Rachael Daisy Photography

This image was in response to a brief called “Object of desire"

for this brief we where advised to capture two different types of images. One of the images was to be connotative and one image was to be denotative.

My main aim for the outcome for this project was to show a deep personal meaning within one image and to show how to create advertising material in another image.

This image was in response to a brief called “Object of desire"

for this brief we where advised to capture two different types of images. One of the images was to be connotative and one image was to be denotative.

My main aim for the outcome for this project was to show a deep personal meaning within one image and to show how to create advertising material in another image.

This was my final outcome for my Connotative image. I feel that this image has a very strong personal meaning and this is conveyed well. The theme of being lost and forgotten is a prominent theme within this image. This is emphasised with the rotting fruit and the smoke from the candles. In relation to the technical aspects to this image i used a soft light to create soft shadows in the image.

Above is one of my pieces for Etc Magazine. All images and written work is my own alongside the full page ad.

Since leaving university in 2015 I have been producing work for Magazines. All images and text are mine. Above is one example.

Large Format 

The Copy.

In this project we had to re create an image or a drawing using the studio and a large format camera. From this i decided to re create a drawing from an artist. The artist had recently lost their grandparent and their project was based on body language and signs of loss and grief. The image above represents both projects in one. 

35mm film scans 

Underground Dystopia.

The brief for this work was called “Street Photography” from this I decided to capture my own feelings relating to street photography and reflecting my anxiety towards capturing portraits of people at the time this work was captured. The images demonstrate a Dystopian underground were the viewer is separated from the subjects in an environment that is isolating but yet gives the impression of claustrophobia. 

In this lecture we where laugh some Philisohphical ways of anaylsing images. For example one way of looking at the Modernist approach to photography and some of their “Rules” These are:  Indexicality, truth, Objectivit,y Realism, Definition/sharpness ,Making images without borrowing methods from other arts and Reproducibility.  when looking in to images an interesting way of analysing them would be to see if they fit this criteria. To look at this we have to see if these “Rules” are necessary and sufficient conditions. This would mean:  Necessary and sufficient conditions: Is quality x a necessary condition of photography? = are there images which are obviously photographs but don’t have quality x?

Is quality x a sufficient condition of photography?

= are there images which have quality x but are clearly not photographs?

for example quality X might be Indexicailty. In this case we can look at the work of Gursky and analyse it in a philosophical way. An example is shown below:

This lecture started by presenting the class with an image of the death of socrates. The arguable farther of western philosophy from ancient grease. In the image he is being sentenced to death, for being a philosopher. He is being given hemlock in a cup because athenians accused him of corrupting young athenians minds,especially in religious matters. He has dared to raise questions about athenian gods. This image was a title page as it sets the tone that philosophy can be deep and highly contentious. People get highly passionate about it as it does address fundamental problems about human life and of photography.

Philiosphy of : 

Religion 

Science 

Biology 

Art

Law

History 

Mind 

Technology 

Politics 

Mathematics 

Language 

Photography

All of these are special fields of philosophy, they address each topic from a philosophical point of view. All of these seems to presume that there is such a thing as Philosophy of. That all of these specific fields are addressed according to methods of something called philosophy. That we are applying philosophy to these fields. So the real question when you face the list of philosophical fields is what is “ Philosophy of”. What does it mean? what is philosophy?

In the essential reading for this lecture Warburton writes:

“This is a notoriously difficult question.One of the easiest ways of answering it is to say that philosophy is what philosophers do, and then point to writings of Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Russell, Wittgenstein, Sartre, and other famous philosophers. However, this answer is unlikely to be of much use to you if you are just beginning the subject, as you probably won’t have read anything by these writers. Even if you have, it may still be difficult to say what they have in common, if indeed there is a relevant characteristic which they all share.”

Philosophy is questioned from within as to what philosophy is. Philosophy has been in a crisis for around 2-3 hundred years. What can we achieve by thinking?  Warburon also states: 

“Philosophy is an activity: it is a way of thinking about certain sorts of question. Its most distinctive feature is its use of logical argument. Philosophers typically deal in arguments: they either invent them, criticize other people’s, or do both. They also analyse and clarify concepts. [...] They often examine beliefs that most of us take for granted most of the time. They are concerned with questions [...] about religion, right and wrong, politics, the nature of the external world, the mind, science, art and numerous other topics. For instance, most people live their lives without questioning their fundamental beliefs such as that killing is wrong. But why is it wrong? Is it wrong in every circumstance? And what do I mean by ‘wrong’ anyway?”

The questions that warburton is asking are philosophical. They are deep ones. What is wrong? Whenever you encounter a philosophical question on any topic you will come across charactiertics for example philosophical method is generally characterised by:

•   Use of logical argumentation 

•   Systematicity, rigour as to how the person discusses what they are discussing

•   Questioning of even the most fundamental beliefs (not necessarily in order to subvert them, but to clarify why we hold them) Philoshophers do not shy away from questioning very fundamental beliefs such as killing is wrong. They do not use this questioning for example to say killing is right but they do it in order to work out why we hold these kinds of beliefs.

•   Thoroughness - This combines with rigour. philosophers try to be very through in how they reason out their topics.

•   Criticality - Philosophers criticise each other and also themselves. Philosophy is often characterised by the ability to take a step back from ones own argument and say it is not working. 

•   Openness to re-examination of issues/to change of mind where this seems necessary

•  CLARITY (hopefully) - This is one of the key aspects to all philosophy. philosophy should be primarily about clarity in how you think. 

Whenever you are writing about to photography, according to these characteristics, you are to some extent being philosophical. Whenever you are being systematic or logical, Whoever you are trying to open and clear, you are philosophising photography. 

