PRESENTATION: MARTIN PARR

Martin Parr was born in Epsom,Surrey and decided at the young age of 14 that he wanted to become a documentary photographer. He was mainly influenced by his grandfather George Parr who, at the time was an amateur photographer himself. Geroge used to lend Martin a camera and they would go out together and shoot, then they would come back, process the films and make prints encouraging Martin to become a photographer. Before studying photography at Manchester Polytechnic between 1970 and 1973 he had only seen the work of Bill Brandt and Cartier Bresson as well as copies of Creative Camera magazine,however after his tutor showed him the work of Tony Ray Jones he was completely inspired. During college - he got fed up with learning basic studio techniques and the idea of becoming an assistant, so began creating his own projects and working on them this lead to him having to fight for his working giving him good practice on fighting for what he believed in, and gave him the passion to continue. After completing college, he first worked at for Manchester council for community relations and then began working towards his “Home Sweet Home” exhibition for a gallery in York - at the same time whilst trying to support his freelance photographer career, he took on various teaching assignments before marrying his wife Susan Mitchell in 1980, having a child named Ellen in 1986 and then residing in Bristol - where he still currently lives with his family.

Street Photography Techniques:

• Focus on sets, not individuals
• Make statements about society through your photography
• Be obsessive
• Think outside the box
• It is rare that you take a good photo
• Find the extraordinary in the ordinary
• Get close
• Exaggerate your photos
• Dont get people to smile
• Experiment

Influences:

Parr was influenced by three main people in his work. 

One person to influence Parr was Henri Cartier-Bresson, despite differences between their work, Bressons’ use of saturated colour against Parrs refined monochrome, and capturing a a dull moment in time, versus capturing a decisive moment - however, what they do have in common is that fact that both of them liked taking photographs in England because its occupants played out social roles with a lot of emphasis. HOwever, they encountered a spat when Bresson attended Parr’s exhibition and exclaimed that he was  from a completely different planet than him.”

The major photographer that influenced Parr was Tony Ray-Jones,  he found that he recognised Jones’ unique ability to document English customs and identity. Ray Jones’ also attracted the eye of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London but died a few years later at the age of 30. However, he influenced Parr enough for hi to base a project directly on inspired by him just two years later - the “non-Conformists” which exhibited the non-conformist chapels in rural Yorkshire. The work from this exhibition, alongside the work from Jones’ archive shows clear parallels between the project and the photographs that inspired it. All of the images are in black and white, involving people who are being captured showing little interest in the camera itself. Parr describes Jones’ work as “had that contrast, that seedy eccentricity. but they showed it in a very subtle way, they have an ambiguity, a visual anarchy. They showed me what was possible”.

Books:

One of his books was named "Bad Weather" and it was a look at how British people carried on with their daily lives despite unfavourable weather conditions. Parr saw the weather was and will always be a "national obsession" for people in Britain and for some shots he used an underwater camera and a flashgun.

More examples of his work are in the books "Calberdale Photographs", "Photographs from the West of Ireland" and "Prescot: now and then".

His first colour publication was named "The Last Resort" and released in 1986. It was arguably Parr's best work and it what established his name in Europe. The book was labelled as "A stunning satire of Britain" vs "Cruel and Voyeuristic".

"The cost of living" was released in 1989 and shows photos of Britain after 10 years of Thatcherism, under the rule of Margaret Thatcher. Parr photographed what he called the "comfortable class" or the "new middle class" and again he uses satire to help convey his message.

Another of his books was called "Signs of the Times" and it involved 2000 homeowners volunteering their British . Only 50 homes were chosen and it was more a documentary style of photography showing a wide variety of decors, some of good taste and some of emotion.

