We can't know everyone!

After taking the pictures at my church I realised that although I knew most of the people there, in fact many of them were also strangers. With over 7 billion people living on the earth the minority that I know is extraordinary. I think I have a pretty decent group of friends and acquaintances however obviously these people are mainly people that live in Bournemouth which is a relatively small town. Strangers can change the way you perceive the world as they create a new opening to what you already know or believe. I want to find some strangers and learn different things about them. I have thought of many idea's in relation to Stephen Gill's images of the headphones and also the billboards. There can be a quotation or some text to title the image. When doing this I am obviously going to have lots to consider, firstly where will I take the pictures and find the people. Secondly how will I approach them and when doing so, how can I get them on my side to feel comfortable being photographed? Opportunities for places to photograph will be; cinema- what film are you watching? shopping in town- whats in the bag? bus drivers- whats your destination? I am very interested in creating an outcome that not only develops my understanding of different people but also has a selection of society to compare with one another.

Strangers or Friends?

Going with the idea of perceptions of people, I went to my parish church and on that particular evening they were doing the church inventory so there were plenty of people around available to have their picture taken. I asked numerous people, some that I knew and some that I didn't. Some didn't mind their picture being taken, however some were very embarrassed at the proposal and declined my request, often for reasons such as they 'hadn't done their hair' or 'they weren't very photogenic'. I did however manage to take photographs of some of the people that were around. The first image was taken at the back of the church behind the alter. This man is the parish priest, Father Robin. When I approached him to take his picture he was very welcoming, however the one poignant thing he did say was 'how will they know who I am' seeing as he didn't have any robes on or his usual 'collar'. This started me thinking about how to display his portrait. I used the black background and added text onto the black background rather than onto the initail image. This makes it seem like a TV screen perhaps. I then needed to focus on the style of font used 'How will they know who I am?', is written out in italics as this particular font seemed to fit the style of image. The font was very important when creating the image as the wrong font could completely give off the wrong perception of the image and the person in the image.

My next image was of a gentlemen that I was familiar with from seeing him around the church when I was younger, however I did not know him by name or anything about him. I merely asked him for a snap and he posed how he wished. He has his head slightly downward showing that perhaps he was embarrassed or wasn't completely happy with the picture being taken. He seemed like a very quiet man and got on with what he was doing without talking to the other people around. After taking the images I asked my dad to tell me some information on the people I had photographed as he knew them all very well. He said that he didn't know much at all about this particular man and he would always sit at the back of church by himself, but he never missed a Sunday. His name was not on the electoral roll either but my dad said his name was Edmondsham Potherwaite, but that was all he knew.


Before I knew this man's name I created this image. I knew nothing about him at all yet he agreed to let me take his picture in an environment with many other people around.

After speaking with my dad I created this image. The first image of the priest was a quote from him, however I think it is much more fitting in this image to have the quote from my dad as I didn't know anything about this man and had to find out from another source.

This gentleman I know very well and when I was younger he would always speak to me about my future aspirations, this being Law. He is a very interesting man and can always help answer questions about Law. He reassured me that university would be fine as long as I kept my head in the game and he offered to give me any help I needed. I already knew his name and his occupation so the conversation was merely a social one.

I also know this lady very well. I have known her since I was very young and again she always speaks to me at church and I have helped with many things under her management. As well as helping at the church her regular occupation is a primary school teacher at a local primary school.

Combinations of groups

Stephen Gills work is very intriguing in the sense of design and how the images are quirky yet still seem to hold a message. His project 'trolleys' captures the essence of the older women around the estate in London however Gill uses this advantage very sensitively. He ensures the woman are photographed with much respect creating a status aura around them. Gill works in series, often recording scenes that, as he suggests, are 'so familiar and obvious they fall below the threshold of people's attention.

Gillian Wearings work is very influential and sparks different thoughts and emotions from the viewer. She created a collection called 'signs that say what you want them to say'. She walked along the street and asked random people to write down how they were feelings or what thy wanted to say, she then photographed them with their sign.

This first image is very thought provoking primarily because the guy seems quite young in the image , yet he looks as thought he lives just by himself probably in a youth hostel.

This image is one of the slightly more famous images in Wearings collection. This gentlemen was on his way to work when he was stopped by Wearing. His text on the paper is very intriguing as it could have many different interpretations. These interpretations have been questioned by others and Wearing challenges social stereotypes and assumptions, and often works in collaboration with members of the public as a means of 'interrupting the logic of photo-documentary and snapshot photography.

This image is also a bit different from the rest. It is seemingly a middle aged couple that are out getting their shopping. Perhaps they have stronger things on the agenda than to just get dinner though with the sign they have written.

One idea that I am looking to develop is the general idea of perception in day to day environments, for example, when people are listening to head phones the music that they are listening to may be completely contrasting to what they are wearing or what expression they have. I have been researching into perception, and the combination of perception vs reality.



I firstly found this image on the Internet, when I typed in perception. The image is very intriguing however I could not find any background in the image so presumed it was many a film cover or some form of advertising. From finding this image I then looked at Barabara Kruger and her feminist images which embody text.

This first image Barbara Kruger explores feminist theory through artistic expression. Her continued use of black and white imagery combined with red blocks of text derive from her background in art and design and her previous careers designing and editing magazines such as Mademoiselle and House and Garden. Kruger voices her concerns over feminist issues through bold images and text and, she is able to gain the viewer’s attention in a manner that differs from many other artists. In much of Kruger’s work, she reveals concepts with such an impact that the viewer is forced to further consider her or his own opinions and perceptions in relation to these issues.

