A Question Of Ethics - "Photography & The Law"

"Heads", a series spanning from 1999-2001, documents unaware members of the public in New York's Times Square. The artist behind the project, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, who was sued for financially profiting from one pedestrian's image without their permission, prides himself on recording his subject's unknowing expressions as they go about their day-to-day lives. 

As a response to an online discussion forum set up by the university concerning the controversial work of Philip-Lorca diCorcia in his project "Heads", I wrote the statement shown below - 


"On the whole, when taking photos in a crowd or on the street, I do, 90% of the time, tend to ask people's permission before I take their image, however daunting that may be. This is obviously the more ethical option, and I know if I was having my photo taken by a stranger, I'd certainly like to be aware of it, and to know what it was being used for.

Of course, having said this, by not telling those you are photographing I feel you can capture the subject's subconscious emotion; the expression on their face would reveal far more about that person than the forced smile or pose they would adopt when a camera was directly pointed at them.
As several of my fellow students have said, I think a more ethical way around this issue is to approach the subject after the photo has been shot and show it to them, explaining the reasons for your shooting, the intended use of the image, etc. That way the person is still able to have their say & give permission. 
However, this too has it's problems. If you are shooting, for example, using film or in a busy, bustling area, it would be impossible to talk to each of your subjects, or show them their image.


I think this is going to forever be one of photography's many unresolved issues."

A Look At The Work Of Dara Scully

22-year-old Swedish photographer Dara Scully specialises in the surreal. Her self-portraits have a fairy-tale air about them, as they often depict her within rural settings, surrounded by anthropomorphic animals. The soft focus and natural light of her photographs gives them a dream-like quality, along with their subdued colours and whimsical subject matter. The themes of freedom and escapism run throughout her work, both in the physical and metaphorical sense.

Remaining within the realms of surrealism, Scully's photographs sometimes take a morbid turn, as throughout her project "Escaping From The Wolves". For example, a sense of unease is felt within the viewer upon looking at this picture from the series (below). Here, we can't see what she is running from. All we know is the darkening clouds and ominous mountains in the background appear to be chasing her.

A project of hers I found particularly interesting is "Bluebird's Heart", wherein Scully appears to play with the idea of death. Life after death is also referenced heavily here, as the bluebird leaving the cage in Scully's supposedly lifeless chest, represents the freedom and continuation of the soul. 

For more information on Dara Scully, visit her website: http://cargocollective.com/darascully

Viewer Or Voyeur?

Below are my thoughts on the morality of photography as a means of reporting violent world events. Are the images we see in the media too graphic? Or are they necessary in our learning about the world?

When Colonel Gadafi was executed, I remember seeing scenes on the news & in the papers of his bloodied body being dragged through the streets. Despite the gravitas of that situation, I’m not sure the graphic nature of the images chosen to depict the event in the media can really be justified. Seeing that image plastered on the internet, across TV channels, and along the newsstand shelves at the local corner shop really shocked me and stuck in my mind. But then again, I suppose that was the idea...

After watching a documentary about war photographer Don McCullin, having heard him talk about the “darkness” in him, and his experiences having “left him with an untrustworthy outlook on humanity”, I can’t understand how someone could subject themselves to sights such as this without coming away mentally scarred. I personally couldn’t do it.

McCullin remarks on his days as a war photographer "I'm not what you'd call clean...there were moments when I was excited about it, which was totally wrong." Does this make him a voyeur?

Having said this, I have to admit that while reading this 2010 article from the Guardian (below), regarding the media's coverage of the stoning of a man in Somalia, I felt compelled to seek out the mentioned images for myself. This doesn’t, however, mean I enjoy viewing them. There is a certain thrill, an adrenaline rush, when you see something out of the ordinary. It is the same horror movies and roller coasters are so popular.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/mar/08/world-press-photo-sean-ohagan

In the long run, if you remove the camera from the situation, such as this brutal execution in Somalia, it isn’t going to stop it. So, in one respect these images are merely bringing issues such as war, execution etc into the light. They show viewers things they would not know existed otherwise, who are then able to see the truth about the world and voice their opinions on such matters, but not, necessarily, be directly effected by them. 

Lenscratch "Animals" Launch!

Having been following the well-known photography blog ‘Lenscratch’, I recently noticed there was an opportunity to take part in several online exhibitions. I chose to enter this image (below, entitled "Eye To Eye") into the exhibition entitled ‘Animals’, in an attempt to spread my work more widely around the web!

Having successfully submitted it, yesterday brought about the launch of "Animals". Myself and several of my fellow students were lucky enough to have our work shown!

Visit Lenscratch here! http://www.lenscratch.com/

Guest-Speaker Rasmus Vasli's "Photographing Strangers"

Artist Rasmus Vasli conducted a lecture describing his work with portrait photography. He explained his haphazard technique of going on walks with his camera, no concept in mind, and simply shooting portraits of people he'd see on the street, having spoken to them and asked their consent.

"A Proud Man"

I really like this style of shooting, because although it's not entirely natural - the subjects are still very much aware of the camera's presence and so somewhat pose - the lens captures them in a freeze-frame of their everyday lives. They have no time at all to prepare how they will look, and are captured within their normal surroundings with natural light, as opposed to in a studio set-up. 


In his blog, entitled "Cup Of Pea", Vasli accompanies each image with a short caption about what he learnt from talking his subject. This is the only contextual information we directly receive. Otherwise, it is up to us to determine the character of each photographed person, drawing ideas from their surroundings, clothing and expression.

"Derek"

For a better look Rasmus Vasli's work, here is the link to his blog "Cup Of Pea" -
http://cupofpea.blogspot.co.uk/