What do people see/talk about?

"The photographer is an armed version of the solitary walker reconnoitring, stalking cruising the urban inferno, the voyeuristic stroller who discovers the city as a landscape of voluptuous extremes. Adept of the joys of watching, connoisseur of empathy, the flâneur finds the world picturesque." - Susan Sontag, 1977 

Yoshiyuki Okuyama/Japan, The Town You Live In, 2017

• I really find Yoshiyuki's photographs appealing. There is nothing special going on or a statement he's trying to make. But it is that beauty of nature and life that he captures, something that I never really took the time to notice as I am too immersed with my own world.

“I decided I should take pictures of working class people and contribute to the movements. Whatever movements there were Socialism, Communism, whatever was happening. And then I saw pictures of Cartier Bresson, and realized that photography could be an art and that made me ambitious.” – Helen Levitt 

Helen Levitt,
 Kids on Doorway/New York, 1940

Helen Levitt/New York, 1980 

“I never had a ‘project.’ I would go out and shoot, follow my eyes—what they noticed, I tried to capture with my camera, for others to see.” 

• Perhaps disregarding what others think and photograph what catches my eyes would give a different result to my work. There is a moment in time where I should create work that I would proudly show to the public, a story that I would like to tell. 

• In reference to my essay, it made me wonder where would I take my practice? What is it that I would communicate/show people. Is what I am showing important? Ethical? Necessary? Different? Interesting? 

• Question of the day, am I taking photographs/creating art for the sake of it? Or am I making art that will affect, influence and inspire others?

Practical Research - Peer Review Action Plan

Currently investigating - photojournalism and reportage

What I have done so far and feedback

• I've been looking into galleries and exhibition, such as Ai Wei Wei's as well as other photographers' works. It was a good starting point in terms of understanding their content and purpose behind their photographs

• Since I am looking into capturing mundane elements and non-staged photographs, my peers suggested capturing daily occurrences or elements that perhaps people wouldn't generally notice due to busy lives

• Another suggestion was to consider: creating work about photojournalism or 'photo journalising' something.

Next steps

• I would continue with the experimental route of collaging and drawing over the photographs. Perhaps a new form of visual language would arise?

• Actually stepping out of the studio and taking those photographs as well as refining the content of my visual journal. What I would like to convey and how to convey? A final outcome has not been decided, however I do wish to create a zine or either use my visual journal as a collection of my journey/discovery

• Practitioners to look at (suggested by peers) - Martin Parr, Yoshiyuki Okuyama, Garry Winogrand 

Visual Journal - Starting point

Prague, Czech Republic - Vienna, Austria

• I decided to take a disposal camera, which is handy and convenient to carry around during my travels. I wanted to look more into photography and capturing mundane scene and natural occurrences, nothing staged or pose. 

• I enjoy the raw emotion and reaction captured through candid pictures. In terms of the visual journal, I would perhaps create a type of photo album or book filled with people's stories/lives.