Martin Parr ( British Food 1995)

I like this work by Martin Parr as it concentrates mainly on certain objects. He also seems to involve people but on a very small level for example taking pictures of just hands or arms. This is something which i would like to use within my own work. I would like to capture a photograph which the meaning is clear without having to capture the whole of the objects or people used, for example my grandmother holding a cup of tea, or a dinner plate. Something which not only shows the differences between the households but also brings into view a sense of personality due to the objects in shot. 

 I would also love to take photographs of the food in both houses as i feel this would be really interesting  to see the differences between old and young tastes.

I need to do this in natural light, i don't get the desired effect with artificial, it removes shadow and shape to the photos. 

Would like to work with certain areas for example, hands, feet, shoes. Something which gives the sense of a person without actually showing them

Christophe Agou

     

I came across Christhophe Agou while reaching into photographers who work closely with different types of portraiture photography. His work is very different to that of original portrait photographers as he seems to produce unusual pieces. His work lacks in clear public communication relying on the 'perfect moment' or un planned scenario. The photos above titled 'face au silence' (In the face of silence)'  is a series of photographs taken of an old couple living on a farm in the France countryside.  The main purpose of the photographs are to so the couples life, how they live and daily occurrences. I like the style of the photographs i feel that they are quite similar to that of Germains 60 seconds piece  I also like the way in which the photographs are separated into different types for example, close up shots mixed with snapshots and landscape which when placed altogether really work as a combination giving you the viewer an easier understanding of what the photographer wanted to capture.

I like the use of people in this piece, i feel that Agou has not just taken simple portraiture but has used the people as props in relation to the situation or area used within each shot, exploiting them in moments of weakness and unknowing. Which i feel has created a purer and more realistic piece of work. Something which i would like to do this within my own work.

A main problem which i found when taking these photographs was lighting. I found that depending upon the weather, area and time of day in which i was photographing in it had a profound effect on the final image. I especially found this difficult in well lit areas as shadow was something which i wanted to capture as i felt that it gave more shape to the objects and areas which i was working on. I also found that the positioning of the camera was a difficulty as a lot of the decor for example beds were close to walls making it almost impossible for me to get the desired overhead view i wanted. This means that i will have to change my approach to my photographs for example angles and distances, which will then have to be replicated in my grandmothers house.

 Ive also been exploring with portrait and lanscape shots depending in what is included within the photograph. See here for example i wanted to include the door and less of the floor and table, i wanted the viewer to understand where they are within the house, yet i do feel that the landscape image also reflects this as by replacing the door by the doormat the viewer can still get an image of where the photo was taken without being so direct.  Im not sure which of these photos i like best as i like them both equally but in different ways. 

 

I like the middle shot within these photographs i wanted the viewer to get a good context of where the shots were taken as well as including close up shots of the decor and objects within the room. For example id like my work to have a certain themes to the layout of frames seen here, close up shot, followed by full room shot the ending with a close up shot again. It creates a virtual insight for the viewer along with creating balance between the shots and allowing the viewer to become aware with what they are looking at. I would continue this theme when shooting in the other house i will be using, as i think it creates a better way of viewing what i want to show. I would like to include people within the shots also either full room shots or singular as  i think it will add to the photos meaning. The inclusion of people i feel may bring some personality into the photographs such as seen within Germains 'Generations' piece improving upon the meaning behind the photographs allowing the viewer to almost gain a full insight into the homes and the people within them. Hopefully resulting in my goal of showing the similarities and differences which can be ween between generations and their households.      ( Almost as though the presence of the household is seen within the photos, the dents in the chairs, the misshapen cushions,and unaccompanied clothing creates a sense of a 'just left'  atmosphere, still warm from the presence of the household within its walls. )

I'm want to experiment with taking photos of certain aspects of my house, i want to explore the differences which may occur due to lighting and colour. I also want to see which areas of my house will work best and which wont to which i can then work with in my final pieces.

