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[laurenpomfrett-ardn516-2023]

Atong Atem - Artist Model 1#

Atong Atem is a Ethiopian born, South Sudanese artist who now lives in Narrm, Melbourne. Her photography focuses postcolonial practices of African culture and the relationship between home and identity in either public or private spaces. Her work explores the intimacy of portraiture and acts as a storyteller with the surreal scenes she creates.

I was first drawn to the intricate eye makeup that Atong Atem uses to showcase her culture. I love that her portraits are not just her face, but her clothing, her makeup, her props and backgrounds. The whole space is apart of the portrait and it creates an engaging scene to dive into. The textures and the patterns feels elegant and surreal which is exciting.

I want to create scenes in my portraits, that show the audience my culture and identity. I want to explore setting a scene of patterns, textures, props and elaborate stages to draw in the audience and perform a show for them.

Atong Atem Artist Page - MARS Gallery Melbourne. (2023, December 2). MARS Art Gallery Melbourne. https://marsgallery.com.au/atong-atem/

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[laurenpomfrett-ardn516-2023]

The Lives of Samuel Fosso

Summary: I have learned that Samuel Fasso is a Nigerian photographer who is known for his theatrical self portraits. His photos featured himself often wearing elaborate costumes, women's footwear (boots and heels), wigs and makeup, which at the time was unusual. It was considered political and controversial as 'he was still not free' and was worried he would be arrested.

His childhood was not photographed by his mother as he suffered from paralysis and she did not take photos of him. His portraits began with using the last few frames on a roll of film after closing his photography studio for the day as he did not want to waste them.

His uncle brought him to the Central African Republic where he worked making women's shoes. On the street, there was a studio photographer who he became an apprentice for before opening his own studio.

Learnings: This article from the words of Fasso have taught me to appreciate every opportunity to take photos and that even the 'last frames on the roll' may be the most captivating. By taking photos, we make our own art and represent ourselves and to be remembered as we were. Often as photographers, we hide away from self portraits as we may feel self conscious or feel there is better beauty out there to photograph but I now disagree. I feel that showing our identity and how we choose to present ourselves is a true beauty and should be captured.

Fasso said that his work is easier now as he uses a remote controlled camera to see his poses and if they match what he envisions for the image. I could use this tip to make taking my own self portraits easier by investing in a remote controller that can capture my photos.

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Technical Test [Advanced Beginner]

I could tell that this test was more challenging than the beginner basic one we completed last semester. I felt a bit rusty as I have been overseas for most of the summer break and did not have my camera with me, so my photography practice was limited. I answered all of the questions that I had a guess for and for those I was unsure, I left a question mark.

After marking the test (with researching online), I found that I understand the differences in changing of the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture and what they accomplish such as letting more light in or creating a larger depth of field. I also know what the temperature/colour scales such as the 0-255 histogram and the Kelvin scales represent.

I was unfamiliar with the terms centre-weighted, spot, matrix auto focusing and matrix metering, so I wrote down the definitions while marking to remember better. Lenses, full frame cameras, crop sensors and full sensors terms/knowledge is new territory to me as I own one camera and one lens, so I can learn more about these. I also struggled with knowing the correct exposure settings based on the light levels in a scene off the top of my head as usually, I will play around with the manual setting until it is correct. This I can practice more by making my assumption before adjusting and seeing if I am accurate.

This test has reminded me that there is still a lot for me to learn about photography and the technical terms that assist in photo taking. I will take this test again at the end of the semester to see how much I have learned over the weeks.

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Diagnostic Technical test re done!

I wanted to ensure that I grasped a better understanding of the technical terms, so I researched the terms and the technicalities of a camera while answering the questions to the quiz again. I wanted to make sure I was learning the terms correctly as I remember from my first attempt at this quiz, I knew how to work a camera but not the operations or terms behind the functions.

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6 Artist models:

Niki Boon:

This Marlborough, NZ based photographer is a mother of four children. She documents her children living their lives out in the countryside. These photos felt very nostalgic, as they are monochromatic, they feel like a slice of history. To me, I can relate her photographs from my own memories. The photo playing on the deck is especially important as at home in Kaukapakapa, we had a big deck that I would run up and down, playing dress up along and dance. Niki's photograph are inspiration to me to tell my story of what it was like living in rural Auckland as a child. My theme and message may not be so nostalgic and wholesome, but it has inspired my location and contrasting my views now as an adult compared to mine as a child.

