Unit 57 : Photography & Photographic Practices

Alex O'Neill

NDCMP Y2

Throughout this essay I am going to explain the applications of photography and include examples of such applications. I will also include my planning for my final portfolio and an in depth explanation of what I hope to achieve. The last part of my essay will include my conclusion on how I think I handled the tasks and what I could of done better.

Advertising :

Advertising photography is creating an image which the purpose of will be to sell a product or service. It is a vital part of the advertising industry. Advertising photography is everywhere in everyday life, it may be on a billboard, side of a bus, shop window or a poster. Photography advertisements can be really big and catch the publics attention very easily and then stick in their head. When taking a photograph for an advertisement the company must be very clear about what they are looking for. In the photo below is an advert for Coca-Cola light. The first thing that grabs your attention is the red and black writing. Straight away we know what brand is being advertised. The photo has been edited to a very high standard, the water droplets and image of the drink being poured is describing to the audience that this drink is cool and refreshing. The advert doesn’t use a lot of writing as the picture is captivating enough.

Documentary :

Documentary photography is a style of photography that provides a straightforward and accurate representation of people, places, objects, and events. It is often used in reportage. Documentary photography generally relates to longer term projects with a move complex storyline. A lot of

documentary photographs are taking over a period of time and throughout the years it has decreased in popularity. You would most likely find this application of photography in galleries or online. One recent documentary photographer I found is Radcliffe Roye who presents portraits of African-Americans inside his container exhibit at photovile. In the past few years there have been a lot of uproar over law enforcement agents killing and injuring unarmed African-Americans and in a recent photograph seen below pictures a man with a target around his neck and his hands up in the air, Roye said, "From photographing everyday life in places like South Carolina, Memphis and Mississippi and documenting some of the tumultuous protests from the streets of Ferguson and New York city, I show you the faces of those whose lives are spent in protest."

(When living is a protest)

Photojournalism :

Photojournalism is similar in a way to documentary photography, however rather than documenting photos over a period of time photojournalism captures pictures in current times e.g.. Breaking news. It is distinguished from other branches of photography by complying with a rigid ethical framework which demands that the work be both honest and impartial whilst telling the story in strictly journalist terms. The internet is full of photojournalists some of whom are free lancers although they could work for a news company or magazine. One of my favourite photojournalists is William Daniels. The photo below is a photo that was taken in Paris in November 2015 when Parisians congregated at a makeshift memorial at Place De La Republique to mourn the victims of the terrorist attacks in the French Capital. There is no text in this photograph as Daniels was skilled enough to capture the emotions of the French people through pictures.

Fine Art Photography :

Fine art photography has no universally agreed meaning or definition, rather, it refers to an imprecise category of photographs, created in accordance with the creative vision of the cameraman. The basic idea behind the genre, is that instead of merely capturing a realistic rendition of the subject, the photographer is aiming to produce a more personal impression. A fine art photographer may take a photo simply because something looks nice. they would go somewhere where there are plenty of good views and set up shots and use the camera to create their vision. Unlike most other types of photography, fine art photography doesn’t have to sell a product, or tell a story, it just needs to look good. The photo below is an example of fine art photography. The photo was taking by Irene Suchocki. Like most fine art photographers she has her own blog.

Fashion :

Fashion photography is everywhere in todays world and it is not hard to find. It can be in a magazine, shop window and most commonly seen online. It is used to sell clothing and other cosmetic items. When taking the task of a fashion photographer it is your job to me the photos stand out and illustrate the intended design. All clothing brands have different ways of making their items and this has to be shown in the photos. Some may say that the fashion photography industry lacks artistic integrity and is commercial. A man who proves this theory wrong is Horst Diekegerdes, he is one of the best fashion photographers and produces some of the most creative photographs. He has shot for a number of big brands including, Elle, Numero, Harper's Bazaar, Another Man, Sonia Rykiel, H&M, and Uniqlo. He is known for creating mysterious fairy tale like scenes that can look to have a dark side.

