, and find a meaning through careful consideration and thought. I would describe many of the photographs in 'Far Away But Close' as almost poetic; simplistic but symbolising something more complex. Jessica's use of light and colour, as I mentioned above, makes something 'ordinary' appear beautiful - an attribute I would like to possess in my own photographs.
However, upon closer thought, this element of something dream like, something detached from real life, is also, in my view, accompanied by a depiction of reality. As I see the arrangement of the images, though perhaps somewhat disorderly, I am simultaneously reminded of the way I truly see things. Sometimes photographs do not reflect our true vision, which can definitely be advantageous, displaying the versatility of photography. However, the photographs in, 'Far Away But Close' to me do almost reflect the way we see things - one moment I can be looking at my table, focusing on the glass that sits in the centre, and the next moment I could be observing the landscape before me, examining the clusters of trees.
Backahus' photographs, although perhaps initially appearing quite minimalistic, I have found actually encouraged much thought and consequential interpretation. 'Far Away But Close', to me, demonstrates that it is not always necessary to take a photo with lots going on, and something simple can be just as, arguably sometimes more, engaging and thought provoking. A modest photograph encourages a viewer to take more time to understand what the photographer is trying to communicate through photography, and therefore allows for a variety of interpretations.
I think the work in 'Far Away But Close' feels aesthetically sophisticated. The images that inhabit each page of the book communicate an almost dream like atmosphere. Backhaus' use of variations of colour, and the differentiating contents of each image, as I suggested above in my initial thoughts. seem almost random when placed in juxtaposition to one another. This quality reminds me of the perplexing characteristic of a dream, and the confusion we feel when trying to piece together events that have occurred in our dreams - it's almost like every photograph in the book is a fragment of a dream, and I feel as a viewer it is my job to connect each photograph, and find a meaning through careful consideration and thought. I would describe many of the photographs in 'Far Away But Close' as almost poetic; simplistic but symbolising something more complex. Jessica's use of light and colour, as I mentioned above, makes something 'ordinary' appear beautiful - an attribute I would like to possess in my own photographs.
However, upon closer thought, this element of something dream like, something detached from real life, is also, in my view, accompanied by a depiction of reality. As I see the arrangement of the images, though perhaps somewhat disorderly, I am simultaneously reminded of the way I truly see things. Sometimes photographs do not reflect our true vision, which can definitely be advantageous, displaying the versatility of photography. However, the photographs in, 'Far Away But Close' to me do almost reflect the way we see things - one moment I can be looking at my table, focusing on the glass that sits in the centre, and the next moment I could be observing the landscape before me, examining the clusters of trees.
Backahus' photographs, although perhaps initially appearing quite minimalistic, I have found actually encouraged much thought and consequential interpretation. 'Far Away But Close', to me, demonstrates that it is not always necessary to take a photo with lots going on, and something simple can be just as, arguably sometimes more, engaging and thought provoking. A modest photograph encourages a viewer to take more time to understand what the photographer is trying to communicate through photography, and therefore allows for a variety of interpretations.
Far Away But Close - response 1
In my photographs I tried to recreate the aspect of making the everyday appear new, something that Jessica Backhaus achieves in 'Far Away But Close' due to her attention to detail - to the appearance of light, of colour, of the placement of her subject matter in the frame. Through my images I aimed to achieve the same effect that Backhaus' book is described to evoke: the "sensation that we are seeing something we see everyday but haven't actually seen before." In order to do this I took photographs of things that some people may describe as mundane or dull (things that I come across daily), however I attempted to draw attention to the more minor details through utilising the positioning of natural light to create shadows and highlights. Like Backhaus' photographs, I would describe my response images as quite subtle or understated; there is nothing dramatic occurring in the photos, nothing particularly unusual, just a documentation of my local surroundings. Some may describe this as bland, uninteresting - the everyday can become repetitive and tedious, causing us to eventually just see our surroundings without truly seeing them. Therefore, like I noticed in 'Far Away But Close', my overall aim was to draw attention to the subtle beauty present in our daily life.
