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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-25763704

Final blog post

I wanted to conclude and analyse my progress so far on this photography project, and also discuss some ideas which I might think about in the next half.

 I feel I have achieved some good results so far- I have quite a lot of results from various cities, and I always seem to end up getting quite a few photos, most of which are in focus and show a wide variety of people. I am also fairly happy with my idea, it can be talked at in depth and can link to many other ideas, which is good for development. The photos all also seem to show what I am trying to say about behavior around photography, which is good; further than this, there are many other things which I feel can be linked to my work about private/personal, analogue/digital and a whole host of other issues and ideas which would be really interesting to use the project to investigate. 

 I want in the future to do several more things with the cameras, to try and get people to act in certain ways. In some places, I want to leave a white board and a marker and get people to write how they are feelings- this might look more into construction of self- people are asked to question their mood and to decide the to be truthful or not. In another place I want to try a similar thing but get people to write their hometown; again, this taps in to self-construction. (probs do this one in London, seeing as it is so multicultural) I want to try and leave cameras in less touristy places also- parks, bus stops etc- this might get people who are less interested in the selfie. There is one last thing, which I am doing atm, which is leaving them in a place where there is a “disaster”- the flooding in Oxford. I’d like to see how people react to cameras when they are not on holiday too. Further than this, I am looking forward to leaving cameras in Berlin when I visit in February, and seeing if other nations react differently. (I am pretty sure they will, but it will be interesting to prove)

The project started as a much more hard hitting social movement sort of piece- I wanted to focus on a group of people who did not have voices. I liked this idea because it was interesting and sad, but I now realize how hard this sort of thing is to do- charities are so difficult to work with, and it is hard to get access to vulnerable people because of regulations and rules. I also am not sure how well it would have gone; the project could have been a bit brutal. There was definitely a significant change after I found several disposable projects online- the disposable camera project and the postal project in particular, which gave me a whole new way of looking at the project. This is when I decided to change my idea and do something a bit more light- the thing I am doing now. This idea actually has huge numbers of places it can go, probably more the first, so I am glad it devolved into this. I was impressed by people enthusiasm to take part and their niceness in not stealing the camera. 

I was interested in the results of the project; so many families, and children, sensible looking adults and tourists alike are so happy to take part in the project. As I have discussed in essays/presentations etc, this is in relation to fear of not being represented, fear of controlling representation, and need to be shown and constructed in the media. Further than this, I think photos have come to be a way of taking part in reality, and by taking photos with my project, they are taking part in my reality. I quite this idea, and want to build up a massive load of photos to demonstrate these, and other, themes of my final piece. 

Other than experimenting with new ways of photographing, I would also like to try new ways to display. I think the display will be very very important for this project; at the moment, it will just be 5000 photos. I need to work out a significant way of displaying which says what I want with the themes, and also looks nice. As you can see at the start of the project, I was interested in more multi-media street documentary interactive stuff- I dropped this for a bit because it was quite stressful to do this. However, recently I have decided I want to try and make some kind of interactive online gallery in which I could create something with all the photos. I want the people who are in the photos to see them, and I want to create a community, etc. I’m not sure how it would look, but there are hundreds of great examples which allow for soundscapes and such, which I would like to experiment with. I am very glad of a lot of my research here for giving me lots of ideas; I will try and stick this these. 

I think this project is quite creative and original, and I’m happy with how it is turning out. I also feel like, by looking at how everyone else is acting, I am changing as a photographer and as a photographed subject- now I think how I am posing, and also think about what I am taking a photo of much more. (I might even take photos a lot less too) However, I think last term I didn't adhere to any sort of schedule; it is integral this term that I stay with the schedule I have made, or else I will not get enough photos for the final show. I also need to make sure I don't stop reading and researching; these two things were really important for giving me ideas as well as backing up and grounding the ones I already had. These are two things I definitely need to keep up with.

