Rip out an advertising image from a newspaper supplement and circle and write
on as many parts of the image as you can. Comment on what it is, what it says
about the product and why you think it’s there. You could use this as the basis
for your assignment if you feel it’s taking you somewhere interesting. Or you
could adopt this method for your assignment preparation.
Come back to this exercise when you’ve reached the end of ​Part Four ​and see if
you can add anything to your analysis.

Before you read any further, look carefully at Erwitt’s image and write some
notes about how the subject matter is placed within the frame.

● How has Erwitt structured this image?

Erwitt has ensured the smallest subject is what is being focused on by cutting the others out the frame, yet still including parts to ensure a balance and perspective. By the photographer coming down to the level of the smallest subject it makes it more prominent.

● What do you think the image is ‘saying’?

Even the smallest dog is important and has a place in the world in a dignified way.

● How does the structure contribute to this meaning?

By cutting out the larger dog and the human from the image it places more importance on the smallest dog where it is seen in it’s entirety. It forces the viewer to focus on this dog alone whereas in another structure the smallest dog would have been lost

● Did you spot that the picture is framed in stages of three?

The bottom third is the foreground, the middle is the subject matter and the top
shows the subject and the background. This element of three is repeated in the
number of subjects and the horizontal thirds are balanced by the vertical thirds
of the small dog and other subjects’ legs. This use of three and the horizontal
and vertical lines make the image appear visually complete. You get the
impression that what’s within the frame is the whole picture, but of course there
were bodies and heads and the rest of the larger dog just outside the viewfinder.
This leads us to the photographer’s decision to crop at a particular point. This
was a witty decision but, more importantly, we’re reminded that it was a
decision. What we see of the situation very much depends on the photographer’s
point of view. By placing the small dog as the main focus, Erwitt emphasises its
small stature. The size of this dog probably means that it’s often overlooked,
especially in relation to its larger friend, so Erwitt’s decision to make it the main
focus may tell us something about him as a person.

● Does he like to help the ‘underdog’?
● Does he prefer dogs over humans?
● Is he making a statement about giving everyone a voice?
● Or is he just making a joke?

We can’t answer all these questions from one picture, but if you read it as part of
the whole series Dogs, it’s clear that he has a special fondness for canines and
sees their role in society as an important one. There’s another important
difference between different types of language. In spoken or written language,
the information is given in a certain order, allowing the author to build
anticipation or shock the reader. A photograph, on the other hand, gives all this
information at the same time and how this information is processed by the
viewer is outside the photographer’s control. For example, one viewer of the
Erwitt picture might be very interested in locating the park as Central Park while
another might focus on the breed of the dogs. All Erwitt can do is present the
information; the way it’s read is taken on by the viewer.

Bibliography

Magnum Photos. 2021. The Year of the Dog Dogs • Elliott Erwitt • Magnum Photos. [online] Available at: <https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/art/elliott-erwitt-dog-dogs/&gt; [Accessed 13 May 2021].

Holden Luntz Gallery. 2021. Elliott Erwitt: Dogs –. [online] Available at: <https://www.holdenluntz.com/magazine/photo-spotlight/elliott-erwitt-dogs/&gt; [Accessed 13 May 2021].

Recreate a childhood memory in a photograph.​ Think carefully about the
memory you choose and how you’ll recreate it. You’re free to approach this task
in any way you wish.

1. Does the memory involve you directly or is it something you witnessed?
2. Will you include your adult self in the image (for example, to ‘stand in’ for
   your childhood self) or will you ask a model to represent you? Or will you
   be absent from the image altogether? (You’ll look at the work of some
   artists who have chosen to depict some aspect of their life without
   including themselves in the image in the next project.)
3. Will you try and recreate the memory literally or will you represent it in a
   more metaphorical way, as you did in Part Two?
4. Will you accompany your image with some text?
5. In your learning log, reflect on the final outcome. How does the
   photograph resemble your memory? Is it different from what you
   expected? What does it communicate to the viewer? How?
   It might be interesting to show your photograph to friends or family members –
   perhaps someone who was there at the time and someone who wasn’t – and see
   what the image conveys to them.

I chose to use two objects from my childhood that bring back memories for me of my mother when I was young. The material background is a dress once owned by my mother who passed away fourteen years ago. She would frequently wear it when I was a child, and when I last saw her I commented on how lovely the dress was so much that she gave it to me. From that day on, now some twenty years ago, I have been striving to lose weight to be able to wear it one day, I fear that day will never come. The dress now hangs in my bedroom as a memory of her. The three brass duck ornaments were once in my childhood home and I was given them when my Mum died. These ornaments my Mum especially treasured and instantly bring back memories of my time with her and how she used to tell me how much she loved to collect brass ornaments and which one she next wanted to buy to add to her collection. This photograph of a childhood memory is recreated in a literal way rather than metaphorically and the image would have to be accompanied by some text for it to be meaningful to anyone else but me.

Go to the artist’s website and look at the other images in Shafran’s series.
You may have noticed that ​Washing-up ​is the only piece of work in Part Three
created by a man. It is also the only one with no human figures in it, although
family members are referred to in the captions.

● In what ways might a photographer’s gender contribute to the creation
and reading of an image?
● What does this series achieve by not including people?
● Do you regard them as interesting ‘still life’ compositions?
Make some notes in your learning log.

