Task:What challenged and or surprised us and what did we learn? What might affect how we read and interpret photographs. This might include family and social background, upbringing, values and education, exposure to art, literature, philosophies and politics as well as significant life events that may have shifted our perspectives when decoding images?
FIGURE 1: McCullin. 1971. Gangs of Boys Escaping CS Gas Fired by British Soldiers, Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Unlike the previous week, where I had at some points I felt in unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory for example, within the contexts of what constituted plagiarism, or why creative collaboration was seen as a superior methodology to solo strategies. However, this week I felt like I was on home turf. Well-constructed frameworks allow us to broaden and strengthen our analytical skills, forcing us to explore every nook and cranny of our subject of interest. This week we were provided with a smorgasbord of useful theories, frameworks and analytical tools.
The role of semiotics is not new to me, having a background in advertising planning. However, the explanation by Barthes (1981), in explaining the overt (denoted) and covert (connoted) messages communicated by photographs, was a great jumping-off point for my further research. Furthermore, classifying the components of an effective image into ‘studium and punctum’ has encouraged me to think carefully about which elements within the frame of my images stimulate discussion and engagement.
How the context of a photograph plays an important role in how an image is seen was a relatively new concept for me. My focus has always been the elements contained within the framed image. Historically, that was where my sphere of interest and attention ended. Context as meaning as described by (Walker 1997) and broken down by physical, mental, and circulation immediately challenged this prior behaviour and now forms part of my thinking.
The visual analysis chapter by David Lodge (Lester 2006), was comprehensive and highly detailed. Drawing from the frameworks of David Perlmutter as well as the Gestalt laws of visual perception Lodge, uses a specific image as an example to create a fully detailed image analysis. Although I believe many of the principles explained could be useful, I did feel that some of the ‘denoted’ communication analysis felt laboured and on its own would practice fail to provide sufficient cues as to the connoted meanings communicated by the image. In practice, some of the analysis could be intuitive to the more experienced viewer.
As a fan of the ideas of Bathes, I read the Marie Shukus article Beyond Representation with a great deal of positive anticipation (Shurkus 2014). However, in all honesty, I found it inaccessible and could not draw sufficient meaning from it either at a theoretical or practical level.
With regard my personal influences, I am first and foremost a logical thinker who grew up loving science, enjoying the structure and certainty it brings and used theoretical frameworks for analysis and insight. My educational background at GCSE, A level, and degree level were all science-based. At this stage in my photographic journey, my reading of photographic images was narrow, formal, unimaginative, and determined by a slavish following of the rules.
Over time my cultural horizons broadened and allowed me to appreciate a broader and less structured assortment of artistic influences. At that stage, my interpretation of imagery had begun a journey of being able to evaluate more eclectic images. It was coincidently at this time that my photography also began to improve.
While studying for a Masters’s Degree in Consumer Behaviour and a PhD in psychology I began to understand that there was no such thing as the truth. Perspective was everything and one could reinvent reality through perception. This allowed me to appreciate a far broader range of photographers and artists, shifting my appraisal of images and art towards less structured, less defined, and more eclectic work.
This week, I have enjoyed the seminars, discussions and academic papers immensely and intend to bring portfolio analysis into my practice in the longer-term.
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1: MCullin, Don. 1971. Gangs of Boys Escaping CS Gas Fired by British Soldiers, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, New York Times. Don McCullin Is a War Photographer. Just Don’t Call Him an Artist. [online]. Available at: nytimes.com/2019/02/04/arts/design/don-McCullin-tate-britain.html [accessed 18/10/2023]
REFERENCES
BARTHES, R. 1981. Camera lucida: Reflections on photography, Macmillan.
LODGE, D. 2006 ‘Visual Analysis’ In Paul Lester (Ed). Visual communication: Images with messages, 115-132.
SHURKUS, M., 2014. Camera lucida and affect: Beyond representation. Photographies, 7(1), pp.67-83.
WALKER, J.A., 1997. Context as a determinant of photographic meaning. The Camerawork Essays: Context and Meaning in Photography, pp.52-63.
