Photography Notes

History(and(Documentary(Photography( ! ! ! Can$a$documentary$photograph$be$fictional?$ Farm$Security$Administration$Office$of$War$Information$Collection$ $ ~$Landmark$in$history$of$documentary$photography$ $ ~$Began$in$1935$G$attempt$to$document$the$impact$of$the$Great$Depression,$the$ $ Dust$Bowl$and$the$modernisation$of$agriculture$on$rural$and$smallGtown$life$ $ ~$Visual$record$of$America's$mobilisation$for$WW2$ ! 2$particular$examples$ $ ~$Dorothea$Lange$G$'Migrant$Mother'$series$(1936)$ $ ~$Collaboration$between$James$Agee$and$Walker$Evans$G$'Let$Us$Now$Praise$$ Famous$Men'$(1939)$ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Questions( 1. Is$it$more$productive$to$think$of$the$FSA$photographs$as$'documents'$or$as$'art'?$ 2. How$important$is$it$to$understand$the$specific$historical,$social$and$cultural$context$within$ which$a$photograph$was$taken?$ 3. What$ is$ the$ relationship$ between$ the$ photographer$ /$ author$ /$ observer$ and$ the$ subject$ /$ observed$in$these$images?$ 4. How$far$is$it$possible$to$treat$the$photograph$as$a$'transparent'$and$objective$media?$$ 5. Should$we$challenge$the$photograph's$authority$as$a$direct$reflection$of$social$and$cultural$ 'reality'?$ 6. Can$a$documentary$photograph$be$'fictional'?$ 7. In$what$ways$is$our$engagement$with$a$photograph$shaped$by$(a)$its$formal$qualities$as$an$ image$ (b)$ the$ process$ of$ editing,$ developing,$ cropping$ and$ retouching$ (c)$ the$ context$ in$ which$it$is$displayed$(d)$the$use$of$explanatory$text$and$captions?$ 8. What$ can$ the$ similarities$ and$ differences$ between$ Lange's$ 'Migrant$ Mother'$ series$ and$ ! James$Agee$and$Walker$Evans'$Let$us$Now$Praise$Famous$Men$tell$as$about$the$nature$of$ the$'documentary$tradition'?$ ! Photography(Class( ! Issue$of$idealised$or$staged$images$ ~$18th$century$French$art$G$changing$representation$of$the$elderly$ ~$Photos$in$rural$England$c.$1900$G$organic$community$=>$concentrating$on$the$ traditional$as$opposed$to$the$Industrial$Revolution$ $ $ $ ! Is(it(more(productive(to(think(of(the(FSA(photographs(as('documents'(or(as('art'?( ! Lange's$photos$have$been$categorised$by$art$G$both$arts$and$documents$ $ ~$Systematic$and$argumentative$photography$ $ ~$PhotoGessay$ Lange$also$constructs$a$visual$narrative$ ! ! Burke$G$importance$of$images$to$construct$an$imaginative$view$of$history$ ! Perceived$reality$is$real$to$the$people$at$the$time$G$not$objectively$real$=>$art$is$ something$which$acts$on$us$ ! Documentary$reality$is$the$actual$situation$=>$documentary$ ! How(important(is(it(to(understand(the(specific(historical,(social(and(cultural(context( within(which(a(photograph(was(taken?( ! Should$not$decontextualise$and$universalise$an$image$ ! Lange's$image$of$weighing$G$image$of$social$conflict$ ! Brandt$G$visual$discourse$of$the$wartime$community$ ! Captions$are$very$important$G$capture$intentions$at$the$time$ ! Context$and$composition$are$related$ $ ~$Archetypal$mother$in$Migrant$Mother$ ! Rothstein's$portrait$of$a$farmhand$from$below$G$dignity$of$toil$ $ ~$Contrary$to$FSA$ideology$ Dignified$and$powerful$v.$FSA's$intention$of$showing$poverty$and$helplessness$ ! $ ~$Walker$Evans$wanted$to$avoid$the$intrusive$lens$in$the$interior$of$migrant$$ workers'$homes$ ! Differing$perceptions$of$art$by$photographs$ ! Evans$preferred$more$impersonal$images$G$houses$or$portraits$ ! Lange$(1964)$G$photo$of$a$crows$protesting$was$reGcaptioned$with$'workers$of$the$world$ units'$ $ ~$Independent$function$of$the$photo$ Agee's$literature$was$far$more$intimate$than$Evans$ ! ! Choreographed$G$real$photography?