Chris Killip: Retrospective
The photography that I practice takes place in a specific time and place, depicting real moments in people's lives. In some ways I think of myself as a historian, but not of the word. History is most often written from a distance, and rarely from the viewpoint of those who endured it."
I recently went to the Chris Killip exhibition at The Photographer's Gallery. Killip's work depicts a documentation of the lives of communities of people affected by the economic shifts in the North of England throughout the 1970s and 80s. Killip's brought attention to those, "communities often neglected or hidden," (BBC News). I think the fact that the documentation of these communities is rare, makes the nature of the images seem more personal. I feel there is almost an element of empathy, of sensitivity to the images, and to the people in them. The candid images display ordinary activities that might occur in a town (kids playing in the street, people waiting at a bus stop, a group of friends sat on a bench), but Killip's photographs still remain engrossing, and this sympathetic documentation allows us to consider the lives of those that, without Killip's work, may have been forgotten, or possible never even recognised.
Mike Nelson: Extinction Beckons
I also visited Mike Nelson's 'Extinction Beckons' exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. Nelson's exhibition displayed a number of impressive installations depicting eerie imagined landscapes and fictional words that, in some ways, mirror our own. Comparing this work to the photography of Chris Killip, the artificial nature is of Nelson's work is further enhanced, along with the natural quality of Killips'.
Psychogeography and the dérive
The dérive is an element of psychogeography, and refers to the process of drifting through our, usually urban, landscape without a specific destination. This process of walking without purpose allows us to absorb and consider aspects of our environment that we would usually disregard, through being attracted and repelled by various environmental stimuli. The "Theory of the Dérive" was established by Guy Debord, a member of the avant-garde movement, Situationist International in the 1950s, in response to Baudelaire's concept of the 'Flaneur' (the experience of meandering through the city). He stated that to dérive one must, "let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there" - further enhancing this idea of drifting organically around the space, encouraging one to almost renew their surroundings and experience them in a regenerated way.
This concept was also used to critique the design of our cities and urban planning by ignoring signage, allusions to advertisement and instructions, and instead to, as previously mentioned, almost renew the way we see our environment, connecting to the built environment with a poetic engagement.
This concept was also used to critique the design of our cities and urban planning by ignoring signage, allusions to advertisement and instructions, and instead to, as previously mentioned, almost renew the way we see our environment, connecting to the built environment with a poetic engagement.
A Kidbrooke Dérive
"specific effects of the geographical environment (whether consciously organized or not) on the emotions and behavior of individuals."
Today, as part of the school's community day, we went on a dérive around Kidbrooke. Each member of the class took turns to lead the journey, as we captured photographs of anything that interested us. As I walked through Kidbrooke, I felt this process of having no destination allowed me to exist in the moment - I wasn't thinking about where I was going next, or where the most interesting place to take photographs would be next, allowing for a more liberated process.
Teju Cole's 'Blind Spot'
Brief notes I made in response to the video:
- the limitations of vision, what we are missing through only our vision
- colour is the sound an object makes when it interacts with light
- eyes hearing what we see
- writing and making images involves a process of exploring the world and seeing what belongs to you (hunter and gatherer element)
- photography is a collaboration with what the world gives us
- photography similar to writing: create it in the hope it will outdistance us and tell us something we didn't see / notice
- avoiding human presence = more interpretation / meaning / focus eg open landscapes
- the limitations of vision, what we are missing through only our vision
- colour is the sound an object makes when it interacts with light
- eyes hearing what we see
- writing and making images involves a process of exploring the world and seeing what belongs to you (hunter and gatherer element)
- photography is a collaboration with what the world gives us
- photography similar to writing: create it in the hope it will outdistance us and tell us something we didn't see / notice
- avoiding human presence = more interpretation / meaning / focus eg open landscapes
In the video above photographer Teju Cole shares how the experience of becoming blind in one eye, though temporary, permanently altered his perception of not only photography, but the world around him, allowing him to recognise the sacred quality of 'looking'.
