P7: a day at the zoo (or shopping)!

Since my last post of two weeks ago, I still struggle to get out of the rut that I found myself in.  Back home in Munich recovering from the jet lag and combating the recent intense heat has been the order of the day, not going out and taking photographs.  I am a lover of the cool air of Autumn and the freeze of winter, once the mercury climbs above 25 degrees I struggle to do anything more than lope around indoors in the cool.

I am also struggling a little with this course, finding the transition from photographing the landscape to the people more challenging than I thought.  The problem lies more in motivation than in subject matter.  With landscape and courses previous to that I was able to construct a straight forward plan of what I wanted my photography to portray and then go and find that in the area.  With Social Documentary it is less deterministic, far more subject to serendipity, do I find a good subject or not.  Perhaps one issue is that I am resolutely focused at present on the photography of people, I need to still consider the environment they inhabit and the impact they leave behind, even if the people are no longer present.  Finally my approach to the 4th assignment, essentially a year long study of the people of Munich proceeds slowly and lacks the sense of achievement that I have felt with other work.  I wonder if Stephen Shore or Robert Frank had similar crises of confidence as they crossed America.

On a more positive note, my copy of Walker Evans' "American Photographs" arrived a couple of days ago, long out of print, I was delighted when it appeared at an affordable price on Amazon.  I hope to comment here on this and other recent books in the next few weeks - another sign of my apathy is a lack of critical reading recently.

With Project 7 I am making a detour from the suggested material.  Whilst a zoo is a good place to observe people interacting with animals, I find them very depressing places, even the good ones leave me with a sense of disgust.  Munich Zoo is very good, but one or two exhibits are almost Victorian in their cruelty to the animals encased within.  As a result I have chosen not to include the zoo in my work, but to think about a couple of other environments in which people interact with enclosed spaces containing interesting objects, the Shops and Art Galleries.  Here I am specifically looking at the shopping experience, how people pause in front of shop windows, how they interact with one another and how they linger longingly near something way too expensive.  Having never spent much time looking at people looking at shops, it was very noticeable that the more expensive the items in the shop window the more people lingered.  Jewelry shops were the most popular, I suppose that if youcan afford the item then you are more likely to go in an take a closer look.  A 10,000 Euro watch is enticing, but what is the point of taking a closer look, you cannot afford it anyway, but oh boy wouldn't you like to have one.

Compared to recent sets this is not my best photography, but within the selected images are one or two gems, the final shot being the best.  The two ladies to the left are browsing some children's books whilst the girl to the right wanders by cigarette in hand, eyes turned down to the mobile phone she is carrying.  Turning back to my long term goal it is a photo like this that speaks to me of the modern Munich, if I only capture one or two photos as strong as this per week I will have enough for a book.

In a rut in the Valley

This weekend I am camped in a hotel just off El Camino Real in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley as it is commonly know.  Following weeks of 12 hour days my recent work culminated in two meetings in adjacent weeks, leaving a weekend between to kill.  I packed a camera and some good intentions, but now that I have some free time I am at a loss as to what to do.  This is partly to do with fatigue, but I think is a result of something much deeper.

As I walk around the vicinity of the hotel, I am in a place redolent of the photography of many that I admire, Shore, Eggleston, Friedlander, Adams, to mention a few.  Everywhere I look there is asphalt and low lying buildings, the dystopian world of the American suburb.  This is something I have dreamed of photographing, a study of modern America.  However, it is not working for me, the landscape does not inspire or attract me to photograph it.

This has led to some introspection and the realization of something that has been growing in my mind for some time.  I no longer think in terms of an individual image, my photography now comes in series, assignments of 12 photographs are a minimum, the photography book is my home.  I cannot look at a scene and simply visualize a photograph, I need to understand the space from repeated visits and then build a visual framework that describes the area or concept I am developing.

This is a positive development, even if a little frustrating right now, as it means that my approach to photography is naturally embracing the idea of documentary as the medium in which I work.