Finally, I also made a film, as a way of showing the hand ins for tomorrow, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DF-Sr1PokU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUXBEYyvM4WxNTlPQ50Ql1sA

I was quite happy with this video; it shows everything I wanted, and is in depth. I also like that it captures the people taking the photos, and then shows the photos; this shows very much the process and result of posing. I didn't have much time, so I wish I could have more examples, as well as having less wobbles and a slightly better sound. However, I think it demonstrates my point and shows the process, result and grounds it in theory, which is exactly what I wanted. This is a good middle piece.

Display

Have been thinking about display, and there seems to be lots of ideas. I was looking back at some other projects I studied, here are a few photos from them. I like the first one because it makes it very obvious that there are disposable cameras- each set of photos of below this. The next, from the Bright Bennial, I liked because it was a traditional gallery, but it also had lots of little light boxes so you could look at photos by yourself. This was interactive and personal- i liked this lots.



This one has to be my favorite though- the room is covered, the photos hang in all directions on washing lines, like memories ready to be taken in. It look beautiful and allows for interactive participation.

Anyway, I decided to do a mock idea of what I drew below. here are the results:

What I wanted is a visually nice looking thing with access to people so they can take out the photos and discover. Obviously, they will hanging in the middle of the room on three poles, not one. I quite like it- it replicates the experience people have when they find the cameras, as well as making an interactive found photography style. Not sure how visually interesting it is though. For now, however, I think this is my final idea. I like that it replicates what happens outside, the found photography aspect of the project, and I like that you have to take the photos out, and look at them individually; this will evoke personal feelings and memories. It will ask people to stop and take in each set of photos, to hold the photos- this will make them feel special. I have cameras in there too for effect, not sure whether I will in the finished one; i quite like it as a way to evoke what people on the street found, but it does take away from the photos. not sure! For now, this design, but with three poles and a lot more photos will be what I will focus on as a final idea.

another project i found

http://goodmenproject.com/good-feed-blog/the-disposable-project-9-children-100-disposable-cameras/

This is a community photo project which gives 9 children in Tanzania the chance to take photos of their lives. The project took about a month and was all about letting them have their own voice and share their own stories. I guess this is more like my first idea- it follows a group of people who are traditionally voiceless, while my project now follows people who have access to cameras. What i wanted to do was compare this group od photos with the ones the people in my project take.
My project is usually people who take photos of themselves, or their family. There are some photos of the surroundings, but people mostly are interested in themselves and other close people. This seems to be the same in this project; people are interested in other people. However, the way people act is different. Western audiences are much more pose-y- they smile and make faces and do hand signs and act hugely to construct this massive representation of themselves, while the people who are in Tanzania are much more quiet, they do not pose or try and show the world how great they are. This could be because of the nature of this project (its documentary) but it could be also be because they are culturally not pratised in photography. I find this pretty interesting. Here is an example of a photo taken compared with one of mine:

These two compare quite a lot, and this is interesting. I guess we grow up having photod of ourselves all the time; we are used to this, and we know what looks good, what everyone else is doing, how is funny to pose, how is attractive to pose etc etc wheras if you are not photographed lots, or if you can't find all the photos of yourselves all the time online, how you look either does not matter, or the techniques are not learnt. 

another photo analysis

This is another photo I got recently, it was one of my favorites. I don't know why, but it's just so over the top; i was filming when it was taken, and it was this little old lady who seemed really like she was quite serious, and then suddenly, she saw the camera, immediately took it out of the bag and did this selfie and then ran away. This links into the whole selfie culture I have been talking about; the idea that selfies are personal and your own view of the world. But it also is a way, if you are on your own, of showing that you DID exist in the world. It's very common to hear people complaining that travelling alone means there are no photos of yourself- the selfie lets people pose and act as they want, and show everyone that they were there, did exist, etc etc This photo not only adheres to the dominant culture, but it also shows the idea of construction; its quite hard to look nice in a selfie, and a way to combat this is to pull a silly face, as this woman is doing. As soon as she does this, this connotes a whole new set of values; she can make fun of herself, she is a fun person, she has a good sense of humor. This combats the sense of alone-less which might be connoted by her being alone in a photo and taking a selfie.
The woman left very quickly after she took the photo, as though she wanted to get away- maybe out of embarrassment, I find this quite a contrast; people love to take photos and indeed want to be in photos very much, but once they admit to this two things, it becomes embarrassing. I guess this is because admitting to caring about how you look/if you exsist can be seen as vain, and i would be interested to see if other nations have the same reaction as British people on this.

