Audience and intention

Whjle t may not be posslble to predict

exact y how af audience wtl respond to a
photograph the p cture mak ng process can
tre influenced by the photoorapher's
connect on to their subject matter and clarity
as to the r intention. Nlany photographers ta k
about ieel ng' and 'gut instinct' as an
essentia part of the I photographic practice;
using these ntuitive mpu ses to respond to
therr env ronment and subject ln re at on to
audience it seems that these so caled
ftuitive responses'are an intrins c part of
v sual langLrage The photographer responds
to the sL"rbject the response creates an
essentia component of the photograph and
that s then conveyed to the aud ence
through the photograph.
One of the greatest chalenges fac ng a student
olo ograol^a ro dr 5 dte io^a rro iragp
JLrst as slncerity, pass on and commitrnent are
v tal to creating photographs that engage an
aud ence; the sincerty of the photographeas
nl-t lor r , I bp u-oo oin ad o/ .l ^
techn cal app cat on.

gE
Title: from'The Bedrooms' Translating it
Photographer Emma O'Brien problem-sol$
n her ser es 'The Bedrooms Emma
O Br en recognizes the person;t . Try to clarify
rterpretat on the aLrd ence s ke y
to bring to thevr'ork. as she exp a ns: sentence o(
'For s ng e peop e the bedroom is . Examine )/0
where we aretrLr y a one.This can
your intentk
be an enloyab e expcr ence or a
one y one. I can be a sanctlary or . lvlake a list r
a pr son dependrng on lhe mood
and d spos i on of the person These
of one phcrtr
mages arm to convey an arnb guolts
nrood and atmospherc, h nting at but
re\"'ea ng very lttle about the s tter.
The v ewer s kely to prolect the r olvn
exper ence nto the phoiograph
 68-69

Translating ideas into images:

problem-solving techniques

. Try to clarify your intention into a simple Cross reference that list with
sentence or several kev phrases. your intention statement.
. Examine your photographs in relation to Consider whether your intention needs
your intention statement or phrases. f uriher clarif ication.

. Make a list of the essential components Consider whether your photographs

of one photograph. need developing to malch your intention,

Chapter ntrodLr.t on Audience and intention Statement of nteft

 :lrtHniion: ::::::: ::i:i:,,t't:,:t,,:,:: ::t:: ::t::
Reflecting upon intention
ln an article fot The Guardian newspaper
in Nlay 2010, British photojournalist Don
llccullin talked to Nicholas Wroe and
described how an experience in the fleld
caused him to refleci upon his motivations
and shift his intention. N/lccullin explajns
that at first his motivations had little to
do with changing perceptions: '1 was
young and enthusiastic and wanted to
take good pictures to show the other
photographers. That, and the profess onal
prlde of convincing an editor that I
was the man to go somewhere, were
the most important things to me.'
It was when he was covering the Biafran
war in 1969 that it occurred to him that
his purpose should be to highlight the
unacceptable through his images:'lt came
to me ln a schoolroom being used as a
hospital, and lsaw 800 children llterally
dropping down dead in front of me. I had
three young children of my own. That
turned me away from the Hollywood
gung-ho lmage of the war photographer.
It converted me into another person.'
,,, , , ,,,, ,,:,:::::,:,, I
ln hjs essay on the work of photographer I
Keith Carter, Bill Wittliff describes a
similar moment of realization when Carter
began to think differently about his way
of communicating photographically: '.. .he
happened to glance up: above him the
branches of a tree were festooned with
tattered wind-blown streamers. To Keith
they looked llke wispy ghosts trylng to take
flight. He instinctively ralsed his camera just
to see what they'd look like isoLated in the
viewfinder and he was instantly struck by
the symbolism. No longer was he seeing the
oojects thenselves. bLI ralher lhe meaning
- the human content - they represented.'
The key point here is that a photograph can
have greater resonance than a mere record
of events. ContempLaie the photograph from
the perspective of the intention and look at
the photograph in a way that examines what
is actually there and how it is presented,
as that is what the audlence wlll see and
respond to. lf we make the statement'lwish
to convey a sense of 'x'in my photograph,
then it can be helpful to clarlfv in words
what'x' is and then examine the photograph
askjng ourselves if each component is
corlrioLling to the co'rveyirg of 'x.
 7C-71

