2nd July 2020
When I was photographing Alison, she mentioned some else who she thought would be happy to help. At the time she pointed out the house and I did try to make contact but there was no response so she kindly offered to speak to her on my behalf (I had planned to take a trip this weekend and drop a few more letters off and try again). Today I got an email from Alison with the phone number of Sue who has agreed to be photographed and I have arranged a on the 11th July at 10am.
3rd July 2020
The day started with the 1854 Presents artist talk with Lee Shulman who collects slide images that people are either selling or just donating. He has thousands of them, which he reviews and catalogues and forms exhibitions from. In his latest exhibition all the images were based in and around the home. The exhibition space was divided into typical rooms such as the kitchen, lounge etc and the images were printed and placed in household objects such as the fridge. The instillation included a large selection of old 1950’s TVs piled in the corner each with a different family image in each screen. There was even a garage with an old car of the period and a projector inside to show other images from the collection. I struggle with this as both an art concept and for the artist to claim it is theirs. The concept is probably unique and I understand the genre od showing collections of saved images, giving them a new life, but as a photographer I would want my images shown.
I also dialled into the Documentary Forum with other OCA students. As always, an interesting discussion on progress, ideas and how others are coping with the lock down. There was some discussion on submissions and different techniques being used now that submissions have move to digital. It was suggested to look at the ‘Four Corners Project’ and the Lumix talk by Fred Ritchin. I have just been reading chapter four of Ritchin’s book ‘Bending the Frame’ for Contextual Studies and provide a summary in my Research section to this blog.
5th July 2020
Spent part of the day processing images from the photo shoot of Melanie and Alison. I have processed in both colour and black and white. I have come to the conclusion that I’m not a portrait photographer and I’m worried that none of these will be used in the final submission or have a submission at all. All images can be seen in my Work in Progress section to this blog for July. Drop box links have been sent to both so they can down load the images they are happy with.
I continue to photograph the cray and worry that this is just not progressing as I had hoped or I will end up with the same image in a year’s time, but then what should I expect when there is just the shell left and its not exposed to the elements, I think a more dramatic result would have occurred if I had placed it outside, but I wanted to be able to photograph it a few times before something took it.
8th July 2020
Spent a few days – when time allowed, reading and making notes from the book ‘Bending the Frame: Photojournalism, Documentary, and Citizen’ by Fred Ritchin. This was following a discussion at the Documentary Forum and Lumix talk by Ritchin on the 22nd June. I had previously purchased the book for my Documentary course but never had the time to pick it. A full set of my notes can be found in my Contextual Research section to this blog, but in a number of ways I agree with Ritchin, images are all around us, but do we even take the time to stop and really look? I often watch people on the train or in cafes as they sit or standing waiting in line with their phone in hand scrolling from one image to the next, possibly spending less than a second to take the image in, to understand what it means, probably most of the time nothing, but how many are posted as a cry for help? To highlight a situation?
If we stopped and thought about the impact maybe a large percentage of the images currently posted and shared around the world would not be there today. Storage and social media is cheap and in some ways this is just encouraging the lowering of the standards. While the expansion of digital media has become more efficient and cheaper and social media has made the transportation of images around the globe that much faster, images seem to lack what Walter Benjamin calls an ‘aura’.
9th July 2020
Got up early and watch a talk my Karin van Mierlo on ‘Capturing life with Documentary Photography’. A full write up can be found in the Exhibitions section of this blog, but she gave some amazing insight and tips to how to approach documenting a story or subject which I hope to put into practice on the 11th July when I go and photograph my next subject. She covered three very personal projects; ‘Day in the life’, ‘Sister’ and ‘Uganda’. All very different but you really see her style and approach, the connection she has with the subjects, using the light to portray the mood and capturing the moment. She highlighted the importance of editing and the time needed to get this right – something that I’ve been worried about with my Body of Work project. I have multiple threads without any clear direction or story at the moment. I can’t seem to see how they will all fit together. I know I still have another twelve months to go but that time will fly by and I feel like I really need a direction.
10th July 2020
Today seemed to be a on-line presentation day starting with the weekly 1854 Presents and a talk from Sunil Gupta, then MACK book live with Rosalind Fox Solomon and to end the day the Royal Photographic Society presented ‘The Indestructible Lee Miller’ a talk on the life of photographer Lee Miller by her son and grand-daughter who now manage her home and archive. I have provided a full write up in my Exhibitions section to this blog.
11th July 2020
Set off through fog to get to my next photo shoot at Ngawi. Today I was photographing Sue, a permanent resident of Ngawi, who lives right on the beach front in a small villa which she has decorated in Paua shells. Pāua is the Māori name given to three New Zealand species of large edible sea snail. Pāua are gathered recreationally and commercially but strict catch limits are set for both by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), but the ones on the building were all found on the beach. It was a really enjoyable session, remembering the advice from the earlier talk about sitting and listening, getting to know your subject, taking my time and capturing the moment.