Assignment 1: 10 photographs

Since having the first idea around this assignment I have rapidly assembled a set of photographs that look like a good start and perhaps even an end to this assignment.  I mulled over what a "day" would be and what day to capture.  A weekend, a day out to somewhere cool, a composite day that illustrated the many elements of my life?  In the end I became very introspective and started to consider what is a typical day for me, how do I live what do I do and how do I reveal myself to others, the viewers of these photographs.  As part of the research for this study I took a look at some of Nan Goldin's self portraits and studies of friends, plus a brief look at some of Richard Billingham's "Rays a Laugh" photographs.  WHat struck me was that some of the most powerful photographs were often very ordinary moments, but ones in which the subject revealed their inner self.  My life is not as dramatic as Nan's or as sad as that of Ray, but it is my life so how to tell the story?

First off, a single day would be hard to document, so I have worked over several days, taking advantage of a predication towards black t-shirts to ensure continuity.  I wanted to describe a normal day, a working day. I work from home and so this did not present any access issues with the camera.  On a typical day I spend about 15 hours out of bed, of which 12 hours will be spent in front of my computer working.  As 10 photos of me working are not going to be terribly interesting, I am more interested in the 3 hours when I am not working.  I have gone with a high contrast B&W style, somehow suiting the depressing days I sometimes endure.  This was also driven in part by a need for continuity in the imagery and the need to therefore shoot at ISO 3200, noise was going to be a factor (a welcome one in this case).  Unlike landscape I am not too worried about technical excellence in the images, what I want is representation and conveyance of mood.

I start the day with my camera on a tripod in the bathroom, carefully positioned to preserve my modesty, but reveal myself.  The first shot in the shower captures a moment when I am trying to wash away the fatigue of the previous day.  I am currently working 12 or more hours a day and I am beginning to feel it.  The reflected light obscures my face and somehow emphasizes the sense of vulnerability and tiredness:

Next stop is the mirror to put in my contact lenses, this was an ouch moment when a bit of grit got under the lens.  I am not sure about including both of these images, but they do work into the day and how I am going to spend it.

This is how I spend most of the day, sitting propped in front of my work computer on a conference call.  The phone is a speaker phone and I am engaged in a conversation with someone in Asia or Europe at this time of day.

Coffee, is a must and with this photo I show a little more of the environment I occupy and the processes that support the day

Although the day is long, I try to take a break and work on my course a little.  I guess I am not the type of person that can simply laze away a day in front of the TV.  I am averaging 60 hours working each week and on top of that a good 15 hours dedicated to my OCA studies.  Here I am starting work on my paper logbook, gluing in a Steidl brochure advertising the works of Robert Frank.  I like the movement in the frame.  I have adjusted the lighting a little, reducing the strong shadow that was obscuring my face.

Lunchtime brings with it a few chores, one is getting rid of the piles of cardboard that accumulate due to my Amazon addiction.  This also brings a chance to illustrate some of the aspects of living in Germany and to portray the world outside my locked in life.

Oddly therapeutic, I do the days washing up at luchtime

OK, this is kind of odd, but I like it.  This is me shooting this assignment, so this is the only photograph not taken with my 5D2.  A typical day in my life always includes some photography, even if just looking at it on the web.

Back to a work shot, this is now the end of the day and fatigue has really kicked in, it is after 7pm and I am still sitting in on conference calls...

Finally I leave myself out of shot.  This is taken in the morning, showing the remains of a bowl of soup, a beer and empty ice cream wrapper, my treats at the end of a long day and not tidied up because I was knackerd and just wanted to head to bed.

I think this is a revealing and interesting set, speaking about the hum drum life of an office worker (even if a home office worker).  The photos are not representative if they were they would be very dull indeed.  To illustrate how unrepresentative they are I embarked on a supplementary piece of work.  On a day that I knew would be long, I mounted my 5D2 on a table facing my desk, set it to shoot 1 frame every 30s and left it running for 15 hours.  The 1,660 photos that resulted really show how I spend my life.  I am thinking about making this the 11th image in the submission or as a replacement for one of the photos.  It tells the story in a way a single image cannot and yet is still a work of photography not cinematography.

Youtube

Together I think this eloquently speaks of my real life, not one that I have exaggerated, but how it really is.  In many ways it has been a frightening experience, until I really studied myself objectively I did not know quite how I spent my days.  I am now going to leave this alone for a time and see how the concept sits with me before writing up and sending in, however, I really think I am close.

P6: direction of movement

Once again the CSD parade provided a rich source of material for working these projects.  However, although at first glance a parade moving past would be an obvious candidate for a study of movement with a frame, it proved more difficult than I expected.  The essential issue was that it was very difficult to isolate an individual in a way that allowed me to explore the visual impact of a figure moving into or out of a frame.