EE
Title: from'Neither'
Photographer: Kate No an
They tel me need ajob,lo be
responsible grow up and be
someone imporiant. Here in Russ a,
at 25 a woman rs supposed io
have afamiy, home good job
eveMhrng sorted out. Somet rnes
stanto beleve them andthen I
meet sorneone norma ke yo! afd
t changes. 1r na, quoted n Kate
No an s projecl Ne ther. 'Neither'
s an exploration nto the hearts of
the new generation of post-sov et
Ka n ngrad Locked ntodreamsol
a future that lheir homeland cannoi
recogn ze orfulfi many Russ ans
are search ng tor lheir dentity wh e
trapped undertheweght of the r
h story and the so ation from both
their rnolherand and the new Errope.
Left n a and that botlr ovelwhelms
and underwhe ms the r des res, they
have itt e ab lly lo know the r fLriure.

Chapter introducl on Audience and intention Slatement of ntent

 Audience and intention

Title: News-standi 32nd Street &

Third Avenue. Nov.19, 1935
Photographer: Beren ce Abbott
n Ahor/lCllrngirg e,r',/ York wrttel
fnr the New Ylrk Pub . L brary |
1996 JLrl:r Van Haaften expla ns the
nlent on beh nd Abbotts NeYr York
photographs: The Neur York !ma!es
are the prodLrcls otofc ari st s
h glr y rnd ! dua vls on and corplex
nrot vai ons Abboit s response to
her ov/n obse ,at cfs abclt the
rapldly chang fg bu t en',,ronmcf t
afd hei aoncepts oi an aPPropr ate
formal'roaabu ary lor photcgraph c
 ,, , 72-74

Underlying passion Elizabeth [/]ccaus and, the art cr tic for

Berenice Abbott was very clear in her the beral l\lassachusetts newspaper fhe
intent on behind 'Chang ng New York', Springf ield Republ tcan, reviewed'Changing
her documentation of New York, made New York'and stated that Abbott's
with a Federa Art Project financia rea istic and objective approach to the
award. Abbott became nteresied in city .. succeeded in creating the spirit of
photograph ng New York n 1929 when, the city.'During an exchange with Abbott
as a portralt photographer, she vis ted after publ cat on of the rev ew, N/coaus and
lhec yafle nFarlyad^cdde 1P"rio expresses her thoughts on Abbott's se f
and saw that the nineteenth century expressed'passionate' approach:'On y
r it) sha I ad o't e r a ed l^on-e wac from passion and faniast c pass on does
becoming a leading metropo is. lnspired any sense of reality in art, or in life, come.'
by modernist European photography, So once again, we can see the n'rportance
Sla wa5 eage lo aPP Y ^er deve oP rg of an under ying pass on and comm tment
visual anguage and creative intentions. to both subject and intention.
ln 1q3q Aooo F,'plailed he' rrFrrio'rs
behind'Changing New York': 'io preserve for
the future an accurate and faithfu chronic e
in photographs of the chang ng aspect of
the wor d's greatest metropo s . a synthesis
whlch shows the skyscraper in relation to
lhe ess co ossal ed fices which preceded
it.. to produce an expressive resu t in whlch
mov ng deta s must colncide w th balance
of design and signif cance of subiect.

'The feeling we experience whl e we ook at a plcture

is not to be distingu shed from ihe picture or from
ourse ves. The fee ng, p cture, and ourse ves are
unlted in one mystery.'
Ren6 Magritte, Belgian surrealist artist

- Chapter introduct on Audience and intention Statemeni of ntent .