Cole mentions that the subject matter of his photographs do not have to be, "exciting", but instead washed with, "presence" and, "light". This idea is reminiscent of that of Backhaus', 'Far Away But Close', the photo book that I have been focusing on recently to inspire my personal investigation - the notion that there is value in simply looking around and paying attention to our surroundings. Both Backhaus and Cole transform something seemingly 'ordinary' into a poetic, thought provoking image, and in my view this, more than anything, represents the concept of looking becoming sacred as these photographs represent the normally ignored beauty of our surroundings; beauty we can see by simply understanding the importance in, "the intensity of looking at the world... looking really closely".
His photographs alone tell a story, but the fusion with text further enhance this quality. Many of Teju's photographs are taken in different locations around the world (twenty different countries), so I feel this aspect, along with the thought provoking images, almost depict a journey. Therefore, due to being captured in a variety of geographical places, many of the images present different atmospheres and contents, however, Teju mentions that he is intrigued by the continuity of places, and many of his photographs can actually be connected, containing similarities. Consequently, this causes his photographs to depict a kind of sequence as, though each image is in many ways unique, they all also possess similar aspects, things that become recognisable the more photographs you see, creating a sort of thoughtful pattern.
Response to both 'Far Away But Close' and 'Blind Spot'
In 'Blind Spot' many of Teju's photographs lack humans, and if humans are present, their faces are not. Therefore clear human presence will be mainly avoided in my response. I want my images to capture a similar calm atmosphere that I believe Cole's photographs possess - there is almost an aspect of stillness that I have noticed in his photographs, almost representative of a brief interruption or pause in the constant movement of everyday life - reflective of a moment of stillness.
Dérive 2
Michel Mazzoni: 'Rien, Presque'
The photographs in, 'Rien Presque' capture traces of human life in the form of 'sculptures' implemented in our urban landscape. The photo book embodies the concept of the relationship between things being more important than the things themselves, and this is present through the continuity of the images (reminding me of Teju Cole's work). The more photographs you see, the more connections you can make between images, and thus our normally quite mundane surroundings. Therefore, these recurring shapes and objects function to create a kind of photographic narrative.
I feel the work of Mazzoni is reminiscent of a few of the artists I have researched throughout my personal investigation, such as Teju Cole and Jessica Backhaus. Mazzoni demonstrates their technique of capturing photos of everyday objects, our daily surroundings which, as time passes, become dull, becoming so normal to us that we hardly even look at them, let alone notice their aesthetic quality. However, the attention to the smaller details such as the recurring shapes, and natural organic forms which mirror accidental man made sculptures, create thought provoking photographs. I think the photographs may encourage careful thought and consideration as, initially, a viewer may be of the opinion that there is not much happening in the images, however this encourages you to further investigate Mazzoni's photographic aim, as it is not initially transparent. Moreover, the black and white filter enhances this concept, as, being stripped from colour allows a viewer to focus only on the contents of the photograph, and there are no distractions from the shapes before us. I think this book could encourage an individual to alter their perception of their surroundings, and notice the patterns and the beauty that exists throughout our everyday landscape.
Rinko Kawauchi
Throughout my personal investigation I have noticed a trend in a lot of my images, and that is the capturing of the placement of light, specifically small shards of light which, paired with a low exposure, can create intricate patterns of illumination, sometimes establishing a stark contrast between darkness and light. These patterns of light are, for me, a way of making the more ordinary things around me appear more compelling, drawing attention to the objects and colours present in my images.
I am interested in the work of Rinko Kawauchi as I feel her images contain aspects I want to achieve in my own, but also contrast some of the aspects of my previous photographs. For example, many of my photographs are deliberately underexposed to enhance the effects of light, whereas many of Kawauchi's images are overexposed. However, this overexposure does not remove lightings presence - if anything it is enhanced, allowing the photos to possess a kind of dream like quality as light almost pours through some of her images in a mesmerising way.
