The Prompts - Responding to and writing about images "Body langauge and facial expressions".

This is one of the easier prompts that can be written about when analysing and deconstructing images of people. We're almost all aware of how people communicate their feelings through their facial expressions and body language, so the way that we incorporate this aspect of making images has a significant impact on the way that the image is perceived. Similarly it's probably one of the most productive options when using the prompts to deconstruct and analyse images.

When doing this we can't discount the surrounding factors - backgrounds, props, clothing, body language, semiotics, location, relationships and accompanying text. All of this is rich in potential meaning allowing you write and comment about the images. What do the expressions or body language tell us about the person and their environment, how has the photographer used this aspect of their photography? Is it intentional, natural or constructed? How significant is the facial expression or body language, is it subtle or is it a massive part of the image narrative?

The Prompts - Responding to and writing about images "Socio-economics".

This is one of the more complex aspects of photographs that you should aim to address when making sense of them and being that bit more complex increases the chances of you attaining higher grades.

Ways to address this are numerous...

One of the first things you should look at is the relationship between the photographer and the people/situation that they are photographing. Look at all of the clues you have and make a judgement on what you know of the photographer about their socio-economic status or background. Then look at who is being photographed and again make a judgement of their socio-economic status and then look to see if there is a difference and ask yourself if this is relevant or significant?

It may be useful to identify and compare your own socio-economic status and make connections with either the subject or the photographer themselves?

As an example if you look at the work of Joni Sternbach here think about what you know of Surfing already and look at the visual clues in the images.

Think about your own ideas and own life experiences, living conditions and financial status. Are the people in the images the same or similar to you - what things do you share with the people? The very basic questions you should look at, might include questions such as...

Are the people Western or Non-Western?
Are they poor?
Are they comfortable (Financially)?
Are they wealthy?
Are they working class, under-class, middle class or upper-class?

Whatever assumptions you make, you then need to discuss in your work what leads you to believe these assumptions - the visual clues?

Then ask yourself does the photographer share the same lifestyle or values as the people in the images and does this then affect your feelings towards the photographers work or not - does it matter?

In many instances, photography because of the nature of it ... cost/access to equipment and resources is conducted by people that are predominantly middle-class. One of the defining features of being middle class is to be in control of your life to some extent, having excess capital (money) that allows you to be involved in activities such as photography and travel. You might want to discuss how photographers interact and relate to different people from differing socio-economic backgrounds? Looking at the image/s your writing about - how are they are shot and used, are there any observations you can make with regards to whether you feel the subjects in the images are being exploited? Or does the photographer go about their work with a sense of empathy, making the images in such a way that they imbue their subjects with dignity?

Returning to the Joni Sternbach images, with only a few minutes of researching on-line we can establish a number of facts about Sternbach's work ...

1. She is a white middle class American. Things that connote that she is so include the fact that she has a degree and an MA, she makes a comfortable living through making art photographs, which allows her to travel all around the world pursuing this career.

2. The people she photographs for the most part are similarly white middle-class Americans, Australians and English. How do we know they're middle class even though they're almost without clothes on the edge of a beach? Surfing is for the most part a middle-class past time, the surfboards for instance are expensive luxury goods. All of the people in the images look fit and healthy and they live near the beach and again that is a reasonably good indication of wealth combined with all of the other factors.

You therefore have to look at the images used in your research and ask these types of questions and offer responses to them by way of trying to establish what the images are really about. You only need a few lines (As above in italics) or a paragraph that demonstrates that you've considered this aspect of the images in your image analysis.

If that doesn't make sense - what about this...

One way of approaching it is to look at who is being photographed and who the photographer is. Look at the subjects and ascertain what their socio-economic background/status is… Are they from a certain background e.g. Under-class, working class, middle class, upper-middle class or upper-class? Look at the visual clues that might suggest the people’s status. Read the articles that you’ve researched and get some sense if this is an important aspect of the images. Explain how you might have arrived at this assumption or fact.

Then ascertain the photographers background and status, does he/she share their status in anyway, historically did the photographer come from a similar background? Are they the same nationality or ethnicity? Do you think this matters or through your research can you ascertain whether this does matter?

The relationship between the photographer and their subject potentially matters a lot as it may mean the images are shot with a bias? Are the images supportive, derogatory, neutral or condescending explain how and why?