Bill Owens (Suburbia)

The work Suburbia by photographer Bill Owens is a set of images which i cam across while reaching into photographers who use a lot of decor, objects and furniture within their work. Although the piece is originally not based around the decor of the house but in fact the people within them i personally found the way in which the photographs were taken to be something in which i would like the use within my own work. The idea behind Owens work was to capture the daily life of the middle classes in America in the 1970's to which when shown to the general public caused both shock and contriversy mainly in the fact that the photos lacked in what people had thought. They destroyed the idealistic view in which was placed upon the middle class rich families in America to that of one which could be mocked. The photos highlighted it in all its weird and wonderful glory with the inclusion of a Tupperware party accompanied by a strange yet compelling photograph of  a young girl named Valerie with her large collection of Ken and Barbie dolls while she discussed how they differ from her real parents as"They enjoy living and having a camper truck is the good life"

I like the simpleness of the frames and how Owens manages again similar to that Germain to capture all that is needed for to gain an insight into the object or people within. I especially like the use of black and white and how this creates the idea of repetitiveness between shots along with the inclusion of empty rooms to show the true nature of the lifelessness and hollowness of the neighbor hood captured.

I would like the take elements of this work for example type of layouts he seems to capture, along with the distance from the object captured to the camera which allows the viewer to fully understand where the photo is being taken. It also makes me want to experiment with using people within my photos as maybe this would help viewers gain a better understanding of the meaning behind the photographs as well as aiding to the overall context. This would only either be within one or two frames while the rest would continue looking at capturing certain furnishes and objects.

Need to look into photographers who use decor or furniture in their shoots, explore how and why they do it.

Frauke Thielking

http://www.frauking.de/generationen_1.htm

Iv'e discovered another photographer who has done similar work to that of Germain in relation to generation photography. Frauke Thielking's work titled "Generationen''  is a series of photographs which explore the similarities between facial features between mother and daughter/ father and son. He sees to find interest in finding similarities within families and likes to highlight this within his work seen here for example with the deliberate use of no clothes and background, leading the viewers eye to concentrate mainly on the foreground

. 

I want to concentrate closely on decor and furniture within my work, less with the inclusion of people. More about what makes them who they are and why.

Another similar piece to that of the recently discussed 'Face of the Century' project is 'Generations'. The piece 'Generations' is a series of photographs in which Germain has gathered and positioned a number of families evidently creating a photograph similar to that of a family portrait. The work engages similar themes to that of 'Face of the Century'  producing similar outcomes in which the aging process, life cycle and passage of time are all addressed  His work seems to question that of nature vs nurture highlighting the many lines of decent in which come with any family 

 Personally i love this style of photography, i love the simpleness of the background alongside the use of natural lighting. I feel it really gives you a good idea of the family in which you are viewing, it adds to there appearance and presence almost as thought its an addition to that of their personality as a whole. The positioning of the people used is also very simple yet clever as it seems to capture everything which is needed for the shot placing young to old or old to young almost creating and highlighting the deterioration process of life itself. The addition of the naturally selected decor, furniture and clothes again says something about each family we are viewing, for example rich, poor, mostly older or mostly younger. Its almost as though Germain has captured everything we need to know about a family within one shot, thus creating a self evaluation and interpretation of each family used.

Iv'e also found myself becoming interested in the works in which Germain concentrates closely on generations,either of people singular or groups and families. For example the piece 'Face of the Century Project' which involved Germain taking a series of portrait photography capturing the passage of time on the human body. He concentated closly on capturing the aging process which involved him beginning with baby portraits to ending with elderly men and women. I find this work to be a very clever way of using photography as a version of documentation as well as being able to make you think personally about the process of and the inevitability that is aging. 

 The recent works of Germain which iv'e been researching is the piece 'For every second you are angry you waste 60 seconds of happiness '(2005) The piece involved Germain following and documenting an elderly man who regularly attended the local football matches in Portsmouth. The work is a collaboration of photographs along side related images of certain areas and objects from inside the mans house. The piece in total was an 8 year project which when complete was shown in the Baltic center for contemporary art Gateshead. and was also published into a book which contained the images themselves alongside quotes, creating an interesting insight into a strangers life, something usually unseen.

     

Within my work this is defiantly a piece in which i would like to emulate  i find it fascinating how Germain has publicly documented a single person. His work within this piece is is one in which i fond really interesting as seen Germain didn't solely just use people or in this case the elderly man,  he also seem to concentrate on other items within the mans house such as belongings, things in which may best describe the man as a person harbouring his personality and memories, to which when viewed as the final piece give us more of an insight into the mans life than expected.

Julian Germain

Julian Germain is a London born photographer (1962). His work is best known for the high inclusion of people along with using other peoples work to which he collaborates and reworks. He seems to work closely with families and generations as well as having a number of pieces which concentrate mainly on a single person, area or subject seen for example in his famous works 'For every second you are angry you loose 60 seconds of happiness.' along with 'In soccer wonderland'.