1950's America was an era of experimentation in photography throughout promotional, advertising and photojournalism. My final outcome is produced from informed research of the era and clear experimentation throughout. This unit developed my understanding of, and skills, in pre-production. This unit covered planning and resourcing requirements for production and post-production, how to locate resources and how to organise their deployment. I also developed an understanding of health, safety and legal issues in relation to pre-production.
EVE ARNOLD. Eve Arnold was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Russian immigrant parents. She began photographing in 1946, while working at a photo-finishing plant in New York City, and then studied photography in 1948 with Alexei Brodovitch at the New School for Social Research in New York. Arnold first became associated with Magnum Photos in 1951, and became a full member in 1957. Arnold had a prolific career documenting people both ordinary and famous – including Marilyn Monroe, Yves Saint Laurent, Malcolm X, Jerry Falwell and many heads of state. She covered the American civil rights movement, shot stills for more than 40 films around the world, was a contract photographer on the Sunday Times colour magazine for 10 years and published 14 books.
VIVIEN MAIER. Vivian Maier, born in New York in 1926, grew up in France and upon returning to the United States, worked as a nanny for forty years. From the 1950s until the 1990s she took over 100,000 photographs, primarily of people and cityscapes in Chicago and New York, though she traveled and photographed worldwide. Maier’s body of work is a study on the interaction of the individual and the city. Her eye for detail, light and composition, her humanitarian outlook, her impeccable timing and tireless ability to constantly shoot, are astounding not just for the beauty of her photographs but for the fact that Vivian Maier had no formal training whatsoever. What makes Maier unique is that her pictures were made for no one. Not one of her photographs was printed during her lifetime. Vivian Maier was a pure witness, recording but never playing back. Her pictures had no intention but to satiate her curiosity and document the humorous, moving, beautiful, and raw images of all facets of city life in America’s post-war golden age.
Rebecca Pridmore's- 1950s Magazine
Health and Safety in Photography
The HSW Act and supporting regulations require employers (photographers in this case) to ensure the safety, health and welfare at work of their employees so far as is reasonably practicable. It also places a general duty on employers (photographers) to conduct their business in such a way as to ensure that others (i.e. non-employees and members of the public) are not exposed to risks to their health or safety. Employees are required to co-operate with their employers (photographers) in complying with health and safety law. They are required to take reasonable care to ensure they do not endanger themselves or anyone else using the premises, which could include assistants, models, make-up artists, hairdressers, stylists, models (etc), and visitors.
It is the employers’ (photographers) responsibility to ensure risk assessments are carried out. Employers (photographers), should make sure that their employees have read through the risk assessment. The employer should also revise and update the assessment if necessary.
When shooting at a location/photo studio etc, you should go through these four steps before you start:
1. What are the hazards?
2. Who might be harmed and how?
3. What are you already doing?
4. What further action is necessary?
This list will ensure that you have covered everything, and everyone and everything is safe.
Using Photography Equipment Safely
Always uncoil all electricity cables, do not leave them wound on any storage spool. If you do this the coiled cable gets hot and there is a serious risk of fire.
Tape down, using strong ‘ gaffer ‘ tape. This prevents people tripping up on loose cabling.
Always use the correct lighting stand for the photographic lighting you are using.
Do not over reach/raise the lighting stand, this can cause the stand to tip over.
After you have finished, allow the lighting equipment to cool down before moving.
Always use the correct fuse specified for the equipment you are using.
Do not over load electricity supply/circuit.
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
Photo 5
Evaluation
I selected my photography theme by after initially walking around the college for an hour or two with a camera taking pictures of everything. It was during this period that I got a feel of what I was looking for, so I started to become more selective in what photographs I took, as I begin to understand what I wanted. After I taken a few photographs I sat down and went through what I had taken to see if I could see if there was any particular theme running through it. This helped asses all of my photographs in a way that I wouldn't have done previously, as I was specifically looking for themes. When I found that there was a couple that I could put in a category, I then went out specifically looking for something based on that theme. My day started with me being fairly open minded about photography then towards the end I became very narrowed minded as I was looking for photographic subjects that would fit my theme. I settled on the themes abstract, texture and contrast, and I feel that all five of my selected photographs either meet all three areas or at least one.
By researching photographers from the 1950's and looking at their works, it has showed me that a good photograph is a good photograph irrelevant of the technology and camera, as all of their shots wouldn't look out of place if they were taken now with up to date and modern equipment. It showed me that if you've got a photographers eye you can pretty much catch anything exactly how you want it. A lot of their photographs I looked at were portraits, and although I didn't take any portraits myself I still tried to use many of the techniques that I could see in the original photographs such as shadowing and contrasts. I opted for black and white photographs as I believed they really brought my pictures to life. Due to age of the photographers their photographs were predominately black and white, so that was behind my thinking.
As I said earlier my remit was to just take pictures of anything and be selective as I went through the process, so it was just me and a camera. I didn't set out for any particular location, it was very much spontaneous. Everything was digital with the intention of using digital software to edit my photographs. I believe that the traditional method can give as just as good of a result as digital , but you have to be right first time. At this early stage of photography, I wouldn't have felt comfortable with this method. I used natural lighting on photos 1 to 4 however, I did use a lamp to enhance the lighting and bring out the shadows on photo 5.
I believe that all my selective photographs hit the brief I set myself, and that was to capture a number of textures, contrasts and some abstract photographs.
If I was to do the project again I would be more adventurous with all my choices, and maybe not play it as safe as I did. I would also want to have more confidence and venture into portrait photography.
I feel that I've learnt that you should always be prepared for a great shot, as you never know where it can come from. I feel as if I've achieved some really good photographs, highlighting the textures e.g. photo 1 and shadowing e.g. photo 5. I have also learnt many skills when it comes to taking the photograph, this is shown in photo 1. I have focused more on the surface of the tire to highlight the hardness of the tire. The background is then more out of focus, so you concentrate more on the tire surface. I've learnt new skills even when editing as well. This is to bring out the dark parts of the photo and light parts. This is to highlight the black and white in the photo, and bring the photograph to life by being much more eye catching.
