All images copyright of Emma Garton 2014
The above images were taken by myself of my mother's mother and I am pleased with them in terms of what I wanted to achieve in this photo shoot. After studying portraiture and in particular, Rineka Dijkstra, I wanted to experiment with the use of space and self presentation from the subject in order to produce a more objective image. I feel these images are successful in doing this and when showing them to my tutor and fellow students, they instantly recognized that I had taken their advice and looked more into Dijkstra's work.
I believe the idea of self-presentation is an interesting one and can be seen here. The images seem to be much more controlled, despite me having little input other than the angle in which I have taken the photograph. It is important to note here that there have been many debates about how "truthful" a photograph can be in terms of showing identity, even when the subject is aware of being photographed. This is because we tend to play up to the camera. We have an idea of how we wish to come across to other people and because of this, we do not show our "true" selves when the camera is on us. I believe this is true to a certain extent. Personally when I am photographed, I do pose, I do consider how the image will look and how it will be read by others and therefore I am showing the side of me I wish others to see. I am choosing how I will be portrayed. I feel this is the case when looking at these images. I don't feel they are natural or realistic enough to convey my Nana's identity to others and I for one do not see her in this way. For this reason, although I am glad I have experimented with this way of photographing, I don't wish to continue with it because it has taken me a step back in terms of what I want to get out of my images and what I wish the viewer to see.
I believe the idea of self-presentation is an interesting one and can be seen here. The images seem to be much more controlled, despite me having little input other than the angle in which I have taken the photograph. It is important to note here that there have been many debates about how "truthful" a photograph can be in terms of showing identity, even when the subject is aware of being photographed. This is because we tend to play up to the camera. We have an idea of how we wish to come across to other people and because of this, we do not show our "true" selves when the camera is on us. I believe this is true to a certain extent. Personally when I am photographed, I do pose, I do consider how the image will look and how it will be read by others and therefore I am showing the side of me I wish others to see. I am choosing how I will be portrayed. I feel this is the case when looking at these images. I don't feel they are natural or realistic enough to convey my Nana's identity to others and I for one do not see her in this way. For this reason, although I am glad I have experimented with this way of photographing, I don't wish to continue with it because it has taken me a step back in terms of what I want to get out of my images and what I wish the viewer to see.
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