Unit 3: Presentation essay
My first idea for the final project was a series of street photographs around Manchester. After I watched Everybody Street several times, it has inspired me about street photography even more. I wouldn’t think I could discover this much on the streets, like the photographers do in this documentary movie. I am mostly interested in documentary photography and how to tell a story through images, how to stop people from everyday life and got them thinking.
After I discovered many different techniques in photography during my lessons, I decided to work with black and white film. The joy of manipulating images during the printing process, which I been always been very interested, got me thinking of why I would like to use film for my photo series. The natural feeling of film more interesting for me than digital. Doesn’t make a difference because it is just a tool to create an image what my mind sees, but I think with film and black and white I can create a little bit more similar pictures what my creativity and my feelings dictates. In my imagination it is a little bit similar to painting, because the painter chooses the tools what it takes to create the image.
My research on photographers started a while ago, as I was always interested in street photographers work such as Joel Meyerowitz. I know he creates a different kind of images, but for me he is more like a painter than a photographer. He uses colour film though.
Photographers like Mary Ellen Mark, Boogie (real name is Vladimir Milivojevich) , Jeff Mermelstein, Jill Freedman, and Danny Lyon. The last listed photographer is more likely a portrait photographer, so it got me thinking about portraying the streets. My research extended to portrait photographers, how they do portraiture people, how they the image that introduce them through a single frame.
Trying to search for different stories and tell them through my images, so my plan is to build up different stories.
• Portraying street artists
• Find a story what related to the street environment
• Documenting living environments and human conditions
Because it all related to each photographer and to my project I present what is my project, my idea, and methods and how it all began.
The Project itself
People like street artists and performers are part of my life so badly sometimes cost me a fiver just to walk down Market Street. Now the good weather is coming all the street performers and artist going to the streets. I see people wearing masks, outfits and different things. Sometime scary sometime very funny characters. What made me think is who these people are and why they choose this life style, to entertain strangers on the streets, sometimes for good money but very often for pennies. I would like to know who these people are, I’d like to see a little bit behind the masks. Mary Ellen Marks’s book about the Indian Circus was the main inspiration for this project. So how could I portraiture the streets if I am thinking in a project in street photography by making a photo series portraying, about street artists or street performers.
Boogie
Born in Serbia, photographed the civil war, and mostly known of his work about drug addicts and gangsters on the streets of NY. He lives in NYC and shoots on the streets. He has the ability to completely blend in with a group of people and get himself in the environment, I think this is the most important thing, that is why his photographs are very powerful. Close in, using a wide angle lens most of the time. Using black and white film which also adds a lot to the dark and moody scenarios. Very hard themes, and very difficult situations he photographing, like a fly on the wall.
Jill Freedman
A little bit better subjects she photographs. Freedman lives in NY, and I also know her from the work about fireman, and cops. She photographed cops in the era when cops could do everything and it was a very tough job in the wild USA back in those days. She blend in with the cops she went on patrols with them and photographed them during actions. Her method, again what makes the pictures so effective and strong. Wide angle lens, close in whenever she could get in close.
A little bit more respect for the photo series about fire fighters. Firehouse the series called. Documentary work about NY fire fighters, again a tough job. Very dangerous to be a fire fighter, but I think the volume is on the brotherhood. How these men can sacrifice their own life to save someone completely stranger’s life or even their own brothers and colleges. Very strong images well portrayed without words we can see them well described. Tough people tough job.
Very important for me documentary photography and how to portray people. Using different techniques such as composition, lens variation, perspective. Let the single image talk about the person. That’s what makes a good documentary photograph or an environmental portraiture photograph a good photo.
Valerio Polici
He is an Italian documentary photographer, who photographed a group of graffiti artists. How they work together and how they make the large paintings. Not about the actual piece he is focused on, rather on the method and the adventure how it is being done. Again, Valerio has created a unique atmosphere of the thrilling nights and dangerous adventures by using black and white film, and wide-angle lens. He has perfectly portrayed the illegal street artists’ work. Similar what I would like to do.
Mary Ellen Mark
Street photographer and documentary photographer who mainly know of her work on sets in Hollywood and the street photography in
Methods and techniques
When I’m doing my research and study photographers I am mostly interested in how they can produce images what are strong and gets the viewer at once. To be able to achieve the same feeling we can use different techniques
• Composition: what is in the frame, sometimes props help to describe a character or someone
• Point of view: using a wide angle lens and try to show more in one frame, try to create an inside vision
• Black and white: I am a fan of black and white photography, and for this set of images I was thinking of working with black and white film, but to work with film is a longer procedure. I will try to manage my time to let more space for the darkroom procedure
I look forward to start this piece, but because of the lack of time I need to be quick and well organized to accomplish my tasks.
Bibliography:
Jill Freedman. (2014). Documenting the streets of New York City. Available: http://infocus.gettyimages.com/post/documenting-the-streets-of-new-york-city#.U3IVSFO1kfk. Last accessed 05th May 2014.
Valerio Polici. (2014). Railway Renegades. Available: http://www.newsweek.com/photo-essay-railway-renegades-230869. Last accessed 05 May 2014.
Unknown. (2014). Ergo Sum. Available: http://www.positive-magazine.com/photography/featured-story/ergo-sum/. Last accessed 05th May 2014.
Allen Frame. (2013). Mary Ellen Mark by Allen Frame. Available: http://bombmagazine.org/article/1213/mary-ellen-mark. Last accessed 10th May 2014.
Daniel Haim. (2013). Interview: Say What? Street Photographer Boogie Blows Our Minds.. Available: http://www.bloginity.com/2010/06/boogie-the-exclusive-interview-with-the-photographer/. Last accessed 10th May 2014.
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