'The grey area' describes a liminal space where meaning and intention are confused , a goal is not achieved and a feeling of uncertainty is suggested. This comes from seeing purpose in ownership and use, for example photo that fulfils criteria for may genres or no genre. These photos may subvert reality or show a change of subject. The production of these photos may also exist within this grey area, using different forms such as a digital photo that is projected and then re-photographed creating two points at which two different photos exist.
Documentary uncertainty
In this current moment documentary photography cannot be trusted both due to the level of technology available and the ruling classes' need to control how leftist and other organisations present themselves and the change they bring about. An example is the doctored images of the Black Lives Matter protests leading some to believe they were antagonists starting riots. This causes photographers to be mindful of their exploitation whether that is exploiting marginalised groups and their fight for equality, or of exploiting the middle classes' need for so-called 'poverty porn' which only further stigmatises the working class experience,. This may cause a personal dilemma in people that exist outside these communities as they have to evaluate their privilege to be able to use photography correctly as an act of protest. The grey area in between fact and fiction can often help people relate to stories as they find them more interesting or they know the feeling rather than knowing the experience . To me, documentary uncertainty means the risk of a documentary photograph and how it may be misinterpreted.
I think this photo is an example of documentary uncertainty as, although this image is not doctored, the context of this image was misrepresented by the far right and used for political gain, leading to a rise in hate crime. This image depicts Nigel Farage in front of a billboard that falsely claims that displaced people from the Middle East and North Africa would be prevented from seeking asylum if Britain left the EU, supposedly helping the British economy. This is not only incorrect due to the laws that protect asylum seekers (and the evidence that shows these people only serve as a benefit to this country), but also the fact that these people are not EU Nationals .
A sequence of photographs
We were asked to take a series of photos that included five of the following subjects.
- A gesture
- a sign
- a note
- looking up
- an empty room
- the view of a worm
- an open book
- a small object shot in shallow focus
i think this series of images went well as I used a varied amount of shape and composition in these images which led to me being more flexible with simple instructions. This also lead to me focusing on light as I often gravitate towards the use of refractions. I used the idea of silhouette but I also tried to challenge myself by using landscape and shallow focus rather than abstract portraits which tends to be my focus .
This is my favourite photo as the use of lines creates an in between of the shadow and the light as the lines break these up into parts. Although simple the image has
This is my favourite photo as I relate it to the 'grey area' as it is a space I am not allowed to fully see or be in, but the reflection that comes off the pipe provides a sense of the space coming back to me as if the photo is of the exact middle. The most interesting thing about this image is the composition as the image is made up of these faded orbs that cut across the image creating glares that seem to swipe across the image. These three ''dots' create negative space making the image seem unbalanced. These refractions of light are then repeated by the reflection on the pipes.
We then arranged these images in any random way that felt right. I chose to focus mainly on the use of negative space in my images, trying to order them in a way that created an uncomfortable amount of space that felt unbalanced as I feel this often exaggerates the composition used.
We were tasked with creating a series of images and having someone tell us a story based on these images. I feel my friend's response was because of the tone of my images as they had high contrast and. were taken in the dark with flash.
Series of images that become a story
"I get the feeling that maybe someone's lost or confused but they have some sense of direction, like anywhere but here, just leaving with no clue where you're going just happy it's some kind of escape." - Moritz
Jack Latham
My series of documentary photographs
We were asked to tell the story of an incident through a series of photos . I decided to focus mine around New Years Eve 2019.
Parliament of Owls
In this image I can see a woman in a Nixon mask standing in a forest. This image is interesting as she seems to be in a liminal stage as she is grounded both in nature as if she has grown there as well as being connected to the objects that give her a purpose. I also think that the background is interesting as there is a lack of space where there typically would be which creates a feeling of her being hidden. However the light that escapes these organic gaps make it feel like she is in control. This image follows the rule of thirds yet the constant change in tone make no space clear or defined which causes the woman to occupy a space rather than input anything into the landscape. This again links to the idea of grounding her becoming a fixture much like the Sphinx next to her.