An extract
An Introduction to Photography
‘When I was a kid I prayed for a bike. Then I realised God doesn’t work that way so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness’
Banksy
Throughout my life, my Dad has always been interested in photography. I have memories of going with him to the shop to pick up our developed photos, not knowing what they would come out like. I suppose that’s where I feel my interest in photography has stemmed from. Having the opportunity to now take Photography as an A level, it has allowed me to begin to develop the ability to distinguish a good photo, by looking at context, composition, technical aspects etc. I have found that this has become easier with both help from my teacher to nudge me in the right direction, but also having repeated experience at observing and analysing photos for tasks and final outcomes throughout last year’s course.
I have also found that there are a few photographers we have looked at over the course so far that have had an influence on my photography. *Martin Parr for one, probably one of the most renowned photographers of all time, has been in my ‘researched artist catalogue’ from starting art properly in year 9. His colourful and vibrant pictures (*Figure 1) are aesthetically seductive, as well as being carefully composed to show a much more in depth study of the British community. The documentary aspects of his photos have also appealed to me, which I tried to simulate during a visit to London after researching ideas and work. The way Parr has managed to create a documentary of photos, confuse me sometimes to wonder whether they have been organised, or he has simply sat in the corner and used his lens for his eyes, capturing what he sees as a first person view to his ideas(*Figure 2). This is the impression I get from Parr, composed or not his photos are as if the viewer is seeing what he sees, and this is what I fee makes documentary photography so interesting.
An artist who has had an influence on me personally is *Banksy. The quote I used above is what attracted me to his line of thought and attitude to art. Although his work may not be digitally based, his recent presence in the media has introduced me to his comical but also powerful work that sends a clear and bold message to those who his work is aimed at. When deciding on a task, I normally reflect on my life and current experiences and try to present that in my work. This idea has been reflected from seeing the way Banksy communicates his opinion on largely political issues, showing he has no fear or hesitation to express his views. (*Figure 3) I suppose my choice of Banksy as an artist shows how I want to develop myself as an artist to become more open with my work as at the moment much of my photography is kept to myself. However what I still need to develop is the ability to look beyond what is presented as art, which could potentially be a lot more organised than first thought.After recent discussion as a group about Banksy, it was questioned whether Banksy was an individual or even a group of artists set up by an advertising company to earn money. Whether this is right or not, the point is that I didn’t even think of that as an option, which I feel shows my naivety as a developing photographer but highlights an area for me to develop. Maybe this could be approached by reading more, not even books, Portfolio magazine is a great example because I feel that it would help give me a broader view of different artists work and by reading the text will help for me to independently apply this to my work and not asking the teacher; a quality that I feel my work so far has lacked.
The type of photography I would argue I most enjoy is documentary photography as I enjoy the excitement of bringing a memory card home of about 600 photos and going through them to find the subtleties and quirky un-thought parts of a photo. This is why I feel that I would like to start being more interpersonal with my photography and start documenting people’s lives or something similar as it gives other people and also yourself an insight into what goes on, on an average day in that person’s life. I have already started making plans for a project with the Dorset Police, but that will all depend on if I can get permission and how it would work. But that is all part of photography, sometimes the organising and planning is harder than actually taking the photos.
Interaction with people in my pictures has been one of the hardest tasks for me to complete as most people become very self conscious when placed in front of a camera lens. The photographer also has to be confident in what they are doing to put the person being photographed at ease; this was what I felt has restricted me in my photography last year as some of the most interesting photos to look at are ones that show human expression and personality. In future, I hope to develop a better confidence to go out and be hands on with my photography; developing a better skill base to become a more independent photographer. This is reflected in my choice of Banksy as an artist. Whatever ‘Banksy’ is, the ability to go out and express yourself whatever you feel is an attractive modern form of art to me (*Figure 4), or even using this mental attitude to go out and photograph people and improve my confidence I feel would benefit my portfolio.
