Research- Art Photography Now by Susan Bright

Over the past couple of days I have been looking at the book Art Photography now by Susan Bright. The book holds sections on different genres of photography including narrative. This proved very useful into gaining some initial inspiration on this particular genre. I have noted some useful information that has helped me so far-

• "the term 'narrative' suggests a story and therefore movement"
• "Narrative photography demands time from the viewer, peeling off the layers to get to the next installment which might fill in the blanks."
• Tableau Vivant Narrative- Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron who turned to literature and poems as inspiration and photographically reenacted them. 

Susan Bright on Gregory Crewdson

In the briefing Gregory Crewdson was mentioned as a reference point we may want to look into. Whilst looking at this book I came across this photographer and information into his inspirations. Gregory Crewdson an American artist likes to "expose the fantasies and anxieties of those living" in the communities he captures. In Crewdsons' interview in Susan Brights book he mentions he looks to seek the "mysterious" and find the "terrible within everyday life". He is interested in telling a story, in narrative and the limitations of photographs. From looking at his photographs we know he is pushing these limitations by creating the mysterious.Like many narrative photographers he is influenced by film which is noticeable when looking at his use of production techniques. Crewdson works with a production crew of sixty people who hold a film background.

 

The use of almost alien- like light in a few of his photographs creates a surreal atmosphere. The light in this particular photographs creates direction directing the viewer to look further into his scene. 

 

The use of pale blues in his compositions also creates an idea of the surreal. The set ups he creates are constructed through long periods of planning which is clear in his compositions and communities he captures. 

 

 The success of his images also relies upon being able to interact with the communities he works with and photographs. This interaction he forms reminds me of the quote by Robert Capa, " If your pictures aren't good enough your not close enough". This quote was mentioned during the briefing and suggests that getting involved with your subject makes your photographs more successful.

 

Different Types of Narrative

During the briefing we discussed different types of narrative, some of these I was familiar with and some not. I have done some research into these as it may prove helpful when establishing my own narrative.

Tableau/ Tableau Vivant

These are often captured in a single image. In these types of narratives people take on persona's to display a desired narrative. Tableau Vivant translated means “living picture”.  I have come across Tableau vivant in the past when looking at the early years of photography. 

Linear Narrative

These narratives (which I will doing in one of the assignments) are in chronological order, so therefore have a beginning, middle and end, these types of narratives are often found in books.

Non Linear Narrative

This is when the information the audience receives is controlled by its creator. For example scenes could rewind, go forward or be paused.

Open Structure

An open structure is when the audience is left wondering what happens next and often they make sense of it themselves.

Closed Structure

This is when the narrative has a definite ending/ clear conclusion.       

There are many examples of these types of narratives, many of them in films. I have made a list of some examples given to us in the briefing and will watch a couple of these for inspiration in the next few weeks. 

Introduction to Module

Hi there, in this blog I will be looking into visual narrative for the module “Areas of Photo Practice A”. I will be recording my thoughts, experiments and research on any assignments given in the next few weeks. In this module I will need to consider the following factors closely in order to create interesting visual narratives:-

• Audience
•  Purpose
• Context
• Visual Perception
• Representation
• Interpretation
• Inclusion/ Exclusion
• Anticipation
• Cohesion

During the briefing we looked at some key photographers who have captured visual narratives, I will look at a few of these in the next few days. These will give me some ideas and will help me understand what creates a good visual narrative.

During the initial briefing we were given two assignments, one in which we will explore a linear narrative and the other we are to undertake a circular narrative.

In the circular narrative assignment we are to create a series of images which start and end at the photograph given to us at the briefing, we will need to create photographs that seamlessly fit in with this photograph and create a story that should captivate the audience we target.

The linear narrative will be similar to a photographic form of “Chinese whispers”, where one person (the person on the top of the list given) will choose a photograph either taken themselves or from the internet and pass it on to the next person on the list via email. The person who is then emailed this first photograph has to create their own photograph (or again an image from the internet) which should carry on a story/ narrative sequence. It will again be passed on to the next person on the list. The result from this passing on of photographs will be one linear narrative in which a viewer should be able to establish a narrative cohesion.