One of the more adventurous things that Parr did was called "Boring Postcards" which involved basic images of random objects that were mean't to convey various emotions and be a combination of:

• boring

• strange

• funny

• nostalgic

• compelling

• documentary

• insightful

Finally, his most recent work is "Acropolis Now" which is an online series, and shows a collection of water damaged prints from Parr's original 1991 shoot in Athens, Greece. The "Acropolis" of Athens is the ruins that Parr photographed and is a not particularly unusual, popular tourist attractions. The effect of the water damage creates a fiery, apocalyptic ambience and visual to the images.Overall, Parr's photography makes statements about society and his images are meaningful because of the messages they convey. Also, the opinions he expresses through his work challenge us to look at the world differently.

TEST SHOOT 2 AND LOCATIONS.

So I went out to do another test shoot and decided upon a few locations in which I want to take photos:

• Edinburgh Castle - this is the most well known historical site in Edinburgh and is on the top of a hill therefore exposing good views and a good amount of light
• Legal graffiti wall - one of the only legal graffiti walls in Edinburgh is in the heart of the old town, hidden away down a quiet road
• The Royal Mile - the main street in Edinburgh's 'Old Town', it has the castle at one end, and the modern parliament building at the other, but I want to photograph among the cobbled streets
• The Cowgate - their is a place called the "Bongo Club" down in Cowgate, it is again underneath the old town and there is artwork paint on the door of the club

I went with my subject to take some photographs around these area's just to test the lighting and composition of the shots that I wanted:

CAMERA LUCIDA

"What the Photograph reproduces to infinity has occurred only once: the photograph mechanically repeats what could never be repeated existentially" --Roland Barthes

One of our reading tasks was the short book "Camera Lucida" by Roland Barthes who was a French theorist and philosopher. She wrote the book in 1979, with the intention for it to be a reflection on photography, despite not being a photographer herself.

The book discusses a lot about the ideas of stadium and punctum. However, another key idea was the object of three practices (or emotions or intentions) . Barthes states the three practices as:

• to do: the operator or photographer
• to look: the spectator or us as viewers
• to undergo: the spectrum or subject/target

Overall, the book gives a good definition of photography shows good examples, and Roland does give some interesting points, however the book was criticised a lot due to the fact that he was never a photographer himself.

ROBERT FRANK.

Robert Frank is a photographer and film-maker. He is is known for his unconventional tactics and was unappreciated at first however people did then start to like him. He lived in Switzerland originally but was affected by Nazism in WWII and as a result of that it affected his view of the government and turned to photography. He started as a commercial photographer but then moved to NYC to become a fashion photographer. He made films such as "Pull My Daisy" and did a documentary about the Rolling Stones. His key book is "The Americans" where he took photos to help people feel and smell the place. He took 28,000 photos over 2 years and only chose 83 of them for the book.

It can be said that Robert Frank “kicked open the cultural door” when it came to his work and he has influenced  almost any photographer, documentarian and photojournalist born and working in the 1950’s. Throughout his career he chose to mentor various people and from that has influenced upon their work. Jerry de Wilde; was showing his work to Frank was offered guidance from him, he said “these a pretty pictures but what are they about” telling de Wilde to “go out and shoot people” which is exactly what he went on to do. He created a lot of work in the 1960’s taking various celebrity photos and black and white shots and has since then passed on the knowledge to his daughter. There was also Allen Ginsberg - whose work is extremely similar to Franks, he spent his lifetime taking B&W photographs of his friends - including a portrait of Robert Frank. His technique was to point his camera randomly at the counterculture around him to create this unique visual record of his friends which he then placed into his book “photographs" - which was actually designed by Frank and included a lot of insight into the “Beat” movement - that Frank was heavily involved in.

Franks work can be directly linked to his close friend Diane Arbus - they both held high interests in the street photography of strangers. Where Frank liked to capture people off guard, usually unknown that they are being photographed, Arbus’ shots were positioned - with the subject being in an unusual environment so that all their insecurities are lade bare with nothing hidden.  Through his “The Americans” photos Frank wanted to portray the optimism of the 1900’s, the realities of class and also the raciall differences whilst including the portrayal of the bleakness and loneliness of America. Likewise, Arbus wanted to keep the realistic nature in her photos, but mix it up with expressive possibilities and position her subjects in a way that creates tension. However, Frank uses unusual focus, low lighting against the gloss of the culture and wealth to cover up the tension in his photos, unlike arbus who exposes the tension and emotions in her photos. For example looking at Arbus’ photo “young couple on a bench in Washington Square Park, NYC, 1965” there is a striking resemblance to Franks image from “The Americans” of a young couple also sitting on a bench. Both images do heighten a feeling of tension but as Arbus’ subject is looking directly at the camera it is more obvious.

