Vernacular Photography

Vernacular Photography is concerned with capturing the everyday, ordinary and domestic.

Vernacular photographers can be amateur or professional photographers - it is one of the most popular forms of photography. We can say that vernacular photographs are 'accidentally artistic' or 'unintentionally artistic'. Examples of subjects can include travel photographs, family portraits and snapshots and school photographs. Vernacular photographs quite often serve as historical records of something, whether it be a place or of a person or group of people. To link to J. Bergers - Ways of Seeing and by appreciating the close link vernacular photography has to 'Found Photography', the unintentional artistic nature that is appreciated is usually from the the individual viewer who appreciates the image by appropriating a meaning to it that perhaps was or wasn't intended by the photographer originally. Usually, what is found is a shocking realism that we read from the images that are presented with in the form of places, locations and objects.

August Sander

1876 - 1964

"I never made a person look bad, they do that themselves."

Sander was the creator of 'Citizens of the 20th Century', a project that attempted to create a portrait of the German populace from the 1920s until his death. The project  led him to take a staggering 40000 photographs to fully represent the nation and he categorised them into social type and occupation. His portraits offer us a unique glimpse into the way German people presented themselves for a photograph at this time. Here's an example of a few of them:

"It is not my intention to either criticise or to describe these people, but to create a piece of history with my pictures" - August Sander

In just 5 photographs we can see the scope of Sander's work. We've covered portraits of an artist, a bricklayer, a pastry chef, and a soldier. All of these individuals seem to behave in a manner suited towards their occupation; the artist who looks longingly into space, maybe, for inspiration with paint brushes in hand; a rather large chef, again, holding the tools of his trade and a regimented, discplined soldier.

The Nazis confiscated a book published by Sander, Face of the Time, as the collection of 60 portraits proved that a 'typical German' or Aryan didn't exist. During World War 2 he fled to a rural area allowing him to save his negatives, but his studio was bombed in 1944 raid. 

Robert Frank

Born November 9th, 1924

Frank, originally from Switzerland, grew up in a country under the occupation of Nazi Germany. The oppressive nature of the state led to Frank's interest in capturing oppression in society through photography and film. However, he didn't undertake this task in his home nation - he actually photographed society in America and its people's place within it.

On moving to America, he thought that this wasn't a place of freedom that he was led to believe. His vernacular photography sees him expose parts of America that were left out of the fairy-tale stories he presupposed before arriving there. His camera documented the hardships of American society in the 1950s; the disparity of wealth and blatant racism. His most celebrated work can be found in The Americans.

Technical style set Frank aside from other photographers who followed a similar vernacular and documentary style. He used unusual focuses, low lighting and cropping that made his works authentic and original - perhaps setting himself out as auteur which I explored in a previous reading. The same can be said for his motifs and themes running throughout his work; he raises questions about class and race in his photograph's that were 'everyday' at the time the were taken.

Martin Parr

Born 23 May 1952

Martin Parr is a famous British photographer known for his unique vernacular style. Although the scope of his work has now gone on to international levels, Parr's earlier work, that came to be both celebrated and criticised, focused on examining national characteristics and the banality of everyday life in Britain.

Parr started out by taken photographs at small non-conformist chapels in a small town in Hebden Bridge. He felt he was capturing very traditional aspects of British life, through the eyes of someone who was from a middle-class background. He claims he has an ambiguous relationship with Britain, something he is both fond and critical of. Parr has said himself that his photography is surrounded by prejudice and hypocrisy. 

It was 1982 by the time he started producing images in colour, when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. Thatcher frequently commented of how great the country was at the time, and Parr's focus turned to a run down seaside resort near Liverpool. Against Thatcher's notions, Parr depicts an area in the country that appears to be in disarray - his images at the time depict working class families getting on with life and enjoying themselves, surrounded by litter and construction machinery. 

This juxtaposition provides a unique commentary of what society in Britain was like at this time.

The picture of someone eating a bacon sandwich is favourite of mine. On the face of it, it's not particularly attractive image. From understanding Parr's perspective we can read this image by postulating that it says something about British identity. The person in the image appears to be battling against bacon gristle - it doesn't particularly matter who the person is or what social class they are from, we all have the same problem when it comes to eating a bacon sandwich.

Week 2 - Exposure: Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO & Depth of Field

Exposure is the act of exposing the image sensor to light. 