Fortunately there were one or two subjects that stood out.  This guy attends every CSD event and is always very flamboyantly dressed, as a result wanting to be the standout.  This meant he wanted to have space between him and the rest of the participants.  I have caught him just as he crossed a major road junction, closed off by the police.  There is a sense of movement here and the empty space beckons for him to walk into.

Conversely a few seconds earlier, I captured this shot, as he led the following vehicles.  He is still an individual in the frame, but on the exit side.  This balances because he is pulling the rest of the content with him, he is the lead figure ion a balanced composition.

The following image once again places the principal on the right.  The fact that he and his friend are out of focus works for this image as it throws attention to the rear of the frame and the people standing watching - just wish they could have been doing something a little more interesting.

Conversely as they exit the frame, I have again tried to balance the image with content to the right.  Here the street sweepers watch in bemusement as the flamboyantly dressed parade passes by.  Without the background figures this would not work.  Visual interest is provided by the sense that the two guys have just walked across the frame and generated the interest behind them.

On a more conventional note this lady is walking into the frame to capture the people coming in the parade, out of picture to the right.Her posture and the camera she carries indicate that something is coming.

Finally away from the parade here is an image that works at one level, but not at another.  The motion is wrong, but is rescued by the look I am receiving from the lady, almost providing a sense that she wants to escape from the frame.

I think the creation of interesting or challenging  photographs, versus simply satisfying ones, comes from bending the rules.  The best photograph in this sequence is the 4th with the two guys exiting the frame being watched from the other side of the frame.  The sense of movement is from their having been there and created an impact on the viewers.  It asks questions and yet still contains clear movement.

P5: eye-lines

Yesterday was the annual; Christopher Street Day parade through Munich, an event that brings incredible  colour and noise to the city center.  Sadly as I am doing this course in B&W, I cannot portray the full impact of the costumes, however, such an event is a golden opportunity for a little people watching.

I used the parade as my material for this project and the next.  With this project in mind my primary goal was to observe the spectators, but I was open to any interactivity that would serve to illustrate the impact that eye lines can have on an image.

The first photo catches a juxtaposition between authority and anarchy, the parade goers interacting strongly whilst the police almost seem to try and look anywhere but at the parade.

The crowd offered a chance to get in close to groups of people, here the lady on the right is clearly emphatically making her point to her two companions. The man at the back adds an extra eye line, probably looking at me taking his photo.

Couldn't resist it, rare these days to see a large format camera, especially one operated by a man in lederhosen.  The key eye line here is the loving look that the man on the right is giving to his companion as their photograph is taken.

A fairly standard photo of two people in conversation, waiting for the parade to go by.

These three guys led the parade and I think must have had some kind of official role, perhaps to liaise with the police.  Here the eye lines are emphasized by the fist holding the rolled up paper.

Well, obvious what has drawn these eye-line...

This is a modern take on the conversation, although all were talking together, their attention is almost totally consumed by the smart phones they are using.  Once upon a time we looked at each other to have a conversation, now we glare at a tiny screen, our relationships driven by technology rather than companionship.

The couple on the left argue whilst the man in the middle stares into space.  Here the eye lines are divergent and the photograph lacks a focal point - still like the composition though.

My final image has an implied eye line, this seller of Biss (a German magazine sold by the unemployed or homeles, similar to the Big Issue) reads a book hidden behind the magazine she is advertising.

Reading: How to Read a Photograph by Ian Jeffrey

I first came across Ian Jeffrey as the author of Photography: A Concise History, a year or so ago whilst I was studying DPP.  I found his writing informative and accessible especially when compared to many of the so called introductory volumes on theory or history I had bounced off in disgust.  I was quite surprised to find that the above book was the course book for Social Documentary - a pleasant surprise.

This led me back to my book shelf and another of those books bought with great intent at the start of TAOP.  When I first looked at Ian Jeffrey's "How to Read a Photograph" I was really disappointed.  I was expecting something quite prescriptive that would tell me how to actually read a photograph and also was disappointed that the photographers featured were mostly from a long time ago and that almost all the content was in B&W.

