Technical and Visual

Technically I am happy with this assignment.  I think there is good consistency of framing on all of the images and they contain just the rights amount of context within the image – when the image is about the sign, then just the sign, and when it is about the sign or item in context then context is shown too.  This is a learning from much of the research I did and described below.

I have created a book layout for these images and found that visually this put different demands on the editing of the image set compared to editing a sequence or a layout for a wall.  In particular:

•  Sequencing of portrait and landscape images.  In a normal set, I would be using the opposite orientation to create a break point in the flow of the images.  In book format, I found it was more important to consider what orientations would be facing each other.  This is a new learning for me and builds on previous learning that the editing and layout of the set is as important as the capture of the images themselves. 
• Images facing each other.  Similar to the orientation, I found that certain images which flowed naturally in a sequence, did not look compatible with each other when on facing pages.  I had to adjust the order specifically for the book.

The general learning point for these two points is to consider how a set of images will be portrayed ahead of, or during, the editing process rather than deciding that later.  It is possible that the images will be presented in different formats, if so be prepared to re-edit for each format.

Visually, I started capturing images of signs, only signs, straight on.  However, when I researched Letters from the People (Lee Friedlander: Letters from the People | MoMA, 1994), I found that many of his images had a wider view, and in fact when I looked at pages from his book, those were the pages I found more interesting.  I have therefore included a mix of images and I am pleased with that.  

Quality of Outcome

Image #1 from my set “More Space For People” is actually one of the last images that I took for this set but when I did, I was delighted as it captures exactly what I wanted to portray in this assignment, people and and their space during COVID lockdown.

I think if I had captured this first many of my images would have been a little different as I would have put emphasis on the space and less on the signage.  That said, I am pleased with the final set as I think it does show this notion of space and how it is changed at the moment. 

In particular I wanted to catch a series of images that I knew would not be around for long, a series that will quickly increase in interest value over time and this is what led me to want to capture more than just the signs, I wanted to capture the place and its desolate nature.  The short-lived characteristic of the image content is already self-evident with image #11 already showing the 2-meter instruction covered over by a piece of tape.

The second aspect that I wanted to achieve, the desolate places that towns became during this period I think is shown in images such as #8.

I do feel that the outcome quality would significantly increase if I were to add a larger number of images into the set.  I think that this is a balance as a larger number would possibly mean a viewer would spend less time looking at each image but looking at Friedlander’s (ibid.) work one can see that he has collated hundreds of different images into sets, in his case alphabetic order, and although it does mean less time per image, it does create a broader holistic impression.  For example, I don’t think any viewer would be that interested in a long series of circular 2m sign images captured off the floor (such as image #15) but a whole page of them would create a different effect.

Creativity

An aspect of my photography that is emerging is that of humour.  In my case this would self-effacing humour or dry comment on a situation.  An example of this area that I looked at in my research would be that of Keith Arnatt and his series Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in which he captures images that are far from beautiful but are non-the-less situated within an AONB (A.O.N.B (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) – Keith Arnatt – Key Works. An overview of British Photography – Hyman Collection – British Photography, 2020).  From this research I realised that this was all about the juxtaposition of the contents of the images, and in his case the wider context.  I found this backed up in some of the images I found in the book Jail Keys Made Here by Boltin (Boltin, 1959). 

One of my favourite images from this assignment is #12 which I have included below for ease of reference.  The juxtaposition between the signs and the church made me smile a lot when I spotted it.   To get this image, I had to stand on the doorsill of my car which I parked next to the sign. 

I was pleased with this and a learning point for me is that things like this are everywhere if one looks hard enough but equally be conscious that one might have to ‘make’ the image by changing one’s position.   The job centre image #6 is not funny but is another example of how two things together can take on very different meanings, the impending COVID-caused unemployment rate rising coupled with a maximum of 2 customers at a time made me want to capture that image.

Lastly on creativity.  I think it is fair to say that this assignment evolved over time, partly as I reviewed the images after each shoot, and partly due to my research.  Looking at the images on the contact sheet now, some of the earlier ones I would go back and reshoot if I wanted to include them in the set.  When I first shot them, I had signage in mind, but my topic broadened over time. IAP-A5-111 and those around it are an example.  In the shots I have captured a long row of 2m distancing signs, but not the context.  These would be far better if the context was shown, where they are, the fact that the place is deserted which makes a mockery of the sign etc.  Of course I could go back and reshoot, but this will not always the case and so the lesson to learn here is that when capturing images consider capturing the ‘thing’ from as many angles and perspectives as you can, you can never be sure how you will use the image.  My contact sheets show that I have not done this for this assignment but I will do from now on. 

Context and Research

Influences on this assignment come from:

• Friedlander and his Letters from the People collection.  This showed me different ways of capturing the same subject matter in different ways and also gave me the confidence to start out with the simple idea of signs.
• Boltin and his book Jail Keys Made Here.  I gained similar learning as Friedlander in this book but also picked up on the idea of juxtaposition of objects having an impact in how one sees those objects
• Arnatt and his AONB series, again this influenced me in understanding ways of portraying dry humour, which can equally be made to make a political point, for example my Job Centre image.
• Wentworth with his book Making Do And Getting By (Wentworth and Obrist, 2015) helped me understand how images of possibly un-interesting details can become very interesting when viewed as a set.  My image #9 is an example of this with the sign for Hand Sanitiser, the sign itself is interesting in a way, but look very hard at the image and you eventually see that the sign points up to where the sanitiser is supposed to be but actually there are just empty screw holes on the wall and the sanitiser is instead lying on the stools next to the sign.  

A very big learning point for me over the past two assignments is just how much researching any photographer can influence one’s practice if one takes the time to stop and assess their images and relate them to one’s own.   It is therefore important for me to incorporate more research into my practice; perhaps in the past I thought of it as a necessary activity  for academic purposes rather than an activity to evolve my own photography.  

Bibliography 

The Museum of Modern Art. 1994. Lee Friedlander: Letters From The People | Moma. [online] Available at: <https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/428> [Accessed 24 August 2020].

Britishphotography.org. 2020. A.O.N.B (Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty) – Keith Arnatt – Key Works. An Overview Of British Photography – Hyman Collection – British Photography. [online] Available at: <http://www.britishphotography.org/online-exhibitions/1755/10341/key-works-an-overview-of-british-photography-aonb-area-of-outstanding-natural-beauty?r=online-exhibitions/1755/key-works-an-overview-of-british-photography> [Accessed 23 August 2020].

Boltin, L., 1959. Jail Keys Made Here, And Other Signs. New York: Meridian Books.

Wentworth, R. and Obrist, H., 2015. Making Do And Getting By. London: Koenig Books.