Saturday kicked off the start of the week with the Bristol Annual Photobook Festival. A chance to meet some colleagues and Jesse Alexander for the first time. Starting with coffee (of course), a brief chat revealed the divergent backgrounds of our cohort. Teachers, Anthropologists, Rock Musician Photographers a heady mix of life experiences for us to share and build diverse projects in collaboration and by ourselves.
I was booked into two talks. The first, a talk by Alicia Bruce regarding her photobook I Burn but I am Not Consumed. Alicia presented a portrait of a Scottish coastal community in conflict with Donald Trump. Alicia had deeply embedded herself into the community, gained its trust and became part of the movement. It struck me that her commitment and emotional involvement was total.
FIGURE 1: Alicia Bruce. 2023. Trump the Greatest Liar
This paid off, with her work reflecting the pain and frustration but also the moments of joy within the community as it faced up to the David and Goliath battles against the Trump organisation. The photography and accompanying poetry eloquently provided a record of the lived experiences of locals involved in the fight. As I listened, I wondered if I would be able to embed myself so deeply into my own chosen community of food banks and soup kitchens, a group far removed from my own background. The film shown during Alicia’s presentation was very moving and strengthened my resolve to include a film as part of my final-year project.
The second talk by Lua Ribeira showcased her latest book Subida al Cielo (Ascent into Heaven). Within five separate projects, Lua was able to create performative, theatrical bodies of work that are able to transcend cultural barriers, providing unique insights into migrant and religious communities utilising highly staged and pre-determined visual structures. Uniquely Lua’s photobook included her drawings and ‘workings out’ that preceded the shoots.
FIGURE 2: Lua Ribeira. 2023. Subida al Cielo
Lua’s work spoke to several levels. Firstly, it rammed home the possibilities of pre-imagining how subjects and their environments might be arranged within the frame. Although this is not always possible, in working for example within a soup kitchen, there will always be aspects of the environment that will work better than others. Secondly, when speaking afterward with Lua signing my copy of her book, she confirmed that all of the work had been shot on medium format film. My determination to attempt shooting at least part of my FMP on medium format film has strengthened.
After lunch with a few colleagues, I was able to browse the photobook sellers. My purchases were illuminating. I was drawn towards gritty monochrome scenes of urban depravation. Was this going to be my prefered execution style, or a hangover of my earlier documentary preferences of photographers such as Don McCullin, Mary Ellen Mark and Bruce Davidson. I guess this is yet to be resolved.
Monday was ringfenced for a shoot in I Margate. I have yet to fully explore the best ways to achieve environmental portraits with my medium format Mamiya 645, in particular the focussing issues that have dogged my first few weeks with the camera. Arriving mid-morning my first opportunities came early. I was able to persuade a couple of Latvian wild swimmers to engage and have their portraits taken. Setting up quickly while chatting was challenging. Focus was difficult with the waist-level finder. I had to take several meter readings with a separate light meter. I did not use the screen magnifier and relied on a snatched focus. The result, missed focus. Note to self, either use the prism finder or waist level magnifier and take time to focus carefully if subject sharpness is to be optimised.
FIGURE 3: David Rosen 2023. Margate Wild Swimmers
With great light I took the opportunity to take a number of seascapes using the tripod, waist level finder and my travel tripod. To minimise camera shake (I was shooting at 100 ISO Kodak Ektar) I utilised the cameras inbuilt shutter delay. This is probably even more effective than cable release as I can still use the mirror up function avoiding mirror slap vibrations. Over lunch took a portrait of an elderly lady with her two dogs. I used this as practice in approaching strangers out of the blue for impromptu portraits.
After lunch I drove across Margate to the now collapsed site of the lido. A Somalian lady sitting on the collapsed wall caught my attention. I approached her and asked to take a series of portraits both environmental and closer up. Having engaged her in conversation it transpired that she grew up in London and had moved to Margate teaching art to under-privileged children in Margate. I now had Portra loaded rated at ISO 200. The light was strong but not overly directional. I used my prism finder shooting on the cameras internal meter and able to focus more carefully than earlier. The results can be seen here MARGATE SHOOT 9/10/2023. The resulting negatives were dense, indicating that in future when using the prism finder I could shoot at box speed without the danger of under-exposure.
