Review
I write this before I have even concluded all of my research on the below. Whilst I can and I will, to the extent necessary to evidence I have actually undertaken said research, regurgitate the key element of each artist mentioned, I am left with a much more amorphous overriding feeling which I first encountered when first reading about Roland Barthes and his view that all photographs are coded communications. Whilst aware of the power and ramifications of some photographs and the fact that images have been misused or manipulated to tell a pre-scripted certain tale I, with my child like view, had assumed by subconscious default that all photography was taken with the same attitude I had (or thought I had), purely as a method to record the moment.
I am now understanding that many photographs are taken with the same mindset as a director on a film set. A message is to be conveyed and this is how I, the photographer, chose to impart it. Like cinematography this can take many different forms with varying levels of complexity, subtlety and layering. With a film or documentary the viewer is aware that a message or story is being portrayed, they are an active willing participant, depending on their opinion they will either be open or pre-determined closed to the ideas about to be portrayed before the title sequence has even concluded. With a photograph the viewer can be hijacked with a story they do not know is even being imparted.
This project has shown me the power focus has to play in this. With shallow depth of focus the eye is immediately drawn to that which is in focus. The viewer is guaranteed to go there first, they are unable to resist, therefore what that item is, where it is placed and what is out of focus are all powerful tools at the director hands of the photographer.
Deep focus gives the viewer more freedom to explore, the eyes can roam freely, the viewer is not contained. However it offers the ability to tell a more complex story with many detailed elements, in one frame.
Focus is just one element within a photographers toolbox alongside caption, accompanying text, placing and presentation amongst others, however it is one with large influence and impact on the overall work.
I write this before I have even concluded all of my research on the below. Whilst I can and I will, to the extent necessary to evidence I have actually undertaken said research, regurgitate the key element of each artist mentioned, I am left with a much more amorphous overriding feeling which I first encountered when first reading about Roland Barthes and his view that all photographs are coded communications. Whilst aware of the power and ramifications of some photographs and the fact that images have been misused or manipulated to tell a pre-scripted certain tale I, with my child like view, had assumed by subconscious default that all photography was taken with the same attitude I had (or thought I had), purely as a method to record the moment.
I am now understanding that many photographs are taken with the same mindset as a director on a film set. A message is to be conveyed and this is how I, the photographer, chose to impart it. Like cinematography this can take many different forms with varying levels of complexity, subtlety and layering. With a film or documentary the viewer is aware that a message or story is being portrayed, they are an active willing participant, depending on their opinion they will either be open or pre-determined closed to the ideas about to be portrayed before the title sequence has even concluded. With a photograph the viewer can be hijacked with a story they do not know is even being imparted.
This project has shown me the power focus has to play in this. With shallow depth of focus the eye is immediately drawn to that which is in focus. The viewer is guaranteed to go there first, they are unable to resist, therefore what that item is, where it is placed and what is out of focus are all powerful tools at the director hands of the photographer.
Deep focus gives the viewer more freedom to explore, the eyes can roam freely, the viewer is not contained. However it offers the ability to tell a more complex story with many detailed elements, in one frame.
Focus is just one element within a photographers toolbox alongside caption, accompanying text, placing and presentation amongst others, however it is one with large influence and impact on the overall work.
Deep Focus
The Evolution of the Language of Cinema - Andre Bazin
"Thanks to the depth of field, whole scenes are covered in one take, the camera remaining motionless. Dramatic effects for which we had relied on montage were created out of the movements of the actors within a fixed framework."
Jean Renior " The more I learn about my trade the more I incline to direction in depth relative to the screen. The better it works, the less I use the kind of set-up that shows two actors facing the camera, like two well-behaved subjects posing for a still portrait."
"In [Jean Renior's] films the search after composition in depth...based on a respect for the continuity of dramatic space..."
The framing moved from being the best vantage point to view the action, to the setting, the lighting and the camera angle giving an entirely different reading. "Between them, director and cameraman have converted the screen into a dramatic checkerboard, planned down to the last detail."
In The Little Foxes "Objects and characters are related in such a fashion that it is impossible for the spectator to miss the significance of the scene."
"...depth of field is not just a stock in trade of the cameraman...it is a capital gain in the field of direction..."
"...shooting in depth...also affects the relationships of the minds of the spectators to the image, and in consequence it influences the interpretation of the spectacle"
"Depth of focus brings the spectator into a relation with the image closer tot hat which he enjoys with reality."
"It implies, consequently, both a more active mental attitude on the part of the spectator and a more positive contribution on his part to the action in progress...here he is called upon to exercise at least a minimum of personal choice. It is from his attention and his will that the meaning of the image in part derives."
"...depth of focus reintroduced ambiguity into the structure of the image..."
"Thanks to the depth of field, whole scenes are covered in one take, the camera remaining motionless. Dramatic effects for which we had relied on montage were created out of the movements of the actors within a fixed framework."
Jean Renior " The more I learn about my trade the more I incline to direction in depth relative to the screen. The better it works, the less I use the kind of set-up that shows two actors facing the camera, like two well-behaved subjects posing for a still portrait."
