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Final Evaluation

I think that my second and third photoshoots were of high quality with the second photoshoot being straightforward whereas the third photoshoot is up for interpretation. However, the photos did not turn out exactly how I wanted them to or what I had imagined. When I was first told the main theme of the project, my ideas were too abstract and not realistic. I thought about using hundreds of people wearing suits and carrying flags however it would not have been safe or practical. For my first photo shoot I wanted to portray ignorance however it did not work out because the equipment I needed was not available. However, I still had time left to do take more photos therefore I tried to take photos in the style of magazines in which I would portray social issues in magazines. However, that did not work out either therefore I did not know what else I could do. Then, I found out that there was going to be a protest during the week that I had to take my second set of photos. I went to the protest and took multiple photos and they all came out well so I edited them and experimented with them. For my third photoshoot, I was thinking of creating a video that showcased multiple issues that society faces for example mental health, racism, sexism, homophobia etc. However, I decided that it would be too time consuming and also I did not have the resources to film the video. One of the artists I analysed was Edward Honaker and he heavily influenced my last set of photos as I decided to capture the abstractness of mental disorder.

I think that what I did was very unique because when it came to structures, I thought of social structures which is not the most creative route however the way in which and what I edited and captured the photos was unique. In past projects, I would not edit and experiment with the photos however for this project I had to come outside of my comfort zone. I think it worked really well because I have learnt new editing techniques and become more efficient when it comes to editing, learning strategies from classmates and implementing these methods into my work. In one of my projects I said that I wanted to be absolutely happy with what I make and I am very proud with how the photos came out and how they all represent different social issues.

The photos that were edited in the five hour exam came out better than I expected. I feel as though that if I had more time to work on the project then I would have been able to create the film that I previously mentioned. Even the unedited photos were, in terms of creativity, boundary pushing - not boundary breaking. If I had more time then I would have been able to acquire the correct equipment and create everything I imagined when I first heard about this project. Even though social issues are topics I am extremely passionate about, I feel as though capturing it was more difficult than I had expected. For future projects, I want to capture pictures that are even more abstract and create work that breaks my boundaries. I feel as though if I were to take pictures now, I would be close to breaking boundaries.

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Final Exam Zine

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Final Exam Outcomes

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Artist Analysis: Stephanie Sinclair

Stephanie Sinclair is an American documentary photographer from Miami, Florida. Her work mainly focuses on gender and human rights problems, for example child marriage and self-immolation which is the sacrifice of someone for their religion or culture. She studied journalism in the University of Florida also worked in fine art photography. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Time Magazine and National Geographic. In an interview with the organisation ‘ONE’ Sinclair stated that she takes interest in stories about women and young girls from their past. She continues to say, “At one point, I met some girls who had actually set themselves on fire in Afghanistan because of child marriage; many of these girls had been married very young—9, 10, 11. That’s where the inspiration for this project came from.”

The photo shows a Nepalese girl getting ready for a wedding even though she clearly looks too young. She stares into the camera with a desperate look in her face - almost as though she wants to flee.  The look in the young brides eye evokes a lot of emotion and it compels the viewer to sympathise with her. It almost looks like the girl is about to cry because of how reflective  A girl in front of her looks at her as she gets prepared to be married off. Even though you can’t see the girl’s face she might staring in amazement or because she knows that she will not see her again. The exposed bricks in the background makes the room seem uninviting and it reflects the emotions that the picture conveys. This picture almost represents a journey with the girl on the left being the youngest, too young to even be considered a young bride. The girl in the middle who is still too young but is in the process of getting married. Then the woman on the right who is most likely already married. I feel as though this picture represents the cycle of life for females in Nepal or in fact any country where child marriage is happening.

In countries where child marriage takes place, often the girl that does get married weds a man that is more than twice her age and then she is never seen again by her family. Child marriages take place in regions where the GDP is low and accessibility to basic necessities is hard. Also, men are seen as more qualifiable than women therefore men make more money. Families tend to hold weddings for their daughters at a young age in order to get a dowry from the groom’s side which helps to make the bride’s family more financially stable. After the wedding ceremony it is likely that the bride’s family will not see her again. Usually, these marriages are often forced therefore it goes against a person’s basic human rights. Marriages like this promote paedophilia and rape culture as it makes the girl seem as though she is property of the man therefore teaches boys that it’s acceptable to harass girls. Also, since the husbands are significantly older, when they die it is harder for them to get a job or have any source of income therefore the cycle repeats.