When sharing details of my intended food bank project, Ayaan pointed to a local food bank that had recently been set up by Sharon Goodyear. I took the opportunity to go there before catching the train home. By a sheer case of serendipity, Sharon was standing I the doorway. Thinking she was a client waiting for the centre to open, I approached and asked if she knew the whereabouts of Sharon that afternoon. It turns out she was in fact Sharon, and we proceeded to share our various backgrounds and current projects. It transpires that the centre is newly opened, is both a food bank and soup kitchen and is promoting healthy options as a push back against over-processed food. My impressions were that Sharon was interested and would be keen for me to be involved. I tool her details and e.mailed her the next day. As of 4 days later I have had no reply but intend to follow up and if possible, arrange a face to face in Margate over the coming weeks. I hope to use this opportunity for a small test shoot with images included in my first assignment.
Tuesday kicked off with a briefing webinar from Jesse regarding our upcoming reflective presentation. Although there is significant guidance available online, it was useful to hear first-hand from Jesse. In particular, he stressed that this was not a task of merely creating a biopic. Rather, it should be a critical analysis of our previous style of work and where it sits within the various genres and philosophies within photography. We were reminded of the usefulness of reviewing the exemplar reflective presentations on Canvas and the value in reviewing these with the learning outcomes to hand. The scope of the task is now clear. The assignment is due Monday 13th Nov.
This week’s assignment was a collaborative presentation due at the end of the week. Luckily, my uploaded proposal of exploring and executing various conceptual ideas around ‘waiting’ was accepted by three others; Natasha, Steve and Jonny. Once we had coalesced, we were quickly able to delegate tasks with myself writing the background research and the others creating photographs to support the presented ideas. The collaboration was surprisingly efficient and despite having not worked together previously, we were able to give a credible presentation on the Thursday afternoon.
Wednesday was spent finishing the research and writing up the slides for the presentation. I also reviewed the presentation on authorship and collaboration and read the paper by Susan Meisel on collaboration. To be honest, I have found some aspects of this week’s topic challenging. I realise my view of photography as a creative and intellectual pursuit is seen negatively in the supplied texts, and presentation. My career to date would seem to have followed the same path.
Although I have spent decades in commercial creative environments including design and advertising agencies and have executed projects collaboratively, this has tended to be when the teams were cross-functional. In other words, working with artworkers, film editors and designers. I have tended to create my strategies and conceptual design ideas mostly solo, then shared the ideas as as a finished product. I tend to be highly self-critical and by the time I am ready to share, I believe (most likely incorrectly), that the idea cannot be refined or polished further.
Within photography, I have been self-taught and have learned my craft by voraciously consuming the ideas and work of individuals I have placed on a creative and photographic pedestal. Bruce Davison, Don McCullin, Mark Ellen Mark, Ernst Haas, Saul Leiter. I have tended to avoid the more contemporary and artistic voices, choosing to follow the classic masters. Consequently, I have found some aspects of this week difficult and at times uncomfortable. I recognise that I am focussed on a style of documentary photography that was perhaps at its nadir 30-40 years ago. Is this wrong? I guess the coming topics and activities will refine my thoughts on this further.
Finally, there was also an evening lecture by Stinus Duch. This was an interesting account of the independent art photobook market and how these photobooks are conceived and their journey from inception to completion. Whilst highly creative, many did not stir my emotions. On the spectrum of art vs pure documentary, they definitely veered towards art. I found some rather incomprehensible, however, some were highly original. The webinar highlighted the dissonance I currently feel between aesthetics and meaning, art and more representative styles of documentary photography. I have yet to resolve these contradictions.
Thursday was spent refining the presentation including the list of figures and bibliography. I also developed my first three rolls of colour film (Cinestill C41). Finally, I have restructured the menu within my CRJ so that my previous portfolio is separated from the work I shoot while at Falmouth.
Friday was taken up with personal matters as well as continuing to process my Margate analogue images.
FIGURES:
FIGURE 1: BRUCE, Alicia. 2023 Trump the Greatest Liar. I Burn But I Am Not Consumed. [online]. Available at: https://aliciabruce.co.uk/book/iburn [accessed 13/10/2023].
Task:Within both our photographic practice and our lives outside, we are asked to reflect on how others have shaped our photographic practice. What do we think about drawing on the ideas of others and their work and where do we draw the line between collaboration and plagiarism?