Is it possible for a rich western, middle class white photographers to take images of ethnic, third world, indigenous people and do so in a neutral non-colonial manner? Similar issues can be discussed in terms of men taking pictures of Women, Women taking pictures of men. ­

Analysis - how to (Within the Gibbs reflective format).

How do I make my work analytical rather than descriptive?

Don't take everything at face value, cast doubt on your initial assumptions, look at different ways of seeing and approaching a problem in order to resolve it.

Is it right for this situation - what if I tried something else?

This approach is reliant on accepting that photography is a series of problems, many of which need to be analysed in order to resolve. Therefore one of the helpful things you can do it identify these problems is to list them...

Light

Composition

Background

Props

Adherence to the brief

Equipment suitability

Equipment usage and calibration

• One of the main things on the UAL courses that prevents students from attaining higher grades is the lack of analysis.
• Analysis is required at regular points within your work.

If you produce your written responses to your work within the framework of a Gibbs Reflective Practice model, you are prompted to analyse at stage (4)...

(1). What happened
(2). Feelings
(3). Evaluation
(4). Analysis
(5). Conclusion
(6). Action plan

*****

Example (using Gibbs).

Our students were working on Unit 12 - Engaging with an audience in Art & Design (Photography).

In essence they have to produce work that meets the needs of the client and the market. As part of this unit we had a professional photographer come in to the college and set a task whereby they had to shoot for a client with specific audience - Musto. The photographer liaised with the client who he was shooting for at the time and was able to obtain some of their products for the shoot (Coats). The students were given the name of the client beforehand in order that they could do some research into the brand and who the target audience is. With the knowledge of the brand and its audience profile, the students were briefed and shown a video...

 and were set loose to shoot the coats.

On return, they had to then re-size the images and wetransfer the images to the Photographer before a specific time. Having done the practical stuff, they then have to reflect on the days activities and we strongly advise that they do so using the Gibbs method. So, this stage of their work if done well should look like something like this...

GIBBS reflection

What Happened - (Normally this bit is kept short, concise and to the point).

We were set the task of shooting a series of images for a mock Musto location shoot at Leigh on Sea in Essex. Our initial submission of low res images needed to be 10-14 in number and required to be uploaded to the client within 48 hours of shooting. We were given Musto coats and assigned to random groups to shoot in, 1 coat per group of 5-6 students.
Feelings - (Again, keep this bit to the point and fairly brief, unless you're really struggling, as you can use this as a way of alerting your lecturers to your situation).

Initially I was a little concerned at the thought of a pro-photographer peering over my shoulder looking at everything I was doing, potentially picking fault with my process. In the end it didn't turn out like this and we were able to get on with our work. Over the course of the 3 hours, I became more confident as I went along although I do feel that there were issues, but these will be discussed in my analysis.
Evaluation - (Again short and concise allowing for the detail to be discussed in the analysis section)

Overall the whole process and day was good, being set the brief with these requirements and knowing that Musto might even consider using some of our shots on their website was exciting. The weather for the most part was good, but it was cold and some of us had totally inadequate clothing. Other bad stuff was that it would have been better if there were more coats and we’d been able to work in our own preferred groups.

 Analysis - This is where the detail comes in, this is where you demonstrate your learning and understanding of what you've done and show that you question your approach, analysing it in order to produce improvements. (You could use the list above as I am).

Lighting

 

The light on the day was good in some respects in that it was consistent, it might have rained as it did the day before and that would have been really difficult to shoot in. Having said that we didn’t arrive at the location until 10.00-10.30 ish. The sun at this point even though it’s pretty much mid-winter was relatively low in the sky over the River Thames, but no-where near ‘The golden hour’. As a consequence a lot of the better shots were to be had looking directly into the sun with the boats on the river behind the model, leaving us with a difficult lighting scenario. Considering this later on and thinking it through, if we’d have set out before sunrise or just before sunset, the light would have been in a far better place for shooting and much lower in the sky and much less intense. The sun lower at these times of day, would have been diffused due to the moisture and pollution in the atmosphere.

Other solutions I could have tried would have been to use a external flash gun, but to be honest I’m not that brilliant at using them and would need to spend some time practicing before doing that for real. Another approach might have to be far more selective about where I shot the images, only choosing to do so in shaded areas. Looking again at the video, it’s obvious that the videographer had it easy because the light that he/she’s used is overcast and flat.

