Summary

A slow start to this module as I was away in the Netherlands and also have a lot of background things to deal with, so there’s been a bit of chasing up to do to get up to speed.

For the first topic, everyone wrote 150-ish words for a getting-to-know-you / getting-up-to-speed for the discussions forum. I quickly summarised what I’d done in the previous two modules and my vague as-yet-to-be-defined aims for this one before I left for NL, then fleshed it out a bit more when I got back.

121 with Georgia M

First 121 with new tutor Georgia in which we quickly went through my aims. We both agreed that using the previous module idea of home and collaborative portraiture was a good springboard for this module but to now use that as a basis to see what other threads I can follow using the method of portraiture as a starter.

• I need to define my parameters of collaborative portraiture before I get stuck into the project.
• Look at how I can move on from the previous module work and not repeat myself and define a direction.
• Keep up to date with the essential reading list and revisit Susan Sontag again looking at the power dynamic with photographers and subject – compare and contrast with my practice (also worth revisiting Susie Linfield too). Once I’ve done that I will also look at Allan Sekula in a few weeks time.
• She also mentioned looking at people like August Sander (who I’ve looked at briefly before).
• Echoing Michelle’s comments from the last module summary – look more at performance and poses

Some suggested links: 

• The recent London Art Fair Photo50 art show had a lot of photographers whose work related to different aspects of the home theme
• lensculture Phillip Prodger interview on portraiture which I’ve looked at before for my previous module Critical Report.

Portraits

No photo work yet as I am still working on my aims (unless you count the baby’s birthday party I took pics of last week).

Performance reference: Stephen Shore worked with performance coach Amos Grunberg in the 80’s who taught him the importance of focus.

Critical report

Too early to get started about this yet but I’ll be looking at previous related notes from the last year. There’s also an optional video presentation at Week 8 which this will feed into so worth bearing in mind during the writing of this and the CRJ diary. 

To do

• As above, much planning and sketching before shooting.

Upcoming

• Nothing much yet apart from discussions for some portraits with people I didn’t or couldn’t get round to last time.
• Some more library visits. Leeds Art Gallery library didn’t have much breadth to it when I went a few weeks ago. Hopefully visiting the Baltic Museum in Newcastle in a few weeks and York St John’s is a reliable standby resource. 

Reading

BARRETT, Terry. 2012. Criticizing Photographs: an Introduction to Understanding Images. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

BRAMSTON, David. 2008. Idea Searching. Lausanne: AVA Academia.

HARRIS, Melissa, Michael FAMIGHETTI. (ed.) 2018. Aperture Conversations: 1985 to the Present. New York: Aperture.

JURGENSON, Nathan. 2019. The Social Photo on Photography and Social Media. London: Verso.

MARIEN, Mary Warner. 2021. Photography: A Cultural History. 5th ed. London: Laurence King.

PRODGER, Phillip. 2022. ‘Looking Sharp: Stephen Shore’s Memoir of Sorts Encourages Us Always to Be Alert’. Apollo 195(708), 110–.

READ, Shirley and Mike SIMMONS. 2017. Photographers and Research: the Role of Research in Contemporary Photographic Practice. New York: Routledge.

SHORE, Stephen. 2022. Modern Instances: The Craft Of Photography. Mack Books.

SOTH, Alec. 2016. Hypnagogia. 2nd edn. Dublin: The Douglas Hyde Gallery.

SOTH, Alec. 2022. Gathered Leaves Annotated. Mack Books.

STRECKER, Alexander. ca. 2017. ‘Fleeting Truths: Thoughts on Portrait Photography.’ lensculture [online]. Available at: https://www.lensculture.com/articles/national-portrait-gallery-fleeting-truths-thoughts-on-portrait-photography [accessed 30 January 2023].