In discussing how my creative practice has been influenced by others, I think it is important to first clarify what we mean by the input of others. In my own case, I have tended to follow the path of the solo photographer, rather than collaborate directly on projects or when shooting on location or post-processing my images. As I explained in this week’s reflection blog, I have also tended to follow this approach in my work life.
However, with regard to inspiration, I am a firm believer in the importance of widely reviewing the work of others. By that I do not mean simply looking to replicate shooting styles, and approaches. Rather, I refer to a detailed study of selected favourite masters in order to understand their philosophy, creative journey and techniques. In doing so, I have been able to learn to push myself outside of my comfort zone, attempt new and difficult techniques and approaches to image-making, and set myself challenging future projects. In truth, I believe that it is impossible to simply take on the guise of previous masters. One simply becomes a poor imitation. However, by attempting to learn from their ideas and approaches one tends to fail, but by doing so grows the potential scope and expertise of their output.
I have taken this to the extent, that I have developed workshops for the Royal Photographic Society on this topic. Two books that have influenced and guided my beliefs on the development of a creative voice are shown below (Kleon 2012), (Congdon 2019)
With regard to what constitutes Plagiarism, I remain somewhat conflicted. Several examples discussed within the collaboration project of Susan Meisels and others (Azoulay 2016), feel (in my opinion) to have crossed the line into plagiarism. I do not believe this will represent a popular belief, and perhaps I am too closely wedded to photographers such as Robert Frank to whom my early passions for photography were ignited. However, I believe that in taking samples of such work and using it to create other more simplisticly derived work (albeit original conceptual ideas), represents plagiarism.
REFERENCES:
Azoulay, A., 2016. Photography consists of collaboration: Susan Meiselas, Wendy Ewald, and Ariella Azoulay. Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies, 31(1), pp.187-201.
Congdon, L., 2019. Find Your Artistic Voice. Chronicle Books.
Kleon, A., 2022. Steal Like an Artist 10th Anniversary Gift Edition with a New Afterword by the Author: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Workman Publishing.
A surprisingly eventful week, that has accelerated my journey toward consolidating the direction of my research project. Monday was spent writing up the mirror/window reflection task. It appears that I responded in a formal essay style, rather than simply writing a piece of prose. However, I found the exercise useful in practicing responding to assignments.
Tuesday was taken up with a webinar on Critically and a presentation by the study support team ASK. The webinar on criticality was somewhat highjacked by frustrations from the student cohort on getting to grips with the various technologies, interfaces, and induction tasks of the course. I have marked as a todo, to research the full spectrum of meaning regarding criticality. The ASK presentation was quick but highlighted the study hub and its various support channels. Again note to self to visit this when time allows.
On the face of it, Wednesday was to be a background reading background day and a time to work through the second module. However, a meeting at my hairdresser sparked a conversation around poverty in which food banks were discussed. This idea then percolated once I got home and I began building the idea on the already under consideration project options of coastal depravation and town and gown inequality. The concept idea quickly grew in my head. The resulting output, a documentary study of the food bank and soup kitchen crisis that has engulfed the UK as a result of the spiraling cost of living and poor wage inflation at the bottom end of the wages spectrum. I made the decision to share this with Jesse Alexander and made contact. A meeting was set up for the Thursday morning.
During Wedneday afternoon and Thursday morning, I developed a short PowerPoint presentation covering the key elements of the project. Our discussion lasted 1.5 hours and Jesse made a number of highly valid points. Namely: The obvious challenges in access. The challenges I will face in order to gain trust. The locations chosen for the project, and the need to consider distance as a factor. Finally, he discussed the perspective of treating the sites as a feature within the landscape. Overall Jesse responded positively and despite my obvious concerns over the challenge of access, I feel a project idea is now taking shape and I can begin my initial research work.
Thursday saw our first meeting with Tim my tutor for this module. There were only three of us. The atmosphere was intimate and lively. Our backgrounds were shared and some progress was made with regard the critical evaluation of our portfolios with respect of this weeks project. It does feels as if much of the work for our weekly project will happen when we are working solo with group-based webinars acting more informally for questions and concerns.