We did have the use of lastolite reflectors, but they’re difficult to use with the models because the light is reflected back into their faces making them squint, so that isn’t a particularly good solution either.

 I think given the chance to do it again at the same time of day with the same lighting issues, the best approach for me given that my fill-in flash skills are lacking would be to use the flat, diffuse light in the shadows of the boats and buildings. It does seem that in these situations it is most definitely a good idea to look around the location with a little compact camera and work out where the best back-drops are, so that you can pin-point them and focus your efforts on prime locations rather than walk around as we did, not knowing where the best places would be.

 Composition

 Looking at my own images, again given the time we had they’ve come out okay and similarly with the light situation, as second follow up shoot would almost certainly mean I would end up with far better results. In part this would be down to things like I now know what backgrounds I’d want and I now know what lenses I’d take in order to throw the backgrounds out of focus in some of the shots, making them more Musto-esque as in the video.

 Most of my shots were done at F16 in bright light, looking back and reflecting I think I would go for much faster shutter speeds and wider apertures. I’d also play around with individual ideas more. Because we were in groups I didn’t feel like I could shoot loads of ideas in one location because there was always 4-5 others waiting to shoot as well.

 Adherence to the brief

 One of the key aspects that we need to look at and discuss in our main unit brief is the audience and the little research that I’ve been able to do would suggest a certain type of audience based on my socio-economic observations with regards Musto’s target audience. Musto looks to be a high-end brand, with very few retail outlets in high streets. Looking around our locale, there are only 2 shops in Essex and they sell the shooting and hunting clothes, the nearest boating clothes retailer is in Rochester in Kent. It was this type of customer that we were shooting for.

 Looking at the video and my research the audience I’ve concluded are primarily fairly well off and middle class with an age group profile of 21 and above. Therefore there needs to be a certain approach in making the images, whilst still maintaining the Musto look as we see in the video. Looking again at my images and our location there are too many instances where the backdrop looks too industrial as opposed to vintage, classic and old school. The video has a kind of charm to it where it seems to be looking back at older more elegant times. With some of my shots, it’s far too urban and modern.

Conclusion - (Again I'd go for a fairly short conclusion as it doesn't help a great deal with assessment criteria).

The main conclusions that I’m able to draw from the Musto activity are –

(1). Pre-planning and having some sense of where you’re going to go is important as a lot of time was wasted photographing in 5-7 different places and looking back at the images and again at the video, I think I could have shot most of the images in just two key places.

(2). Back –up plan. Have a plan but then have a secondary plan, If I’d had more experience I may have recognised the lighting issues that came about and intended to shoot in the harsh light, but then might have gone to plan 2 and shot in diffuse light?

(3). Have a good model. We all had to share the modelling, but it is obvious that in our class some people are better models than others, so if I’d been able to control this aspect of the process I think I’d have got better shots.
 

Action Plan - (This is another section that calls for more detail and content primarily because it helps to meet a number of assessment criteria).
Going forwards, I can now see that I could use this as the basis for a follow-up shoot. I wont be able to use Musto products, but I could either source another brand or even use my own coats or friends coats and do a shoot in the style of the Musto shoot alongside our main Shoe brief.

What can I take from this in the short term and use for my shoe shoot? At the moment I’ve not shot anything for my shoe shoot, but I know I’m going to be shooting Adidas Sambas trainers to do an Adidas advert, I still need to make decisions about where my images are going to appear. On-line I’m aware that they use a number of different approaches, much the same as Musto. Some of the shots are studio pack-shots, simple white backgrounds which don’t particularly work to address an audience. The ‘Banner’ images on-line and in the brochures are the type we’re supposed be looking at as they’re the adverts that reflect the audience and their aspirations. 

 So far depending on the products, there’s an obvious element of ‘Urban and young’ with the use of colour. So in the short term I need to conduct more specific secondary research into the way the product is advertised currently. There is a specific advert for Samba football boots and the audience for that is very specific, using particular image conventions and approaches. So the plan…

 

• Over the next two days conduct secondary research.
• Make sense of the research, analyse it (Gibbs) and form a coherent plan. Allocate at least a day to write up the Gibbs Reflection of the research.
• Aim to then review the situation, but have a plan to do a test shoot within the next 4 days.
• Look to start contacting and finding models for the shoot now, I’m looking for any boys/men 18-15. Lots of people play football, I could look at using the students in the sports dept?
• Check the weather and the lighting in the research images.