‘When I was a kid I prayed for a bike. Then I realised God doesn’t work that way so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness’
Banksy
Throughout my life, my Dad has always been interested in photography. I have memories of going with him to the shop to pick up our developed photos, not knowing what they would come out like. I suppose that’s where I feel my interest in photography has stemmed from. Having the opportunity to now take Photography as an A level, it has allowed me to begin to develop the ability to distinguish a good photo, by looking at context, composition, technical aspects etc. I have found that this has become easier with both help from my teacher to nudge me in the right direction, but also having repeated experience at observing and analysing photos for tasks and final outcomes throughout last year’s course.
I have also found that there are a few photographers we have looked at over the course so far that have had an influence on my photography. *Martin Parr for one, probably one of the most renowned photographers of all time, has been in my ‘researched artist catalogue’ from starting art properly in year 9. His colourful and vibrant pictures (*Figure 1) are aesthetically seductive, as well as being carefully composed to show a much more in depth study of the British community. The documentary aspects of his photos have also appealed to me, which I tried to simulate during a visit to London after researching ideas and work. The way Parr has managed to create a documentary of photos, confuse me sometimes to wonder whether they have been organised, or he has simply sat in the corner and used his lens for his eyes, capturing what he sees as a first person view to his ideas(*Figure 2). This is the impression I get from Parr, composed or not his photos are as if the viewer is seeing what he sees, and this is what I fee makes documentary photography so interesting.
An artist who has had an influence on me personally is *Banksy. The quote I used above is what attracted me to his line of thought and attitude to art. Although his work may not be digitally based, his recent presence in the media has introduced me to his comical but also powerful work that sends a clear and bold message to those who his work is aimed at. When deciding on a task, I normally reflect on my life and current experiences and try to present that in my work. This idea has been reflected from seeing the way Banksy communicates his opinion on largely political issues, showing he has no fear or hesitation to express his views. (*Figure 3) I suppose my choice of Banksy as an artist shows how I want to develop myself as an artist to become more open with my work as at the moment much of my photography is kept to myself. However what I still need to develop is the ability to look beyond what is presented as art, which could potentially be a lot more organised than first thought.After recent discussion as a group about Banksy, it was questioned whether Banksy was an individual or even a group of artists set up by an advertising company to earn money. Whether this is right or not, the point is that I didn’t even think of that as an option, which I feel shows my naivety as a developing photographer but highlights an area for me to develop. Maybe this could be approached by reading more, not even books, Portfolio magazine is a great example because I feel that it would help give me a broader view of different artists work and by reading the text will help for me to independently apply this to my work and not asking the teacher; a quality that I feel my work so far has lacked.
The type of photography I would argue I most enjoy is documentary photography as I enjoy the excitement of bringing a memory card home of about 600 photos and going through them to find the subtleties and quirky un-thought parts of a photo. This is why I feel that I would like to start being more interpersonal with my photography and start documenting people’s lives or something similar as it gives other people and also yourself an insight into what goes on, on an average day in that person’s life. I have already started making plans for a project with the Dorset Police, but that will all depend on if I can get permission and how it would work. But that is all part of photography, sometimes the organising and planning is harder than actually taking the photos.
Interaction with people in my pictures has been one of the hardest tasks for me to complete as most people become very self conscious when placed in front of a camera lens. The photographer also has to be confident in what they are doing to put the person being photographed at ease; this was what I felt has restricted me in my photography last year as some of the most interesting photos to look at are ones that show human expression and personality. In future, I hope to develop a better confidence to go out and be hands on with my photography; developing a better skill base to become a more independent photographer. This is reflected in my choice of Banksy as an artist. Whatever ‘Banksy’ is, the ability to go out and express yourself whatever you feel is an attractive modern form of art to me (*Figure 4), or even using this mental attitude to go out and photograph people and improve my confidence I feel would benefit my portfolio.