It is the combination of a particular aperture and shutter speed that results in a specific amount of light entering the camera to be exposed to the image sensor

Shutter Speed: The amount of time the shutter on the camera is open. This is shown in seconds or fractions of a second. If the shutter speed is set fast, then this allows a shorter amount of time for the image sensor to be exposed to light. When more time is required for the image sensor to be exposed to light, then a shorter shutter speed is required.

f/3.5 - 1/60 sec - ISO-2000

Pity Sex Live @ Sticky Mike's Frog Bar
5/10/2016

f/3.5 - 1/25 sec - ISO-2000

Pity Sex Live @ Sticky Mike's Frog Bar
5/10/2016

As shown above, by using a slower shutter speed allowed the image sensor to exposed to more light, making the image seem brighter rather than darker. 

Motion Blur

f/5.3 - 1/40 Sec - ISO-1250

I noticed in the photograph above that the drum sticks in the hands of the drummer are blurred. This was due to the fact the drum sticks were moving while the shutter was open. As I did not desire this motion blur in the photograph, I would have had to increase the shutter speed. This would have, in turn, made the image become darker. Therefore, adjustments to the aperture and the ISO setting would have to have been altered to ensure optimal exposure.

Aperture: This is the ability to control the brightness of the image that passes through the lens on the image sensor. These are expressed as f-numbers or f-stops.



   
        LOW                                                                                                                       HIGH

The f-stop of a lens is determined by dividing the focal length of the lens by the diameter of the size of the lens opening. 

I shall note here that the lower the value of the f-number then the wider the iris of the lens.

We can understand aperture as we understand the human eye. When we are in dark lighting conditions, our pupils dilate (become wider) in order to allow more light in. When in bright lighting conditions, our pupils contracts. This allows less light in. 

Changing the aperture on a camera from f/4 to f/2.8 increases the amount of light that falls on the image sensor by half. This is known as stopping aperture up a step. If we were to do the reverse this will decrease the amount of light that falls on the image sensor by half. This is known as stopping aperture down a step.

f/9 - 1/500 Sec

f/3.5  - 1/1000 Sec

The example above shows how both the aperture and shutter speed interact to produce either a darker or brighter image. If a high shutter speed is required (less time the image sensor is exposed to light), then using a low f-number may compensate for to make the image brighter.

 Depth of Field

Changing the aperture changes depth of field.

Depth of field is the distance in front of or behind the focus point of the photograph.

If increased depth of field is required, then a high f-number needs to be chosen.

f/11 - 1/3 Sec

If decreased depth of field is required, then a lower f-number needs to be chosen.

f/4 - 1/25 Sec

Depth of field can be used to bring focus on the subject in foreground and blur our anything appearing in the background.

ISO: Changing the ISO setting adjusts the DSLR camera's sensitivity to light.

In digital cameras, light that falls on the image sensor is converted into electrical signals for processing. By raising ISO sensitivity, you raise the amplification of the signal. By decreasing the ISO sensitivity, you lower the amplification of the signal.

F/5.6 - 1/50 Sec - ISO-1600

I encountered a few issues when taking photographs at the Pity Sex gig. The room was dark, but had different types of unnatural lighting all around the room, this meant I would have to use a low aperture to allow in more light. The subjects were also moving around the stage a lot, this meant I would have to use a fast shutter speed into to 'freeze' the subjects movements. To increase the brightness of the image above, I could have used a higher ISO setting, increasing the amplification of the converted signals.

Noise

The implementation of a higher ISO sensitivity allows for reducing blur caused by motion of the subject (or the camera itself in some cases) and higher shutter speeds in low lighting. However, this does come at a price.

Example taken from Google Images

 Note how the image on the right appears 'grainy' as opposed to the one on the right that used a lower ISO setting. Raising the ISO sensitivity introduces what is known as 'noise' into photographs. As a higher ISO sensitivity amplifies the converted electrical signals, this means that it will also amplify any 'noise' in the signal as well - producing a poorer quality image (unless such an effect is desired, of course).


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Finding the 'sweet-spot' between the having the correct aperture, shutter speed and aperture I found quite difficult to master. But I have come to understand on reflection that a higher ISO sensitivity compensates for high shutter speeds to give my images the desired brightness. Also, taking a photograph that could require a decreased depth of field (as in the photo above) means that I could have increased the aperture (allowing more light to come through the iris) and decrease the ISO sensitivity.

J. Berger - Ways of Seeing

This week we were set the task to watch John Berger's Ways of seeing episode 1.