Niki Boon Photo. (2013). Niki Boon Photo. Niki Boon Photo. https://www.nikiboonphoto.com/

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2. Richard Misrach

An American photographer whose career began in the 1970s, Richard Misrach photographs rural west America and the deserts. He focuses on the natural environment and societal factors such as politics, urban sprawl, and industrialisation. His graffiti photographs were of inspiration to me as I too am including signage in my own collection. I feel these short statements can tell very powerful message that gets the audience thinking about our ideas. His photo of the dead cow also relates to my theme about livestock and the dark truths of what happens to them in the countryside.

The Writing on the Wall | Fraenkel Gallery. (2022, March 5). Fraenkel Gallery. https://fraenkelgallery.com/exhibitions/the-writing-on-the-wall

Aperture. (2023, March 8). Aperture 127 | Aperture. Aperture. https://aperture.org/magazine/aperture-127/

3. David Husom

David Husom is an American photographer who shoots in his home state of Minnesota. His work focuses on shooting structures from a uniform distance away and at a front angle which makes them look very symmetrical. This front angle symmetry reminds me of Wes Anderson and his film techniques. This makes the photos feel a little uneasy. His work has inspired mine for I too am focused on structures in a rural setting without people. However, I have chosen a slightly different approach and have taken my structure shots from a side angle.

David Husom. (2023). Getty.edu. https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/person/103KY7

‌Aperture. (2023, March 8). Aperture 127 | Aperture. Aperture. https://aperture.org/magazine/aperture-127/

4. Harvey Benge

Harvey Benge was a photographer from New Zealand who also lived in Paris, France. He unfortunately passed away on the 7th of October, 2019. His collection "Against Forgetting" is my favourite and best fits my theme. This series focuses on paying homage to his childhood hometown of Mt Roskill and looking to the future. His work features portraitures and ephemera but I have chosen to focus on his structures and graffiti/scripture writing. His themes of childhood, past and present are key ideas in my own theme and with this series being situated in Auckland, I feel it is very relevant and inspirational.

Against Forgetting | Mysite. (2016). Mysite. https://www.harveybenge.com/against-forgetting

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5. David Byrne

David Byrne is an American photographer whose work was featured in the Aperture magazine. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any additional information or photos online to dive deeper into my research. However, these picket fence photos were great inspiration and I have to include him and his work in my list of artist models. The direct contrast of the idea of perfection and reality of isolation/neglect are the same ideas that I am exploring. My junk yard photo includes this 'perfect' picket fence gate and is a homage to his work.

‌Aperture. (2023, March 8). Aperture 127 | Aperture. Aperture. https://aperture.org/magazine/aperture-127/

6. Rhondal McKinney

My final artist model is Rhondal McKinney who was based in Illinois, America and photographed monochromatic farming landscapes. He shot panoramic views of figures, barns and houses. His photos showed an uninhabited view of the land which represented his past of rural living. His work inspired my lack of people in my photographs. This was intentional to let our impact on the natural environment speak for itself, without our physical presence. Additionally, this makes the photos feel eerie, isolated and neglected.

Gallery, A. (2013). PDNB Gallery | Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery. PDNB Gallery | Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery. https://www.pdnbgallery.com/rhondal-mckinney-illinois-landscapes

Gallery, A. (2013). PDNB Gallery | Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery. PDNB Gallery | Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery. https://www.pdnbgallery.com/rhondal-mckinney-biography

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Week 11 Selection (edited and annotated)

To open the collection, there is this old little shack on the corner where the sign that welcomes you to Kaukapakapa is. However, this shack has not been looked after well. It is run down with paint chipping, smashed glass, weeds growing in the gutter and a large DANGER sign that says the building is unstable. What makes this ironic is by the door, there is a Ray White sign, a real estate company, that used to be operate here. If a real estate building is unstable then how should I trust the homes in this area? Why did it go out of business? Were there just not enough people wanting to move here that they just faded away like everything else? Its not a very welcoming site to see.

Next we look at the residents who have their lifes established here. Except again, it is not very friendly. The middle mail box is locked shut with a "Smile, you're on camera" sign. Why do they need so much security over just their mail? Are there people stealing it? The happy smiley face feels condescending and as if they are mocking us for ever thinking we could mess with these people. The halloween figure behind the fence makes us feel like we're being watched and pairs with the signage that we are not trusted here. We feel like intruders and are doing something wrong simply for being close by.

After getting even closer to the homes of those living here, we are blocked with the large white picket fence gate. The white picket fence is a symbol for stability, comfort and wealth. However, this home is anything but stable. There's junk everywhere, old boats, road cones, corrugated iron, street signs and a beware dog sign next to a snowman. The picket white fence that symbolises perfection is paired with poverty, misfortune and neglect. These two opposite idea contrast and clash against each other. The private property, the locked gate and the beware dog sign again makes us feel uncomfortable and unsettled. We are yet again intruders, are not welcomed and should go away.

The little shack in the background is like the sky tower of Kaukapakapa. It is an icon of the area and as you drive into town and has been there longer than I have been alive. When I was younger, I thought it was a home for the cows to stand under when it rained. Wrong. It's a slaughter house! The bright red "No shooting" sign contrasts what we now know the hut in the background used to be. How can there be no shooting when thats exactly what happened to the unknowing cows? Do people still use this area as shooting and have to be warned not to? Might I mention this hut is right beside my old primary school.

We now know that theres no shooting in this region, right? Well, here's a sheep standing behind a massive home kill and meat processing sign. He's even posing in the same way as the deer on the sign. It's as if they're replicating each other as they both have the same fate. With the sheep making eye contact with the camera, we get to see his emotions and the longing look on his face makes us believe that he can read the sign, and he knows what his fate is. The other sheep behind him are walking up the grass pathway with their heads hung low, this creates the idea that they all know whats coming and are walking to their demise.

Here is where the sheep will end up. As a child though, I did not understand what 'home kill' meant and thought that the cute animals on the side of the building meant it was a vet! Wrong again. The bright and happy blue sky contrasts with the dark and deadly practices that go on here. The foreground sign of the loose dogs biting makes us again feel unwelcome and now unsafe. I remember feeling scared to get near this home kill factory and constantly was on high alert. This hostility is prevalent and makes Kaukapakapa feel like an unsafe place.

Next we are taken to my old school, which is explained with the "Children crossing" sign. However, there is no pedestrian crossing, no pathway along the road but just the small shoulder and then this deep ditch. This makes us think that this area is not built for children and it is not a safe environment for them to cross the road and go home. The school which has been established since 1873, still does not have the infrastructure to make it a safe environment for children which could be from a lack of funding. This school was very small with only 200 children.

After we see the children's crossing sign, we see this dead possum as road kill. This makes us think back to the previous image and how if drivers could run down this rodent, then maybe they could with a child too, which again reinforces the unsafe environment. The possum is situated in front of a family's home as there is a basketball hoop. This makes us think that if there are children living here, they may not be safe and could be hit like this possum.

We next see what seems to be a normal playground with a bright yellow slide. Yet, the slide leads us to the sign on the bench with a "Alcohol ban area". This is confronting as a playground, which is designed for children, should already be an alcohol ban area. Why does it need to be specified? Do people drink in these areas? The wired fence that surrounds the playground makes it feel like a contained prison, that it need the fence to keep everything inside safe from the outside world.

Across from the playground, we have this war memorial statue from WW1. Kaukapakapa and Helensville sent a lot of troops to the war and not many returned. This statue is a remembrance for the lives lost at war. The area behind shows the contrast between the present and the past. The constructions site and the wired fence indicates new development and they have circled the war statue in order to build around it. It feels as if the statue is a nuisance and unwanted, despite its history and importance to the region. We are neglecting the old and are favouring the new.

To finish my collection, I have the local church and cemetery. This beautiful building is well looked after, and as a child I thought it was a sculpture garden as those are frequent in my hometown. However the "Buy Now" "Your Ashes Plots" reminds us of the inevitable and is a harsh slap reality check. This sign is us wanting to 'get in early' and prepare for when we die and having locked in where we would be buried. This reminder of how death is always lingering in the future is a depressing thought.

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Week 10 current selection

These 11 images are the original files. I have further refined my selection from Week 9 and have chosen the photos that I think best fit my narrative and message. All of these photos individually have an ironic and hypocritical essence in each scene. For next week, I aim to choose my final selection and edit the photos (very important part) in preparation for the final week presentation.

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How to write about your photographs

I wanted to learn more about how I could describe my photos in a way that conveys my message but it still leaves rooms for questions and our own personal interpretation. I don't want to make my descriptions too obvious and close minded.

These are the points that stood out as being useful to me:

1. Put the storyteller hat on and ask open questions

Asking questions while taking photos will help us as the photographer to full understand the scene and the subjects we photograph. We are able to understand what is happening on a deeper level and so we are able to describe it in a unique way that is not just what you see at face value.

2. Write about your photos the way you talk about them

Our individual voice is unique and our quirks are what make us stand out from the crowd. If we describe our photos in a way that is unlike how we would describe them to a friend, then it feels less authentic and our own because we are impersonating someone else. I could follow this method by recording myself explaining the photos and noting down the emotions and the unique points I touch on that I would not have through solely writing.

3. Don’t try to have the photographs conform to your writing

By setting in stone a narrative and an idea before taking photos, it leaves little room for expansion and pushing the boundaries around the idea. I want to avoid creating my narrative too early and then have my photos tell a different story which would mean my ideas are off. By taking photos first, the shots themselves create the story and the narrative, it feels more organic and unique.

Oana. (2019, October 25). How to write content about your photographs. Pixelgrade; Pixelgrade. https://pixelgrade.com/upstairs/write-content-photographs/

Colberg, J. M. (2014, April 21). How to write about your photographs. Conscientious Photography Magazine; Conscientious Photography Magazine. https://cphmag.com/how-to-write/

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Week 9 Selection

These photos are all unedited and I have selected slightly more than what is allowed in the brief so I will need to cultivate even more and only have the images that are strong in producing my message. I may need to select a different image from the handful I took at each site, for example, the cemetery church building is cut off on the left hand side so I will go through and see if I took a photo with that part of the building in frame. Otherwise, I may need to revisit my site again in order to really nail the angle.

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Week 9 Roll of 36

For this shoot I brought my dad with me again like I had done for week 8 because I valued his unique view point and second pair of eyes that could help me spot things I would've missed by myself. In week 8, the few edgy and ironic photos I had taken where mostly my dad's idea because he also loves humour in photography and was very effective in finding ironic scenes. For me at the time, the irony was not my theme and so I would overlook these powerful messages yet my dad made sure I took a few for him. Now that it was the focal point, I had my dad and I on the lookout and we were able to find a lot more edgy scenes together! We revisited old sites that we had known of from the week prior to reshoot them but also found new scenes. Some of old scenes such as the sheep in front of the home kill sign could not be recreated because the sheep were no longer there. It made me appreciate that we were there at the right place, right time and we got incredibly lucky. For this shoot I focused on a lot of signage for they are able to tell a story clearly and looking for the opposites such as the vet and the home kill factory side by side. I also got a bit more confronting with my shooting such as taking photos of roadkill which was available to me last week but I had refused it, yet here I was, taking photos of a dead possum. I definitely have changed my viewpoint from nice pretty looking scenes to something actually meaningful that has a message worth spreading.

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Aperture | Our Town

Natalie brought me to her office as she was reminded of a photo book that related to my work, that being Aperture Our Town. This book focuses on community in America in the 1980s/90s and the idea of the "American Dream".

I have chosen to isolate and focus on are suburbia landscape and or documentary styled images. The symbol of the white picket fence is a traditionally American idea that represents stability, comfort, and an idealistic life with a large house and family, yet in these images it is used in the opposite way. The picket fences are situated either in front of run down old housing or an abandoned mall and is lacking the positivity we would except. The fence dominates the foreground in one of the images and takes up 2/3 of the image which makes me think of the fence as being unwelcoming and it feels like a prison wall instead. This juxtaposition makes us rethink the "American Dream" idea and how unattainable and or unrealistic it actually is. We are forced to ponder over these ideas with how jarring and confronting the tone feels.

The remaining images focus on depicting isolated and singular structures, natural events such as death, a family in front of their livelihood and barking dogs sequenced with children. The family in front of their farm is paired with a caption "Rural communities are shrinking inexorably, losing first the post office, then the café, then the school, lastly the church." Which explains the negative effect of modern living and how we have adapted, fazing out the old and in with the new. These communities are fading and being left behind as society is ever reaching for the next best thing. Those who are comfortable with staying put and not wishing for anything more may be left behind with nothing as everyone else favours the new. These ideas are truths that we shy away from, for they make us feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

These ideas are closely linked with my own photography exploration and ideas/message that I wish to share in my collection.

This book contains images that I have analysed from S.A. Backman, David Byrne, Richard Misrach, Stuart Klipper, Rhondal McKinney, David Husom and Jack Carnell

Aperture. (2023, March 8). Aperture 127 | Aperture. Aperture. https://aperture.org/magazine/aperture-127/

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Reflective Statement small draft

What kind of narratives start to emerge when certain images are placed next to each other?

When a sequence of imagery is arranged the setting, time, tone and overarching themes are addressed. In regards to my work, my photos share a pattern of wide expansive fields, no people focusing solely on run down structures and or livestock, signage and juxtaposition/ironic messages. This explains the location of my photo production being set in rural Auckland and the themes being how humans have effect these towns in terms of work, leisure and livelihood. I have photographed places that we interact with in these parts of the country yet have chosen to exclude our existence from the shots to let our impact speak for itself. My work is ironic, edgy and is confronting with how hostile humans can be and how living out in these areas is not what a tourist would want to see, but that is the true experience of a local. When these photos are placed in a sequence, reoccurring themes create a message which sheds light onto an aspect of rural living/upbringing that is left out and replaced with a rose tinted viewpoint instead. Living in the countryside involves neglecting our history, instead, favouring the new development, the unfortunate truth of farming our livestock, high speed roads with roadkill and crashes, areas unsafe for children and the truth that poverty is the foundation of some of these isolated towns. I want to publish the brutal truth.

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Harvey Benge

Emil suggested to me a New Zealand photographer, Harvey Benge, as he takes photos of similar themes with photographing the unseen and unheard and observing our societies development. His book Against Forgetting (2010) focuses on Mt Roskill and connecting his present and past through his own collection of family photographs and documenting the landscape.

This fits in well and relates to my theme as I would consider my genre and photography focus to be of landscape and documentary. I am tying in my own past and present as my past and upbringing is of the Kaukapakapa and Helensville region and I am looking back at my childhood home in a brutal light that I did not acknowledge with the rose tinted eyes of a child.

Other ways that this book relates to my themes is it showcases his childhood hometown and reflecting on how it has changed over time. "Against Forgetting reveals a suburb now reduced in scale and changed from what it once was. A passionate demonstration of self-discovery has occurred in Harvey’s returning ‘home’."

Auckland Art Gallery. (2016, February 17). Auckland Art Gallery. https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/article/harvey-benge-against-forgetting

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Feedback from peers:

I like the fact that there is a juxtaposition between the old and the new, rural and the city. - Daniel

The work you have shown is interesting. I enjoy you working with simplicity. I think you could go an explore more in rural parts of New Zealand to grasp the idea of the simple life outside of the business in the city. - Shay

Daniel's comment on my juxtaposition fits my aim to shoot with contrast of dark themes and bright lighting and adding humour into a brutal truth. Shay's comment on my simplicity also fits as I aim to have my photos be minimalistic and exclude people, solely focusing on place and the environment. I want my photos to include signage as they can tell stories and convey emotions/depict a scene.

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These are the selection of photos that do fit this ironic and dark humour theme before my shoot of Week 9 where I revisited my site. These photos remind me of what I aim to take photos of and the sites that I need to re shoot, like the slaughter house and abandoned real estate house. This day was very gloomy and overcast which didn't create any contrasting light, it felt quite flat so I want to try and shoot when there is more blue sky and sunshine.

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Assignment Brief Answers:

What are the particular, peculiar oddities, beautiful, raw, hidden gems of your surroundings?

My childhood hometown of rural Kaukapakapa, has beautiful scenic views of the Kaipara river and the wide expansive paddocks, which attracts many people to leave their busy and intense lives to come live in the quiet and peaceful country side. However, on the contrary, does not hide its flaws and brutal truths with many meat processing factories, old abandoned service station, a cemetery, railway tracks that are never used, an old slaughter house, an abandoned real estate building, shooting signs, junk yards, old rusted cars, alcohol ban areas, overgrown weeds and moss, home kill signs and many other brutal truths. These are what is often forgotten and left out when we think of the country side and only focus on the rose tinted glass viewpoint. I want to showcase my past and my hometowns unique character in a way that does not sugar coat anything.

Are they interiors, exteriors, or both?

Solely exterior. My focus is documenting and showcasing the outdoor scenes, structures, and experiences of Kaukapakapa and Helensville. All of my structures are situated outside. These regions are expansive in size but have limited structures with instead a lot of empty open space. Most of my experiences with my hometown was outside, for example, playing in the paddocks and by the river with friends rather than being cooped up inside and I want to showcase the unique scenery as my background.

What do these places look like? How might your photographs convey a connection to them?

These places feel a bit neglected and forgotten. The historic sites aren't taken care of very well and so they get left behind as we focus on developing society. I'll be showcasing lots of overgrowth, paint, junk, old metal scraps that have been rusted away, paint chipping, holes in framing, wooden panels that have fallen down, scaffolding and roadkill that hasn't been taken away as examples. I also want to showcase the livelihoods of people who live here such as farmers and meat processors through photographing their work places and their land.

WORD COUNT: 318

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This was my checklist that I made before visiting my sites to ensure that I hit the points and took photos of areas that I knew would work with this new idea. As I went through my site, I ticked off the box to keep track of what I had photographed and what my next tasks were. Additionally, as I drove through my area I wrote down the new places and ideas I wanted to take photos as they came to me.