Narrative

During Wednesdays’ lesson, we discussed the importance of a narrative. According to Merriam Webster a narrative is “having the form of a story”. We were asked to choose an image and create one narrative without looking at the context of it.

One of the narratives I thought of for this photo would be that the person in the position of the photographer is the main character. Meaning that it’s from the main characters point of view. I’m starting to think that this is a story about the main character. Let’s say he was with them since they are looking at him maybe he is leading them to somewhere. Being it’s in black and white could be during the war and they are emigrating. It doesn’t matter if it’s cold outside if it is not a safe place to live in. It also makes me think that at least one of these people survived and is now telling his story which turned into this image.

The context of the image is ‘Mothers and children after selection for the gas chamber’’. Now that I have a better idea of the time and place the narrative easily changes. The main character now turned into a guard and he s not the main character anymore because this is not about him. Now I feel it is more focused on the people in the image and makes me wonder about them more. Did they know what they were going into? How are they feeling? And like that, a new narrative is created.

(Mothers and children after selection for the gas chamber, n.d.)

Painting or Photography?

In a previous blog I mentioned how a photograph is more believable than a painting, but I’d like to go more into detail on their artistic side. My question is which one is better and more appreciated in the expressive world?

For me, it is a difficult question since I work on both mediums. Growing up I was always expressing myself in pencils and watercolour and as I got older, I found an interest in photography. I’ve always thought that painting and sketching needed more practice and that it’s more of a talent than anything else. Now that I’ve started my studies in photography, I’ve changed my view on it. Not everyone is good at drawing but also not everyone has an eye for photography.

I stumbled on a blog that said “[t]he difference most often cited is that painters start with a blank canvas while photographers have to work with what they find” (gallerymoab.com, 2017). Just because photographers don’t have a blank canvas, doesn’t mean that they can’t still express themselves how they want. That is why I am now starting to appreciate photography more because you can express yourself with what you find and still turn it into something great.

In 2012 an art historian, Andrew Graham-Dixon went to a photography exhibition and had some very strong opinions about it. Graham-Dixon thinks that photography isn’t as strong as paintings and that it “lacks the depth and heft, the thinking sense of touch, that painting possesses.” Maybe I’ve grown too strong on the subject but I don’t agree with him. I can easily say I have seen photographs that have left me in shock or in wonders.

In conclusion, I think that there are powerful images that can contain such power. Whether it’s an artistic and self-expressive photograph or a photograph of a time in history. Both paintings and photographs have their way of being communicated to their audience to leave an impact.

The Burning Monk (Browne,1963)

The Power of Photography in the media

During our lecture with George Abdilla, we were given a query about an explorer and a writer. So the explorer and writer go to a new land and the explorer says he saw a red dragon and took back with him a painting of what he saw, on the other hand the writer says she saw a blue dragon and took back with her a photograph. So, who do you believe? The explorer has a reputation to say the truth, but his evidence is a painting that could be fake. The writer has a reputation of lying to make the story interesting, but her evidence is a photograph. Because the photograph is more believable, we believe the writer.

My take on this is that nowadays an image can also be manipulated but I would still believe someone who has a photograph, especially if it would be in an article. As Susan Sontag said in her book ‘On Photography’, “Photographs furnish evidence. Something we hear about, but doubt, seems proven when we’re show a photograph of it.” (Sontag, 1977). Sontag argues that a photograph is proof of something that occurred, and I agree with her. Take for example the protests that are going on in Catalan, there are a lot of images showing us what is happening. The images are also proof of the events.

I think we depend a lot on photography when it comes to the media whether it is for gossip or to share information. The first thing you see when something big happens is the photographs that prove what happened. The thumbnail of an article is usually an image. Therefore, a photograph can go a long way in the media, it’s the first thing we look for.

Screenshot of the thumbnails

Lying through Photography

(Bayard, 1840)

We were asked during our lesson to research Hippolyte Bayard’s self-portrait as a drowned man taken in 1840. Bayard was ignored when he found a way to take photographs and in protest, he took this image. In this image, you see what looks like a dead man, or as described at the back of the photograph, the drowned body of Hippolyte Bayard. As the video by the company Vox goes to explain, this image has a lot of metaphors like the way he is dressed, mentioning that he has been left at the morgue and in the photograph, he is surrounded by his belongings.

This image is widely known as the first ‘fake’ image where the artist is lying by using the medium of photography. Even from the very beginning of photography, a photograph was used to tell a lie. If this photograph didn’t have context behind it, which would be the note on the back, we wouldn’t even notice that it’s ‘a lie’. The image alone simply looks like a photographer posing for a photo. I think that the context is what creates the lie.

In conclusion, photography is a medium for lying but not the lie itself because a picture doesn’t lie.

Target Audience

Target audience is the people you want to get the attention of when conveying a message. This is usually determined by gender, age, marital status and more. So why do you need to have a target audience when photographing?

When doing a project or exhibition I think it is important to consider your target audience. There is a difference between doing work, for example, a tourist company or a school. Even when doing an exhibition, I think you need to choose to whom you want to communicate your idea. Writers Photler (2016) and Sarah Jacobs (2013) also says that it’s very important to first determine what you want to do. From there you create your target audience and work on a solid portfolio so when a client does approach you, they would have a clear vision of what you offer. If you don’t have a specific audience, you might confuse the client on what you are good at. Sarah Jacobs (2013) goes on to suggest that when working for a company it would be best to do research to see who the company is targeting.

To sum it up it’s important to determine a target audience, whether it is you have your own business or working for another company.

(Chabot, 2019)

Emotions and Photography

It is said that emotions play an important role in our life; it determines how we go about our day and helps us choose from the good and the bad. Kendra Cherry (2019) has argued that there are three parts to an emotion and one of them is the expressive component, which is what we do with that emotion and in this case, you could express yourself using photography.

(Baldwin, 1963)

What does Photography have anything to do with emotions? During our lecture we discussed how emotions help us outline something on how we feel about, in this case, a photograph. An image can easily change the way we feel and I think a pertinent example is the “Hang in there, baby” poster created by Victor Baldwin in 1963. It is meant to inspire when someone is in a bad mood, which is why it has been recreated multiple times and mostly found in clinics and offices.

Photography can be used to express our emotions or show a process. I personally think a way to do that is by using a raw image because it captures the true feeling of the moment. This is not a technique that can only be used by a photographer anyone can visualize their emotions by photographing them. 

In conclusion emotions play an important role in a photographers’ life, whether it is to express themselves or change inspire others. Everyone has their own way of way of expressing themselves but it’s important to remember to be yourself. As Eric Kim said, “Don’t censor yourself, by being worried: 'What will others think?'” (2018)

(Kim, n.d.)