As discussed in the prev oLls section,
the photographer's intention is of great
importance and wi I inlorm the flavour of
the photographs. The v eweas bel ef n
the story constructed by the photographer
s nfLuenced by whether they trust
the authentlc ty of the photograph
Authent c ty is a frequent y debated notion
n e alior lo p^o.og'apl ). r 5 mpla
terrns, however, t relaies to whether
the photographer is endeavouring to
corrmun cate as truthfuly as posslble.
Shootback
To ilustrate this point further, let's look at
the photographs f rom'Shootback' and
compare the statement of ntent with the
sty e afd content of the mages. The prolect,
ultimately pub ished as Shootbackr Pholos
by Kids from the Aialrobi S/ums, edited by
Runyon Ha l, Karen Wong and Lana Wong
(1999), nvo ved g ving teenagers from
Varhd fj, One ol ^ d . ldtgo, | ,n .
:r
Nairobi, p astic po nt and shoot cameras
to document thelr dally ives. The wr tten
introductlon to the photographs n the
publication !s c ear and s mple; these
are photographs rnade by the teenagers
accompanied by the r wr tten descript ons
of when afd how they took each p cture
The ep logue, by prolect coord nator Lana
Wong expla ns how she was nspired to
t|- lf6 p o -' ar o de 15 [o1 - ec1.e;, ^"
"
A statement from the Un ted Nat ons
outl nes the rationale behind, and the
lmpact of the project, as do two writings
by sponsor Ford Foundation Presldent
Susan V. Berresford and her South African
col eague [/ary Ann Burr s, who wriies:
'n East Africa we are weL aware of the fact
ihat our co lective lutures rest in the hands
ot our youth . Stor es of mob violence A DS
opdl 5. orug U,-. po tft, d d1d -!oro"t.
insecur ty are everywhere, the stuff of front
page stories about young people in our
region. ALI these are tIUe enough - bLrt the
irnages captured by the Shootback team are
closer to the truth because they aLso depict
the unconquerab e human spir t and our
unquenchable thlrst to express oulse ves.'
A further statement from the lv4athare Youth
Sports Assoc atlon adds to a clear outLlne
of the reasons beh nd and the work ngs
of the project. The book also ncludes a
portra t and briel autob ography for each
one of ihe participat ng teenagers.
 74-75

E
Title:
Photographer Peter Ndo o
Peter says oi h s Shootback
cxperience thank God afd
Shooiback becaLrse lco! d have
been n the street boffo!/ ng money.
snaiahing worneri s bags or sn 1l ng
!t Lre bLt now knoY,, ho,r to take
p ctLrres hov/ to process i m and
abo!l tfre nternet

- Aud ef.e and nteft on Slatement of intent The resoons-" ol thF :irrJ ef.e
 Statement of intent
E
Title: from'Shootback'
Photographer: Said Harn sl
l)nc oTthe ril n qt]a tas ailfe
proicgraphs lrom 'Shnotback s
ttrat thcy were firade by te€fa.oeri
wrc lre n th-a enrr ronment th:ll
t-a! are phoirrofaph no Frorf tNe
persperl./-e of the aLrd en.-.. th s
aLrthorsh p m! res a s-.ns,e of honesty
thataoLr C fot lre af-ipicc ated I ihe
:iamc wa)r I a vst ng phot.graph,a
had na.je the phot.graphs.
The rak ng cf the chotographs
fDrnrs pad ai an,an! rcninc|i an.r
c.mnr!nity prolcct thrt ias r-.a
asl ril pcs t !e eifecis on the \rcs
ol t re tecfagers :rid ta,. r iarn I es
I s an nc Lrs !e afd !a Lre areat ag
prolc.t he S rorlbirck pr.lect
hadabg pa.,of Hams,,/lro
aDrrm-Afts: lly amb t cn I l:e f!t!re
s to b-.comr a
-ocod lourna sL
A clear rationale
Overa , the text accompanying the
Shootback images s giv ng clear
lnlormat of about the maklng of the
mages and rationale. Therefore, as an
aud ence, there s no conceptua mystery
to the photographs, we are clear as to their
funct on and purpose, wh ch means that the
view!fg of the photographs is p aced within
a clear context. The photographs themselves
are a rnixture of b ack and white and colour
and take the v ewer nio the daily lives of the
photographers in a creative and nformative
wav through the comb nation of detai ed
i'rl^ ors. porlrarlr aTd sl aeL sceres:
thereby cover ng a variety of aspects that
make up the photographefs envlronment
and convey a sense of their dally life.
The point to note here is that the
photographs match the opening statement.
To apply this pr nclple to your own work
and to contemplate your photograph from
the perspective of your nteniion, it can
be he pful to ook at your photograph n a
way that examjnes what ls actualLy there
and consider'what?','where?','how? and
'why?'. This personal reflectiof upon your
mage should luminate rnajor aspecis
of the context within and surrounding the
photograph and help you thlnk about how
to deve op effective visual language

