Second Shoot

All images are copyright of Emma Garton 2014

The above images were all taken by myself, this time on a visit to see my Nana (my mother's mother). I wanted to compare these to the previous images taken by myself of my father's mother. I feel these images are more informed, as I have undertaken more research at this stage of the term. I am quite pleased with how these photographs have turned out. I feel the focus and overall quality of the images has improved and is much more consistent. Based on my research, I wanted these images to show a slice of every day life, something my viewer can relate to. I also wanted to try out a slightly more controlled photograph, one in which both the viewer and subject are aware of my presence. I wanted to show that my subject felt comfortable in me photographing them, and that they were quite happy to present themselves before my lens. I think it is important to note here that in the portraits of my Nana, there was very little direction from myself as to how I wanted her to be presented. It was much more about self-presentation and how she wanted to come across to the viewer. I think this gives the images a certain quality, perhaps of truth but more about honesty- the subject is clearly happy to be photographed and I think that sometimes makes the viewer feel more at ease because it gives a sense of the subject giving their permission to be looked at, studied and scrutinized. 

I have continued to photograph these portraits in a snap shot style, similar to before. However, it is more justified and more informed here than it was before, and also slightly more controlled in terms of what I have included in the images. I have taken more time to think about framing and composition in these photographs because I believe it is important to include only the things that relate to my subject in order to convey her identity. My project is, after all, about dealing with identity and what photography can tell us about a person, as well as how time and events change us as we grow older. The colours in these images I feel form a continuous series, they are bright, eye catching and link each image to the other, even the ones that are not portraits but objects, still life. The images I looked at much earlier on by Billingham have influenced this. It modernizes the photographs and shows the era in which they are took. I feel this also creates a strong contrast between my Nan's age (82) and the modern day, further challenging the idea of age, time and reflecting on past and present. I would like to continue working in colour for this reason. 

After showing and discussing this work with the rest of the class, some fellow students said that the images, particularly the ones in which there is a distance between myself and the subject remind them of Rineka Dijkstra's work in which she forms a space around the subject creating a much more objective photograph in which the viewer can read in a variety of ways. I will discuss Dijkstra's work later on as I feel she is an important photographer to study in terms of photographing objectively but also in terms of how a series of photographs can convey identity. 

I feel these images are much more successful in terms of objectivity, and I am beginning to feel like my project is heading in the right direction. I am particularly keen on continuing with the idea of a mixture of portraits and objects/still life as I believe it informs the viewer and gives them more of a sense of who the subject is as a person, rather than a typical "model" posing before the camera. However, I do feel I still have a lot to work on before the exhibition, and need to do more research into other photographers who work with identity so I can compare how identity is formed through photographic practice. I also feel the quality of my photographs still needs to improve as I am still trying to get to know my digital camera and do not feel comfortable with it yet. I think my images will improve the more I use and experiment with my camera.