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"Process of seeing.. is less spontaneous and natural than what we tend to believe"

Berger argues this spontaneity is due to habit and convention. Perspective centers everything on the eye of the beholder and this is what we call reality. We were limited as we could only see one thing at any given moment in time. Due to the invention of a camera everything changed. The machine became 'freedom from human immobility' and it was 'free from the boundaries of time an space' (words of Dziga Vertov, director of Man with a Movie Camera). Appearences no longer we viewed by the human eye, but now the iris of a camera'.

"The camera reproduces... making it available in any size, anywhere for any purpose"

Pieces of fine art used to be able to only be seen in one place, the gallery in which it was hanging. Now reproduction allows these images images to be seen unlimited and simultaneously in any location.

Painting once belonged to a particular place, ie churches and chapels. In this context, we see them as being records of the location, part of the individuality of the building. The paintings uniqueness is made of the uniqueness of the place it is shown, and thus it's meaning is created. Icons are the most extreme case of this.

But as we view the reproductions being presented to us on screen we see them in the context of our own lives. 

"Soon after we can see, we are aware that we can also be seen."

Berger explains the role of the viewer in the process of 'seeing', like, in the reading of week 1, he outlines how we see denotative (information) and connotative (interpretation) meanings in images.  

 "Every image embodies a way of seeing. Even a photograph"

Berger uses examples of us seeing him through the television, or even above, a photograph. Berger shows how an image now travels to us, we no longer have to travel to it, and that the meaning of a image no longer resides in its own surface. Meaning is transmitted to us along with the reproduction of an image. It has become information.

"To prove... it is a genuine..."

Original fine art paintings have a new 'impressiveness' and increased market value. Not because of the meaning of its image, but because of it's authenticity. The camera has made them reproducible, so all that is left is the awe of knowing you are looking at the original.

"The camera has multiplied it's possible meanings"

Berger explains that by making the information contained within an image transmittable, the camera has destroyed a famous paintings original intended meaning. But they've lost and gained something. These silent and still paintings can be manipulated by movement. An example is shown where the camera moves into an image, just showing the face of a female subject. Now it's meaning has changed - 'just a pretty girl anywhere'. Paintings as a whole have one meaning, but camera movements can even display a linear narrative when looking at individual sections or even just show a landscape from viewing just one section with no human subject in it at all.

"...paintings are modified and changed by the sounds you here when looking at them."

Speech provides a more noticeable change, whilst music tends to be more subtle. Berger asks us to view a painting of birds flying out of a field. He then tells us this is the last painting Van Gogh painted before he died, followed by a piece of sad, emotional music. We never consciously realise how sounds, music and rhythm change the significance of an image. In fact, two different types of music can completely change what we are seeing, as shown in the Carvaggio painting where upbeat, operatic music plays as we view it followed by a second viewing accompanied by sombre choral music. Berger affirms that now meanings are transmittable, they are likely to be manipulated and transformed in the process.

"When paintings are reproduced they become a form of information... they have to hold their own against the other information... jostling around them."

We are presented with magazine excerpts, showing pictures alongside others and text alongside them also. Berger explains the meaning of an image changes by what is presented alongside it and what is shown after it. Showing an advert of a group of girls dancing, and then a Goya painting depicting an execution has less of an impact then when an actual assassination is shown then the Goya painting. 

Up until now Berger has shown us how reproduction makes the meaning and significance of works of art ambiguous. He argues this is not necessarily a negative thing, as we can see from the way we create collages on our walls that everything becomes part of a visual language. It's accessible.

Berger explains the texts of art experts surrounding the reproductions of fine art around it counter this by making art inaccessible to everyone. These texts, Berger argues, are made in fear of accessibility. He concludes this is mystification.    

He compares this to how children, until education causes them to accept mystifications, interpret images from many sources directly with reference to their own experience. He shows how in conversation with a group of school children that they notice how the gender of a central character in one of Carvaggio's paintings is ambiguous without any prior knowledge that the painter happened to be homosexual, something adults may normally miss.

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Reflection for project: From Berger's analysis, I think it will be highly important to make sure there is a common theme running throughout my photo-essay and to make sure alongside the critical introduction this is emphasised. I have taken this away from the episode as Berger explains how the impact of the images and the overall meaning are changed and by manipulated by individual photographs alongside each other and by the text that is presented with it.