THOUGHTS

-Was just thinking about all my locations. Basically, I chose places which were very popular, and this usually means I choose touristy places- the dome, the rad cam etc etc and i also was thinking that it is tourists who usually want to take photos, have the time to take photos and want to be in photos. I was wondering whether this is a bad thing; I might try and hang some cameras in more rural places and see if these contrast to the photos which might appear usually. This might mean less posing, though I am not sure. It also might be harder; if you live in a place, you might be more suspicious to foreign hanging objects than if you visit it for the first time. Tomorrow, I am goign to hang it in my local park, I think, and see if anyone uses it.

Interesting article and NEW PHOTOS

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/arts/the-meanings-of-the-selfie.html?bicmp=AD&WT.z_sma=AR_TMO_20131227&_r=2&bicmet=1388638800000&bicmst=1385874000000&adxnnl=1&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&smid=fb-nytimes&fblinkge0=&adxnnlx=1388520226-E0Fv9DvkGd6KT7Sm9+E/EQ

interesting article written by James Franco about selfies and why he takes them. Mostly this is interesting because it claims that is a "private portrait taken by the star" and that you feel as if you know them, because you're invited into their vision of themselves in their world; this is an interesting cross-over between private and public, and about how photos give you an insight inwards, and to project this outwards.
he also suggests that it is a visual culture, and that the photos are the quickest and most accurate way of saying something now- for instance, snapchat can be used instead of text talking to show friends a facial expression, view, their dinner etc etc which with words takes longer and is more difficult to do. This is pretty cool- the idea that photos have become a primary form of communication over language, and that this is "better" than words. I don't know if i agree that is better per say, but this is an interesting idea. photos speak louder than words?
it is also quite intersting reading someone explaining why they take selfies; there is quite a lot of reasons, and apparently selfies are what gets most views online. This must link into the idea that its a like private picture of the star; insider info etc etc


also; some new photos! woooooo! I loved these. I over heard one group of people saying: It's a posh people's photo project. rather offended. I filmed most of these photos beign taken. It's quite a fun contrast between the people when they take the photo, and then the actual photo. I'll anaylse each photo below explaining.
1) This photo was taken by a Chinese tourist. it's a red post box, something quintessentially British, something they think is great and love to see, but to me is kind of boring and every day. I like knowing that he took it, it gives a bit of back story.

 2) You can see me in this photo- i'm the little speck on her left shoulder almost covered by her head. She was taking exactly the same photos of this on her iphone in several different places.

3) This guy was amazing. He was crawling on the floor taking photos of the Radcliffe camera. He was down there for hours, trying to get exactly the right shot. I was actually filming him because he looked so ridiculous. Later on, when i went to collect this camera, he was still there and immedialty started asking me everything about the project.  I had to pretend there was a blog online for it (whoops) 

 4) THESE ARE MY FRIENDS! I think i cried when i saw it. best thing EVER

5) Shows that old people can selfie too! wonderful

6) I love the weathering on this photo- i think because it was the last one in the roll. It makes the photo feel so much more real and gritty. looks like they are burning! 

Script

I am about to start editing the script for the movie I have been designing to show the way people act around cameras. Here is the script: 

Script for movie:

Starts with making of the camera bag and sign etc- close up, not sure what’s happening. Cycle down to place and hang it up. Blows in the wind.