$ $ ~$Rearrangement$of$Evans'$photos$to$use$natural$light$ $ ~$Barnardo's$deliberately$created$staged$photos$G$assault$on$notions$of$$ representational$truth$yet$also$an$assault$on$the$innocence$of$the$child$ ! Spanish$Civil$War$G$images$of$shot$civilians$as$'fake'$ ! Sliding$scale$between$document$and$propaganda$ $ ~$Soviet$airbrushing$of$Trotsky$out$and$Stalin$in$ ! V.E.$Day$image$creation$by$a$woman$'swooning'$with$a$sailor$G$was$simply$asked$to$do$ this$ ! What(is(the(relationship(between(the(photographer(/(author(/(observer(and(the(subject(/( observed(in(these(images?( ! Evans'$tripod$G$has$to$be$a$relationship$as$this$is$a$noticeable$piece$of$equipment$ $ ~$Manipulates$photos$ ! Lange$captures$images$in$important$moments$of$time$ ! Lange$complains$that$she$had$lost$control$of$her$images$ ! Instinctive$=>$objective?$ ! Strycker's$list$of$suitable$subjects$=>$photos$as$a$collection,$creating$a$highly$selective$ and$emotionally$directed$view$ ! Susan$Sontag$G$photos$as$an$evaluation$and$interpretation$of$the$world$=>$not$just$a$ record$ $ ~$How$different$are$they$from$a$textual$record$of$eyewitnesses?$ ! ! ! Different$photos$emphasised$captions$ Should(we(challenge(the(photograph's(authority(as(a(direct(reflection(of(social(and( cultural('reality'?( ! Written$sources$and$images$G$can$both$be$fictional$ ! Assumption$that$a$picture$of$a$child$is$more$truthful$ $ ~$Street$urchin$G$Wolverhampton$boy$dressed$up$ Evans$has$an$idea$of$a$higher$truth$G$not$necessarily$truthful$=>$his$own$view$of$America$ ! ! Emotive$quality$relies$on$context$ ! Definite$attempts$not$to$be$fictional$ $ ~$Learning$about$the$process$of$agriculture$ Can$a$fictional$photograph$be$documentary?$ ! ! Lange$G$angle$to$make$field$larger$ ! Colonial$camera$G$choice$of$small$tribesmen$ ! Dichotomy$between$true$and$false$ $ ~$Truth$is$socially$contingent$G$true$insofar$as$it$matches$a$criteria$of$what$people$ $ believe$ $ $ ~$Believe$a$photo$to$be$true$as$it$confirms$what$you$believe$G$changes$over$ $ $ time$ th$century$yet$not$ Early$modern$art$G$allegorical$elements$were$comprehended$in$the$16 ! nowadays$ $ ~$Have$to$refer$back$to$the$context$ $ ~$Iconographical$meaning$ ! Photos$are$also$objects$G$moving$in$different$temporal$and$spatial$contexts$ $ ~$Different$contexts$shape$interpretation$ Christopher$Pinney$G$photos$of$indigenous$peoples$ ! $ ~$At$the$time$may$have$been$the$'noble$savage'$ $ ~$Now$is$seen$as$an$expression$of$imperialism$ ! MacLeish's$Land%of%the%Free$G$uses$photo$of$slaves$and$white$man$=>$cuts$to$white$man$ to$show$the$American$Dream$ ! ! ! ! Documentary$aspect$is$reinforced$by$notions$of$authenticity$ Change$to$this$G$Stalin$airbrushes$photos$ Involuntary$disclosure$in$a$photo$G$acquires$significance$afterwards$ $ $ ! $ $ ! ! ! ! $ ! ! ! ! $ ! ! $ $ ! ! $ ! ! $ $ ! $ ! ! ! $ ! $ $ ! $ ! $ $ $ ! ~$Many$wanted$to$claim$that$no$one$had$seen$the$deportation$of$Jews$G$yet$photos$ show$spectators$in$the$daytime$ Photos$from$dead$German$soldiers$G$those$of$fiances$and$children$juxtaposed$next$to$ atrocity$photos$ ~$Not$just$the$SS$ ~$People$wanted$to$carry$these$documentary$photos$ Version$of$war$that$is$like$tourism$G$use$of$photography$by$amateurs$ Barth$G$punctum$=>$element$in$the$photo$that$affects$you$that$the$photographer$did$not$ really$mean$to$capture$ Derry$in$the$1960s$G$no$witnesses$for$the$IRA$gunman$ ~$Yet$there$is$a$series$of$photo$G$accidentally$picked$up$in$them$ There$is$always$an$accident$in$a$photo$G$can$never$create$one$single$element$of$truth$ Distinction$between$the$general$context$and$the$accident$=>$new$opportunity$for$ people$to$contest$the$power$of$the$photo$ Mugshot$G$camera$having$power$over$the$subject$ ~$Subtle$poses$G$resistance$ Film$can$show$a$lot$more$G$only$an$instantaneous$moment$in$a$photo$ ~$Still$captures$things$accidentally$ ~$Yet$arranges$images$into$a$sequences$G$tells$more$of$a$story$than$a$photo$can$ Exertion$of$power$by$a$photo$always$creates$the$possibility$for$the$subversion$of$that$ photo$G$accident$ ~$Different$from$the$painting$ Photos$in$Nazi$eugenics$film$G$some$photos$are$meant$to$justify$'euthanasia'$so$as$to$not$ drain$the$state's$resources$ ~$In$the$end$Goebbels$did$not$use$this$G$too$much$of$a$hard$sell$$to$compare$the$ costs$of$workers'$housing$and$asylums$ Accidents$of$photos$G$children$shown$to$be$worthless$in$these$asylums$ ~$Yet$one$child$is$smiling$back$at$the$camera$ Serious$photography$ Yet$what$popularised$photography$was$family$shots$ ~$WW2$G$aerial$photos$ Ww2$G$postcards$of$war$heroes$ ~$People$get$themselves$photographed$in$a$similar$way$ ~$Privatising$a$public$aesthetic$ Most$photos$of$ghettoes$are$by$German$photographers$ ~$Jewish$photos$G$children$play$a$game$of$dressing$up$as$German$police$ Photo$albums$G$construction$of$a$personal$life$story$ ~$Do$this$in$a$very$similar$way$G$chronological$ ~$Virtually$everyone$takes$the$same$kind$of$photo$ $ ~$Social$understanding$of$an$authentic$family$ 1950s$G$pictures$in$front$of$the$family$car$or$fridge$=>$end$of$austerity$ ! ! South$Africa$G$photos$with$umbrellas$and$later$radios$=>$show$modernity$ ! Photos$can$be$fictional$but$are$not$useless$as$historical$images$ ~$May$have$elements$of$fiction $ ! How(far(is(it(possible(to(treat(the(photograph(as(a('transparent'(and(objective( media?( Objective( ! Camera$G$takes$what$is$in$front$of$it$=>$photo$therefore$appears$to$be$the$quintessential$ objective$document$ $ ~$This$objectivity$is$seen$in$the$response$of$the$viewer$G$seen$as$reality$ ! Evans$called$for$images$that$would$be$a$'pure$record$not$propaganda'$ $ ~$Documentary$style$G$claimed$to$instinctively$take$photographs$ $ ~$Escaped$political$propaganda$of$working$for$the$government$=>$sense$of$realism$ $ ~$Photos$do$not$noticeably$have$an$author$and$intentions$behind$them$ $ $ ~$Paradox$G$his$'documentary$style'$is$his$own$subjectivity$ $ ~$Yet$he$frequently$posed$subjects$e.g.$Sharecroppers'$homes$in$Alabama$G$moved$ $ belongings$=>$wanted$to$show$order$and$beauty$ ! Many$photographers$aimed$to$put$their$subjects$at$ease$before$taking$photos$ ! Dependent$upon$the$photographer$e.g.$Lange$showed$women$at$hard$labour$almost$as$ often$as$men$ ! Subjective( ! Posing$of$subjects$and$their$response$to$the$camera$ $ ~$'Fleeing$a$Dust$Storm'$was$a$hallmark$image$of$the$FSA$G$people$believed$it$yet$ $ Rothstein$staged$it$=>$exaggeration$of$suffering$ Editing$e.g.