Connecting Essay 4

The above photograph is from my shoot number six, whereby I focused on how different individual's look after and maintain their homes. Moreover, the framing is effective in portraying my inspiration from August Sander, as the individual is starring deadpan into the image, whilst holding their tools they are using to complete their work, similarly to Sander's world war two images. Clarity is also evident in this image, as it's clear to the viewer what the subject is doing/ about to do. By focusing on how individual's maintain their homes I wanted to attempt and create a link between the subject, and their home likewise to my previous shoot numbers one and three. The white top that the subject is wearing also contrasts nicely with the colourful background, the colour white is often associated with innocence, therefore the white top would create a connotation in the viewer's mind of innocence.

The above photograph is by August Sander, taken in 1930 on a natural wood box frame, with normal glass. The man in this image is starring deadpan, almost in a chilling way directly into the lens of the camera, by the subject starring directly into the camera this creates a personal link between the subject and the viewer, reflecting to the viewer how themselves and this man are similar. The black and white colouring in this image reflects how old this photograph is, giving an idea about the temporal range whereby this image would have been photographed- 1930. The man appears to be in an apron, which is evidently involved with his job, moreover the little box he is holding also corresponds to this. The man's shoes appear to be larger than usual, therefore this may suggest that they are too involved with his occupation, as they grab the viewer's attention immediately in the image, Sander wouldn't have included them in the framing, unless they were significant in some way. 

Overall I believe my image, and Sander's link as they are both portraiture images, of individuals holding tools which they are using to complete a certain job. A difference between my image and Sander's is the fact that my photograph is in colour, whereas Sander's is in black and white, this difference is due to the time in which Sander was alive, as colour photograph wasn't invented therefore he had not choice but to shoot in black and white- whereas I had the choice, I decided to shoot in colour as gardening is meant to be bright, and colourful. Another similarity between our two images is the fact that both subjects are starring deadpan into the lens of the camera, Sander inspired me to make my subject's stare deadpan, as this creates an almost uneasy feeling in the viewer, whilst also creating a personal link between the viewer and the subject, as they are locking eyes. Another difference between the two images is that Sander's image is of a male, whereas mine is of a female; moreover, the jobs they are completing are evidently different as Sander's subject is in heavy uniform, whereas my subject is in her everyday clothing. 

Connecting Essay 3

The above image is from my shoot number one, the subjects of the images are my mum, and aunty. Within this shoot I wanted to show the contrast between the way people live, and their difference in houses; this is extremely interesting and significant in this shoot as the two subjects are siblings, therefore they started life in the same place, and were raised the same way, however they both now lead very different lives- I wanted to explore this within my shoot. I photographed the two images both landscape in order for them to be edited next to one another, so they could be directly compared by the viewer. For this shoot I was heavily influenced by the photographer Mark Laita (as shown below), as his images of juxtapositions in America encouraged me to explore differences in the UK involving the way people live their lives. The fact that the subject in the left image has her hand placed on the door handle of her house suggests she has more of a personal connection to her house, or more ownership of it; in contrast to the other subject (right image) who is standing with her hands down her side- this may imply that due to the subject in the right image not working she may not feel as much of a personal connection to the house, as she has not funded it.  Additionally, the clothing differences between the two females was on purpose as I wanted to demonstrate the differences between classes, I also believe a juxtaposition occurs, as it's a common belief that if an individual doesn't work they must not be well off, however through these two images it challenges people's judgements as the subject in the left image (who works) owns a less expensive house in comparison to the subject (in the right image) who doesn't work.

The above photograph is by the photographer Mark Laita from his series known as 'created equal', which shows complete differences of people in America (as seen above.) The above image explores the differences between a perceived pimp and polygamist. The three women surround the men in a similar fashion, however their clothing is very different, with the women in the right image wearing revealing clothing whereas the women in the left image are covered up, this explores a difference in their lifestyles and their perceptions of what they each may find 'acceptable'. Furthermore, the male in the right image is wearing sunglasses, which may be seen to act as a shield of identity, in contrast with the man on the left who has nothing covering his eyes, meaning the viewer can identify him clearly- this may link to the subject not wanting to be identified. Another striking difference between the two pictures in the image is that one of the women in the left image appears to be pregnant, whereas none of the ladies in the right image are, this may suggests that the polygamist group are more family orientated than the other group of individuals- this difference therefore touches on the different ideals of the groups.

