Photographic Identity

For photographers, this theme of Identity whether it be gender or race is very important. Whoever a photographer takes a picture of, has a story, meaning and purpose for being there. An example of Nicholas Henri, this photo below is of a young rich girl who is lost, posing against a graffiti background. I think this photo is the perfect juxtaposition, because the women looks out of place in the environment that she is in.

Another photographer that focuses on the identity theme is Carlos Alvarez Montero. There series of images are called Scars. I feel like these portrait, show these people personality and lifestyle, with the piercing and tattoo.

Throughout history, there are a lot of famous black people who we look back now as influential, such as Rosa Park, the woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus and was arrested in America during the segregation at that time (1955). This photo of Rosa Parks on a bus demonstrates the point that what was going on in America was not fair.

During segregation in America, black people were not equal to white people. In 1963, Martin Luther King made a speech stating “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.” This speech was very important and changed America. Segregation end in 1964 and now America has its first black president, Barack Obama.

Bibliography

Images

Nicholas Henri -http://www.nicolashenri.ch/#/Portfolio/Fashion/18 - accessed on 25/02/14

Carlos Alvarez Montero, Scars photo shoot -http://500photographers.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/photographer-144-carlos-alvarez-montero.html    accessed on 26/02/14

Rosa Parks –

http://mommynoire.com/59606/13-inspirational-quotes-rosa-parks/ - accessed on 26/02/14

Martin Luther King  photo of the speech - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/martin-luther-kings-eldest-son-2231463  - Accessed 26/02/14

Portrait of Barack Obama -http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Official_portrait_of_Barack_Obama.jpg - accessed 26/02/14

Video of Interview with Ron Corbin, street photographer

Interview with Ron Corbin, street photographer. This is an amazing video. I would recommend that everyone watch it, Ron Corbin's street photography is brilliant.

Click the link below to watch the youtube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiH68MiS1Fw

David Hockney on Sky Arts 1

I was watching TV and was flicking through the channels when I saw David Hockney On Photography. Looking at this programme, I learnt many things; Hockney’s photographic and artistic style. During the show, William Boyd’s comments on Hockney’s style “he’s a painter who has taken a series of images with a camera, and rearranged them on a flat surface.” Most of Hockney’s work are photographic collages, that as a whole image depicts a photo of his subject, the way Hockney sees it. Most of the photo collages are taken using a Polaroid camera. I discovered during the programme that Hockney kept an archive of photos that he had taken in photo albums. Hockney explores the idea of a photo in another photo. An example of this is a photo of sunflowers and his own painted version right next to it, this image is called Photography is dead, long live painting. 

Also Hockney’s art does resemble the cubist art style. My favourite piece of art work is of The Grand Canyon, that was based on the photo collage taken in 1982. Hockney was in the exhibition commenting in this particular piece of work by stating, “Immediately, I had finished it, I actually went to The Grand Canyon, again and my immediate reaction was oh my god everything is closer to you in real life here. That’s what the photography has done, pushed it all back. I mean it’s un photographable actually … It’s a spacial experience.” To produce this Hockney used 64 canvasesfrom 64 view points

.

From this programme you get an essence of the kind of character and deep theological thinker that Hockney is. When he produces his work it’s very purposeful, that every image that he does has a story and meaning to it. Sadly, Hockney did not continue with photography after the programme was shot. On the whole, I found this programme very useful, and would recommend it to everyone. It not only inspired me to take photos it made me think about photography in a much broader way.

Bibliography

Documentary TV show
David Hockney On Photography, 2009, [TV documentary programme] Sky, Sky Arts 1 HD, 4th Feburary 2014

Images
www.artnet.com – accessed on 19/02/14

http://nga.gov.au/hockney/ - accessed on 19/02/14