This image has very high impact with the contrast of the grey and red text over the image. It is raw but still visually shocking and very deterministic in the stylisation.

These image fit well into the ideas I had for my exam piece. Seeing something not quite as it seems is what I really want to use to create a meaningful image or set of images.

I have had a long think about how I can grasp this idea and create some images out of it. One idea is to photograph the person and then get the story of their true lives, not just what we see.
As well as this, changing environments to perceive people differently.

Researching links and creating ideas.

When developing and creating new ideas obviously artistic research and understanding is crucial to help understand the focal point of pieces of work and how photographers have changed over time. I have searched through many artists and photographers work and one particular photographer that caught my eye was August Sander. He was a German photographer working during the war mainly in Germany and Austria. His work has had much influence on other photographers because of the detached style he uses to create atmosphere throughout his work.

Both these images are included into the collection named 'faces of the twentieth century'. The collection portrayed life in Nazi Germany of the people that lived in and around the area in which Sander lived. Sander did not just photograph the rich and young people but also included the elderly, homeless and minority groups, which did not sit well with the Nazi's so many of his tapes were destroyed. Sanders work has inspired many other photographers to create pieces that are different and detached. Photographers such as Bernd Becher and following that Thomas Ruff have created images that seem to hold some visual comparisons with the work of Sander. Bernd Becher was a German artist who worked with his wife to form the duo of Bernd and Hilla Becher. The couple are most renown for their work of industrial buildings and structures.

These images are the structural architectural style images that the Bechers specialised in. They did not only photograph german architecture but also travelled across the world to places including, Britain, Belgium, France and USA. The Bechers also started to teach photography and have created the Becher School which has inspired photographs such as Thomas Ruff, Thomas Struth and Candia Hofer. The work of the Bechers is very detached yet still incredibly different and structured. The way in which they create each piece is a masterpiece of detail and pinpointed accuracy. This is turn influenced photographer Thomas Ruff.

Thomas Ruff was influenced by the Bechers as he was taught by them for 8 years. The detached style in his work does differ slightly from that of the Bechers, but the concept of estranged images is still clear. The portraits exhibition of Ruff's photo's is off 8 people that he photographed in a straight forward, face on manner with the subjects remaining expressionless and looking straight into the camera. The passport format images were enlarged to create 200x150cm canvases. Ruff's images were experimenting with light, however he also says that there were connections between the portraits and the police observation methods in the 1970's. This being said create a different perception on the images as they could be hiding truths and lies behind the expressionless faces.

Visual Puns

Visual Puns are images involving objects instead of words to get a joke across to the viewer. We have been given the task to create a visual pun. This incorporates nicely into the concept of combinations and alliances as as to create a visual pun usually 2 or more objects would need to be combines together to create the image. I have had many ideas of what I could do eg:
Jack Frost, Watch Dog, Fan Club, Fire Man, Hot Dog, Sleeping Bag, Skipping School, Tight Rope, Chain Smoker, Butterfly and many more. I now need to find ways to show these words in images creating a suitable combination.

This visual pun is quite amusing and sweet and the use of an actual seal is pleasing to the eye.

This image is very funny, it have a lot of atmosphere in the image and humour.

This final image is quite crude but still amusing. It is creative and well throughout out. After looking over these visual puns I went about creating some of me own.

This image comes with the pun 'crybaby'. The images used are both portrait style images as this is my favoured area of photography. I think the two images work well together as a set however the style of them and the contrast and brightness of the black and white needs to possibly be improved to create a more professional outcome.

This second image is called 'eyeball'. The image is quite crude and it looks unreal however I still think I have fulfilled the brief in creating a visual pun. Again the image could be improved by ensuring all corners and colours are sharp and poignant.

Having a go

Using the framing idea from my previous images I wanted to stick with this idea to develop it slightly. I used the school studio set up and a brown wooden frame, I wanted to keep it simple and not to overcooked so asked my models to simply stand and do whatever they wished for a pose.

The images were quite dark so I brightened them up and added in some contrast to create a more vibrant image. This worked well in some images but not in others. In this image the higher contrast works well as it brings out the colour of the hair and eyes.

This image seems very staged however I still like the energy that is shown. The closer up style brings the image to life a bit more and the colours compliment the style.

This image also has a lot of vibrant colour, slightly enhanced by the contrast however seems quite detached from the frame. This is different and makes the image have a different dimension to the others.

This image is very different to the previous images. To begin with it is far more serious where as the others seem more playful. This one was designed and posed more than the previous images. The slight distortion in the arms makes the eye have to work to see the real image.

I put two of the images of Emma into photoshop and started playing around with putting in a different face to change the direction of sight and to confusion the viewer. This idea fits in well with creations like visual illusions.

This first image is a simple illusion, which shows 2 different aspects of the lines, one would show them flat and the other seems to show them standing up, in a 3D format.

This image is slightly more complex, using colour and animation to create the illusions of firstly two people looking at one another and then secondly 2 men in sombrero's sitting on the floor of a building with a young lady coming out from under an arch. This sort of work links to artist Kurt Wenner who creates amazing 3D floor illusions. Some of his art work is for general enjoyment and is humorous however some of it is also very throughout provoking and the idea of escapism is captured throughout his work.

This piece of art is a picnic, visually it is very entertaining and has a lot of fun in it shown by the people surrounding the artwork.

This image is slightly less humorous and shows the plight of people. The way in which it seems to go into the ground is amazing and it is difficult for the eye to not notice the 3D aspect of this image.