The advantage of writing up the majority of your work within the Gibbs reflective format is that in doing so, you do so in a structured way. It also negates the necessity to write up separate 'Reflections' as the whole process is reflective. Working with this approach on a regular basis after you've done some work, tested something, tried something out and or completed your research will enable you to evidence so much of the assessment criteria. It really is the way forward.

Research Resource - prompts and questions

Research Resource - prompts and questions

www.listofphotographers.blogspot.com

I adapt these and develop these types of resources on a regular basis trying to find an easy one that fits all uses. This one is designed to be used in conjunction with examining and using written materials as well as the accompanying images.


Use this prompt sheet to generate questions and answers relating to your research.

Remember; in order to make your responses analytical you will need to ask what if type questions.

A personal approach – what do I bring?  Yourself – your world – your experience. Use this approach first.

(1).Yourself – What are your first reactions to the work? Why does it make you think or feel like that? There are fundamental differences between us that condition the way we see things. Gender, race, class and age will all determine the way we look at and understand art, as will our attitudes, values and beliefs. What’s your take on this type of work before you commence your research?

Looking at the object – what can I see? – Colour – shapes – marks – surface – scale – space – materials – processes – composition

(2).Colour – What colours does the Photographer use? Why do you think s/he used these colours? How are they organised? What effects do they create? Do they draw your attention to them for a reason? Would it work better in B&W and vice versa? How is the colour used – Colour harmony, discord, contrast, monochromatically?

(3). Production values – size, format, scale, materials – how well has the work been produced, what camera has been used? Can you see that this is a high quality product destined for a certain market/use?

(4).Composition – How is the work organised and put together? How is the rule of thirds used? Is it presented in portrait or landscape format – why?

(5). Lighting & Mood – How is the light used, is it high-key or Low-key? What kind of lighting is being used; is it point or diffuse? High contrast or flat? Is the lighting ambient or mixed? Are there any clues as to how the lighting is being used and why? How is shape, form and texture affected by the use of the light – how relevant is this aspect?

(6).Location/Background/Scene – look at the scene and the background, do the details in the foreground and the background relate to each other, is the narrative of the image reinforced by this relationship? Is it constructed – how do you know? Would the narrative change if the viewpoint was changed – how/why?

(7).People images – Look at the body language, the clothes, facial expressions – how can these be read and deconstructed?

Looking at the subject – what is it about? Content – message – title – theme – type/genre

(8). Message – What does the work represent? Moving beyond a straight description of what you see, try to speculate on what the work might stand for. Are there symbols or conventions you recognise?

(9). Purpose – Do the images have an instantly recognisable purpose – what could they be used for, how and why? Who is the target market and why?

(10). Influence – Is the work influenced by the work of other photographers or artists?

Context – When – where – who – history – other arts – other fields of knowledge – the present – the hang – interpretation – the environment

(11). When – When was the work made? Can we make any connections between the work and the period that it was made?

(12). Who – Who made it? What do we know about the artist? Who was it made for?

(13). The present – How do people view the work today? Is it the same or different from how it might have been seen by different generations/eras?

 

 

 

What are the most effective forms of secondary research and why?

Journals – Such as British Journal of Photography, Aperture, Image, 8, AG and Hotshoe (All found in the library and LRC).  You need to be very selective with your research. The most effective way is to use the journals listed above. If you look at, read and use these on a regular basis it will introduce you to a vast array of types of photography and so inspire and influence your projects throughout the course.

The articles in these magazines are short and concise, ram-packed with the type of information you’ll need to use in your analysis of research.  The articles give you the information and you’ll learn the vocabulary required to do well on your course.

In addition video’s where the artist talks about their work or is interviewed. www.americansuburbx.com

Read the article – Now start to make sense of the images with the knowledge from the article and any further research – have a look to see if there is a Ted talk, or a Youtube interview with the artist. Make sure the information can be trusted.

Don’t use Wikipedia or blogs written by people without any qualification to comment on the work. Only use national newspapers (Be wary of some though). National and regional museums and galleries, check the credentials of the interviewers and writers using their Linkedin profiles or similar, are they qualified to comment on the work? If in doubt don’t use them. The safest way is to use the BJP and other edited journals.

 

www.listofphotographers.blogspot.com