Much of Rinko's subject matter consists of everyday sights, many of her images focused on nature. Although this seems simple, she photographs these things in a beautiful way through her use of light, cool tones, and also her depth of field. I have noticed that in some of her photographs Kawauchi appears to use a wide aperture for her camera, causing a shallow depth of field, meaning a specific part of her photograph is in focus while everything else is slightly blurred. This allows her to draw attention to the smaller details in her images, perhaps demonstrating how Kawauchi values these more minor details.
I am interested in the work of Rinko Kawauchi as I feel her images contain aspects I want to achieve in my own, but also contrast some of the aspects of my previous photographs. For example, many of my photographs are deliberately underexposed to enhance the effects of light, whereas many of Kawauchi's images are overexposed. However, this overexposure does not remove lightings presence - if anything it is enhanced, allowing the photos to possess a kind of dream like quality as light almost pours through some of her images in a mesmerising way.
Much of Rinko's subject matter consists of everyday sights, many of her images focused on nature. Although this seems simple, she photographs these things in a beautiful way through her use of light, cool tones, and also her depth of field. I have noticed that in some of her photographs Kawauchi appears to use a wide aperture for her camera, causing a shallow depth of field, meaning a specific part of her photograph is in focus while everything else is slightly blurred. This allows her to draw attention to the smaller details in her images, perhaps demonstrating how Kawauchi values these more minor details.
Illuminance, 2015 from rinkowawauchi.com on Vimeo.
Making Day Plan
For the making day I am planning on responding to Rinko Kawauchi, while also implementing some of the ideas of Teju Cole. I am going to respond to some of Kawauchi's photographs by focusing on the natural world, specifically my garden. I have chosen to only take photographs within my garden in order to experiment with limitations in photography and how they can be used to our advantage. This aspect of my idea was inspired by Teju Cole. After going blind in one eye, a clear limitation, Cole mentions that this altered his perception of not only photography, but the way he saw the world in general, causing his "looking" to become "sacred" and allowing him to see the value in looking at the world more intensely and closely. Therefore, I am interested to see if I set myself the limitation of being confined to taking photos in just my garden may, in some way, alter the way I see and the process of my photography.
I am also going to take some aspects I have noticed Kawauchi use in her images, and implement them in my own. For instance, I may overexpose some images, and I am going to attempt to use light to my advantage to hopefully achieve a similar bright quality that Kawauchi's photographs possess. Moreover, I will experiment with the aperture of my camera and therefore the depth of field, specifically focusing on using a more shallow depth of field so that I can hopefully draw attention to specific details.
I am also going to take some aspects I have noticed Kawauchi use in her images, and implement them in my own. For instance, I may overexpose some images, and I am going to attempt to use light to my advantage to hopefully achieve a similar bright quality that Kawauchi's photographs possess. Moreover, I will experiment with the aperture of my camera and therefore the depth of field, specifically focusing on using a more shallow depth of field so that I can hopefully draw attention to specific details.
Making Day
My most successful images
Mock Exhibition
Making Day Reflection
For my making day, I took inspiration from both Teju Cole and Rinko Kawauchi, but I also tried to respond to the simplistic yet poetic nature of much of the work I have come across throughout my personal investigation. The main aspects of Kawauchi's photographs I have attempted to implement into my own work are the prevalent element of light that pervade many of her images, but also the subject matter of her photographs. Kawauchi's images display mainly everyday sights, but her sensitivity towards her process transforms the likes everyday sights into mesmerising portraits. I have used the placement of light myself to attempt to make the everyday seem new and intriguing, but I have tried to achieve this effect through more underexposed photos, however, inspired by Kawauchi, for my making day I attempted to accomplish this through overexposure. I also wanted to utilise the shallow depth of field Kawauchi uses in her images. To take the photographs, I used a wide aperture, therefore allowing me to focus on specific things, perhaps encouraging an act of consideration - perhaps a viewer may question why one specific aspect been selected to be focused on.