Photography, prec sely because it can on y be

prodrced n the present, and becarse t is based on
what exists objectveLy before the carrrera, takes lts
place as the nrost satrsfactory med um for reg ster ng
objectve life in al ils aspects, and from th s comes
ts documental va re lf to th s s added sens b ity
and understandlng and, above a l, a clear orientatron
as to ihe p ace it shorld have n the field of hlstorical
development I believe that the resllt ls something
worthy of a place in socia product on to wh ch we
shorld alcontrbute'
Tina Modotti, 1000 Photo lcors by Anthony Bannon (Foreword)

- ALrd ence and ntent on : Statement of intent The resoonse of the aud ence
 I he response ol tne audrence
ln earlier chapters, we acknowledged the
relevance of social, cultural, geographical
and topical experiences in influencing the
audience's understanding and interpretation
of photographs. Another factor to take
inio consideration is the attitude with
which the audience approaches the
image and how it will then affect them
and their consequent behaviour.
Perception-shifting communication
Britlsh photojournalist Tom Stoddart's
images of the famine ln southern Sudan
-998
i1 a'e a good example o[ i"nages
that had a demonstrable effect on their
audience. ln Repaftage magazine, in
an introduction to the images, Colin
Jacobson wriies of the civilizing influence
of photojournalism on humanity: 'Stoddart's
photographs from Sudan belong to the
tradition of photojournalism which can
change the way we relate to the world.'
Jacobson continues: 'The pictures are
not just visual clich6s, rattled off quickly
to catch a deadline. They persuade us
to respond to the feelings of those who
appear in them. They are the result of
concern, passion and cornmitment, qualities
which saturate the images. Stoddarl is
also a talented visual storyteller. And
that, ultimately, ls what holds our gaze.'
In another Reportage magazine article on
Stoddart's pictures, John Sweeney outlines
the direct financlal result of the publication of
the pictures. He explained that the pictures
first appeared in the UK newspaper lhe
Guardian wilh words by Victoria Brittaln
and accompanied by the telephone hotllne
numiler for N.46decins Sans Froniidres (also
known as Doctors without Borders). The
day the article was published, the charity
received 700 phone calls and 940,000
($63,000) was piedged. The same pictures
then appeared in lhe Guard,ian weekly,
the international edition of the publication,
resulting in more money, including one
single donation of S10,000 ($16,000) from
someone in New Zealand. The photographs
went on to appear in magazines in the
US, Germany, France, Holland, Spain and
across the world, raising awareness and
financial aid for the people of Sudan.
E
Title: A Child C.ies as he is F€d
by an Aid Worker in the Feeding
Centre at Aiiep, Southern Sudan,
During the 1998 Famine. I
I
Photographer: Tom Stoddari
Stoddari's photographs of the famine I
n Sudan ra sed mmensefnancial
ad thai proved, from a f nancial
perspectve at least, thatthe not on
of compasslon fatigue was justihat:
I
i
I
 7A-7g

Compassion fatigue? Defending the pub icatlon of the images,

However, there is an opposing point of v ew John Sweeney observed: 'The success of
regard ng the publication of this kind of Stoddart's p ctures suggests that the dea
imagery. When the Daily Express pub ished of compassion fat gue is a conven ent rnyth
Stoddart's mages, they were heav ly for those who hold po it ca powet. The Daily
criticized by the promlf ent Br tish po ltic an f'p/e s ha rdi"ed e500.000 ($800000).
Clare Short for'harping on about fam ne' think peop e respond magn ficently
Short argued that s tuat ons such as the Readers are not rnorons. Let them decide'
famine in Sudan require po itical so utions
rather than nd vidua donations and that
circulat ng Stoddart's harrowing photographs
would only result in'compass on fatigue'.
n th s context, compassion fatigue is the
idea that v ewers who are bombarded
w th mages and stories of suffering
become cyn cal and unwil ing to he p.