"In [Jean Renior's] films the search after composition in depth...based on a respect for the continuity of dramatic space..."
The framing moved from being the best vantage point to view the action, to the setting, the lighting and the camera angle giving an entirely different reading. "Between them, director and cameraman have converted the screen into a dramatic checkerboard, planned down to the last detail."
In The Little Foxes "Objects and characters are related in such a fashion that it is impossible for the spectator to miss the significance of the scene."
"...depth of field is not just a stock in trade of the cameraman...it is a capital gain in the field of direction..."
"...shooting in depth...also affects the relationships of the minds of the spectators to the image, and in consequence it influences the interpretation of the spectacle"
"Depth of focus brings the spectator into a relation with the image closer tot hat which he enjoys with reality."
"It implies, consequently, both a more active mental attitude on the part of the spectator and a more positive contribution on his part to the action in progress...here he is called upon to exercise at least a minimum of personal choice. It is from his attention and his will that the meaning of the image in part derives."
"...depth of focus reintroduced ambiguity into the structure of the image..."
f64 Group
Group f/64 Manifesto
The name of this Group is derived from a diaphragm number of the photographic lens. It signifies to a large extent the qualities of clearness and definition of the photographic image which is an important element in the work of members of this Group.
The chief object of the Group is to present in frequent shows what it considers the best contemporary photography of the West; in addition to the showing of the work of its members, it will include prints from other photographers who evidence tendencies in their work similar to that of the Group. Group f/64 is not pretending to cover the entire of photography or to indicate through its selection of members any deprecating opinion of the photographers who are not included in its shows. There are great number of serious workers in photography whose style and technique does not relate to the metier of the Group.
Group f/64 limits its members and invitational names to those workers who are striving to define photography as an art form by simple and direct presentation through purely photographic methods. The Group will show no work at any time that does not conform to its standards of pure photography. Pure photography is defined as possessing no qualities of technique, composition or idea, derivative of any other art form. The production of the “Pictorialist,” on the other hand, indicates a devotion to principles of art which are directly related to painting and the graphic arts.
The members of Group f/64 believe that photography, as an art form, must develop along lines defined by the actualities and limitations of the photographic medium, and must always remain independent of ideological conventions of art and aesthetics that are reminiscent of a period and culture antedating the growth of the medium itself.
The Group will appreciate information regarding any serious work in photography that has escaped its attention, and is favourable towards establishing itself as a Forum of Modern Photography.
Group f/64 Manifesto
The name of this Group is derived from a diaphragm number of the photographic lens. It signifies to a large extent the qualities of clearness and definition of the photographic image which is an important element in the work of members of this Group.
The chief object of the Group is to present in frequent shows what it considers the best contemporary photography of the West; in addition to the showing of the work of its members, it will include prints from other photographers who evidence tendencies in their work similar to that of the Group. Group f/64 is not pretending to cover the entire of photography or to indicate through its selection of members any deprecating opinion of the photographers who are not included in its shows. There are great number of serious workers in photography whose style and technique does not relate to the metier of the Group.
Group f/64 limits its members and invitational names to those workers who are striving to define photography as an art form by simple and direct presentation through purely photographic methods. The Group will show no work at any time that does not conform to its standards of pure photography. Pure photography is defined as possessing no qualities of technique, composition or idea, derivative of any other art form. The production of the “Pictorialist,” on the other hand, indicates a devotion to principles of art which are directly related to painting and the graphic arts.
The members of Group f/64 believe that photography, as an art form, must develop along lines defined by the actualities and limitations of the photographic medium, and must always remain independent of ideological conventions of art and aesthetics that are reminiscent of a period and culture antedating the growth of the medium itself.
The Group will appreciate information regarding any serious work in photography that has escaped its attention, and is favourable towards establishing itself as a Forum of Modern Photography.
Group f/64 was founded in 1932 by Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Willard van Dyke, John Paul Edwards, Sonya Noskowiak, Henry Swift, and Edward Weston. Preston Holder, Consuelo Kanaga, Alma Lavenson, and Brett Weston were invited as members.
Fay Godwin
She was using her deep focus, in combination with her collaborations to impart a message and direct the argument.
The Guardian - Obituary
"Godwin became increasingly concerned with our connection with the earth and our assaults on it, by the way we mess up our rivers and canals, our shores and embankments"
"She was a pioneer of organic food and farming, distressed by the impact on land and landscape of fertilisers and factory farming, "
"Our Forbidden Land (1990) is an impassioned attack on the destruction of the countryside. The text is strongly argued, and the photographic documentary of what the Ministry of Defence, bad planning, guard dogs, greed and neglect are doing to Britain is eloquent. "
"In Our Forbidden Land she wrote about the dilemma of access to Stonehenge, a site mass marketed by English Heritage which charges substantial sums to everybody, from individual artists to wealthy advertising companies. She foresaw a time when "the only photographs we are likely to see of the inner circles of Stonehenge will be those approved by English Heritage, generally by their anonymous public relations photographers". Our common land would be the copyright of others. "
The Daily Telegraph - Obituary
"Our Forbidden Land (1990) was a polemic for the right to roam, and against pollution and development; she followed it by invading the Duke of Devonshire's land with a group of pro-rambling MPs."