I also implemented the idea of creative constraints into my making day photographs. There were limitations implemented by my teachers, for instance the few hour window we had to take our images and the specific day, but I also implemented my own restrictions. For example, I chose to only take photographs in my garden, I also ensured I only used one camera, and the same depth of field for each image. Constraints are always present in photography, but it was being introduced to the work of Teju Cole that caused me to further consider and recognise their significance, not only in photography, but in everyday life. When Cole went blind in one eye, a clear restriction, this inevitably altered the way he physically saw, but also the way he viewed the act of seeing (which he described as his, "looking" becoming, "sacred"). Recognising the significance of the intensity of looking therefore perhaps changed the way Teju took photographs, perhaps taking more thoughtful images. Therefore, in this case, this limitation made room for more creativity, more thought, and overall to his advantage. Consequently, I wanted to explore how limitations could effect my photographs.
Overall, I think the use of limitations helped me to really investigate my ideas. The constraints implemented kind of created an accidental plan for me, giving me something to stick to and focus on more intensely - enhancing my intensity of thinking, and therefore I suppose looking. I think the Kawauchi's influence is also quite apparent in my final photographs, particularly in the images I have included above under, 'my most successful images', due to the illuminating effect of the light, and also the cool tones which I enhanced in some of my images in photoshop.
I also implemented the idea of creative constraints into my making day photographs. There were limitations implemented by my teachers, for instance the few hour window we had to take our images and the specific day, but I also implemented my own restrictions. For example, I chose to only take photographs in my garden, I also ensured I only used one camera, and the same depth of field for each image. Constraints are always present in photography, but it was being introduced to the work of Teju Cole that caused me to further consider and recognise their significance, not only in photography, but in everyday life. When Cole went blind in one eye, a clear restriction, this inevitably altered the way he physically saw, but also the way he viewed the act of seeing (which he described as his, "looking" becoming, "sacred"). Recognising the significance of the intensity of looking therefore perhaps changed the way Teju took photographs, perhaps taking more thoughtful images. Therefore, in this case, this limitation made room for more creativity, more thought, and overall to his advantage. Consequently, I wanted to explore how limitations could effect my photographs.
Overall, I think the use of limitations helped me to really investigate my ideas. The constraints implemented kind of created an accidental plan for me, giving me something to stick to and focus on more intensely - enhancing my intensity of thinking, and therefore I suppose looking. I think the Kawauchi's influence is also quite apparent in my final photographs, particularly in the images I have included above under, 'my most successful images', due to the illuminating effect of the light, and also the cool tones which I enhanced in some of my images in photoshop.
What next?
- Experiment more with constraints and limitations, and how these effect my images: could limit my photographs to one location / one time of day / a concept that I want to capture / overarching theme etc.
- Kawauchi's images have been compared to haikus (a type of poetry originating from Japan and despite having only 3 lines, usually reflects a bigger meaning). I could incorporate this idea of using photography to communicate a visual language in my own work, perhaps incorporating poetry or some form of literature into my practice in some way.
- Kawauchi creates videos. Perhaps I could make a video incorporating my ideas. This could come with sound - maybe a soundscape reflecting the visuals, or maybe, relating to my last point, a poem or something that I believe reflects whatever is being shown.
Medium format workshop
Half term photographs
Considering my next steps
Photopoetry
For my personal investigation, I have been considering fusing poetry with photography. I was initially inspired to do this by Rinko Kawauchi, who's photographs have been compared to Haiku poems. I also study English literature alongside photography, so exploring poetry alongside photography is something that interests me.