Another person influenced by Frank is Saul Leiter - he also does black and white street photography but focusses it in the area of New York. He was actually friends with both Arbus and Frank - being influenced by Frank’s use of out of focussed images and he also emphasises the fact that his subjects are unaware that they are being photographed. Like Frank, he took photos for pleasure and only released black and white photos. However, some of his best work is actually in colour but he hid these images - presumably to be more like those of Arbus and Frank.

Overall, his work challenged traditional styles and was shot directly through his eyes and not other peoples.

FINAL PROJECT CHANGES AND TEST SHOOT.

After presenting my project idea to the class, my tutor gave me some feedback concerning my ideas. She thought it was a good idea mixing the old and young, however thought that it was too broad of an idea and that I should focus on the ideas that I am most passionate about such as the tartan aspect and the graffiti and art.
I also went home to Edinburgh to take some test shots of possible locations and ideas that I had: I went into the old town of Edinburgh because this is definitely where I want to base my shots, I want to look at the young people around that area and the artwork, influence and individuality there - as it is also the central area for student accommodation.

FLASH GUN PHOTOGRAPHY.

Flash Gun photography can be seen in various photographers work, such as: Garry Winogrand, Sophie Calle, Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin, Julia Fuller-Batten and Martin Parr. Some examples of flash guns used in their works are as follows:

The TTL system means "Through The Lens" and it is used in most cameras - the TTL flash measures a "pre-flash" in order to see how much power is needed in the actual flash for the shot. You have to take into account the Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO when using flash.

In class we had a go at flash photography in the darkness of the classroom and I have posted some images that I took:

FINAL PROJECT PITCH.

50 WORD OUTLINE: I want to create a contrast of "old youth" - being a young person in an old city, emphasising the beauty and history of the city and culture whilst highlighting this viewpoint from a young person's identity (eyes) using vibrant colours and lights seen within the popular culture of today.

The theme is have chosen for my photography project is “Old Youth”. when I was ten I moved from London to Edinburgh with my family. Being a teenager growing up in an extremely old city gave me the inspiration for the theme of my project. Edinburgh is full of associations with the past and the majority of buildings are historical - for example Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. Both Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns are listed as world heritage sites of specific cultural significance, which leads me on to my project. 

The brief was to produce photographs that investigate ideas of representation and identity in relation to my cultural position in society. Personally, I see my cultural position as a Scottish teenager -and through this idea I want to contrast the aspects of being young and the popular culture that affects most youths, including me and that I am particularly interested in; music, art, drinking, fashion and also something that is completely relevant to being a scottish teenager - Scotland’s independece with the historical city and the older aspects of Scottish culture.  Originially being a Londoner in Edinburgh it was all about adapting to  the sense of “Scottish Pride” - there is an overwhelming amount of love for scotland within the people of edinburgh and within my photo’s I want to emphasise the beauty of the city and it’s ancient history, whislt also mixing this and emphasising the viewpoint from a young person’s eyes creating the juxtaposition of the old and new being able to co-operate and live together in harmony.

In terms of the photographs I plan on taking, through my research I have developed a brief outline of my ideas;

Potter Row: potter row is deep in the heart of the city, surrounded by the old university buildings and it sits just next to edinburgh’s old town. It holds one of edinburgh’s only legal graffiti walls which is covered and changes practically daily with new artwork appearing. My idea for an image wants to contrast the passion young people have for art, with the old style and brick work of the city. I plan on taking an image of people walking along against the wall, with the older buildings in the background, I want to adjust the motion in the picture by slowing the shutter speed down. 

