CRJ
2. Sustainable Prospects
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Week 7
We were asked to imagine that we have been commissioned by a client to come up with a five to seven image story. I went to a small town in Italy called 'Castel Volturno' where there are 18,000 African immigrants. The town has a lot of issues and tension with the immigrants. I thought the place was eerie and strange and I have tried to capture that with snapshot images.
Week 5
We were asked to imagine that we have been commissioned by a newspaper, or magazine to shoot a story in five to seven images. The objective is to tell a story about a place, person or thing. I have chosen a place called 'Port Talbot' in Wales. I was there on a shoot and I tried to document the people and the place.
Week 3
The idea of art v. commerce is something I face everyday at work. A client's objective (depending on the client) is to speak to their customers (new or old). A Photographer or Director, on the other hand, approaches assignments from an artistic point of view. This can cause problems in the collaboration process between client and creative, which can result in a client's objectives becoming blurred. My view is that the "sweet spot" and what all collaborators aspire to, is when art and commerce can fit together and use a Photographer's or Director's creative arsenal to reach out to a client's audience. A lot of creatives I have worked with clash the client because they think they know better or have their own ambitions. If a client isn't happy with a delivered project, that to me is failure.
Fashion advertising is able to combine art and commerce. Fashion campaigns use contemporary art trends to promote the use of their brand as an aspirational product.
Jim Goldberg is someone clients go to for his practice. He isn't a conventional photographer and his style has become popular in contemporary culture, interestingly the clients that he works with share his aesthetic: Hermes, Armani, Vans, Palace.
Bafic is a young London contemporary artist and someone who I know and admire. I find it difficult to explain his style. The GIF's below are for fashion clients. They are a blend of text, digital, systems based surveillance. It feels like the brain of a computer in overdrive. Clients work with Bafic because of shared aesthetic values.
Thibaut Grevet's photography is experimental and playful. He is a graphic designer, Director and Photographer. He is similar to Bafic in the sense that he is approached by clients for his style of work.
Week 2
Week 2: Whose Image is it Anyway?
We were asked for our opinion on the copyright case Cariou v. Prince. My legal knowledge is minimal. My opinion on this case is mixed. I feel conflicted because my practice will involve me using my own images, but there will be times that I will be using images from other sources. I feel sorry for Cariou because another artist was able to use his images to make money without his permission and without him making money; that doesn't seem fair to me. I do feel that a creator of something should have control over their creation and who uses it.
Another interesting copyright case was the Naruto et al v. David Slater. A photographer coaxed a crested black macaque called Naruto to use his camera to take a selfie. This is the image -
LINK to source information - http://copyrightblog.kluweriplaw.com/2018/02/05/monkey-business-finally-settled-monkey-selfie-disputes/
This case is extraordinary and unprecedented. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) tried to sue the Photographer Mr Slater for "falsely claiming authorship" of the images and publishing them. They used the 'next friend principle' which means that PETA were able to file a lawsuit on the grounds that Naruto was incompetent in legal matters. However, the case was dismissed on the basis that "copyright protection cannot be granted to animals".
This topic has highlighted my need to understand copyright law in detail as I will be using images that I do not own.
Reflection of week 2's topics -
For my day job I work as a Producer of 'moving image' and have worked on a number of projects that have included film and stills. So, when I think about how I fit into the photography industry I naturally lean towards the production side of things. However, the reason I am doing this course is to develop my creative side. Something that Gem Fletcher said in her interview for the 'Creative Lives in Progress' is about Imposter Syndrome. Which is something I have felt when trying to do something other than producing. This course is giving me the confidence to create. The aim is to be able to combine my producing experience with my new photography confidence and tell stories in a documentary and fine art space.
There are many similarities between the photography and film industries. Firstly, film sets have many different roles that have to come together to achieve the collective goal. On a day to day basis I am working with: Directors, DOP's, Art Directors, Creatives, Crew (Gaffers, Grips, AD's, etc) all looking at the project differently, but with the same end goal. The key is 'sailing the boat' as smoothly as possible to shore; there will be bumps on the way, but the goal is to get there. Collaboration is a very important part of being creative, whether it is people helping pre-production, production or post-production, there is always a compromise to be made, but it is also important to know when to push for something.
Week 1
Sustainable Prospects PHO704
We have been asked to think about research. My view is that research is an integral part of most creative endeavours. My project will be founded on my findings about religion; in some ways my project will be one long case study.
There are lots of different forms of research: interviews, case studies, participation and non-participatory observation, to name but a few. Mark Power (Magnum Photographer) is a photographer whose photography practice is founded on a research approach. In the video below he talks about a project he did in Poland. He was sent to Poland for a month to conduct an assignment without a brief, meaning he had to do his own research and find his own stories. This demonstrates a non-participatory approach to his research: observing the landscape, how the place works and its people. When executing projects like this you sometimes need a collaborator. This person can be another artist or a fixer, who is someone on the ground or someone who knows the area and potential contributors. In Mark Power's case he was introduced to a Polish photographer who was able to act as a "door opener" to Poland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEhT4caTVnY
I will be using different research approaches for my subject matter. My project will be a continuous case study. I am starting by reading a book called 'The Immortality Key' by Briann C. Muraresku. It explores the origins of religion and its connection to psychedelics and the history of a 'religion with no name'. I hope that this book will broaden my knowledge of non-conventional religions, which will assist me in making images.