Category: Coursework

Showing Not Telling

~ johnsocadocumentary ~ 3 Comments

My photographs in the past have been quite literal; not leaving much to the imagination. In other words telling, not showing. Often I’ve left the text anchor out because I thought it wasn’t necessary. For me if text is there as an anchor it should help inform the viewer, inviting them to dig deeper, without just describing the image. Conversely, if text is there as a relay it should have a rapport with the images, bouncing back reflexively. I feel I am quite an imaginative person and strangely this reflects back to the viewer as not leaving much to the imagination. Perhaps because I have tried to squeeze a lot of information into the image, there isn’t much more room for interpretation.

The Logistics of My Project

~ johnsocadocumentary ~ 1 Comment

I have decided to make what seems will be a pretty boring post concerning the logistics of my composite making and the selection of location from which to photograph from. I feel this is necessary because it is useful firstly as a reference point to remind myself of why I’m making the choices I’ve arrived at. Some of these reasons are practical while others are more thought out. The other use for making this post is that I might arrive at realisations I hadn’t conceived before writing this down.

Chance

~ johnsocadocumentary ~ 1 Comment

Since developing a strategy for photographing change (specifically regeneration and everyday change in Deptford) in a documentary style, I have been aware of one way that chance is affecting my images. Therefore I am interested to address the factor of chance in photography and to see whether chance can or is affecting my work in any other way.

Personal Journeys and Fictional Autobiographies

© Lena Aliper (2012) - Jack and Jill Story no.12
~ johnsocadocumentary ~ Leave a comment

I am quite intrigued by the photographs produced by artists working in this genre although I’m not sure how they are so incisive in their picture-taking. I have a diary like most people who own a smartphone of photos but it is sporadic at best. I am part of a large family but when I take photos of them its usually at formal occasions in groups or they pull a funny face! Working more seriously with a visual diary or getting a deeper perspective of my family’s lives intrigues me. However, I am aware that I would need to exhibit such work in an exhibition of some sorts eventually so I would need to be comfortable with the content being displayed publicly.

Psychogeography

Assignment 3 - Documentary - Photograph 4
~ johnsocadocumentary ~ 3 Comments

I would say that pschogeography is the genre of photography I am naturally most aligned with. I can often be found using my camera as a flâneur wandering around the city and more recently in my local area which encompasses Deptford. I am sometimes aware of where I am headed and sometimes get completely lost, even in my own area, finding new streets and viewpoints within what I thought were familiar places.

Tableaux Photography and Gregory Crewdson

The View From Primrose Hill
~ johnsocadocumentary ~ Leave a comment

Tableaux photography means 'living pictures' and involves the staging of the image, often through theatrical lighting. I had been aware of the tableaux genre of photography before but had managed to skip the part of the definition that the lighting often played a major role. Therefore I had been of the impression that a tableau was simply a staged photograph; particularly one that was made up of composites in order to tell a story.