13th July 2020
Joined the usual four at the ‘Rest of World’ OCA forum. I have up-loaded a large number of images to the shared drive for feedback from my peers and after listening to another student (Roger from Chilli) who is undertaking a painting degree, it was my turn to give an up-date. Mark, also from New Zealand but based in the South Island highlighted the fact that I seemed to have all these images but ‘what was my story? Where are you going with this Michele?’ He had just voiced my very concerns. I said I had a number of themes on the go but wasn’t really sure. Half heartedly I mentioned that I have managed to either set up or complete five of the six women of Ngawi. He said well there’s a possible story, find the last one. He mentioned a similar situation on the West Coast – Denniston that I should look into and then Lynda (just started Level 3) mentioned Maja Daniels as another possibility. I will add what I find to by Work in Progress blog a try and track the last woman of Ngawi down. These sessions are always great fun and full of useful advice and pointers for new avenues of direction.
15th July 2020
To day saw a bit on a major on line session, which started with the Royal Photographic Society in conversation with Ioanna Sakellaraki, very thought-provoking talk as she detailed her personal project on memory, identity and place within her Greek culture ‘The truth is in the Soil’. I have added a full write up in the Exhibition section of this blog.
The next talk was really for personal interest and not really for my course – SheClicks webinar with Kim Grant ‘Connecting with the Coast’. As this was for my use and post my studies so I haven’t added a write up.
VII Photo Agency provided another great talk by Seamus Murphy on this project ‘The Republic’. Having grown up in the UK, the issues within Ireland was always on the news and so this was really interesting to see the situation from a different side. A more detailed account of the presentation can be found in the Exhibitions section of this blog.
I ended the day with one of the repeat showings from the Head-On Photo Festival – a Panel discussion on ‘Australian Photojournalism’. The discussion started with each presenter providing a single image from their career and detailing the story behind it. The conversation ended with a number of questions around the role that photojournalism plays in todays society and the need for the presentation of an unbiased and truthful representation of the situation.
17th July 2020
1854 Presents provided their usual Friday morning (NZ time) discussion, this time between two photographers; Teresa Eng and Kalpesh Lathigra. The discussion was based around their culture, identity and how this affected their career and images. One thing that came across strongly was the importance of editing for the final result, be that an exhibition, book or social media. A more detailed review has been provided in the Exhibitions section of this blog.
Today also saw the regular fortnightly Documentary forum. Attended this time by Bob, Lynda, Jack, Pauline and Jonathan. Jonathan is new to the group and just finishing his first level 2 with a view to start Documentary in August or September once he has received his results. Just prior to the start Jack provided a link to his Assignment 5, which was an amazing video on the 66 days of his lock down [https://vimeo.com/435460905/400f916166] a most thought provoking piece of work I have seem in a long time. The whole situation has impacted him greatly and this really shows in both the images and words of this short video.
Bob provided his images on a local area that had been closed off to the public due to a cycle race, his project based around barriers and loss of access. An interesting view which I thought might under the current pandemic be misunderstood, Pauline thought that same and voiced this before myself. Bob also used the ‘four corners’ [https://fourcornersproject.org/en/create/] approach to his images and provided me with a link so I could investigate the possibility of using something the similar for my project if we are still having to submit electronically. Lynda was last up and gave a brief up date on her initial steps at level 3 – think she will fly through the whole course without any issues.
18th July 2020
I played catch up on the VII Photo Agency: ‘Symposium, Visualising Climate Change: The Environmental Sublime’ part 2. Five panel members over two hours, so glad it was recorded as the original start time was 3am for me. An interesting and powerful discussion and visual exploration of work being undertaken to bring awareness and action across the world to the growing effect of climate change.
I also started and finished processing the images from my photo shoot with Sue. These once again were processed in black and white and colour. I up-loaded to a dropbox folder and sent her a link. Some images have been included in my Work in Progress blog and the rest have been added to their own page. Following on from my discussions with the Rest of the World forum I have been thinking more and more about the possible avenue of concentrating on the ladies of Ngawi and so I emailed all of the ones I have completed to date and proposed my idea of trying to capture the last two and asked for help in contacting them, fingers crossed this works out.
I have also reached out to a friend that is a bit of a whizz with Photoshop for help in trying to stitch my pano together. I may need to invest in alternative software but hopefully that wont be the case.
I finally received a response from NZ Archive concerning my request for old documents and photographs from Ngawi, they don’t seem to hold much electronically but I can go along a photograph what they have, just need to sort out a time.
20th July 2020
Attended the Level 3 Tutor led forum with Ariadne Xenou. Another great discussion. Following initial discussions and a round the zoom session on how we are all getting on and if we needed any help we moved on to thoughts about the final assessment and what is needed. It was stressed that we really need to demonstrate the ‘under pinning’ of our argument. The submission for Contextual Studies needs to be in your own voice, with your perspective that is supported by references, but not over powered by them.