Statement of ntent The response of the audience ntention, nterpretat on and context
:ii::,iiii::i:::'::li;tentio',.1nt.6;1;til",""oi'it;'t
Context is a major component in deliverlng
an intention to an audience for nterpretation.
So far, we have explored the significance
of the photographels sincerity when
communicating photographica ly. ln
addition, we have acknowledged that an
audience can approach a photograph
with a level of suspended djsbelief or a
willingness to engage with a photograph
ard ll'e persond. oel e's aro ideo og eb
it represents. We have also examlned
how various social, cultural, geograph cal
and topical lnf uences can inform an
audience's interpretatlon of a photograph.
When a I these factors are combined, it
becomes clear lhat, whi e photographers can
aim to convey an intentlon or expression, it
is not always possib e to accurately pr-odict
the response of the viewer. However, the
vieweas response can be informed by the
photographer engaging with visual language
in a manner appropriate to their intention.
Clear communication
Context can support the photographer's
intention in both relailng to and
communicating between the subject and
the audience through the photograph. From
the photographer's perspective, when
producing photographs and translating
ldeas into lmages, examining context can
be a useful tool in il uminating whether one
is using visual anguage to cornmunicate
as clearly and appropriately as possible.
Over the following pages, we'll return
to some of the polnts concerning
technjque that we addressed in relation
to subject in Chapter 2, and look at them
in terms of how context can inform an
aud ence's interpretation of an image.
E
Title: from'Life After Zog
and Other Slories'
Photoqrapher: Chiara Tocci
ln the early 1990s, n the south of
Italy, Chiara Tocc wtnessed sirearns
ofAlbanians dock ng on the coasts
of her hometown afterwhat she
describes as 'a brutaland disilusive
lourney. Chiara goes on io expa n,
'Runn ng awayfrorn afuture they
coLldn t hope for towards someth ng
equa ly obscure and comp ex, they
spread al over Europe Theirstores,
lmag ned and presumed, crowned
my thoughtsrwhom did they eave
behind and whatwerethey longing
for? Alteryears thls lasclnaton for
this enigmatc land and its peop,^
became a photographic journey lor
me in remote areas of High Albania.
 80-B.t

Th-! r-a-rpLir'rrc rri tt-. 1Lrd. .r. Intention, interpretation and context C.::.:tL1!
 lntention, interpretalion and context

Composition and image quality Poor image quality

Techn cal image qua lty is a very
significant aspect of v sual anguage.
I\lajor contr buting lactors to technical
[rage quality are camera format, fi m
type and speed, light ng and exposure
t can be enorfirously reward ng to v]s t
exhilr t ons to see the qualty of detall
and exposLrre in a photograph made
Occas onaly a student wi I present a badly
exposed or printed phoiograph and say,
'l th nk t adds to ihe flavour of the image'.
But does it realy? A bad print can look just
lke a bad prlni and is noth ng more than
unpleasant; potent aly detiact ng from and
deva u ng the photographer s ntention.
ln On Being a Pholographer (1997) Dav d