$Cropping$of$a$plantationGowner$picture$to$show$a$pioneering$American$in$ ! MacLeish's$Land%of%the%Free$ ! Aims$of$the$photographer$ $ ~$Photos$are$taken$to$show$something$ $ ~$Lewis$Hine$G$'While$photographs$may$not$lie,$liars$may$photograph'$ $ ~$Moral$and$political$aims$of$the$Farm$Security$Administration$ $ ~$12$March,$5$days$after$returning$home,$Lange$wrote$to$Stryker$that$her$ $ 'negatives$are$loaded$with$ammunition'$ $ ~$Stryker$told$Arthur$Rothstein$to$'emphasise$the$positive$side'$in$taking$photos$ $ mothers$and$children$and$nurses$treating$children$ $ $ ~$Walker$Evans$talked$of$'photographing$babies'$as$a$synonym$for$a$loss$of$ $ $ artistic$integrity$ Presentation$of$photos$G$only$generally$see$those$which$are$chosen$to$be$shown$ ! $ ~$We$do$not$see$the$whole$situation$G$focus$upon$the$aim$of$the$project$ $ ~$Culture$of$poverty$G$Evans's$disregard$of$a$photo$of$Floyd$Burroughs$with$$ everyone$smiling$ ! Photos$are$said$to$speak$for$themselves$yet$they$mostly$have$captions$ $ ~$Captions$can$influence$views$G$attempting$to$fix$the$meaning$of$the$photos$ $ ~$Information$may$be$wrong$e.g.$Migrant$Mother$G$her$name$was$not$recorded$and$ $ details$about$her$situation$were$wrong$ Gender$G$use$of$the$mother$and$of$women$=>$are$not$threats$to$society$and$can$arouse$ ! sympathy$and$emption$ $ ~$Migrant$Mother$was$removed$from$its$context$and$transformed$into$a$universal$ $ image$of$motherhood$ Late$1930s$G$Stryker$asked$photographers$to$stop$focusing$on$poor$people$and$the$ ! depression$and$instead$to$focus$on$people$who$appeared$to$believe$in$the$US$ ! Susan(Sontag(L(On#Photography# ! 'As$people$quickly$discovered$that$nobody$takes$the$same$picture$of$the$same$thing,$the$ supposition$that$cameras$furnish$an$impersonal,$objective$image$yielded$to$the$fact$that$ photographs$are$evidence$not$only$of$what's$there$but$of$what$an$individual$sees,$not$ just$a$record$but$an$evaluation$of$the$world'$ $ ~$Yet$having$acknowledged$these$are$subjective$evaluations,$the$truthfulness$of$ $ these$isolated$images$cannot$be$denied$ 'While$a$painting$or$prose$description$can$never$be$other$than$a$narrowly$selective$ ! interpretation,$a$photograph$can$be$treated$as$a$narrowly$selective$transparency'$(p.$6)$ $ ~$Presumption$of$veracity$which$gives$all$photos$authority$ $ $ ~$Yet$photos$are$not$transparent$G$'Even$when$photographers$are$most$$ $ concerned$with$mirroring$reality,$they$are$still$haunted$by$tacit$imperatives$of$$ $ taste$and$conscience'$(p.$6)$ Photos$are$therefore$interpretations$of$the$world$ ! ! Interpretation(and(Context(L(particularly(advocated(by(Lawrence(Levine( ! Despite$Walker$Evans's$belief$that$photos$are$selfGexplanatory,$the$photo$does$not$ stand$alone$G$needs$some$context$if$not$an$explanatory$caption$ ! Lange$G$wanted$photo$essays$showing$instability$and$transformation$=>$yet$the$FSA$was$ content$with$photos$which$developed$popular$support$ $ ~$Photos$cannot$solely$communicate$all$that$needs$to$be$known$G$are$of$best$use$in$ $ collaboration$with$textual$sources$=>$Lange$wrote$long,$informative$captions$ ! Importance$of$the$collaboration$of$text$and$images$in$Let%Us%Now%Praise%Famous%Men% ! A$simple$change$in$context$can$drastically$alter$the$meaning$of$an$'objective$image'$ ! Need$to$be$interpreted$and$supplemented$by$other$evidence$ $ ~$Have$been$collected$and$filtered$and$are$filled$with$contradictions$ ! Overall,$however,$photographs$can$be$seen$as$part$of$a$spectrum$where$they$are$ generally$more$objective$than$any$other$source$although$they$are$not$immediately$ 'transparent'$G$sometimes$require$elucidation$and$explanation$as$to$what$they$show$ ! John$Ruskin$G$evidence$of$photos$'is$of$great$use$if$you$know$how$to$crossGexamine$ them' 

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