As I produce my final prints for assessment at Level 2 and think forward to starting Level 3 and the final push for a BA in Photography, I have applied to undertake the enrolment process and initiate the preliminary discussions with the Course Leader. As part of this I need to write a ‘Statement of Intent’.
When I started my Level 2 study, I selected according to my comfort zone, that of Landscape Photography. However, as the course progressed, I didn’t feel as if I was really pushing myself or exploring and expanding as a photographer. That said I really enjoyed the course and was introduced to a wider understanding of Landscape, away from the coast and rolling hills to that of Urban, the no man’s land between city and rural. The course long project was challenging as I had to change my project from a changing rural landscape to be captured over months to that over a period of weeks as the cityscape changed drastically due to the result of an earthquake.
This recording of events and the capturing that change seemed to result in a natural segue into the selection of Documentary Photography as my second course at Level 2. This has been an area of photography I have always been interested in but never imagined getting the opportunity to explore.
A number of my assignments explored the image of New Zealand as being 100% pure but scratch beneath the surface and you find a very different story, one of poor environmental conditions and high suicide rates especially in the rural areas.
My final assignment explored this subject even more with the up close and personal stories of five volunteers and I would like to explore this more at Level 3. Research led me to books by John and Malcolm Collier on ‘Visual Anthropology’ and Sarah Pink ‘Doing Visual Ethnography’ both of which I provided a review within my course work but would also like to explore this more within Level 3 and use the techniques to help improve my skills in documentary story telling.
During the Landscape course I was introduced to the work by Alec Soth and I particularly enjoyed his work on ‘Sleeping by the Mississippi’ as I could easily imagine a number of areas within New Zealand that could be used for a similar documentary study but to also explore and expand both the mental health position and how the current Government directive to improve awareness within these communities is working.
Just prior to completing the course I was introduced to a number of documentary books by other overseas students – Fred Ritchin ‘Bending the Frame’, Stuart Franklin ‘The Documentary Impulse’ and Susie Linfield ‘The Cruel Radiance’. All of these I will continue to study and review as these may be helpful if accepted to start Level 3.
One passion I have is the use of film as a medium and I would like to use this not only in my personal projects but also in my Level 3 work. I currently have a medium format camera as well as a 35mm, but would love to explore large format. I’m currently setting up my own darkroom and studio which I hope to complete and utilise for my Level 3 work. During my research I came across the work by Michal Macku who developed his own artistic technique to best tell stories through his photography. Calling it “gellage,” he moves the gelatinous emulsion around on film negatives and alters their appearance in dramatic ways. In these images, the subject seemingly rips himself apart, not unlike the feelings that depression and anxiety can bring.
Michele Usher 