using a large-format camera and we I Hurf exp alnsi The quest on one must ask
metered exposures Th s ls a great
way to develop an appreciat on of the
relevance of techn caL execut on. To
stand in front of a wel -executed pr nt
enab es the viewer to lu Y engage w th
the sLrbject and explore the cofcept.
ll an aspect of the conceptual approach is
to chaL enge techn ca qualty and produce
a techn caly 'incorrect image, then it needs
to be clear that th s is intentiona. A level of
cont nu ty w th a coherent appl cation of the
technica approach s vital n enab jng the
relevance between concept and techn que
to be apprec ated and ufderstood.
or^ .- dl I'dr .d- | g tu al I .-a 1
visual terms as we I as possib e?' n other
words to be ab e 10 communicate the
comm!nicator rnust know h s craft both
technical and organ zat ona Thesearethe
mechanisins that help h m commun cate
clearly The photographer who works so
c umsiy at what he s try ng to say ihat he
cannoi gei it said, however slncere he may
be, s at best stjl an apprentice; at worst l'm
afraid. a lraud.
There are occas ons when cllcumstances
can inadvertent y add greater mean ng to
an image, as ls the case with the mage
shown opposlte. Rollert Capa's ro ls of f lm
were darnaged during process ng and many
observers fee that the damage actua ly adds
to the emot ve power of the survlv ng lrames.

'Robert Capa's conic lnages of the D Day land ngs

cor d be argued to better commuf cate the horror
of war because the negai ves we[e cooked by an
over enthusiastic ab techn c an Capa's plctures, and
those from mob es and v deos, are so far removed
from the s ickness of coniemporary advefijsing that
they seern so mlch more llke Llfe itsef, ln al its fragiliry
Mark Power. 'Between Something and Nothing'
 82-83

G
.*'"

E
Title: France. Normandy. Omaha
Beach- The First Wave of
American Troops Lands at Dawn.
June 6th,1944.
Photographer: Robert Capa
.l 2001 by Corne Capa
Thc fe!ai r:s rrr R.beft aapa s
l.rr1lan.ly ana n!r pl.t.!.iiphs
r-"'erE dr
-.{l 1.,o alLr ak y lr!, ir darkroom
aSs s(9rit anC tfte era-ass rcat caLrsed
the e rrLr 5 on ta re t iinil ruf DIf Lhe
i I l,1a_!'r:|nes we.-- .st ;nd the
)fes Ijral sL]i1,rea ,,,!ere rlamaged
.fc a stoled btrihe )ye h-.a.fg
la,,r'Er,e . I s loss b e ta nt!4rr!.
rhase dafirii!le.r mtgas as b. r!
m.rre e!a|at,,'a !f th,. larrar thcr'
aeD tlra| the\, \.!aLr ,l !e ' tney
'rl
hdil !-.-.n pefei y rturd!cea

The respLr rs.r !f the rud e|.r lntention, interpretation and context Casc stLral
'Pure' photographic depiction
Jurgen Pefthold created a series of
photographs that were shot with a
camera attached to the col ar of his
cai The haphazard technical qua ity and
, o-rposilior of r ^ irdqp' ^^abla / e^o|
to place them n contexl. This is a great
example of the photographefs creat ve
energy going into the n t atlon of ihe
dea, the techn ca deve opment of the
camera, the mp ementat on and editing
of mages but wlth the photographer
belng removed from the actual picture
rnaking tself lf th s case, one cou d say
that the major conceptua thrust of these
rdgp. ,. rl 6 o-a o^d IL - o oL e,
What we take from these images is down
to our interpretation as ihe audience.
However, what we must cons der is how the
broader context of these mages informs
our lnterpreiation. lt ls th s broader context
that not on y informs, but also enables
our nterprelat on. As photography is now EE
so democrat c, with most peop e either Title: f/om'Cat's eye view'
owflfg or having access to a camera, Photographer: Jirgen Perthold
we are fami lar with notions of truth and The cat camera uses a snra .