Planning -

Theme- Bogside Murals – Fine Art Photography

For my final project I have chosen to photograph the Bogside murals in Derry. The murals are a huge tourist attraction and visited daily by many people from across the world who are interested in seeing the fantastic art work created by men from their hometown Derry. The murals were all hand painted by 'The Bogside Artists', Tom Kelly, William Kelly and Kevin Hasson. They began working on the murals late 1993. I am going to include some pictures of the murals over recent years and explain how I plan to make my photos different to just simply photographing them. There are currently 12 murals painted by the Bogside Artists all of which have there own meaning and hold a special place in so many of Derry peoples hearts. I have chosen to photograph these murals as they represent the hard times the people of Derry and the Bogside went through back in the 70's and 80's. They represent the courage, bravery and peace. The mean a great deal to me not only for their artistic quality but also the true meaning behind them. I am going to show this through my photos by not just taking a simple full photo of the murals but by taking them at different angles and possibly not taking a full photo of the mural just so I can show the amount of detail put into these pieces of art work. I will be using my own camera for this assignment which is a Nikon D3400 with a 18-55mm lens. I will not need any artificial light as im hoping the weather will be on my side and the sun will be used as my lighting. I'm also not going to be using a tripod which can be risky as it is not guaranteed my hands wont shake but for the type of angles and style I am going for I think it will work, although I will have a tripod with me for a backup. One of the photos I am most excited to take it the one named, 'The Petrol Bomber', it was painted in 1994 and tells a story about the battle of the Bogside in which a young boy is seen wearing a gas mask and holding a petrol bomb to protect himself from the RUC. This is my favourite mural not only because the story behind it is so

sad but mostly because of the detail and how well it has been painted. I have only chosen a few of the many murals and the ones I am considering photographing are, 'The Petrol Bomber' painted in 1994, 'Bernadette' painted in 1996, 'Bloody Sunday' painted in 1997, 'Bloody Sunday Commemoration' painted in 1999, 'Death Of Innocence' painted in 1999, 'Civil Rights' painted in 2004, 'The Runner' painted in 2006 and finally 'Operation Motorman' which was painted in 2001. I will take my photos then present them in a contact sheet. I will also include smaller versions below to include in my conclusion

Conclusion :

(The Runner)

(Death Of Innocence)

(The Free Derry Corner)

(Bloody Sunday)

(Bernadette)

(Operation Motorman)

(Civil Rights)

(Civil Rights)

(The Petrol Bomber)

(Bloody Sunday Commemoration)

Since starting this assignment I feel I have come a long way in regards to my photography skills. Each assignment has helped me learn more and more about the rules and applications of photography and how all this information will help me progress in the future. On my first assignment I had very little idea of how much work goes into producing a well shot photograph and after a few learning curves I feel that my final project on the Bogside Murals has turned out very well. I am mostly happy because I feel like my photos are not only well shot but tell a story of how talented the artists are who painted the murals. At the beginning of my final project I was finding it difficult to decide on theme for my photographs, what helped me decide was looking at different applications of photography and realising that fine art photography was the application that I was most interested in. I looked at different types of fine art photography and decided the murals was the best choice for me as they are a big part of my home town and represent such a historic and inspiring time. Looking at my photos now I can also see things I would change given I had more time, I would go to the artists who painted the murals and possibly get them to stand in front of their work and turn it into a documentary piece to give a little more meaning behind the photos. Two of the photos in my opinion could have been better shot but the one I am most happy with is 'operation motorman'. The angle, lighting and overall result of this photo I feel could not have been shot any better and I feel it really shows the artists intension of depicting how far the British Army went to take back the 'no go areas' of Derry in the 70's. Despite feeling my photos could show a clearer meaning behind them I feel like I have completed this assignment to the best of my ability but there is room for improvement in the future.

Referencing -

http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/378_fashion_photographer

https://www.slideshare.net/ryanbroome11/advertising-photography

"Photojournalism and Documentary Photography" . Harvard.edu .

http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/bogsideartists/murals.htm

http://www.bogsideartists.com