Collecting – Point of Connection

The nine images in this set, are presented as panes of glass in a window, which represents the ‘point of connection’ between the subject and the photographer. 

They can be viewed in full by clicking on one of the images or viewed with annotations here

Introduction:

The brief for this assignment was to:

Create a series of between six and ten photographs from one of the following options, or a subject of your own choosing:
• Crowds
• Views
• Heads
Use the exercises from Part Two as a starting point to test out combinations of focal length, aperture and viewpoint for the set. Decide upon a single format, either vertical or horizontal. You should keep to the same combination throughout to lend  coherence to the series.

 

The thinking process and research for this assignment was complex.   A few ideas swirling around have come together to create this ‘Point of Connection’ series.

Firslty, there was the assignment brief; which, although interesting didn’t really inspire me. Following the direction of ‘heads’ led more to environmental portraits of people in their locations rather than head shots.

Secondly – whilst researching photographers as part of the course, I was drawn to the work by Brazilian photographer, Mona Kuhn who’s images focused on nudes shot through windows.  This gave an interesting perspective to seeing a person in their own surroundings, but also being able to see a 360 degree view by seeing the reflection of the outside on the windows.

This image by her is one which particularly demonstrates the idea.

The Third element of my thinking came from a quote by photographer Susan Meiselas, which I saw on another students learning log and which resonated with me:

 The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong. It gives me both a point of connection and a point of separation.   – Susan Meiselas

 

With these ideas being churned into a cohesive concept, I took some test shots.  This image, whilst not aesthetically pleasing, provided another element to my thinking. That of the person being partly obscured.  I like the idea of only glimpsing part of the person. In essence they are seen, but not seen. 

I decided on a concept of ‘Point of Connection’.  The idea that the camera can capture a momentary glimpse of a person’s life, but whilst they are seen, they are not seen.  May be a analogy about people never really showing the outside world all of themselves and the fact that as the photographer we have created a point of connection with that person.

At first it felt a bit ‘voyeuristic’ but I thought that is what photographers do, they watch others!! and it’s something we all do everyday, as we pass people in the street or drive past their house. Perhaps the idea of ‘the glimpse’ was about maintaining the element of privacy? The viewer of the image will never see the full view so will never have the same connection as the photographer!

learning log entries showing thinking and concepts:

• Collecting – research
• Collecting – initial thoughts
• Collecting – contact sheets

Technical approach and evaluation

The images were shot in RAW with a Nikon D810 dslr camera with two different lenses. The first, a 24-70 mm, f/2.8 lens was used mostly at 70 mm with a wide aperture to enable  the subject to be separated either from the foreground or background.

For the last set of images, I used an 85 mm, 1.8 prime lens. which was chosen because I was shooting at night and wanted the extra aperture and focal length.  The lens is also relatively small so didn’t draw attention. If I’d used the dx function, I might have got more focal length, a point to remember for next time.

Most of the images were taken at night with big contrasts between the highlights and shadows, so I am pleased that I was able to retain detail in both.  I found the easiest way to control the lighting was to use auto ISO up to 4000. The low lighting has given a slightly grainy quality to the images which I think enhances them in this instance.

I did consider colour grading the images to bring them together as a set, however, I found that in most cases the warm yellow light of the insides of the buildings were very similar and gave a cohesion to the collection, so only minimal editing of shadows and highlights was required.

Reflection

The biggest learning point for me doing this assignment was how my whole approach to making these images was so different to what I’ve done before. Rather than finding an interesting place, and then waiting for something attention grabbing to happen, I had a worked up plan for exactly what I wanted to capture.  This made me more focused on achieving my goals, and ultimately more satisfied with what I captured.

I have set up photo shoots before, scouted locations, and brought together people and props, but this felt quite different as I didn’t know what I was going to get, but I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve. I liked the excitement of not knowing exactly what the set would look like.

Overall I am very pleased with the final images., I feel that this concept might be one that could be built on. It would be interesting to investigate how this theme would work at a different time of year and how the feel might change, if they were ‘set up’ images.

I have tried to use a variety of styles in this set, ranging from wide-angle, sharp focus to a longer focal length and wider aperture.  I wanted each image to be interesting and tell its own story as well as working as part of the set, and I believe I have done that.

by Debra Flynn, Dec 2017