References need to relate to the work/subject being discussed and of course referenced correctly. The work needs to show how you have developed through the use of your sources and remember not to over quote. It is good to cross pollinate the material with case studies to form the grand narrative.
Remember to develop and keep populated your research folder. Keep a track of wider issues that have been reviewed but may not form part of your final work – provide reasons why.
What makes a good submission? Cohesion and coherence. The work needs to flow with a main thread throughout. References/images attached to the thread and not just thrown in. Don’t use quotes to replace your words, use sources to allow your words to come through. Use supporting resources to help your argument OR select a resource and argue against it to form your argument.
Remember to show your understanding with the sources by analysing, don’t just accept someone else’s point of view, ‘don’t just use a source to tick a box’.
For the literature review – show engagement with the source, explain how this helped and form my argument. Referencing should be engaged within your work and referenced within the main body. A bibliography is the list of all the material you have reviewed but not necessarily used within your argument.
Lots of great points and support as usual – now I just need to get on and rewrite it!
23rd July 2020
Over the last few days, I know I have been avoiding the literature review rewrite and so I have planned to block out the weekend of the 1st August to shut myself away and get on with it. That blank page is a large hurdle to get over.
I have attended a number of on-line presentations and talks, such as the AoP Breakfast club (21st July), Head-On Photo Festival (re-play, 22nd July and 23rd ) and 1854 Presents (23rd July) all of which have been written up in my Exhibitions section of this blog.
28th July 2020
Following the Level 3 tutor forum I started to review the work I had completed for my first submission for the literature review and started looking at a few of the books I purchased for my Level 2 Documentary and one I had purchased following an on-line presentation. The first was ‘The Documentary Impulse’ by Stuart Franklin and the second was ‘Documentary Photography Reconsidered: History, Theory and Practice’ by Michelle Bogre. I so wish this book had been part of the Level 2 Documentary as it’s such an inciteful account of the genre. I have added my detailed notes to my Research Log for Contextual Studies and I think the notes from both of these will form part of my re-submission.
I still need to complete a chapter from ‘The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence’ by Susie Linfield as I think this may also have some useful points to consider.
30th July 2020
A few weeks ago, I was emailed by one of the other level 3 students asking if I would be interested in joining a small Level 3 support group. I think this will be great as long as it doesn’t get too large that we start talking over each other and we need to ensure everyone has their say to get the support they need. Helen is the main driver/organiser for this and so I turned up for the first one.
There was a small mixed group of five, which was ideal as we all discussed where we were on the journey and the difficulties, we were having due to COVID, the material, and coping with two modules and all the crossovers that entails. It was reassuring to hear that I wasn’t alone. Some have not coped well with the lockdown and Helen has lost her Body of Work subject all together so may have to start with another subject. I think I’m lucky that I have five possible strings to my bow – just need to figure out the editing to show my main theme.
The group plans to meet again and next time see some work in progress. Sarah is working her way through the last module of Level 3 – Sustaining your Practice and she has offered to show her final submission, so really looking forward to that as it wasn’t digital.
In the evening I attended a re-play from the Head-On Photo Festival. An Artist talk that had been pre-recorded with Emmanuel Angelicas. An Australian photographer who has spent 50 years photographing a place called Marrickville. The images taken with a Hasselblad analogue camera in Black and White, show a combination of fact and fiction and all aspects of life in the town, nothing is off limits. The original idea was for an exhibition however due to COVID this was changed to an on-line description of his images by the curator. I had to look at his website to really see the images and a large number had to be requested to be seen due to the nature of the content. When entering the site there is a strong warning that the images are not to everyone’s taste. I have provided a more detailed write up on my Exhibitions page along with some additional research about the photographer as the presentation was very limited.
31st July 2020
Nearly another month completed and still feeling like I’m taking one step forward and five back. The tutor led forum was useful and I think the support group that has formed will also help me get across the line. I do feel sometimes that I’m not doing enough when I see the posts from other students pop into my email. I see the heading and think ‘did I do that? I don’t remember that bit? Have I missed an enormous section of the course work? OMG I need to start again.
Attended the 1854 Presents In conversation with Enda Bowe and Susie Lavelle. A mixture of cinematography and stills photography. The discussion based around the TV series ‘Normal Lives’ shows how the use of the correct lighting, angle and framing can really portray the mood of the image or film. A full write up can be found in my Exhibition section along with the link to the talk. One of the plus aspects of 1854 Presents they record and post to their Archive which is great if I don’t want to get up at 4am and watch live.
There was also the usual Level 2 Documentary forum this morning which was that well represented to day. No work was shown but there was a general discussion around progress. Bob arrived late as he was busy trying to re-work Assignment 5 and forgot the time, but he has been advised by his tutor to no rush to hit the submission date of this November but to do the rework required for his other Assignments and clean up his blog. It seems that the blog will play an even more important role in assessment than before. Bob seemed happy with the suggestion and offered to show his rework at the next meeting.
Michele Usher 