Politics of Photography – Understanding my photographs in a different light.
Through dissecting, punctum, and stadium, connecting the patterns and attaching songs, was integral to my growth into the artistic category of contemporary photography. The intensity of this style of practice has had me so engrossed that it can be a shock when stepping away from the studio to simply reflect on the surface of the images - with no meanings or personal involvement attached. Doing so has largely made me conscious of what they say about me as an artist. Photography’s form makes it the embodiment of 'authentication', stripped from any personal form of impression that can be found in paintings, drawings, sculptures etc. I am unable to hide behind my creation through altered meaning. A photo is a photo.
Exposing myself to the surface level of the photo and detaching personal insight led me to question, how ignorant I am to the message that a photo can bring. To a certain extent, I admit I am guilty of my ignorance. When running around in different locations, I look for composition, colour, lighting, people's movement, and the overall vibe of the area before pulling the camera trigger. I believe I have a great understanding of street etiquette; however, my ignorance can lead me to disregard certain features and objectify the scene of the photo.
I must admit, before writing this I planned to write about my favourite photos of this series. However, I struggled to do so due to this idea of photographer arrogance pondering in my mind. To fully achieve my objective of understanding the layers of photography, I deem it necessary to touch on the issues and controversies photographers can unconsciously bring to light through their work. This essay doesn’t have a completed argument, for it is simply debating the problem that one might find in my pieces.
The Statue : Umarell
To stimulate creative instinct one of the things I did when out on my field trips was to follow the eyes of statues. This helped me zoom into one area to focus on to see if anything photographically arose. Using them as a reference point, they are permanently placed and therefore I enjoyed seeing what they are looking at each time. They hold the secrets of the streets - witnessing murders, assaults, protests, even affairs, and all they can do is remain silent in their landscape that is constantly changing.
The statue’s eyes in this photo, directed me to a quartered off Trafalgar square water fountain, for what appeared to be a tiny gazebo for an exclusive art event. I enjoyed the look and attitude the statue presented; looking down and judging the people, who are judging the art with the same judgemental position. The over exposed shallow depth and heightened black points of the photo is what originally piqued my interest. However, the aesthetic that I enjoyed can become an issue when looking at the photo out of context. Without prior knowledge or reading a written piece about the moment I saw the gazebo event, it may look as if I'm joining in on the recently debated role of statues. This highlights the important role of contextualising an image in order to direct the viewer's understanding.
However, attaching songs and quotes to photos to help with the contextualisation, can create the wrong interpretation
Adding a song or a quote to develop a sense of mystery and stir a conversation about the image (why that song and why that message?) is a fun element to develop depth and build a narrative around the punctum of the photo. However, one must be careful with song choices, for they too can be twisted and misunderstood. The pigeon image paired with the song, ‘Call me Mother’ by RuPaul intended to highlight the confidence I got from and saw in the pigeon’s strut through the beat of the song. However, it may be viewed as yet another director who has played into the lazy cliche of the comic ‘gay best friend’ sidekick trope. Although this is obviously not what I intended, this highlights the risk of wrong interpretation and the offence it may cause.
Death of the Photographer
Living in this fear of “cancel culture,” you might wonder how anything could be created. I reflect upon Roland Barthes ‘Death of the Author,’ ideology. Releasing work to the public hemisphere ultimately means the artist's partnership with their work ends - artists are unable to control the meaning of public interpretations. As an artist, this is the risk you take. On the other hand, this statement can be an excuse. For example, an artist displaying a poor understanding and a wrongful message labelling it under the umbrella of 'art' is where the issue lies.
As stated previously it is key to acknowledge the different interpretations one can gain from art, and I found that reflecting on this is crucial in the development of the pieces I do. Overall, I enjoy the photo of the statue or the meaning of the song because I as an artist know it wasn’t created with ill intent, this may be perceived as arrogance. However, it is essential that I must take into consideration the power of personal interpretation. It is important to be critical of my own work and acknowledge my artistic ignorance.