Even though the young bride is made to look beautiful and pretty, the viewer cannot deny that the emotions that she shows restricts her from looking good. It is as though there is a metaphorical barrier that divides the viewer from the girl and that the makeup and hair is just a facade in order to conceal her pain and insecurities. In the second photo, her hands are grabbing on to what the viewer may consider to be her father. Her hands are gripped very tightly which is evident because of how red her hands are. In the foreground of the image, you can see that there are people that are taking photos or recording videos her. However, I personally feel as though it is insensitive to take photos of her because of how she looks like she is suffering from a lot of emotional pain. The look on her face does not like tears of happiness but it may remind the viewer of people crying at a funeral. One could relate this to a funeral because it is almost as though she is losing her family and that her identity is being stripped. She looks like she cannot handle being married off at such a young age to someone who could be over twice her age. In the background, you can see men staring at her as she gets taken away.

I think Sinclair desaturated the photo but not in order to make the picture look monochromatic. I think the subtle desaturation makes the picture look a bit lifeless. As the viewer focuses on the young bride, they may notice that the red of her dress looks more vibrant than the rest of the picture. Sinclair may have done this to create a story in that specific moment so that the viewer can interpret what they want to. With her mouth open, it looks like she is crying out for help and that she does not want to get married off. Sinclair cleverly uses this photo in order to capture her pain and the mental struggles she is facing.

For me, these photos were really hard to talk about because I could only imagine the pain that girls like her must be going through around the world. It is worse when you try to relate it to your own family because even though I am Indian and this does happen in countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal etc. I am fortunate enough to not have to experience with this personally. Child marriages are happening right now, they violate a human’s basic rights and promote rape culture and paedophilia, normalising these crimes. In my opinion, I don’t believe that they are part of a country’s culture but instead they have had to resort to these options due to poverty. I think that these issues stem from political instability and capitalism where wealth is not equally distributed but instead allowing the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. These issues need to be resolved in order to prevent miseducation in the future.

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Ideas for Final Shoot

I want to try and capture multiple social issues such as alcoholism, racism, homophobia, sexism and the dismissal of mental disorders. I want to experiment with angles, shutter speed and colours in order to capture this. I am also considering to make a less-than-one-minute video that will allow me to capture all of this and so then I can edit it during the exam. However if I do take pictures, I will present them in a zine.

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ANNOTATIONS OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTO

Section One:

For the edited experimental photo, I wanted to show the viewer how it is possible for the public to raise awareness about social issues. When I attended this march, my intention was to capture people expressing their political beliefs and passions in order to break the idea of ‘Structure’ and introduce the idea of ‘Freedom.’

Section Two:

I am happy with the photos because most of them were candid. I feel as though it is important to include candid photos when trying to convey a message about social justice because it should seem natural and not forced. However, I think that after a while, some of the pictures became repetitive because I could only get angles from the ground and not from above. I feel as though I could have gone to a higher level just to show how many people there were at the march. It is important for society to accept each other’s differences so that we can unite and uplift each other. They are steps closer to equality and I feel as though freedom of speech is important.

Section Three:

For the next set of photographs, I want to focus on more social issues such as the negligent behaviour surrounding mental disorders. I want to show people what it is like to have a mental disorder by experimenting with lighting and colour. 

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Artist Analysis: Edward Honaker

Edward Honaker is a 21 year-old photographer from California who was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2013 and for two years he did not speak to anyone about his mental disorder until after his work was released. The work he released was a series of photos that adopted surreal styles of work similar to Francesca Woodman. In an interview with the Daily Mail he said that he tried to “document his personal experience with depressive disorders in a series of self-portraits.” His intention for taking these photos are to inform young people suffering from the mental disorders. Honaker clearly captures his emotions through the use of experimental editing, manipulation of colour and lighting.

Honaker captures himself in a series of photos that depict the depression and anxiety that he suffered from for two years. In this first photo, you can see half of Honaker’s body submerged in water up to his waist while he looks out towards the water with a balloon in his right hand. I feel as though the balloon creates a sense of youthfulness and innocence, which generates a juxtaposition between the context of the photos and the balloon itself. This contrast is significant because it may symbolise a journey from childhood to adulthood and how he’s still trying to hold on to his past - a refusal of maturity. The reflection of Honaker in the water is completely black which may show that what he sees in himself is dark and mysterious.