Gender plays a part in what a person chooses to photograph and how. Women tend to bring emotion and people into their work, although some very talented male photographers have done the same, Martin Parr, for example, and Daniel Meadows.

The reading of an image could be read differently depending on gender, women tend to look at small details, men are more objective perhaps. Woman like Francesca Woodman and Sophie Calle express their own emotions through the creation of images.

Shafran’s series achieves an opportunity to look into the private spaces in the home of a person which reveals a great deal of information about a person. The everyday objects that are usually not the subject of the photograph but rather a distracting background object are of interest to Sharfran and reveals a great deal about a person. His work reveals a house that is in it’s normal state, something visitors rarely see because it would all be tidied away before they visit.

I do regard Shafran’s work as interesting still life compositions because it is not what would traditionally be considered an attractive photograph and therefore catches my attention. Unusual subject matter is interesting, particularly when there is a lot going on in the photograph which makes you return to it several times and discover something new that you didn’t notice before.

https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/10849/inside-the-process-and-workbooks-of-photographer-nigel-shafran

1. Is there any sense in which Lee’s work could be considered voyeuristic or
   even exploitative? Is she commenting on her own identity, the group
   identity of the people she photographs, or both?
2. Would you agree to Morrissey’s request if you were enjoying a day on the
   beach with your family? If not, why not?
3. Morrissey uses self-portraiture in more of her work, namely Seven and The
   Failed Realist. Look at these projects online and make some notes in your
   learning log

Notes:

Nikki Lee, Korean born photographer who studied in America and now lives in Seoul. She is best known for her “Projects” series (1997-2001) where she dresses up as different personas such as a skateboarder, school girl, punk, elderly person and so on.She mimics their style and mannerisms in the images. Photos are taken with a disposable or small camera to put people at ease. The work is candid and familiar, the work of an unassuming amateur to give the feeling of authenticity. There are digital date stamps on each image to add to the perceived authenticity of the work.

The modern, potentially similar version of self representation is what images we choose from our life to add to social media and which ones we choose not to show. A collection over time of a certain theme of images the author has chosen creates a view that is not an accurate account but what the author chooses to show. For example, always happy photos and only photos on day trips or holiday creates an image of a jet set lifestyle. Filters used on Instagram and Snapchat are also a form of self representation, some images on social media look nothing like the person they are supposed to be.

1. Is there any sense in which Lee’s work could be considered voyeuristic or
   even exploitative? Is she commenting on her own identity, the group
   identity of the people she photographs, or both?

Her work is in a sense voyeuristic as it gives the viewer a look into the world of a certain group of people, what they look like, how they live and behave,and in what surroundings. She is commenting on how her own identity is not ever static and singular, she is commenting on how in the Western world people can choose their identity, but in the East this is not possible to the same extent.

2. Would you agree to Morrissey’s request if you were enjoying a day on the
beach with your family? If not, why not?

I would not be accommodating of Trish Morrissey’s request if it was not planned and was spontaneous because time with my family is precious and I would want to make the most of it. This view is probably because my children are older and I have less time with them now than I did have, I think my view would be different if my children were younger and trips out were a regular activity.

I can understand how people would find this request intrusive, or false or uncomfortable, but I understand the intention behind the work, if people were not properly briefed I think there would be more resistance to such a proposal.

1. Trish Morrissey uses self-portraiture in more of her work, namely Seven Years and The
   Failed Realist. Look at these projects online and make some notes in your
   learning log

Seven years was made between 2001 and 2004 and the images are recreations of what would be found in family photo albums from the 1970s

Morrisey uses her sister as a model as well as herself and they recreate work that looks like a 1970’s 80’s style snapshot but has been taken in modern times. She cleverly recreates the body language that can bee seen in many snapshot images in family albums such as closed eyes and finger smudges across the lens that affects the image. Morrisey even dresses up as her brother to recreate one image.

The failed realist – Trish Morrissey

The psychologist Georges-Henri Luquet (1927/2001) referred to the Failed Realist stage as a stage in childhood development. Between the age of 4 and 6, children’s physical development is not capable of visually representing their thoughts or words. This work was made with Morrisey’s daughter in 2011. Her daughter was between 4.5 and 5.5 years old while this work was made. Her daughter painted events or things from recent experiences on Morrisey’s face.

Many artists felt this childlike innocent approach showed direct access to the expressive self and tried to emulate this in the abstract paintings as a “return to innocence” Picasso, Miro and Klee painted in this style with great success.

Bibliography

Artnews.com. 2020. Nikki S. Lee Provokes Debates About Cultural Appropriation – Artnews.Com. [online] Available at: <https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/nikki-s-lees-shapeshifting-art-cultural-appropriation-1202682096/&gt; [Accessed 31 October 2020].

LensCulture, T., 2020. Seven Years – Photographs And Text By Trish Morrissey | Lensculture. [online] LensCulture. Available at: <https://www.lensculture.com/articles/trish-morrissey-seven-years&gt; [Accessed 1 November 2020].

Morrissey, T., 2020. Trish Morrissey – The Failed Realist | Lensculture. [online] LensCulture. Available at: <https://www.lensculture.com/projects/228833-the-failed-realist&gt; [Accessed 6 November 2020].