Today being Friday, I have used the opportunity to complete my work on the second topic (Method & Meaning) and write up my CRJ. A productive week especially in terms of the consolidation of my research project focus and some really interesting ideas on project methodologies and ways to abrogate creative decision-making as a creative strategy. I must watch the various Alex Soth films to see this in action.
Task: To reflect on what challenged us within the topic, what was surprising, and what we felt we had learned. More specifically methods and methodologies we have historically used in our practice to convey meaning? Have any of these been unintentional? Finally, have any of the practitioners discussed, or our peers used strategies or methods that we might impose on ourselves in the future?
The most poignant learning outcome for myself from this week’s Methods & Meaning topic has been the idea that we can evaluate bodies of work to derive meaning in ways that are different from those applied to a single image. The three separate principles of Methods: Processes that apply to specific stages with the image creation journey, (for example,the use of film vs analogue). Concept: The creative intent of the photographer Methodologies: The systematic application of a series of methods to provide a distinct series of images that can be considered separately within an analytical discussion. These will be useful dimensions going forward when discussing my image output and evaluating their fit to the project objectives.
Having total control over every stage of the image-making process has been a key feature of my own photography from the beginning. This should come as no surprise to me as my go-to approach in work and life generally is to research comprehensively, plan well, and seek certainty through mastery of the process. Whilst this may work well for certain styles of landscape and architectural photography, this approach is less than ideal for street photography and documentary work. In truth I have been working hard on this aspect of my creative approach and to some extent have been able to ‘let go’ to certain aspects of the creative process. This has helped me create a more authentic street photography practice and more recently urban portraiture.
However, the degree to which some of the featured artists have applied methodologies to abdicate themselves from large parts of the creative decision process has both challenged and surprised me. The work of Chris Coekin in which he becomes a hitchhiker, randomly taking lifts and photographing his drivers feels extraordinary. The self-selection processes involved fall far outside of my comfort zone.
Conversely, the work of Gillian Wearing with subjects holding placards expressing how they feel offers some fascinating possibilities. Although the placard message concept is not new (it was featured in Richard Curtis’s film Love Actually), unlike the work of Chris Coekito I feel that Gillian Wearing’s methodology could perhaps play a potential role in my own work. I could imagine a situation whereby subjects who are featured in my environmental portraits, holding cards or objects that provide additional cues as to the individual’s role within the image.
The concept of psychogeography provided a fascinating perspective on limiting one’s geographic location during the image capture process. Whether by following a randomly prescribed route such as that described by Robert Mcfarlane or using demarcations and boundaries to define your subject matter as seen within the A to Z project of London by Mark Power, Psychogeography whether or not described explicitly as such has been used very effectively for example by Alex Soth in Sleeping by the Mississippi (see my post in the forum discussions for more detail).
FIGURE 1: Alex Soth. 2002. Joshua, Angola State Prison, Louisiana.
In truth, my own work has lacked distinct methodologies at the ‘body of work’ level. My practice has tended to focus on the power and aesthetics of the single image. My bodies of work, have consequently felt like a collection of single images, held together by a singularity of intent, but lacking cohesiveness as a collection. This week’s topic has provided ‘food for thought’ on how I might address this aspect of my work in the future. Both the consideration of methodologies and strategies at the ‘body of work level and the enforced abdication of creative control holds exciting possibilities. Over the coming weeks, I want to consider what these might be and share them with both the teaching staff and my peers.
TASK: To provide a personal perspective of the ‘mirror or window analogy’ and more generally its usefulness as an evaluative tool in photography. The 500-word essay should explore other metaphors that can provide insight into the drivers behind image-making as well as my own motivations within photography and its role within my aspirations as an image-maker and storyteller.
RESPONSE:
Reflecting on the Mirror Window Metaphor in Photography
Photography has been classified in many ways. Fine art, representational, landscape, portraiture, commercial. These labels, whilst useful, provide no clues as to the motivation and emotional connections between the photographer, subject, and viewer. The concept of an image being sited on a spectrum between a mirror, (an image created within the photographer’s imagination) and representational (an accurate account of the scene), was first described by John Szarkowski (Szarkowski, 1978). Szarkowski’s conceptualisation offered a new dimension by which photography could be examined. Despite its simplicity, the windows/mirror analogy provided a unique perspective through which one could explore the choices made by a photographer. Sarkowski however was not the first to describe the way in which images communicate both directly and indirectly. In his seminal book Camera Lucida (Barthes, 1981) explains that photographs contain both denoted (real) and connoted (implied) information.