VO: In the society we live in, there is an obsession around images. This obsession is related to the capturing of images, and the capturing of images of ourselves. Where ever you go, you are always surrounded by cameras, by people taking photos, by people posing, by people capturing images.

At this point there are shots of tourists posing and smiling at the camera, and shots of people taking photos of each other.

What interests me is how people behave around cameras. The second when they begin to pose. Barthes explains it as:  "When I feel myself observed by a lens, everything changes; I constitute myself in the process of posing. I instantaneously make another body for myself. I transform myself in advance into an image."

Shots of people posing.

I am planning to hang 50 disposable cameras up around several cities in England, with a sign asking people to take photos of themselves. In the act of taking a photo of themselves, and the photo people take, I can see how people act when asked to photograph themselves and their behaviour relating to cameras.

Here are a few examples of people taking a photo of themselves with the cameras I provided

.

The thought process seems to be:

What is that?

Why this there a camera hanging up?

Who is this for?

What do they want me to take a photo of?

What SHALL I take a photo of?

If I take a photo of myself, how does the photographer expect me to pose?

How do I normally pose in photographs?

What does this situation (in public) mean for how I pose in this photograph?

What have others done?

Is anyone watching? (photographer included)

I am being asked to take a photo, does it matter that I don't know for?

Is this creepy?

I am being asked to take a photo; does this mean I have to be arty?

I want to be in the photo, what is the best way to do this?

Ask someone or selfie?

How do I want myself to be represented? Selfie is too down with kids but I am bit embarrassed to ask someone else…

How does the photographer expect me to be represented?

Do i have everything I want in the frame?

Is the film Ok?

This part has a double of filming picking up camera and looking through lens and other people interacting with the camera, and then leaving.

This thought process which I imagine happens when people take the photos shows a huge awareness and inter-textuality of how to construct a photo and how to represent oneself in a photo. Here is how a few of the photos turned out…

Show photos from before and also videosàbecome photos from Oxford

But what do these photos mean further than that we all know how to use cameras nowadays?

Well, if I run a couple of the photos together, you can see a few similarities in the way the people in the photos decided to set the picture up, and how to behave in the picture. All these people are posing, and they are consciously setting up a public image of themselves to show to the photo project. Look at this one, for example, they all lean close together and smile, arms around each other- they are close and happy, constructing a representation for the public which shows them as positive and rounded. People pose in the photos similarly, also, suggesting that the way they pose is pre-determined by other texts they have come into contact with. Culture has told them how to pose, and they adhere to this idea.

Here is an example of how people approach the cameras:

Film of someone approaching camera and taking photo- quick.

There is little thought in the way people approach the camera. People want to interact; they want to be part of the project without even knowing what it is, or where the photos are going. This seems to link to various anxieties around photographs and people.

This firstly shows a need to interact in a reality, an anxiety about being able to construct the reality yourself. With all the photos people take of each other, all of the surveillance cameras and constant documentation, people are not in control of their own image anymore. People are anxious to control their image. When they pick up the camera I have left, they do not just want to interact with the project, they also want to be able to control their image and give out an image of themselves which is constructed and perfect.

This might seem to show that people are anxious about what the rest of the world thinks when seeing the photo? I feel that because people don’t know where the images are going, this isn’t the fear. People aren’t scared that, as Sontang suggests, their image will give someone else possession of them, no… The anxiety seems to be that if they aren’t photographed, they won’t be able to prove it happened. Again, because of all the images which are being taken all the time, and they way that now we can take hundreds of photos, photography has become more than a photo; photography is a way of experiencing and remembering the past. This film shows people taking hundreds of photos; if they do not, can they prove it happened?

In taking a photo with the camera I provide, people are able to tell everyone they existed there, in that moment, that they took part.

And feelings after that towards the final image? Well, it’s disposable.

Camera being collected. Me collecting photos from boots. Film family looking at photos/me looking at photos with someone else. Talking about how weird and personal and voyeuristic it feels.

End. 

I also did a few more cameras hanging up, here is a photo: