Week 5: Power and Responsibility

As an image maker, and photographic storyteller, ethical and moral obligations are something I am greatly concerned about.  Particularly because I often deal with society's most vulnerable members- it's children.  Particularly for my project I am hoping to feature children as my subjects who have been through or are currently experiencing hard childhood things.  Sensitive issues and sensitive subjects I want to make sure they are portrayed appropriately. My purpose is to create nature based calming 'healing' images that will be donated to be used to bless the lives and give strength to many children currently experiencing similar anxiety filled situations but I would never want to be accused of exploitation for my own professional benefit.  It will be a fine line to walk on. 

                                                                                                Confidence by Brenda Slade 2017

The First Shoot

     Today was my first shoot that will be dedicated to my project.  Like many other types of photography, when creating a composite there is so much to do before and after any work with the camera and in this post I will walk you through my process.

1: There has to be an idea:
     People often ask me how I come up with ideas and the answer is that inspiration can come from anywhere.  This particular shoot idea came after viewing some images created by Lorretta Lux (you can find her work here: http://lorettalux.de/).  Lorretta Lux and her style of photography was mentioned and recommended to me during two different webinars so I took some time to look through her work.  I enjoy her use of simple lines and solid colors and her soft delivery of her children's images.  Even though my images will be very different than Lorretta's nevertheless this is where inspiration struck. 

 2: Aquiring and child models:
     Because my project is being created for children who are experiencing difficult moments or siuations I decided to use children in the pictures that are currently or have experienced hard childhood things as well.  I knew of a set of twins locally with a backstory I will share later on in the project who graciously agreed to sit for me.

3. Composition planning:
     Even though I had a general idea of the images I wanted to created I still had to fine tune the composition and all the elements I would use.  And I wanted to include the children and incorporate their personalities into the images as well.  After talking with the children, their mother and their nanny I had some great ideas.

     4: Next I start with drawings and lists:
     In composite photography you create one fluid image out of many so you have to be so careful to keep consistent lighting and shoot with accurate perspective and angle.  I sketch out (and I use the word sketch very loosely as you can see below why I am a photographer and not an artist of other medium) each image with all the elements and then make lists of the shots I need from each one, including important things to remember like where I want their eyes or the angles of their hands.  Here is a screen shot example- I like to call this the chicken-scratch stage.... since that is what my 6th grade teacher used to tell me my handwriting resembled :)

     5: Wardrobe and props:
     Now that I know what I want in my images I have to actually acquire them.  Since most photographers I know are not wealthy, myself included, I make a thorough use of all the local thrift shops, and often borrow from friends and neighbors.  Amazon or ebay usually is the last resource but comes in handy occasionally.  I'll have very specific things in mind and am known to cut, redesign, spray paint or hot glue until it resembles what I need.  For instance, in this shot I needed short pants for the boy and so I purchased some dress pants at the local thrift shop then chopped and sewed them shorter.  My sewing machine and I are not friends and typically I turn to the hot-glue gun first if possible but this leaned to seams only and I was able to complete the alteration without any unpicking or angry name-calling.

     6: Actual shooting:
     Once everything is ready the fun begins!  Referring to my lists, I systematically shoot bit by bit until I feel I have each piece to work with.  Working with children, and in this case cats, that is usually no small amount and for this particular shoot I shot over 200 images with which I hope to create 6 final pieces.  Now the editing process begins. 

Teaming Up

     This week we were invited to team up and collaborate to produce a micro project.  As I looked at the images from the others in the group nothing really struck me as coordinating with my own but Jennie's image caught my eye and it didn't appear as if she had an established group as yet so I reached out to see if she would like to team up.  She did.  Since we shoot different types of photography typically we tried to find a common theme or idea.  Jennie mentioned food photography and as we were discussing how very different our areas were (Malta vs. Idaho) the idea was born to do a comparison/contrast in things that can be grown locally.  We discussed the elements (angle, colors etc) of the shoot and decided to follow the main colors of food. 
     One of our biggest challenges also derived from our very different locations - in the form of the time difference!  One of us was almost always sleeping when the other was awake.  But in the end I think it all came together.
      Of the shoot itself I was reminded how 'not easy' it is to shoot food lol but I enjoyed trying to bring out a little personality in the images.  At least when you pose food it holds still (as apposed to children, which I usually shoot).  Here are the results.  See if you can guess which is which- 

                               
Figure 1
 

 Figure 2                       

                                              
Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 17











Figures 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 12, 14, 16, Jennie Scicluna, 2018
Figures 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 15, 17, Bren Slade 2018

Inspiring Photographers

During the week 3 webinar these photographers were recommended to me to take a look at for further research and ideas for my own project.  Here are some quick thoughts

Anthony Luvera- I found his assisted self-portraits quite interesting in concept and in product.  Though his style is different it is something to think about as I work with youth in my own project as far as involving them in the image concepts.  You can see his work here:
http://www.luvera.com/young-peoples-guide-self-portraiture/

Loretta Lux- I have studied Loretta Lux a bit before and I like her styles and concepts very much.  Her soft delivery of her images that hint toward caricature with such wonderful color schemes really engage the viewer.  Also the stillness of her images and the children's expressions expressions really send a message across.  I enjoy the clean cut edges and wonderful use of negative space. You can see her work here:http://lorettalux.de/

Gina Glover- Very talented in what she does and a completely different but well done sort of composite.  Lots of inspiring ideas you can see her work here:http://www.ginaglover.com/

     Of the three it is Loretta Lux's image I keep returning to.  I will enjoy diving in deeper as my project progresses. 

The Big Idea

Figure 1

My Project

            When I started this MA I had a few ideas in mind for a project.  Nothing seemed to solidify, however, so I kept my mind open during our first couple of weeks.  The section on 'The Global Image' really got me thinking.  What is the potential global impact for my particular photography?  At the same time, through a random play of events I was introduced to programs and studies involving Healing Art or Healing Images.

Studies in hospital environments shows the effects of creating an ‘healing environment’ by adding art to a previous sterile or plain environment.  The research suggested that adding art to the environment, particularly in medical facilities, had the following effects:

1. Reduce stress and anxiety.
2. Lower blood pressure.
3. Reduce need for pain medication.
4. Increase patients’ trust and confidence.
5. Be a positive distraction for patients, visitors, and staff.

          (See https://healingphotoart.org/about-us/scientific-evidence)

The art preferred in the order of preference was:

1. Nature landscapes (most popular)
2. Animals
3. Scenes of everyday life
4. Portraits
5. Urban landscapes
6. Abstract (least popular)

          (See https://healingphotoart.org/about-us/scientific-evidence)

       As this movement progresses a few organizations offer specially created photographic art at-cost to facilities in need such as :

www.ArtforHealing.org

www.HealingPhotoArt.org

www.HealingImages.org

But in each of these, the art for children is quite underrepresented. In Nancy Klein’s book Healing Images For Children; Teaching Relaxation and Guided Imagery to Children Facing Cancer and Other Serious Illness it states:

The immune system does no operate independently from the rest of the body or mind.  If you are experiencing stress and feel anxious or worried, chemicals such epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol are produced and then received by cells all over the body.  When the cells in the immune system receive these chemicals, immune function may be suppressed.  However, optimistic emotions produce favorable chemicals such as interferons and interleukins.  When cells in the immune system receive these chemicals, the immune system is strengthened (Klein 2001).

Much research has been done and is quite conclusive that art and design can affect healing and help one fight off disease as well as all around provide a more positive experience, children included.

My goal would to create a series of images using nature and animals  and other elements of  imagination, with a whimsical aspect to encourage and elicit feelings of calmness, relaxation, hope and imagination to increase healing and patience and lesson the emotional anxieties the child may be experiencing.  I see these distributed in large prints released as a series or individually to facilities that deal with children in high-anxiety environments; such as hospitals, care centers, crisis centers etc.  I hope to use children to model in the images that have actually been or currently are experiencing hard things in life and to couple the images with positive self statements such as, “I am strong.” 

                                                                 "I Am Brave"*
                                    Figure 2

UPDATE:

I presented my idea in the webinar today and I had some really great responses, concerns and suggestions.  Overall it was well received as good idea.  One concern addressed was the suggestion that I don't include the quotes or positive self statements on the images because they may be a distraction.  A possible option would be to include all the images together in a book with the quotes there. Another argument for dropping the self statements is that my images are strong and speak for themselves.  When I explained that I would like to use children for the models that have actually been through or are going through a hard thing (such as a childhood illness etc) Michelle suggested that I let the children be active in driving the creation of the image itself and what it contains.  I like this idea very much.  She also suggested I add a deeper level of discovery within the image with clues to the struggle of the child featured. 
Michelle also gave me these names which I will research in a post in the Contextual Research section of this blog:
Anthony Luvera
Loretta Lux
Gina Glover
Lori Nix

I am feeling encouraged that my project seems to be begun and nervous at the same time.  It adds extra pressure for me to include these children and their families wherein if you take a picture of a doorway and it doesn't turn out you move on- I feel a lot more pressure when your subject is a potentially sick or struggling child and their family!! But I am excited at the prospect of what might be accomplished upon completion.




Works referenced:
    
        Klein, Nancy.  Healing Images for Children: Teaching Relaxation and Guided Imagery to Children Facing Cancer and Other Serious Illnesses. Wisconsin: Inner Coaching, 2001.

       Figure 1: Little Flyer's Club by Brenda Slade, 2017
       Figure 2: Little Flyer by Brenda Slade, 2017

The Shadows of Citizen Journalism

 

     Here is a banana from our dinner tonight- taken on my phone, with a filter! Am I Ansel Adams yet? Why do people love filters? When they snap a picture then use a filter does it increase their sense of ownership? Do filters manipulate the emotions of willing viewers who embrace it as already a memory- like instant nostalgia? It’s in human beings to be creators and to desire power over their surroundings and photography is frequently an outlet for such. And with the direct advertising of ease from camera manufacturers and the availability of phones and apps, yes the floor may get more and more crowded with citizen want-to-be-think-I-already-ams but when a specific need arises a professional is still very likely to be recognized. Professionals will have the continual struggle to ‘up their game’ and offer a skill and a product the average other.
            As for hipstamtic and other wide used filters, you have to determine the purpose of the photographer. If it is to tell a story vs. report an incident then maybe filters are appropriate in the way that writers use similes and metaphors to get a message across. One problem if citizen photography if it is to report an incident it likely contains a bias or agenda behind it. This would be most critical in heated or emotional moments in history like riots, shootings, refugees, etc. The way an image is shared and portrayed definitely effects how the event is interpreted for those who view it.

Positions and Practice Week 2: Company and Fontcuberta

Something that surprised me this week: 

The purpose or effect of using still images within the moving image industry is something I had never contemplated.  Everyone recognizes a ‘freeze frame’ of course, but that they can be used for so many purposes is something I never recognized.  To create suspense, introduce a character, dramatize a moment, or even switch between narratives the still images in the midst of the moving reminds me of a small hard candy my kids love- the moving image being the candy itself and the still frame the fizzy center offering something of a ‘punch’ to stop you in your tracks.

What aspects of technology have had the most profound impact upon the development of photography?

     I love opposites- especially when one is derived from the other (hence my blog theme- light and shadows).  The reading this week was very interesting on the idea of how moving pictures changed photography from the center to the aftermath of culture.  Turned from the means and way of understanding happening events to the ‘still’ aftermath and how we remember them. 

     “Cinema, we could say, wasn’t just the invention of the moving image, it was also the invention of stillness as a sort by-product.” (Company, 5) Moving pictures created the still image- or at least gave them an antithesis. 

How has the relationship between photography, science, and technology affected how we attribute ideas around knowledge and truth to the photographic image?

We love ‘proof.’ Fontcuberta quotes Disderi as he noted in 1862, ‘The Photograph adds the authority of evidence to the notions that science already possessed.  It has become the correction factor for the erroneous opinions. It supplies us all with information of an absolute exactitude, and with sure methods to preserve the memory of things.”  Photography images so fully cement our truths- but are they to be believed so willingly?  New technology makes it even easier to present things in a way we want them presented.  Even knowing this we embrace the ‘truth’ of photo’s willingly.

    The chapter on eugenics and particularly Nancy Burson’s work was exceptionally fascinating to me.  I keep pondering how this affects me and my own work.  I like the thought that Burson had an idea- and followed it to fruition and simply by doing that was able to create change and do some good in this world.  I can only hope as much for my own work in the future. 

    

Works Cited:

Campany, David. Safety in Numbness: Some Remarks on the Problems of ‘Late Photography [IN] The Cinematic. London: MIT Press, 2007.

Fontcuberta, J. Eugenics Without Borders [IN] Pandora’s camera: photogr@phy after photography. London: Mack, 2014

Positions and Practice Week 2: Photography And Other Disciplines

 Figure 1                                                                     Figure 2


     This week I really enjoyed thinking about how photography crosses paths with many other disciplines.  We live in a visual world where 'seeing is believing' and many times the proof is in the photo. This can be especially visible when dealing with all the sciences. Photography is also used to enhance and illustrate as it does with the discipline I feel my photography most relates to; literature.  My photography is all about storytelling.  Literature does with words what I do with images.  Here are a few of my illustrative images and the literature they cross over with.

 Figure 3                                                                   Figure 4

Figure 5                                                                         Figure 6

     My photography also closely resembles other mediums of art. Including oils, pencils, watercolors, even etchings (see comparison Figure 1 above). 

Figure 1: Barker, Cicely Mary. Fairies
Figure 2:  Rose Fairy, B. Slade Photography, Once Upon a Pix, 2017.
Figure 3: Milne, A. A. & Shepard, Ernest H. 1943, The House at Pooh Corner / by A.A. Milne ; with decorations by Ernest H. Shepard Methuen ; Hicks Smith & Wright London : Melbourne
Figure 4: Confidence, B. Slade Photography, Once Upon a Pix, 2017.
Figure 5: Verne, Jules. From the Earth to the Moon.  Scribner, Armstrong, New York, 1874
Figure 6: The Adventurer, B. Slade Photography, Once Upon a Pix, 2017. 

Postitions and Practice Week 1: The Light of Influence and the Shadow of Change

The Global Image

Q: What do I make of the window / mirror analogy?  Do I relate to one identity more than the other?

  

     Do photographers have the power to create a false reality?  If photography is a window or a mirror, is it a clear view or reflection of this world, truly being represented in its element? 

     Photography began with firm roots in reality.  In the beginning most agreed that, “…their pictorial features were understood, accordingly, to have been derived not from conventions of illustration or from the photographer’s unfettered imagination but from physical facts about the world as it appeared before the cameral at the time of exposure.” (Snyder 7)  It was not long, however, that photographers recognized their power to represent -or misrepresent- using angles, inclusion or omission of features, lighting and other elements of basic photography to manipulate mood, beauty, and perceived reality in its entirety. 

     Fast forward to the present comprehensive availability to technology, digital cameras, and editing software, the determination of what images actually represent reality leaves us often wondering in our own right, as Suzanne Collins coined, “Real or not real?” ^*1   

    Is capturing reality even in the realm of control of the photographer?  Even photographers that refuse to alter one pixel post-shutter still create multiple interpretations of reality depending on those that view them.  “What made for an effective, good, or even beautiful picture depended entirely on who was doing the looking and the talking.” (Heiferman, 3) Images in the mind are viewed with meaning in the context of each individual’s past experiences.  A connection with an image may vary as many times as there are viewers. 

Do you think the power of influence of the photograph is overrated?

     Photography intrinsically has had the power to cross boundaries from the beginning. At its introduction, photography was for everyone, black, white, rich or poor, “…free of historical limits.” (Bate, 6).  Very few historical advancements can claim as much.  Images began to be produced representative and available to all walks of life.  If then ‘to see is to believe’ the power of photography, because of the audience it represents, is more likely to be underrated. 

     “Far from being a passive recording technology, Photography is catalytic.” (Heiferman, 8)  The entire medium itself is continually evolving. When change in society is present- even if there are outside forces existing as the real motive behind change- it is the photograph people remember. It is the images that are ingrained as permanent negatives in our minds.  With impact that is calculable as these images resurface with or without prompting, almost with a life of their own in their ability of apparition in our minds like friendly ghosts of our past. 

     And, when social media is taken in to account, it sometimes can appear as if the general human population is quite impressionable. Ready to believe a truth at a half glance, a sort of group of artistic lemmings ready to accept ‘as reality’ any images that cross their eyesight.  Too impatient, or simply without care enough to take a second look of evaluation to determine if it is, or even could be, reality.  Moving on in a productivity of nothing but random viewing, one after another.  It is no wonder that Bate says, “Disstraction….is enjoying a comeback.” (Bate, 21)

     It is interesting to note when it comes to creating false realities, my own photography promulgates this, in a way, as most of my composite images are completely based in alternative realities.  Yet they are stretched so far from current realism that one would hope it would trigger an actual moment of assessment, a double take with a moment of evaluation, that may be transferred to other less obvious, but just as false, manipulated images.  I want my viewers to see my images as real AND not real, simultaneously.  If my photography is a mirror, it is more likely Alice Through the Looking Glass. ²  

     What photographs and bodies of work do you think have inspired unity and change?

     An image does not have to be acclimated or wrapped in fame to forge an effect.  And the effect often comes not from giant catalysts, but from tiny fulcrums on which our lives turn this way and that. As Heiferman explored, “Not the ones made by photographers and artists, but the less pedigreed ones that play equally important and vital roles in our lives—the photographs that don’t get framed but which deliver the news, sell clothes, get you a date, cause parking tickets to be written, and save lives” (Heiferman, 3-4) I also liked how Heiferman said that photography slows time to a standstill but keeps things active at the same time.  Day by day photography continues to be a small but radical stimulus.

Or is the power of photography as a tool for advocacy understated?

     Here is what has challenged me this week:  Do we have to create photographs to drive change?  Is photography a gift that comes with responsibility?  Is it acceptable to be creators with the motive only to enjoy creation?  During Max Ferguson’s webinar he mentioned that after photographing many strangers he has found himself turning back to photographing his family and those he loves.  Does he have to try to change the world, or can he simple create for his own personal fulfillment, and if so, will that have a more fundamental effect on society in the long run?

    Either way, change is often created, so we need to be aware of the potential for influence. I feel like I have learned not to underestimate the power of an image, and whether we produce photography specifically to catalyze a change or we simply create and the impact is a secondary bi-product of our efforts we should not be blind to photography's influence.  

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Works Cited:

Heiferman, Marvin. Photography Changes Everything. New York; Aperture 2012.

Bate, David. Global Photography [IN] Photography: The Key Concepts in Photography: The Key Concepts.  London; Bloomsbury Academic,2016.

Snyder, Joel. Territorial Photography [IN] Landscape and power. Univ. Chicago P. 1994.

^*1 quoted from: Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print

^*2 Alice Through the Looking-Glass. By Lewis Carroll. Academy Editions, 1977.

Postitions and Practice Week 1: A Window Reflection and Challenge to Re-Create an Image

'Little Lunch Atop A Skyscraper'
OnceUponAPix Sept. 2018

See the original here: http://100photos.time.com/photos/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper


      Our first week has begun!  Our first task was to take an image 'through a window' as an interactive way to introduce ourselves.  Here is the image I posted as well as my introduction:

      Hello Everyone! Composite photography is my true love, so I had to resist the urge to create an image shot through the 'window' of my mind (or soul? or heart?) but instead I snapped this quick shot from my smudged minivan window on the way to drop kids to school!
My name is Bren Slade. I live in a small town in the great state of Idaho. As you can see there is lots of farmland and it's somewhat brown and sparse but our skies are lovely and the pace is slow. My husband and I have been married 16 years and are raising 5 pretty great kids (big families aren't that uncommon in the west). I love my family, God, and the mountains- and of course photography! It's in us, as humans, to be creators and Photography provides a wonderful outlet for that. I specialize in Whimsical Children's Photography and instead of trying to capture real life behind the lens I get to create straight from the unlimited walls of the imagination. As a busy mom I get to juggle photo shoots with homework times and ballet schedules but I love it all. I am looking forward to this program as I know I have so much to learn from the program itself and, of course, all of you! You can see some of my work at www.OnceUponAPix.com

      Our next assignment was to re-create an image with global impact.  I chose to re-create 'Lunch Atop a Skyscraper' originally created in 1932 (see link provided above).  Shot as a promotional image for the new Rockefeller Center it quickly became an adoptive icon for American resilience and ambition and the mascot image for ironworkers everywhere, a much needed emblem of pride and hope during the bleak days of the depression.  

     I used children, mainly because that is what I do- but I also feel this re-created image is somewhat a representation of my feelings in entering this MA program.  I feel like I am a child- unsure of what I am doing and with so much to learn.  I also feel very exposed and off balance (like sitting on a high beam) with the idea of everyone seeing and commenting on my own work, essentially a first for me.  Self taught in photography my undergraduate was in a different discipline and I have not had formal training as part of a photography study.  This week it was a real challenge to view and comment on others work as I feel I didn't know the right words to say or the right things to look for.  I entered this program with the hopes that it would close the gaps in my photography education thus far, in areas such as this and I look forward to learning and growing in many aspects.  

      I am enjoying the layout and organization of the module.  I feel like there is good support and communication.  I wondered if doing an all online program would have the feeling of isolation - but I don't feel that at all!  I'm quite excited to move forward.