OCA BA (HONS) PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE

Exercise 1: Select a Broad Them

Select a broad theme as your individual starting point and research how it is expressed photographically through different genres by different practitioners.

Some examples of broad themes include (but are not limited to):

  • The Body
  • Identity
  • Friendship
  • Systems
  • Home
  • Environment
  • Anthropocene
  • Power
  • The Gaze
  • Materiality
  • Otherness
  • Time
  • Family

You can choose one of these, a variation, or something else. Assignment 3 is designed to help by making connections within your analysis.
Resources to Explore
To support your work on this course you will need to navigate to the Source Texts and Case Studies and begin there; with the range of documents, Padlet spaces, case studies and recordings to engage with. You will need to continue to dip into these resources throughout the unit and they can be accessed or revisited at any time. In each resource there will be questions to consider, artist examples to spark wider research and reflections on practice.

The theme I have chosen is Identity.

  • In photography, identity is a multifaceted theme that transcends many genres.
  • Identity can be about people, places, and things- each can influence the other to determine Identity.
  • Photographers question, and articulate the complexities of identity, often challenging and pushing the boundaries of different genres to do so.

 

Key genres that investigate identity include:

Portraiture

  • Early Portraiture borrowed from and was heavily influenced by classical painting
  • That soon changed as photographers began to experiment
  • Portraiture soon became ‘democratised’ (mass market) as advances in photographic development and cameras improved and accelerated
  • Some practitioners explore the elusive essence (or inner world) of an individual while others push the boundaries and take a more experimental approach
  • Formal portraits often involve posed subjects with controlled settings, while candid portraits capture subjects in natural, unposed moments,- each offers different insights and emotional impacts.
  • Inclusivity & Diversity: Some photographers exploring marginalized groups and a broader range of body types, ethnicities, genders, and ages.
  • Colonial gaze: photographic practices and images have historically reflected and reinforced colonial attitudes, stereotypes, and power dynamics see https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/magazine/when-the-camera-was-a-weapon-of-imperialism-and-when-it-still-is.html
  • Male gaze the way visual culture reflects and reinforces patriarchal perspectives and world view
  • Some photographers don’t include people in their work, focusing instead on objects and things

Cindy Sherman
Sherman is renowned for her self-portraits in which she assumes various identities, questioning the constructs of gender, identity, and social roles. Her work often blurs the line between reality and representation, making the viewer question the authenticity of identity.

Shirin Neshat
Neshat explores the intersection of gender, religion, and cultural identity, particularly in the context of Iranian society. Her work often combines photography with text to explore the complex identities of women in Islamic culture.

 
Landscape

  • Historically landscape (especailly painting) has had a lasting impact on our expectaion of a landscape image (or painting) but over time landscape has evolved significantly over time, and its exploration of identity has become a prominent theme.</>
  • Thinking of landscape as a noun, adjective and a verb opens up broader avenues of exploration-we can explore identity through ‘social’, ‘inner’, ‘cultural’.
  • Landscape photographers explore identity through personal, cultural, and social aspects of identity.
  • Places influence people and people influence places.
  • Places have identities

Judy Chicago
Known for her work in feminist art, Chicago’s landscapes often incorporate elements of personal and cultural significance, exploring themes of gender, identity, and place.

Alishia Farnan ‘social Landscapes’ is a series that documents the interiors of working men’s clubs in the west of Scotland. She focuses on the broader context of social landscapes and spaces, which have historically served as gathering places for communities tied to industries like coal and steel. These clubs hosted significant life events such as weddings, funerals, and community meetings, but as industries declined and social habits changed, many of these venues have fallen into disrepair or closed down.

Documentary
Documentary photography explores identity by capturing real-life environments, social contexts, and personal narratives. Through this genre, photographers highlight how cultural, social, and historical factors shape individual and collective identities. The genre allows for the visual exploration of personal stories, community life, and societal structures, offering insight into how identity is constructed, preserved, and transformed.
Personal Identity

Documenting personal experiences and self-identity, often through intimate and introspective projects that reveal the photographer’s own life or the lives of individuals within a specific context.

Nan Goldin
Known for her raw and personal documentation of her own life and her friends in the series “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency,” Goldin’s work explores themes of identity, relationships, and personal struggle.

Tina Barney
Her series “The Families” captures the lives of her affluent friends and family in intimate, staged scenarios, exploring themes of identity, social class, and personal relationships

Still Life
Still life photography can be a powerful way to explore identity through the deliberate selection, arrangement, and portrayal of objects. Unlike portraiture or documentary photography, still life focuses on inanimate objects, yet these objects can serve as potent symbols of personal, cultural, or societal identity. The photographer’s choices in what to include, how to present it, and the broader context of the work can convey deep insights into the identity of individuals, communities, or broader social themes.
References

Berger, John, Ways of Seeing by John Berger – Provides a foundational understanding of visual culture and representation, crucial for analyzing identity in photography.
Barthes,Roland Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography by – Discusses the emotional impact and personal connection to photographs, relevant to identity exploration.
Art21 on Identity in Photography](https://art21.org/read/identity-in-photography/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Photography and Identity (https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/idph/hd_idph.htm)