ghi!,re !tlrt and nexpensile d g ta

realty, compos t on and qua ly not just
as viewers but as makers of lmages. We
may have exper enced a s ight y 'off
composition, an ll lt lmage and so forth
We accept these rnages because they
appear uncontr ved bV the photographer, in
fact we rnay even perce ve them as a 'pure'
photographic dep ct on ol truth and rea lty.
camera espe. aly designed to i x 10
the cat s co ar and p.ografirned to
take a photoqraph every m nute. Wth
a f xod shLrtter spced and no f ash tre
irhotographs are rem n scent oi tl'e
o dfam y sfapshot!r'th occas ona
blurr fg and poor record ng oJ coloLrr
anC .lcta n shadow are:rs
Th! respon.c i'the r!d cn.-; tntention, interpretation and context Cir;-. s. rd,r'
l--
Process and presentation
The way in which an mage is presented
s an important aspect of the context in
whlch t is seen and therefore fterpreted.
S ze, shape and ordering of rnages are ihe
^dr i gooi6lr'-hd-'o'ruou "..i"
of mages to each othei or highlight
relate
the s gnll cance of a s ng e irrl age. We
b-rOo. rgal OO-
"rd ^O--^Cto rd
ater chapter (see page 106), so for now
et s conceftrate on overal presentaiion
Typo ogy sets, oT seT es are a s mp e but
effect ve way of efabl ng the viewer to see
he-mt dt Le-. oo e'_ P A al ,r
group of photographs. Typology is s mply the
study of types Photography can be used
in a cons stent manner to produce a set
of re ated images, as with Jamie S nc a r's
images opposite, and ilumjnate aspects of
either the subject or concept!a approach.
The presentation of the typology group,
such as I a gr d, for example, can be an
ntegra aspect of the inlerpretation and a so
d l6,6. a I '.1 r. I g aOOUI . O\'! \ ^A-
move Jrom one image to another or how to
use or comment upon the exhlbition space.
Clarity of intent
The German art sts Bernd and Hll a Becher
photographed industr al bu ld ngs for more
than 40 years, start ng lf 1959, and made
o o t o d-Lni tF paorogrdph o' /d o .
exampLes of single types ol induslr al
structures. As Nljchael Col jns, wriiing for
w I Tate Magazine, expla nsr 'There is some
simp ic ty in which there is profound w sdom
Such s the art of Bernd and ll la Becher.
The Bechers' purpose has a ways been to
make the clearest possib e photogiaphs
of industr al structures. They are not
r-^a t-d I alIg-.pr -r .o
o
romantlc p ctures glorlfying industry, nor
doom aden speclac es showing ts costs
and dangers. Equaly they have nothing
in common wlth photographers who seek
to make p easing modernist abstract ofs,
treat ng the structures as decorat ve
shapes d vorced from the r funct of'
n the case of the Bechers'tVpologjes, the
concept s lound n the reading of the mages
based on the r high qualty execut on The
Bechers' strove for technlcal excel ence and
the concept is in the eye of the v ewer their
'simpl c ty' of production and de ivery revea s
the'profound w sdom'that Col ins refers to
E
Title: fronr'Constricted Reality'
Photographer: Jamie Sinclair
I these portrats S nc a rdrew Lrpo|
h s fee ngs of a oss of ccnirolover
h s boaly due io asthnra To rel ect
thasc iee ngs S na a r der sed a
method of pholooraph f!l \rh le h s
s!bl,.cts were Lrps de down and
ho d nltthe rbreaih. B! doing so he
was ab e to capt!re tlre nvc untary
respofses of the body.
 --

86-87

Tl-. re1pr' ,i. i:., t1 ..ir rl. (:,: lntention, interpretation and context l-:.i!r !:Lra,r
Process as conceptual rationale E
Ln her series 'Glass', Laura Pannack's process Title: trorn'Glass'
Photographer: Laura Pannack
is lhe concepiJa raLiorale beh.nd tle i'nages.
Pannack placed other photographerc
as she explainsi 'l looked at the relationship
in the pos tlon of sublecl by uslng
between the subiect and photographer and a p ece of glass between them and
decided to let photographers experience the camera and asking them to
closetheir eyes while she made the
the position of the subject. I placed a sheet photoqraphs.
of glass between myself and the subiect
to symbolize the glass of the lens, which is
the only obstacle from actual content. lthen
asked each subject to close their eyes to
ensLre Lhey were ulawa'e wnen I was going
to take the photograph, thereby taking away
any control they may have felt and inflicting
isolation. lt relates to my thoughts on how
people often object to having their portrait
taken and how they react when faced with
the situation. lwanted my subjects to have
no control over the image as I was aware
that, as photographers, their awareness and
involvement would be much more apparent.'
Laura's work is a great example of how the
method itself can give rise to an aspect of the
audience's interpretation and is an essential
lngredient informing the presentation and
interpretation of the photograph.