Parliament: Edinburgh’s parliament is at the centre of global news recently with the debate on Scottish Indepence. The building itself was built by Enric Miralles who actually died during the building process, it’s construction (which took 5 years when it was only mean’t to take two) and architecture came under a lot of controversy from the media. It cost 414 million pounds and aimed to achieve a poetic union between the scottish landscape, the people , the culture and the city of edinburgh - resulting in leaf shaped motifs on the roof around the building. Linking this to my theme, i want to take an image that incorporates this completely ultra-modern building against it’s backdrop of the old town in Edinburgh - it is also extremely relevant to my personal culture as for the first time 16-18 year olds are able to vote concerning independence - a huge priority to Alex Salmond therefore giving them a huge amount of power to change the future of Scotland.

St Andrews Square: St Andrews Square was one of the first constructions of Edinburgh’s new town in 1772 - not very new anymore! It stands at the top of George Street and over the years has become one of the most desirable and fashionable commercial areas. Recently, artist Bruce Monro installed his “Field of Light” exhibition around the statue - it creates the perfect mix of olden day Scotland with the “Melville Monument” in memory of Henry Dundas the “Uncrowned King of Scotland” being surrounded by this urban landscape of lights in various pathways and shapes.

Tartan: A huge piece of Scottish heritage is Tartan. Originally each family (clan) was associated with a different colour of tartan in the 19th century. There are around 5000 different types of tartan and it wasn’t until the 1970’s through the introduction of punk music that it became a fashion icon. Since then, every year designers bring out punk-inspired tartan clothes and young people everywhere are seen with tartan scarves, trousers and shirts. The ancient tartans - a huge element of scotland was brought up to date in the fashion industry, linking to my idea of popular culture and something that I am extremely interested in - owning three tartan scarves myself. The image I wish to create is of a young person, wearing a symbolic scarf on the old, cobbled streets of edinburgh to emphasise how this tradition and culture has passed on through the generations.

Bars: another huge aspect of today’s youth is partying - a large portion of university life is spent socialising and going out to drink with friends. With this idea of drinking and partying being a part of today’s youths popular culture edinburgh is full of bars and clubs in old locations. One bar “the standing order” is located on the land of a Grade A, listed building which used to be an old bank on edinburgh’s george street. This links to the idea of old youth as before it used be a place of sorting out finances on one of the wealthiest streets - the pub still includes an old vault inside whereas it is now a place where all the young people go for the cheapest drinks before a night out. My idea for an image is youths standing outside smoking against the stone walls or a group of youths inside all dressed up against the backdrop of old bookcases or the vault.

Music: Music is another necessity to my culture, and also the popular culture of most young people today. An important factor of edinburgh’s nightlife is the bars and clubs that are situated in what used to be the vaults of edinburgh’s underground city. Music venue “The Caves”, which when first evacuated found terracotta floor titles, a fireplace and a well within the building, and the majority of the vaults are used during the month of August during the Festival Fringe to showcase upcoming artists and performers in up to 60 shows a day. My idea for a photograph is for a shot inside of the venue, emphasising the arches and confined spaces of “the caves” during a night of music and young people dancing the night away.

For my inspiration - I don’t have a particular photographer in mind, however I am definitely influenced my urban street art photographers as I feel as though they are able to capture the youthful atmosphere and emphasise being young through the colours and effects on the images. On the other hand I am also inspired by older fashion photographers such as Terry O’Neill and David Bailey as I feel as though they are able to successfully add a hint of glamour to their photos and set up their objects perfectly for example this rolling stones photo I think links in with my theme, you have a new up and coming band who end up becoming one of the most famous bands in the world - against what looks like an old background.

In terms of test shooting for my project, I am travelling to Edinburgh next week in order to take some shots and create my overall vision of youth culture in an ancient environment.

I have posted the link below to take you to my "Prezi" powerpoint that I made alongside this pitch - it includes images and more information about my final project.

http://prezi.com/dfamvuf_nlux/present/?auth_key=8s514rx&follow=vtilmzi4m5jq&kw=present-dfamvuf_nlux&rc=ref-57843353