Brainstorm of Themes for Photography Project

After thinking about potential themes and questions I would like my Photography Project to tackle, I tried to think of concepts that could be linked back brief outlined in the module handbook.

I really am drawn to focusing my project on technology and social media. I feel as this was the concept that allowed me to think more about what subjects I would like to use in my project and I think it will provide a good basis to begin research as I've struggled to find photographers that have also dealt with this theme in the past.

A focus on how we use social media and technology - and even how we use or view photography on social media - allowed me to think about the sheer amount of images we are presented with online. Can we call these photographs art? How do we represent ourselves online as social media users? Are we trying to change our true identity with what we post on social media? This concept has generated a lot of interesting questions that I would like my project to eventually get my audience thinking about too.

Even though I chose a selection of Gavin Watson's project, SKINS, as some early inspirations, I've decided to move away from the idea of subcultures and the link this has to music. I felt as though there is already a lot of photographic material out there tackling these themes and concepts and my idea to base the project around technology and social media seems to be more original and provide a new subject that I haven't really looked at before now.

Week 2 - Composition Placement

                              Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds can be applied to create balanced and interesting photographs. This is achieved by splitting the what we can see through the viewfinder into 9 equal squares using two vertical lines and two horizontal lines as shown above. This creates four points of interest where the lines intersect. This allows the photographer to compose the elements of the image around these, using the lines as guides to create balance.

Further research suggests that we viewers of photographs are more inclined to view these points of interests naturally, rather than simply just view the centre of the image on first sight. From this, it seems clear why photographers would apply this rule when creating their photographs.

The Golden Ratio is hailed as 'the perfect number', a design principle design principle based on the ratio 1 to 1.618. The application of this principle provides a strong composition to the photograph, attracting viewers to it as it is perfectly balanced from their perspective.

It is said that the Golden Ratio appears throughout nature, which is why it is pleasing to the human eye. Due to the organic nature of the Golden Ratio, viewers of the photograph will be naturally inclined to view all the particular points of interest of the photograph. This could be beneficial, as we could say viewers of our photographs do not want to work hard to see the beauty of it.

The above diagram shows the Fibonacci Spiral. Created by splitting the frame up into squares in the manner of numeric sequences (discovered by the 12th Century Mathematician, Leonardo Fibonacci). A series of diagonal points are then visible, which allows for a spiral to be formed over the frame. This spiral is then used to compose a photograph, placing points of interest around the spiral. The viewer will be led around the image naturally, so the viewer inherently sees the balance and beauty of the photograph.

                     


                     Phi Grid

The Phi Grid appears quite similar to the Rule of Thirds Grid, but actually functions as a method of composition more in line with the Golden Ratio. The difference can be seen in the illustration below:

Here, the black lines show the the Rule of Thirds Grid and the blue lines show the Phi Grid. The reason why this method of composition follows that of the Golden Ratio is because the frame is not divided into equal thirds (1:1:1), instead the Golden ratio has been applied resulting in a grid that is divided in to sections 1:0.618:1, showing a grid where the intersections or points of reference are displayed more centrally in the frame.

The Fibonacci Spiral and Phi Grid may be implemented depending on what we are taking a photograph of. I find that the Fibonacci Spiral is most easily shown in the works of portraits; take the Mona Lisa, below, as a classic example, whilst the Phi Grid is more evident when viewing landscapes.

This is my own personal opinion, however, both the 
spiral and the grid can be applied interchangeably,
depending on the preference of the photographer.







I personally find it difficult to visualise the spiral when looking through the viewfinder. You can see the use of the Fibonacci Spiral being applied on a landscape below:

I have researched how it to more easily visualise the Fibonacci Spiral when out taking photographs for my photo essay. I found the example below to be the most clear and concise:

If we strip the spiral down so we can visualise the smaller rectangle in the top-left hand corner of image above, we can more easily visualise the below diagram when taking a photograph. 

We would want to be able to see several key focus points within this smaller rectangle in order for the image to be composed implementing the golden ratio. If we take a look back to to the image that compares the Rule of Thirds Grid to the Phi Grid, we can see that this smaller rectangle can be applied in many places across the frame, allowing a level of flexibility in creating an image that follows the Golden Ratio.

We could say that the Rule of Thirds grid can be quite restricting, and does not occur as naturally the Golden Ratio.

When considering the image on the right, the subject is completely central in the image, taking up the spaces of the middle and bottom middle sections. I don't particularly think this means the image is actually a bad photograph, but how is this so when it breaks the notion of the Rule of Thirds?