To me, I think that Kawauchi's photographs could be reminiscent of poetry, particularly haikus due to the compressed nature of them. They are three lines, yet often depict a complex meaning. It is almost as though this larger meaning, has been compressed into the brief poetic form. Similarly, I think her pictures reflect this idea of compression. For instance, the light in her images, often almost overpowering and kind of illuminating the majority of the photograph, creates this feeling that it has been compressed inside the four edges of a single photograph. Moreover, haiku poems are often based around nature, and Kawauchi's photos are also surrounded around the natural world. Not only the natural world regarding plants and animals, but the natural elements of our everyday. For instance, Kawauchi creates beautiful photographs out of everyday sights, such as legs walking up stairs, or a spoonful of rice. This gives Kawauchi's photos a thoughtful subtlety, which could almost be described as poetic.
Surréalisme au féminin
Over the weekend, I visited Paris, and went to an exhibition in The Musée de Montmarte, called 'Surréalisme au féminin' ('Women and Surrealism'). Surrealism is an attempt to transcribe what is in our minds directly to the outside world, without any filters or boundaries. As André Breton stated in his definition of surrealism in his first manifesto in 1924 surrealism consists of, "Dictation by thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, and beyond any aesthetic or moral preoccupation.". This concept can be communicated through literary, photographic, sculptural, cinematographic and pictorial forms.
The exhibition consists of a display of female surrealists who played a role in the surrealist movement from the 1930s to the 2000s, despite being underrepresented due to the limiting reality of their gender. The exhibition links really well with my initial personal investigation idea regarding photography and poetry. As I walked between rooms, I found myself questioning how the poetry fit in with the different works of art, enhancing my understanding of the relationship between the two art forms and how they can compliment and reflect one another.
The exhibition consists of a display of female surrealists who played a role in the surrealist movement from the 1930s to the 2000s, despite being underrepresented due to the limiting reality of their gender. The exhibition links really well with my initial personal investigation idea regarding photography and poetry. As I walked between rooms, I found myself questioning how the poetry fit in with the different works of art, enhancing my understanding of the relationship between the two art forms and how they can compliment and reflect one another.
Alec Soth
Photographer Alec Soth has mentioned the relationship between poetry and photography that he incorporates into his own images. He talks about how he has recognised line breaks in poetry may be used to allow the reader to consider the poetry, and make interpretations. This may be done by a reader inserting themselves into the poem, finding themselves in a world created by poetry. He compares this process to photography - a viewer may have to bring themselves into the world created by the photographer in order to understand it, similarly to how one may have to bring themselves into the literature they are reading in order to make sense of it.
First response to photopoetry
Soth has referred to poetry and photography as, "two positive forces that bounce off each other." This idea influenced my first response to photopoetry. The concept of the two mediums bouncing off one another relates to my view that poetry can encourage a springboard into a photographic response and visa versa. Because of the amount of analysis both creative forms can allow for, I almost feel this process could be endless.
Therefore, I decided to start my response with a poem. Using an Emily Dickinson poetry book I chose a poem and began creating interpretations. For this response, I do not want to simply just illustrate the poems with photographs, or translate the words explicitly into images. Instead, I want to grasp the bigger meanings of the poems - my personal interpretation of the poem as a whole. This means that the photographs are more personal to me, and, while working with perhaps bigger ideas, I can challenge myself to capture these ideas and attitudes in photos.
Therefore, I decided to start my response with a poem. Using an Emily Dickinson poetry book I chose a poem and began creating interpretations. For this response, I do not want to simply just illustrate the poems with photographs, or translate the words explicitly into images. Instead, I want to grasp the bigger meanings of the poems - my personal interpretation of the poem as a whole. This means that the photographs are more personal to me, and, while working with perhaps bigger ideas, I can challenge myself to capture these ideas and attitudes in photos.
For these images, I focused on capturing things from different perspectives. For example, I took a photo of a clocktower from afar, peering out of from behind a wall. I then took a photograph of the same tower but close up, highlighting the details that previously were missed. This relates to the interpretation of the poem which communicates the idea of, in the poems case, when we view 'delight' from afar it becomes 'pictorial' (perhaps two dimensional, or lacking in detail), but when we can experience this feeling, we are reminded of the complexities of reality, and thus complexities of 'delight'. Moreover, I attempted to capture obscurity, utilising things such as sunlight to obscure vision or the subject matters, to represent how in the poem perceptions are changed, sometimes becoming blurred or unreliable if our vision is unrealistic, or faraway.
