So our first piece of reflection and wow what a fascinating and challenging start.
In terms of being challenged I find the thing that has challenged me the most is my own viewpoint, although happy to be corrected and cathartic on one level, letting go of a long held assumption has been a (welcome) challenge which I’ll explain.
We have been asked to consider what has surprised us.
Ive always considered a photographic image to be a global proposition without really thinking about it. Growing up when the photographic image is such a ubiquitous thing, as a child through the ever present family camera and albums full of carefully annotated snapshots, the Polaroids, looking at magazines yet I also remember being innocently surprised as a child to discover Japanese tourists in particular were extraordinarily keen photographers, again I find that feeling of surprise being experienced again during the course of the lectures.
Although I knew photography has been immensely popular historically I was surprised to learn that Daguerreotypes were such massed produced items. Their almost jewel like preciousness in appearance always led me to a feeling of incredible scarcity which although true of the image itself being a one off, many many people were commissioning a Daguerreotype portrait which I had no clue about. According to Wikipedia three million a year were being produced in the USA alone by 1853*
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daguerreotype
I always assumed Ansel Adams was more or less responsible for the mythologising of the Western American landscape leading to the creation of the National Parks through his book Sierra Nevada when infact it was William Henry Jacksons images along with geologist Haydens field notes that led to Congress enshrining the acreage into protected status. So even though i’m a photographer I allowed a superficial judgement to become historical fact, a little light research would have disproven this assumption but I was happy to run with the notion as I liked Ansel Adams images and the narrative fits my prejudice.
I want photographs to have the power to effect change so I guess i’m subconsciously being less rigorous in my evidence gathering, a photographic confirmation bias I guess. The image of 9 year old Phan Thi Kim Phuc fleeing naked and burned in a US Napalm attack I liked to assume was contributory to the ending of the war in Vietnam, I’m sure it was but I had no idea there was moving image footage of the scene that held equal if not greater importance.
Image ©1972 Associated Press Nick Ut
So this week Ive learned that even though i’m a practising photographer, well aware of the tricks of the trade, photographic history to a point and therefore in theory a more discerning consumer of imagery I am just as perceptible to confirmation bias as the ‘man on the street’.
Ive enjoyed looking at my peers responses to the remaking Global image assignment, everything from Macro through people photography to cityscapes and Landscape, I feel they all based their responses on images that represent a global view and its interesting to see this concept expressed in so many ways. The Aberfan image still brings a feeling of great sadness to me and I learned of a persecuted Bedouin community in Egypt. The power of photography to educate and provoke emotion is as strong as it ever was.
My re-make is of a Stephen Shore Image, Federal Highway 97 south of Klamath Falls, Oregon, 21 July 1973. Part of the Uncommon Places series pictured below.
Landscape is a universal language, everyone has one on their doorstep albeit specific to their region, everyone recognises a landscape no matter where its taken as being part of the earth even if it isnt in their area or even country. I also think human reaction to the billboard in Shores and my image also speaks universally but will of course say different things depending on the viewpoint or culture of the viewer. as well as a sense of ironic humour I also feel a sense of melancholy at both images. Is Shores image hinting at the development of a new suburban community or maybe leisure complex or maybe one that was planned but abandoned? While I observed the billboard in Switzerland a group of possibly Russian tourists were really quite excited at the prospect of the new chalet buildings whilst I felt sad at imminent loss of the natural vista.
Either way without any text we all knew what the signage meant.
Feature image ©1968 Associated Press Eddie Adams