"The poet Simon Armitage wrote an introduction to Landmarks (2001), in which he said of her photographs: "There seems to be a point of view, but never a caption. There is clarity of picture, and confidence of tone, and certainty of mind, but one which resists simple annotation or direct summary"
Warwick Arts Centre
"In her travels through Britain’s wildest terrains, Godwin became increasingly aware of how little of our countryside we are allowed access to. She was appalled by the amount of land held (and unused) by the Ministry of Defence, disturbed by the extensive private estates which prevented the British public from exploring its natural heritage. She was shocked that the National Trust should demand a fee when she photographed landscapes held in trust for the nation. Increasingly radical, she became a central figure in the Ramblers’ Association, taking up its presidency in 1987.
For her next project, Our Forbidden Land, she searched for locations which would illustrate the loss of public access to the British countryside. She photographed notices, crudely scrawled with directives to keep out, land littered with detritus by the MoD, footpaths blocked and rights of way obscured. She abandoned her usual collaboration and wrote the text herself, producing a powerful and impassioned plea for the right to roam. If this new work appealed less to collectors, it could only enhance her reputation with a British public increasingly interested in the natural environment. Our Forbidden Land was published in 1990 and won the first Green Book of the Year award; the Royal Photographic Society organised an exhibition of prints from the project and Godwin became an Honorary Fellow of the Society."
She was using her deep focus, in combination with her collaborations to impart a message and direct the argument.
The Guardian - Obituary
"Godwin became increasingly concerned with our connection with the earth and our assaults on it, by the way we mess up our rivers and canals, our shores and embankments"
"She was a pioneer of organic food and farming, distressed by the impact on land and landscape of fertilisers and factory farming, "
"Our Forbidden Land (1990) is an impassioned attack on the destruction of the countryside. The text is strongly argued, and the photographic documentary of what the Ministry of Defence, bad planning, guard dogs, greed and neglect are doing to Britain is eloquent. "
"In Our Forbidden Land she wrote about the dilemma of access to Stonehenge, a site mass marketed by English Heritage which charges substantial sums to everybody, from individual artists to wealthy advertising companies. She foresaw a time when "the only photographs we are likely to see of the inner circles of Stonehenge will be those approved by English Heritage, generally by their anonymous public relations photographers". Our common land would be the copyright of others. "
The Daily Telegraph - Obituary
"Our Forbidden Land (1990) was a polemic for the right to roam, and against pollution and development; she followed it by invading the Duke of Devonshire's land with a group of pro-rambling MPs."
"The poet Simon Armitage wrote an introduction to Landmarks (2001), in which he said of her photographs: "There seems to be a point of view, but never a caption. There is clarity of picture, and confidence of tone, and certainty of mind, but one which resists simple annotation or direct summary"
Warwick Arts Centre
"In her travels through Britain’s wildest terrains, Godwin became increasingly aware of how little of our countryside we are allowed access to. She was appalled by the amount of land held (and unused) by the Ministry of Defence, disturbed by the extensive private estates which prevented the British public from exploring its natural heritage. She was shocked that the National Trust should demand a fee when she photographed landscapes held in trust for the nation. Increasingly radical, she became a central figure in the Ramblers’ Association, taking up its presidency in 1987.
For her next project, Our Forbidden Land, she searched for locations which would illustrate the loss of public access to the British countryside. She photographed notices, crudely scrawled with directives to keep out, land littered with detritus by the MoD, footpaths blocked and rights of way obscured. She abandoned her usual collaboration and wrote the text herself, producing a powerful and impassioned plea for the right to roam. If this new work appealed less to collectors, it could only enhance her reputation with a British public increasingly interested in the natural environment. Our Forbidden Land was published in 1990 and won the first Green Book of the Year award; the Royal Photographic Society organised an exhibition of prints from the project and Godwin became an Honorary Fellow of the Society."
Shallow Focus
Gianluca Cosci
Panem et Circenses - Bread and Circuses
Wikipedia - the phrase means to generate public approval, not by excellence in public service or public policy, but by diversion, distraction or by satisfying the most immediate or base requirements of a populace — by offering a palliative: for example food (bread) or entertainment (circuses).
Juvenal, who originated the phrase, used it to decry the selfishness of common people and their neglect of wider concerns.The phrase implies a population's erosion or ignorance of civic duty as a priority.
Panem et Circenses - Bread and Circuses
Wikipedia - the phrase means to generate public approval, not by excellence in public service or public policy, but by diversion, distraction or by satisfying the most immediate or base requirements of a populace — by offering a palliative: for example food (bread) or entertainment (circuses).
Juvenal, who originated the phrase, used it to decry the selfishness of common people and their neglect of wider concerns.The phrase implies a population's erosion or ignorance of civic duty as a priority.
Mona Kuhn