Second response to photopoetry
A prevalent theme throughout The Poets light but Lamps is of course light, and I tried to place a large focus on light throughout these photographs. I wanted to experiment with the placement of light and the shadows and patterns it creates in turn, but also how light can drastically alter images. For instance, in the second photograph I captured I feel that the natural light seeping through the trees created quite a gentle atmosphere, however in the third photograph a segment of artificial light is placed over my friends face, and the surrounding, contrasting darkness implies a more gloomy, almost sinister undertone.
'Poetic' films
Further exploring the notion of poetry, in watching these films often referred to as poetic I aim to investigate what 'poetic' actually means. What does a film, or photograph, have to do in order to be described as 'poetic'? It seems to be a universal term to describe photographic content, I have even found myself wanting to describe images in this way, but do I really know what 'poetic' means? Is there a rigid definition of the word? In watching these films, I hope to understand why they have been referred to as 'poetic' and kind of create my own personal interpretation of this word in regards to the medium of photography.
Le Rayon Vert
Le Rayon vert (The Green Ray), directed by Éric Rohmer was shot on 16mm film. This conveys feelings of isolation, melancholy and frustration yet simultaneously optimism, while still possessing an inconspicuous, unassuming nature. I think this is partly a result of the fact that much of the dialogue of this film is improvised, Rohmer expressing that he was, "struck by the naturalness of television interviews," enhancing this natural element because, "people forget the cameras". To me, this enhances the poetic element of the film. A key component of poetry is that even just a few words can generate a much more complex meaning, and I feel this film is a depiction of this concept.
Not only does the improvisation add to this effect, but also the contents of the 'The Green Ray'. Tom Price in an article on the BFI describes green ray as, "a natural phenomenon melding the ordinary with the sublime". He is referring to not the film itself but the optical phenomenon we see at the end of the film. However, I also think this could be applied to the film itself, and also poetry in general. The theory of the sublime refers to greatness, this could be physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic. And although the film may appear "ordinary" due to the lack of dramatic events, much of the film documents the mundane, everyday aspects of life of Delphine, however there is a vast, perhaps great meaning that lurks beyond this everyday. The stark juxtaposition between these two ideas presents a kind of metaphor. The same metaphor poetry indicates. Just a few lines, perhaps not initially interpreted as dramatic, can generate a much deeper meaning, depicting this idea of the ordinary fused with the 'sublime', something greater. Again, this idea is definitely represented in photos. A photograph can take a millisecond, can be taken quickly, perhaps even carelessly, but consideration of this photograph can again generate these deeper meanings, just like the contents of The Green Ray, or the a poem in general.
Not only does the improvisation add to this effect, but also the contents of the 'The Green Ray'. Tom Price in an article on the BFI describes green ray as, "a natural phenomenon melding the ordinary with the sublime". He is referring to not the film itself but the optical phenomenon we see at the end of the film. However, I also think this could be applied to the film itself, and also poetry in general. The theory of the sublime refers to greatness, this could be physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic. And although the film may appear "ordinary" due to the lack of dramatic events, much of the film documents the mundane, everyday aspects of life of Delphine, however there is a vast, perhaps great meaning that lurks beyond this everyday. The stark juxtaposition between these two ideas presents a kind of metaphor. The same metaphor poetry indicates. Just a few lines, perhaps not initially interpreted as dramatic, can generate a much deeper meaning, depicting this idea of the ordinary fused with the 'sublime', something greater. Again, this idea is definitely represented in photos. A photograph can take a millisecond, can be taken quickly, perhaps even carelessly, but consideration of this photograph can again generate these deeper meanings, just like the contents of The Green Ray, or the a poem in general.