Fred Ritchin Questions and Answers
I think this relates to my topic when he discusses that we can't tell what's real or fake anymore in photography terms. Even though I'm not specifically discussing manipulated images, I am talking about how the images can be misleading. I think it was really interesting when Ritchin was thinking about ways in which we can provide images with more context, and he uses the photo of the Vietnam War. The photographer has provided a little statement to go with that image, and the statement itself says that even when a photo hasn't been manipulated, it still only tells half truths.
This talk has made me rethink what I believe to be a truthful image. I used to believe that a truthful image was one that captured the scene and did not change it in any way, but now I'm thinking that truth and context are two sides of the coin. Without both of them, the photograph cannot be 100% true. I'm not sure if I need to adjust my project in any way now considering my new thoughts, but it's definitely something to keep in mind.
Project
I have now taken some photos of the dolls house. It was not the sort of style dolls house that I was picturing, but it might still work.
I need to incorporate the tone of the dolls house into the photo of the girl, because at the moment they are just sitting on top of each other and don't look like they are the same photo. I'm not sure exactly how to do this, so this is something I need to ask Caroline.
At the moment, I don't think my images are telling the story. Yes, I have the model taking a selfie, and I have the dolls house, but this is not enough. What can I do to get across my point?
If I was an outsider looking at my images, I think I would be a bit confused about the point. I would get the idea of social media with the model and the selfie, but I don't know if I would understand the significance of the dolls house.
When I decided to use a dolls house, I was thinking along the terms of showing how everything about these photos is staged - or the terminology I was using - plastic. Maybe it's because the dolls house is wooden that this point isn't as obvious. Perhaps I do need to go out and buy a plastic dolls house for this as the toy library I went to only had wooden ones. Last week I was thinking about making my model look more like a doll, but I'm not sure if that is actually the right way to spread the message. Making her more doll like might actually take away from the message I have managed to project so far.
Feedback
Caroline agrees that the photos are quite there yet, and that it might be time to move away from the dolls house idea as it doesn't seem to be the right direction to continue with. She suggested I take photos where the background is manipulated and we can see what's in frame and what's out of frame. I would have a wellington flat with a person taking a selfie, and behind them in the line of their phones camera would be an assortment of absolutely impossible stuff, such as the mona lisa, unicorns, flash cars, movie stars. This would exaggerate the idea that everyone lives the perfect, idealised life. I could also use lighting to provide a spotlight effect, this could be done in photoshop though.
The camera would need to be on a tripod and I would take one photo without the person and another with them, so that in photoshop I just need to erase the top photo so that they are in it, and in the image without them I can add the background things (See Paul M. Smith).
Research
Last week I researched the two artists Caroline suggested to me (David Levinthal and Laurie Simmons) and now I am heading in to have a look at the feminist art that she also recommended for me.
Kordic, Angie. Heroines of Feminist Photography We Admire. 8 March 2016.
This article was very interesting in the way it discussed Laurie Simmons's doll houses as being feminist works that discussed the stereotypes of young girls forced into housewife positions. I think this is something that I never really considered with the dolls house idea. How can I make these images without telling a story about housewife's?
In my formative presentation, some of the suggestions I received was adding lifestyle and everyday objects to the photo that are often found in the background of Instagram photos. This is a list of some of the objects I have noticed that are widely incorporated to provide that feeling of being 'put together', 'well off' and 'someone who has a good life'.
- dried flowers (often roses)
- flowers in vases
- monochromatic outfits which match their houses
- designer bags
- white or pastel coloured bedsheets
- that one red poodle looking dog that everyone seems to have!
- straw hats, straw bags, straw rugs, straw wall hangings
- nutribullets and other expensive kitchen ware like SMEG
- acai bowls in wooden bowls with fancy spoons
- pot plants
- bleached blonde hair
Straw furniture, pot plants, duo chrome house/furniture, fancy dog breed
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