The Brief
Make a series of six to twelve photographs in response to the concept of ‘The Square Mile’. Use this as an opportunity to take a fresh and experimental look at your surroundings.
First impressions and initial response
Initially, my mind turned to my photographic selection criteria of the past – aesthetics. I didn’t think that my home area would suit an aesthetic brief, plus in January the light is dull.
I realised that this is not the aim of the assessment.
Reflecting on my life, in the four years before starting this module, I was based in Dubai where it was hot, sunny, and I was always travelling. Since returning in December I have enjoyed smaller things in life and so I chose to base my “Square Mile” on “Being Home”.
Practitioners I looked at for inspiration and their influence
The first site I investigated was Venetia Dearden’s (Dearden, 2014). I was struck by the warmth of shots both in terms of their content and their colouring – this triggered my thinking back to where I started.
I followed other links from the course but did not feel drawn to any approach. I read with interest the blog by Sharon (2013) on the importance of congruency which influenced me and I noted in my log.
I read The Photograph as Contemporary Art (Cotton, 2014), and felt drawn to Deadpan. I am intrigued by the idea of capturing simply what is there, and leaving it to the viewer to draw their own conclusions. This fits with the idea that the things I was capturing create a feeling of ‘home’ for me, whilst others see them differently.
Researching deadpan further, I also found Garza-Cuen (2012) and Jitka Hanzlová (2010) both of which influenced me greatly.
Technical approach
Shots were taken using a Nikon D800 and a 24-120 f4 zoom lens. Minor adjustments were made to contrast and brightness. Images may appear dull and grey, they are not under-exposed, they are an accurate portrayal of how the scenes looked and is an aspect I wanted to capture.
Strengths and weaknesses of particular photographs and my project as a whole
I am pleased with the images when viewed as a set and that I achieved a balance between urban and countryside-like parks, and how I have captured my everyday tasks like catching a bus.
I was torn between capturing the area as a whole versus picking out specifics. In “bus stop”, I selected a shot taken at an angle to show the surroundings. A straight on shot of the same stop is shown in the contact sheet and I struggled on which to choose.
I spent time deciding to include the country scenes. I had enough urban scenes to create a collection and I have excluded shots taken from within the home. I chose this mix to create the breadth of a set even though I prefer some of the single images that can be seen on the contact sheet.
How I could develop this project in the future
To develop project further, I would focus more specifically on my surrounding urban environment. I have already excluded images that I like from the set plus since taking these images, I have seen other things that I would like to capture.
(Word count 477 words excluding brief)
Selected Images
Other Images Taken
BIBLIOGRPHY
Venetia Dearden (2014) Welcome to Venetia Dearden’s Website – home again. Available at: http://www.venetiadearden.com/en/homeagain.html (Accessed: 30 January 2017).
Sharon (2013) Photography and nostalgia. Available at: https://weareoca.com/photography/photography-and-nostalgia/ (Accessed: 16 January 2017).
Cotton, C. (2014) The photograph as contemporary art. 03rd edn. London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson.
Garza-Cuen, J. (2012) Deadpan photography. Available at: https://deadpanphotography.wordpress.com/page/3/ (Accessed: 31 January 2017).
Jitka Hanzlová: HIER (2010) Available at: http://www.jitkahanzlova.com/works/hier_01.htm (Accessed: 21 February 2017).