Overall, I believe the two images link together as Mark Laita was the initial inspiration for my structure of my shoot by exploring how different people live/lead their lives. Moreover, the way the images are set out (placed next to one another) is the same, this allows the viewer to see a direct contrast between the two photographs. The differences between my images and Mark's are that my photograph is from the UK, whereas his photographs are taken in America, subsequently these are different cultures and will be different as a result. Furthermore, my photographs are taken of the subjects outside their respective houses, whereas Mark's photographs are taken in a studio which prevents any further knowledge being gained from the individual's or their houses, but in my image more information can be gathered surrounding the subjects. My images are also in colour, whereas Mark's are in black and white- Mark may have converted his images in to black and white in order to challenge people to only focus on the underlying meaning of the images, and not to be distracted by any other detailing, however in my images I chose to leave them in colour in order to allow more information to be gathered about how the subject's may live.

Connecting Essay 2

The above image is from my shoot number seven, whereby I focused on how different people live with different pets. In this image the child appears to be innocently playing with her pet dog, this is interesting as some people would often consider this breed of dog (pit bull) to often be violent, however here it can be seen to be innocently, and gently, playing with its young owner- therefore this may challenge people's stereotypical views. I used a tripod to capture this image as animals and young children are often moving a lot, therefore the tripod allowed me to minimise any blur from the camera, and keep my image clear. Within this image I also admire how the subject is unaware that I am photographing her, as this makes the image more natural and believable to the viewer, also creating a type of fluidity to the image. 

The above image is a photograph which I found online, of a pet and its owner. This photograph appears to have been taken some years ago, due to the dated furniture which can be seen in the background. The animal in this image is a cat, which is laying over its owner, almost as though it's cuddling her, as its paws are either side of the owners neck- this stance shows love between the owner and her pet, which creates emotion in the viewer. Moreover, the fact the owner is looking at her pet shows that her cat is her pride and joy, and that she cares deeply for the animal, almost linking to the saying 'the apple of my eye.' The blue colouring on the females top contrasts the grey colouring on the cat effectively, creating a cool tone, which contrasts the warmer tones in the background of the image.

Overall I believe the two images link as they both are of the same situations- owners and their pets. The differences between the two images surround the age of the two subjects involved, as my photograph is of a younger child whereas the image I found on the internet is of an older female; moreover, the pets in the images differ too, as in my photograph a dog is evident, but in the image I found online the cat is the subject. A similarity between the two images is the love shown between the owner and pet, shown through the cuddling of the animals in both images, and the smiles on the owner's faces. My photograph is taken outside, whereas the image I found online is evidently photographed inside the owners house, this may suggest that the dog in my image is more outgoing than the cat in the image I fount online- similarly this difference could suggest that the cat is a house-cat. Overall, the principles and meaning behind the images are similar, despite how they appear being slightly different from one another.

Connecting Essay 1

The above image is from my shoot number two, whereby I photographed an elderly neighbour of mine at night on the streets smoking. I took inspiration from James Russell Cant to edit my image in this way, as I wanted to create a grainy effect to make it seem as though my neighbour had been captured on CCTV. CCTV is often associated with negative connotations, like crimes, therefore by editing an elderly lady in this manor it would create a confusing conflict in the viewer's mind. I chose to position my neighbour against a brick wall in order to emphasise the fact that she was out on the street to the viewer, in order to solidify the link I wanted to create between her behaviour and that of stereotypical youths. Moreover, I wanted to explore the different ways in which people live their lives, as many would assume elderly people would be in bed at night, or inside at least however by showing my neighbour to be doing an activity against common views I aimed to show the different ways people can live their lives, regardless of age. I chose to edit this image into a circular fashion in order to link my images more to James Russell Cant, who was the inspiration behind my edits. 

The above image is from James Russell Cant's series of images called Haringey, this series of images involved James photographing youths in natural settings, whilst comparing this then to an image which makes them appear as though they are on CCTV. This series of photographs challenges the way individuals look at youths, and their perceptions of what they may do in their spare time. Moreover, this series explores how the same child could take very different pathways in life, either a life of crime or a life of success. The circular shape of the images makes the viewer feel as though they're looking into this child's life, similarly to looking through a key hole. I find Cant's images extremely interesting as they make the viewer think. The circular shape of the image makes the viewer feel as though they're looking into something personal, like they're looking through a key hole, therefore this may create an uneasy feeling in the viewer as they may feel as thought they shouldn't be looking. 

Overall, I believe my image and James Russell Cant's photograph link as I used his series as inspiration therefore my images were aiming to look similar to his initially. We both edited our images into circular shapes; however, I only photographed the individual in the CCTV edit, I didn't photograph the individual in two different scenes. Moreover, another difference between our two series is that my photographs are all of an elderly woman, whereas James' photographs are all of young children, I chose to photograph an elderly lady in order to further challenge the viewer to think about their judgements of how others live, as the viewer wouldn't commonly see an elderly lady out smoking on the streets. My images are slightly clearer than James' photographs, which I prefer as this allows the viewer to see that the subject is an elderly lady which helps portray the main message of my photograph. Another similarity between the two images is that mine and James' images are both taken in the UK, and at night as both our images are dark.