How time changes out outlook!  In a recent posting on Flickr Dewald asked what had we learned about ourselves from studying photography, a series of amusing but flippant answers rapidly gathered.  However, one major development for me personally is that I now have a completely different view of art and in particular what I enjoy in looking at photographs.  Reading this book now was another of those journeys through photographic history, but this time with an excellent and very articulate guide.

Apart from delivering a chronology of the greats of photography, this book also reveals biographical snippets about the artists that helps to understand why they did what they did.  Why did mid-20th century British and American photography develop such a social consciousness, the emigres from fascist oppression brought with them a completely new world view: Bill Brandt, Ben Shahn, and to a degree Robert Frank brought a central European outlook to the photography of the cities of the west.  What sets this book apart from other of its ilk is the quality and quantity of the accompanying photographs, the text is a minor element, this is visual history. My primary complaint is that is stops too soon, although written in 2008, contemporary photographers such as those from the German school are absent, however, this is a minor critique.

A particular takeaway for me was the inclusion of Japanese photographers; TomatsuShomei, Nakahira Takuma, and Moriyama Daido, the first real exposure I have had to their work.  Taking them together (probably inadvisable) there is a much closer engagement with the subject, often self revelatory and very gritty.  As I work through my self study I find myself using a similar approach getting in close and not worrying about the finer elements of pixel poking.

The only beef I have with this book is the general observation that I suspect Jeffrey reads far more into the photographs than was intended at the time of the shutter press.  With some photographers I am sure there is a great deal of thought given to allegory and metaphor, however, I also think even then this happened in the darkroom not necessarily the studio or street.

Alte Schwabinger Strassenfest

My ongoing study of Munich and its people is now starting to gather pace, the festival season is in full swing and the streets are full of people enjoying the summer.  Last weekend was the "Alte Schwabinger Strassenfest" a great event that closes down a couple of streets adds 3 rock band stages and cheap beer to generate a great party.  I was there early in the day when things were more mellow, to capture the more relaxed afternoon atmosphere.  On the way I bumped into a major concert being set up close to the city center and afterwards found some Japanese drummers doing their thing at another street party.

This day I set myself the goal of photographing people sitting enjoying the events and tried to be as up front and in your face as I could manage.  These are a portrait of summer in Munich.

Ultimately these images will be culled down to 80 or 90 taken during the course of a year and assembled into  a book, "Die Muenchener", a homage to Robert Frank and I think the best way to get under his skin.  I don't really want to emulate his style, I want to emulate his approach and thought processes that went towards creating  The Americans.

P4: vertical versus horizontal

Hmmm, I got this one the wrong way around, shoot vertically and then re-frame for horizontal, stated the guide and what did I do, ah well, same problem, different approach.  I guess I have been mostly shooting horizontally recently, comes from doing landscape I guess.  With people my natural choice is to add a grip and spin the camera 90 degrees.

With the first image in my 3 scenarios I picked this person reading their smartphone and obligingly stationary. The horizontal shot  makes me wnat to put her into the side of the frame, it helps to leave space to describe where she is as well as being a more dynamic composition.  Flipping to vertical with a stationary figure I still placed her naturally to the right looking into the frame.  The vertical shot also allows more of the structure of the background to enter the frame and makes for a more informative shot, even if not as visually interesting to my eye.

Moving people are another challenge.  I am using a 60mm lens on a 1.5x crop factor mirrorless compact camera, so have in effect a 90mm FFE lens. This is a short tele and very nice for working in the street, it isolates without completely disengaging the subject from the environment.  However, it is also a fixed length lens and as people approach there is a very small time within which it is still possible to frame them without being forced to crop part of the body.  Hence the benefit of starting horizontal and then switching to vertical. With a moving subject I still have the freedom with the the horizontal shot to be a little creative about where I place them in the frame.  With the vertical shot they are getting close and I have had to be quick, hence a less interesting shot.  Although neither are particularly standout.

For my final pair of images, I am in a busy street and shooting the oncoming crowds.  Here the key difference between the two shots is not the positioning of the people, but the information that each image provides.  The vertical image has allowed in more of the buildings and also eliminated the men at work sign.  We have moved from any old street to a shot clearly from central Europe.  The vertical framing has permitted far more detail of the buildings and the locale to permeate the image.  For a city, this really makes sense, in a country setting, landscape would probably be a better and more informative choice.