The second picture is another picture of himself where he lays on a chest of drawers with his back exposed next to a dying flower with his spine highlighted. I feel as though this picture is very important for this series of encapsulating what having depression and anxiety feels like because most sufferers of anxiety feel very vulnerable and exposed. In addition to this, sufferers of anxiety can feel a great amount of tension and stress and I think that this picture subtly portrays this very well. This is because feeling tense seems very structured but also extremely conflicting with you physically feeling confined and mentally feeling like there’s no optimism for the situation you are in. This picture is very structured with his spine being highlighted, making it seem as though he has tensed his body to make his spine visible. The wilting flowers may represent how his mental state is slowly deteriorating. A viewer may suggest that his mental disorder creates an ‘energy’ that surrounds him which compels the people and things around to feel his grief and sadness.

Even though these photos are made to be unsettling, there is some sort of beauty in them because of the monochromatic and blurry effects that the pictures have. For example, in one of the pictures, Honaker slows down the shutter speed and moves his head from side to side while his body remains still. He does this in order to create a picture where his head is blurry which may symbolise the mixed up emotions in his mind. Another way in which this photo is effective is the angle that Honaker takes the photo. He takes it from an angle that is parallel to him and which could show that he wants the viewer to face him as he suffers from his mental disorder. The position of his body makes him look curious and interested which makes the photo seem almost conversational - like he is trying to talk to the viewer but he can’t get his words out and the viewer can’t respond to him. His legs are crossed in this photo and it could mean that he is trying to protect himself. On the other hand, it could mean that he is trying to keep a secret from people that surround him. According to the NHS, Anxiety is “a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.” When people fear something, they are very vulnerable therefore his crossed legs may show that he is trying to defend himself against his own mental disorders. Even though his face is not clear, the viewer can make out that his eyes are closed. This could relate back to how anxiety can spark fear in the sufferer and the fact that his eyes are closed may be because he is scared of something. Most sufferers of any type of mental disorders try to keep it a secret so maybe what he is scared of is a fear of judgement or a fear of not being accepted by his family and friends.

It is clear that Honaker had edited these photos and I think that it helps him convey his message and because of how surreal and abstract his style of photography is. In addition to this, the monochromatic look helps to intensify the emotions that are created by his series of photos. It is clear that Honaker spent a lot of time in order to perfectly convey the feelings that can be felt whilst going through depression and anxiety. With most of his photos being only himself shows how the mental disorders can isolate the sufferer and make them feel as though they are not being supported by anyone.

Many of his photos that portrayed his mental disorder had a theme that reminds the viewer of denial. As though Honaker does not want to accept himself and his depression. This is similar to how society does not openly and comfortably talk about mental health issues. With different cultures and faiths, mental disorders are almost seen as a taboo subject and not talked about possibly due to shame and embarrassment therefore families do not discuss these types of subjects. Going to rehabilitation centers makes people feel like they are outcasts of society therefore people try to avoid it. However, avoiding it can cause the depression to get worse and spark suicidal or self-harm thoughts in the sufferer. Unfortunately the way in which society works is that Caucasian people have easier access to these facilities due to their privilege. With rehabilitation centers costing up to $25,000 in the U.S.A., it is harder for people with low incomes to get treatment. With white people having an average yearly salary of over $30,000 and the average black person earning less than $20,000 it shows how these treatments are mostly catered to white people as it easier for them to make money and then get treated. This relates to my theme about social issue because even though collectively we would like to believe that equality is being established - we are far from it.

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6-8 edited photographs

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Artist Analysis: Crispin Hughes

Crispin Hughes is a British photographer born in London in 1959. He studied English at Cambridge University and Photography at the University of Westminster. He co-founded Photofusion in 1984, a company that helps independent documentary photographers become part of a collective workforce. In the 90s, Hughes travelled to Rwanda, South Sudan, Angola and Somalia - covering conflicts around Africa. He has worked for companies like Oxfam in order to document and raise awareness about the issues in Africa and how they can be resolved. Soon after, he joined the picture agency Panos where his work appeared regularly in their own press. Hughes’ work has been exhibited in the Museum of London Docklands. In addition to this, his work has also appeared in the Observer, Guardian, Economist and Time.

The picture is of a prepubescent girl in Sierra Leone with a baby doll on her back and a cloth wrapped around her. The facial expression on the girl’s face is quite discomforting because of how unhappy she looks. This picture evokes sympathy from the viewer for the girl as she looks to the side almost desperately for happiness. This picture was taken during the Sierra Leone Civil War that lasted from 1991-2002 therefore the expression on her face is justifiable. It is understandable for the girl to make that face because children being exposed to war should not be normalised. The picture looks like the girl has adjusted to her surroundings and she has accepted that she is someone who is a victim of the war. However, the blank expression on her face could suggest trauma or desperation for a ceasefire. This picture does not have any editing flaws however, when the picture is deeply analysed, it is clear that there are flaws in the place that she is in and the period of time. Therefore there are not any visual flaws, however, her expression may indicate that there are problems going on around her.