'A photograph is a subjectiv-^ impresston. lt is what

the photographer sees. No matter how hard we try
to get into the skin, into the feeling ot the subject
or sjtuation, however much we empathize, it is still
what we see that comes out rn the rmages, it is our
reactlon to the subject and ln the end, the whoLe
corpus of our work becomes a portrait of ourselves.'
Marilyn Silverstone, British Magnum photographer
 , 88-89:

The response of the aLrd ence lntention, interpretation and coniext Case study .:"
$ffij: '
ll{l':1r
-ti
:)

s
E

t1 t

E
 90-91

The decav ng Klng A fred e sure centre on love seafront n the south of
England, UK, opened during the 1930s. Having served the publlc for over
seventy years, the slte has been earmarked for redevelopment A Frank Gehry
designed structure, incorporating a sports complex and 754 apa ments,
at an estimated cost of s290 million ($470 million), has been ploposed for
the s te and is look ng ever more ikely to tle approved by the loca council
d!- The new landmark redevelopment, designed by a world famous architect,
will soon erase the memory of the outdated, ex sting lelsure centre
Local photographer Simon Carruthers decided to capture the aimosphere of
the or ginal comp ex, before ii is pelmanently erased flom the landscape and
€
E
people's memories. Using a Bronica ETRS 6xO camera and Kodak VC160 fi m,
Carruthers was able to use only available light in order to capture the qualty

I of light and, through doing so, convey a sense of the atmosphere of the
building. Even n the darker rooms, it from man made overhead ighting, one

I- l can fee the presence of the strong jight reflected from the sea and the flat,
open surround ng space of love seafront. N4ov ng through the bu ld ng from
one k nd of ight source to another, the close prox rniiy of the sea is fe t as
the 1930s bui ding materlals do not seal out the externa environment and the
occaslonal gust of wind or warm summer breeze moves through the corr dors
This qua ity of light and sea alI forrns a large part ol lhe Hove seafront
exper ence, which could be iost n a more modern, air-cond t oned bu lding.

fl
Tille: trom 'The King Alfred'
Photographer: S mon Carruthers
Setting h s ens tolhe smalest
aperlure, Carruthers sense of
prec sLon n h s techn que can
be appreciated bythe detai and
atmosPhele rendered n lhe images

', ntention, nterpretat on and context Case study Exerc ses and slmmary -
 '':
,1:

Aesthetic versus conceptual

Carruthers describes his attraction to the bullding and the
ntent on behind his photographs: 'l was drawn to The K ng
Alfred because, for reasons that I don't fuly understand,
lam inirigued by the process of decay, especially regarding
the man-made. Possib y this has something to do with the
gradual processes of nature reclaiming human terrltory.
I am very aware of waste and the effect our disposable
society has upon the p anet. I think could probably sense
an elemenl of wastefulness in our att tude toward th s old
bu ldlng, which has served the community for so long.
'Nly ideal audience is the general public, as I see my work
as informative. The last thing that I want is that my work
becomes exclusive and is on y understood by peop e
who have studied the Arts. My work ls conceptual it has
to be but only to a point. f only ten per cent of the people
who see it are able to make sense of it, then it has failed.
N,4y alm ls to produce striking inrages to grab the attention

but once I have your attention then it s time for the mean ng
of the work to come through. f the work is noi siriking then
I won't get your attention in the first place and the work has
fai ed. There has to be a balance aesthetic and concept
or meaning. lf the work is purely aesthetic, I have ltile
interest and if the work is ioo conceptual ii can become self-
centred or excluslve and then risks al enating its aud ence.'

E
Title: from 'The King Alfred'
Photographer: Simon Carruthers
The decay ng King Alked eis!re
centre on Hove seafront opened
during ihe 1930s Havng servedthe
pLrb ic for over seventy years, the ste
has nowbeen earmarked for
redeve opment.
 t

,4

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