FIGURE 1: Ridley Scott. 1982. Blade Runner
My own journey as an image maker has been one of a gradual transition through the mirror/ window spectrum. My early work was heavily influenced by Cinematographers such as Roger Deakins and Christopher Nolan as well as Film Directors such as David Lean director of Lawrence of Arabia and Ridley Scott Director of the original Blade Runner (figure 1). My photographic inspiration from individuals included Michael Kenna, Don McCullin and Bill Brandt. My early landscape for example my work in Iceland, sits firmly within the fine art genre. It was dark, moody, and devoid of people.
After much soul searching, I concluded my landscape images were influenced by my desire to externalise the challenges of a bipolar and depressive maternal upbringing. Later in my creative journey and having left home and being happily married, I began to explore more cinematic style urban street scenes and modern architecture. Whilst these still contained a degree of self-reflection, they represented my attempts at more accurately representing the mood and drama within the urban environment without the overlay of implied dystopia.
Increasingly, I have been feeling creatively and intellectually restless. I want to focus directly on individuals, the issues that impact them, their emotions, their interactions, their lived experiences at work and play, their struggles and achievements. My sphere of photographic influence has also changed. The work of Mary-Ellen Mark, Bruce Davidson, Chris Killick and Robert Frank now all deeply resonate. Their intentional manipulation of both connoted and denoted visual codes provides their images with searing and deep-rooted messages that engage and challenge the viewer forcing them to confront the issues depicted.
I also recognise that the window/ mirror analogy is by no means the only useful metaphor. For example, one can view a body of documentary photography as acting as a microphone for a disadvantaged group. This is clearly seen in the photojournalism of W.Eugene Smith (Smith and Smith, 1975) who described the gradual poisoning of the local population in Minimata Japan. Without his images, commissioned by Life Magazine, we may never have heard their voices. Similarly, long-form documentary projects can see photography utilised in the same way and have the same influence as the mighty pen. When first published, The Americans by Robert Frank (Frank and Kerouac, 1978) was seen as a searing indictment of the failure of the American dream. The attempts to stifle its publication were similar to those normally associated with the censoring of a written report.
Sometimes photography can feel like a sociological x-ray machine, allowing us to see deeply into the soul of their subjects and vicariously experiencing their lives. The photography of Mary Ellen Mark (figure 2), Bruce Davidson, Don McCullin and Matt Black often exhibit these qualities. Other times this objectivity is purposely ignored. Instead, the photographer is looking to act as judge and jury. Through the selection of their subject matter, choice of the decisive moment, and the underlying rhetoric of their image, the photographer is unashamedly looking to influence the viewer. Whether as seen in the images of death and horror in the Vietnam War by Don McCullin (McCullin, 2020) or man’s destruction of the environment as seen from the air by Edward Burtynsky (Burtynsky et al., 2009) the photographer intends to shock the viewer.
FIGURE 2: Mary-Ellen Mark. 1990. Amanda and her cousin Amy
At a personal level, my initial motivations for photography were driven by a desire for concrete evidence of creative skill and mastery of technical expertise. However, whilst being able to achieve aesthetically pleasing work, increasingly I want to create work that is imbued with inherent meaning, reflects issues relating to the human condition and if possible, highlights unseen challenges in our society. I have been fortunate to be born at a time when social mobility was achievable with education and hard work. Whilst I have never looked back, I have also never looked down. I believe I have been somewhat immune to the challenges faced by so many in what is now a form of broken globalised capitalism. If only in a very small way, I am looking for my documentary photography to shed light on some of the injustices in today’s very unequal society.
David Rosen : 5th Nov 2021 : Water Droplets on Glass : Spitalfields, London
Friday afternoon and it feels like it has been a long week. On the upside, the initial dense fog of confusion regarding the various interfaces, terminology, and online navigation structures has already begun to recede. I was already aware of the mirrors and window metaphor, but the increased focus demanded by the forum exercise and the writing exercise has created a deeper sense of its role and importance within photography. The impending essay (which I have now structured but have yet to write) has drawn out my own understanding of the concept and has been useful as another tool to help refine my self-reflection as a photographer.