I also think the Rule of Thirds Grid is also difficult to apply when we consider the image of the dancers on the left. We can see that this image has been composed to canted. This would be difficult to achieve when trying to apply this rule as the horizon (where the floor and wall meet) are not horizontal, unlike the other images we have looked at so far.


                    Dynamic Symmetry

A diagonal line, when compared with the horizontal or vertical
line, is the most dynamic of all three. Take for example, in our seminar this week, when Micheal asked us how we felt when he turned the speaker to an angle and asked us how we felt. We said it made us feel 'uneasy' or 'uncomfortable'.

When we look around in nature we could say anything diagonal is unstable - full of a dynamic energy or tension, which is why we answered his question the why we did that day.

In Jay Hambidge's book The Elements of Dynamic Symmetry, Lesson 5 explains what is known as 'The Diagonal'. If we were to view a diagonal line across the frame, we can also visualise a line which is perpendicular too it. The angle of where these lines are to intersect creates a 90 degree angle. We can see these 90 degree intersections in the image above. In the example below by Henri Cartier-Bresson (1932), we can see that the perpendicular lines intersect on the knee where the man lying down. Other points of interest have been places along these lines, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing photo.

Diagonals can also provide a photograph with a sense of direction and movement.

We can see the use of diagonals here used to create a sense of direction. The edge of the platform and the lines that run through the roof, along the tracks and along the train carriage itself direct the viewer to view outside of the train station in the distance. We can follow these lines naturally to view all the points of interest.

The image above shows how diagonals create a sense of movement. Here, the train tracks are running one way, while the man appears to be walking across an invisible perpendicular line in a different direction (parallel with the line created by the shadow). This emphasises the mans movements.

Inspirational Music Photography

As I want to potentially explore music photography in my photo essay. I have chosen a selection that I find inspiring to get me thinking about how I would tackle the theme in a unique way. I focused on 'Rock and Roll' photographers, but the reason for this is simply down to personal taste. I wanted to find images that represented youthful rebelliousness to tie back to the Gavin Watson images I chose in week one. Also, the images didn't necessarily have to be of musicians performing, it could be just musicians themselves in their day-to-day life. This is another potential topic of exploration.


Jenny Lens

This photographer is a personal favourite of mine. Lens captured the late 1970s LA punk scene in her photography, and photographed influential and successful bands such as The Ramones and also the younger generation that followed them. This included the pioneers and progenitors of West Coast hardcore punk, the Germs (See final image of Darby Crash).

I admire how Lens captures both the mayhem of the music being performed and also of the audiences and fans of the performances. She captured and presented the punk aesthetic in her photographs that still shock the viewer as much today as the punk movement actually did at the time. 

Mick Rock

Rock is known for the iconic images that he took in the era of early 1970s glam rock. He has photographed the likes of David Bowie, Queen, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop and still continues to photograph pop sensation today.

I found the image below to be inspiring. This photograph of David Bowie and Mick Ronson, depicting them in all of their androgynous glory, seems almost humorous. They appear taken out of context -  their attire and shocking fashion sense would make sense if they were depicted on stage, but Rock has photographed them on a bus ride through the countryside as they sit down to have a civilised meal. He has represented these influential rock stars in such a way where the setting and space chosen gives us a glimpse into their normal lives, off stage and off the television.

Pennie Smith

Smith is known for producing images and portraits of musicians with an almost mythical quality. One thing I find intriguing about this photographer is how she came to produce an iconic image that we can associate with a particular band, a particular decade and a particular youth subculture ethos. By hitting all three of these things, Smith has managed to create a piece of work that is celebrated, but many may not know it was created by her.

This image was used as the artwork for The Clash's album London Calling. It was taken at a show at the New York Palladium in 1979 and depicts bassist Paul Simonon about to smash his bass guitar. This shows Smith's dream-like, mythical quality I spoke of earlier. The spotlight shining on Simonon almost hints at religious symbolism (the sun shining through the clouds cliche), showing how such an innovative and pioneering band of the punk rock scene were considered idols of their time. The dream like quality she implements almost seemed to foreshadow how quickly the first wave of the punk rock movement would come to an end. She has captured a brief moment of the intent to destroy something; an act of anarchy and anti-authoritarianism. These nihilistic ideals are said to have been the reason why the first wave of punk rock was over by 1980.