The lighting in this picture is very effective because it creates a sense of regality in the photo. In history, artists would paint portraits of royal families with dark backgrounds as they were seen as more powerful and more wealthy. Therefore there is a subtle juxtaposition because of how the girl is living in Sierra Leone where there is a lot of poverty - over 60% of the current population lives in poverty. Hughes perfectly captures a picture that portrays the theme of poverty, injustice and oppression by using one girl as a model. He took the picture from an interesting angle which makes her look tall, reinforcing the idea of her looking mature for her age. The picture has a purple tint which generates an idea of innocence yet eccentric. The innocence of the purple makes the picture seem disturbingly and oddly sad.

It is clear that Hughes has edited these photos however he has not over edited the photos. If he were to edit them and experiment with them then it would have ruined the picture because of how this picture looks quite traditional and very historic therefore it would have portrayed a different message. This picture reminds me to take pictures of things or people that represent emotion candidly. I think that it is important for aspiring photographers to take photos that subtly reference the issue they are trying to convey. This is a good way to spark inspiration in the viewer’s mind and make them want to research more about the photos and it is clear that Hughes has achieved this.

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ANNOTATIONS OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOS

Section One:

For the edited experimental photos, I want to show the viewer the extremity of inequality and injustice by experimenting with colour and manipulating shapes and distorting figures. I want to use photos that are very normal but make them abstract and extraordinary. 

Section Two:

I am happy with the photos however I feel as though I didn’t have many pictures to experiment with therefore I felt very limited when trying to edit and experiment with them. I wish when taking the photos, I captured them from different angles and perspectives with the models doing different actions so I could then manipulate their faces, angle, lighting and colour even more. Therefore, in order to make the set of pictures flow, I made them black and white. However, I do not think that it was a bad idea because now the pictures do not create a bias. When a picture is unsaturated in colour, it creates a theme which is simple yet effective. It can create history, stories and can connote knowledge and power. 

Section Three:

For the next set of photographs, I intend on experimenting with shape more however not to just an individual photo. Instead, I want to collect different points of interest from various photos and then create a message from that. For example, I would take a candid photo of someone and then edit them out of the photo. Then I would do the same from several photos and then put them all together in one photo. Or I could even print out the photos, cut out any points of interest, put them together in a white background and then take pictures of that.

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Artist Analysis: David Hoffman

British photographer, David Hoffman was born in East London with a passion at a young age to capture social issues in the streets of London. His passion has lasted approximately 40 years, capturing photos that represent homelessness, drug addiction, social conflict, policing, poverty and social exclusion. He said that his work isn’t focused on social classes but instead ‘oppression.’ He goes on to say, ‘It’s not about class, but how people’s lives are constrained and shaped by society. And that’s most visible at the bottom of society.’ Even though Hoffman has not worked for magazines, he has worked for Magnum Photos until he was eventually fired.

Hoffman says that he continues ‘looking for extremes.’ Hoffman also says ‘I love crowds. I really love protests. The more unpredictability and violence, the better I work. I think it’s because everyone else is so stunned by it all, but I just carry on.’ I think that his work ethic is very unique because he is not afraid of getting hurt but instead focuses on getting across a message.

The picture consists of a policeman who is about to punch a rioter who has been pushed on to the floor. There is a large contrast between the policeman’s facial expression and the rioter pinned down on the floor. The face on the rioter is almost confusion and disappointment whilst the policeman’s face is frightening, with anger and aggression. However, there is a slight beauty in the photo. With multiple spectators surrounding the rioter and policeman, it’s like the moment has been captured so perfectly that it creates a heavenly picture. Through all the violence and chaos in the picture, there’s a split-second of peace and comfort even though it is a very striking photo, it is as though the rioter is searching for justice yet he fails to satisfy his curiosity. It’s like the protester had faith in the policeman to protect people instead of being brutal towards them. The hat on the floor may also show the force at which the policeman pushed the rioter.

The picture is black and white with the lighting focusing only on the rioter on the floor and the policeman who is about to punch him. The use of a black and white picture is very effective as it represents two different extremes and the protester and policeman represent opposite ends of the spectrum.