I am constantly revisiting the question that has taken up so much of my attention in the weeks and months leading to the start of the course: What is going to be the main thrust of my research project and will this in turn drive the direction of my final project. Somehow I have seemed to have amassed no less than nine separate ideas. Does this mean I am inventive and creative or simply indecisive and lacking focus? Time will tell.
The first main event of the week was the introductory talk by Jesse who laid out the broad scope of our journey of the next two years and the various elements of the online infrastructure which we had all begun to attempt navigating. I had reviewed the slides before the lecture but all the same, it was useful to hear it being explained by our course leader.
Wednesday was spent creating a response for the forum where an image – A Portrait of Space by Lee Miller was shown. We were asked to provide our thoughts and reflections on the photograph, its meaning, and possible insights into our own relationship with photography. I tried to provide a very brief overview of my own journey over the past few decades and my increasing desire to create work of meaning. Seeing the responses of others reminded me that one can never predict how others might respond to a brief. There are always a myriad of possibilities of which we tend to only be aware of very few.
Wednesday evening was our first guest lecture from in this case Melanie Issaka. Exploiting the simplistic power of cyanotype self-portrait silhouettes mixed with colour images showing parts of her body Melanie demonstrated a powerful awareness of the sense of her own identity and how her appearance as a female creative from Ghana influenced her reaction to her and her work. Although the images were visually striking, I was interested in why she had not added context through descriptive text to explain her motivations in creating the work. Melanie explained that she preferred a strong sense of ambiguity to remain in her work. I wonder if I would want the same. I feel that my direction in wanting to create work of meaning within documentary photography will always feel more powerful when it is accompanied by descriptive text. I have yet to explore this further.
On Thursday I sat down in my local library with the intention of writing the 500-word essay on the mirror/window metaphor. To really find a meaningful position on the questions asked, I had to sit for some time (almost two hours), before the words and thoughts began to flow. Even then this was not even an early draft, more of a structure and set of signposts. However, the time invested was worth it. Although I am now running slightly late with the essay I have thoughts and a structure which I feel I can work with. The Mirror/window analogy is now firmly and comprehensively planted in my brain.
Thursday was also the first peer webinar where we got a chance to meet a number of our peers. In this case only three. The intimate group was in hindsight a better option as we were able to explore how we felt in more detail and with more candour than if we had been in a larger forum. I am certainly not alone in having yet to define my research and final projects. There were insecurities and apprehensions but also a sense of excitement and belief in the power of the journey.
Friday did not register as a day for Falmouth. A heavy commitment outside of the MA kept me away from my desk. One item of note. I finally committed to C41 development at home and have purchased the various chemicals and darkroom necessities to encourage more colour film shooting.
David Rosen : 21st Dec 2022 : Cornwall Coastline : Coastline Britain
It is the night before our first introductory webinar where we are to meet our cohort compatriots and our module and course leader Jesse Alexander. Our Fastnet cohort is gradually taking shape with a constant trickle of new sign-ups both for the dedicated Teams group as well as the newly created WhatsApp grouping.
It is perhaps not surprising at this stage that so many of us are feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the scale and breadth of the online interface we will be using over the coming months. It does seem however that the structure of the online portals has been carefully considered and there is a generous set of resources to help us grapple with navigation and course structure.
I have had a walk-through so far and this was perhaps helpful in gaining an initial perspective of the online environment. However, the first few days remained somewhat daunting as I tried to piece together how to navigate, book appointments, synch feeds across Outlook, and access the various guides that were buried within the Canvas universe.
I am somewhat lucky I suppose in having designed and created several websites within WordPress over the past few years. This has allowed me to progress relatively efficiently in creating a basic framework for the Critical Reflection Journal. This does not equate to understanding how this will be populated going forward but provides some basic comfort in having a visual framework at kickoff.
Tomorrow, our meeting with Jesse should start the process of personal connections for the cohort as well as acting as a forum for initial concerns to be raised and signposting where and how help can be accessed. My own challenges lay in building collaborative relationships whereby in the past I might have looked to solve my own problems and rely on myself for ideas and inspiration, I am keen to engage fully with the skills and talents of the group.
The Photography of David Rosen 