The composition of the photo is very strong because of how the policeman dominates the rioter on the floor. I think this is crucial to what my sub-theme is for this project: social structures. It shows how the man on the floor is at lower place on the social hierarchy therefore him being on the floor shows how he is dominated by the government. We give each other people so much power that they think they have but instead we should establish equality, that no one (whether they are in a uniform or in a suit) is more powerful than someone else. Our wealth, skin colour, gender or sexuality should not define where we stand on the social hierarchy. The social hierarchy, ranging from a president, prime minister or someone in the royal family to a homeless person is a social construct - created by people who felt insecure about their own life. Time, race and money are also examples of social constructs. The angle of which the photo is taken from is effective because it takes it from the policeman’s perspective where he dominates the man on the floor thus suggesting that those who rebel against the system are seen as inferior. In the corners, the picture is blurry therefore it is clear that there was a lot of movement during this photo. Shortly after this photo was taken, Hoffman lost five teeth. The monochromatic photo creates a lot of darkness which exaggerates the intensity of the photo, highlighting the rioter’s face and the policeman’s hand.

It is clear that the photo has been edited however I don’t think he has over edited the photos. Instead he lowered the saturation, increased the contrast and highlighted important parts of the photo likes faces and hands. I think it’s good that he as adjusted the colours slightly because it makes the picture more monumental and it retains the grunginess of the photo whilst also making it have an odd beauty. The darkness creates mystery - Hoffman has cleverly edited this photo to force the viewer to discover different parts of the photo like the handcuffs on the policeman’s waist, the hat on the floor and the amount of people surrounding the man.

Hoffman’s work inspires me to capture more thought-provoking photos with a message behind it and to not focus on editing the picture too much. Instead, I should concentrate on how to get a message across.

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Initial Ideas & Non Artist Links

When I found out that the theme will be ‘Structures’ then I instantly had an idea about what I could do for this project. Social issues are things that I think are really important to me especially because I am classified as a minority in this country. As a Muslim Indian, it was imperative for me to have some meaning in my photos and represent the good and the bad aspects of people with different nationalities and beliefs. After my sister visited Palestine during the holy month of Ramadan in 2016 and showed me pictures from her trip of how life is like for Palestinians, I felt as though it was necessary to get the message out to ‘Free Palestine’ from the Israeli occupation. After seeing on the news how the Syrians are being in treated as how they have to flee their own country due to political instability, I knew it was my responsibility to educate those that are unaware or too ignorant to want to learn about the social injustices of the world. And after being exposed to videos of innocent black men and women in America being treated unjustly, I understood how important it was for me to draw eyes to inequality and for us to deconstruct institutionalised racism. As tensions rose in 2016 about the U.S. presidential election, police brutality towards black people in the U.S.A., the Syrian refugee crisis and the occupation of Palestine by Israel, I felt as though I wanted to challenge myself on how I could get across a political message and encourage the youth to open their minds. This generation will play a large role in progressing to equality in the future therefore I feel as though I wanted to take strong photos in order to spread a message to people. I wanted to make people uncomfortable and feel as though they are being addressed by the victims of social issues around the world.

Here are some articles which I think support my beliefs and how I want the world to progress to peace and equality:

Black Lives Matter movement

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/30/they-cant-kill-us-all-story-black-lives-matter-wesley-lowery-review

Israeli occupation of Palestine

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/freepalestine-what-does-it-really-mean-1458888

Syrian Refugee Crisis

https://www.mercycorps.org.uk/articles/iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria-turkey/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis

These articles mostly agree with what I believe in and it gets across how passionate I am about these social issues. I feel as though society has created distractions such as social media in order to prevent people from being aware of what is happening around the world. There are people that I’ve met who have never heard of the country Palestine and people who are still not completely aware of the Syrian refugee crisis. I have seen the hashtag #AllLivesMatter on social media too many times and while that is true it is not what we are focused on right now. Even though people have the right intentions when saying that but are unaware of how biased that it. I have also met people who support Trump’s propaganda and people who think that Hillary Clinton would have been a better president than Trump. However, they have only seen what they’ve wanted to see in the presidential race and did not find out more facts about the two elects.

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These are the photos that I find interesting and inspirational because they are thought provoking. Also, they evoke a sense of discomfort when looking at them and they raise questions in the viewers mind about what is going on and what they mean. They are also very controversial and I feel as though any type of media that is controversial is effective in getting a message across or get people thinking more about society. For example, many authors/poets, directors/producers, photographers and artists essentially create controversy by subliminally questioning society and how we conform to expectations and disregard those who deviate from what is considered “proper.” I want my photos to provoke thought and create controversy because it allows people to open their minds and question more things in the future. 

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Brainstorm of Ideas

Social Construct:

Ignorance

Inequality

Injustice

Stereotypes

Visual representation of ignorance

Black Lives Matter

Muslim Ban

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L6 PHOTOGRAPHY MOCK EXAM PROJECT: STRUCTURES

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Final Evaluation

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GALLERY SETTING