Ontology.

In very simple terms, ontology in photography asks a simple question, What is photography? it asks about the definition of photography. Perhaps one of the more famous formations of ontology is in roland Barthes camera lucida when bathes states: “I was overcome by an ‘ontological’ desire: I wanted to learn at all costs what Photography was ‘in itself,’ by what essential feature it was to be distinguished from the community of images.”

Bathes has an onotological drive when he startes tow rite about camera lucida.What really makes photography, photography? what makes it what it is? what makes it different from all other forms of image making such as painting or drawing? What defines photography as a medium? what is specific about photography? what is unique about photography as a medium? in some way all of these are ways of formulating the same question what is photography? Onotology is often said to be the philosophy of being. I.e whenever you ask, what is? you are asking an ontological question. In that sense, modernism was a particular ontoogilcal moment in photography. 

These photographers where modernist in the standard understand of photo history. Especially if we read the manifesto of group f/64 : 

“The name of this Group is derived from a diaphragm number of the photographic lens. It signifies to a large extent the qualities of clearness and definition of the photographic image which is an important element in the work of members of this Group. [...] Group f/64 limits its members and invitational names to those workers who are striving to define photography as an art form by simple and direct presentation through purely photographic methods. The Group will show no work at any time that does not conform to its standards of pure photography. Pure photography is defined as possessing no qualities of technique, composition or idea, derivative of any other art form.” (From the manifesto of Group f/64, emphases added.)

They want to define photography, the whole idea that modernism can uplift photography to a true autonomous fine art rests on the ontological idea that they know or at least learn what photography is and how it is different from all other forms of art. They don't want to borrow methods from any other form of image making. They want to stick to the ontological limits of what truly is. Similarly  Albert Renger-Patzsch writes:

 “There is an urgent need to examine old opinions and look at things from a new viewpoint. There must be an increase in the joy one takes in an object, and the photographer should become fully conscious of the splendid fidelity of reproduction made possible by his technique.” (Albert Renger-Patzsch, ‘Joy before the object’, in Phillips, Christopher [ed.] 1989, Photography in the Modern Era: European Documents and Critical Writings, 1913-1940, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY/Aperture, NY, pp.108-109.)

In these two passages, we can already read some standardised ideas of what photography has thought to have been. What has been thought to have been the defining essence of photography. 

If you read photo history and theory you will find lots of ideas, terminology and theory around what somehow makes photography a very specific form of image making. You can read about : 

Indexicality - how closely it relates to the thing it tried to represent. Photography has been said to be indexical as it is the light that causes the image to appear on the negative.

Truth - Photography can't lie.

Objectivity 

Realism 

Definition/sharpness 

Making images without borrowing methods from other arts 

Reproducibility 

all of these ideas have been said to be very distinctive in photography. they distinguish it from all other art forms. 

If we are to go on the belief that all photographs have definition and are sharp then is the work of Uta barth considered to not be photographs? These images wouldn't count as photographs. This sounds absurd. These are photographs, so therefore where does the modernist ontology of photography end up?  A philosopher would say with facts like this the modernist theory of the ontology of photography fails. 

The daguerreotype questions the modernist view of re-producability. This daguerreotype is also not very truthful as it doesn't show all of the moving objects that would have been seen at the time of capturing this image. where is realism and truth? With these two examples there is a useful philoshphical method: Necessary and sufficient conditions: Is quality x a necessary condition of photography?

= are there images which are obviously photographs but don’t have quality x?

Is quality x a sufficient condition of photography?

= are there images which have quality x but are clearly not photographs? 

When a quality (or set of qualities) is simultaneously both necessary and sufficient as a condition of images being photographs, then that quality/set of qualities is a definition of photography, and only photography. 

Is this image indexical? no it isn't. It is not to the extent that we think of indexcally as binding the image to the reality in front of the lens. 

Ethics. 

What does ethics mean? a moral standing, right and wrong. Ethics is the philosophy of right and wrong. It is the question of mortality. We all know that the world is full of awful things, we learn about these things increasingly through photography. Weather it is famine, war, violence, torture, innocent death, terrorism, explotation, slavery, pollution, greed, marginalisation, natural disasters. We learn allot about this through photographs. 

in terms of ethics assuming that the ontology of photography allows some level of connection with reality, we face the question of the morality of the actions/situations themselves. There are of course differences: natural disasters may not be attributable to a moral agent (although you can try to argue that they, or some of them, are to some extent consequences of industry, globalisation – human actions).But there are ethical questions concerning the photography of the events: 

 who should photograph these events and their victims and how? 

who benefits from the photographs? 

 who should benefit from them and how? 

 where should such photographs be shown and to whom and why? 

 what should the viewers make of the images – how to respond? 

Most ethical questions pertaining to photography are (most likely) questions of applied ethics. You need to think and research case by case. applied ethics means to talk about the morality specific actions. Applied ethics isn't about the overarching ethics principles, it is about how a field of pratice works and how we can make it ethical. 

These two cases of photography which is ethically loaded. Us marines abusing prisoners in a millitary prison in iraq. Next to it Salgado taking pictures of children suffering from famine. both of these cases have been addressed in photographic literature from the ethical point of view. They have significant differences. For example Judith butler writes:

 “Perhaps the camera promises a festive cruelty: ‘Oh, good, the camera’s here: let’s begin the torture so that the photograph might capture and commemorate our act!’ If so, the photograph is already at work prompting, framing and orchestrating the act, even as the photograph captures the act at the moment of its accomplishment.” (Butler, 2007, pp.958–959) 

What butler is saying is that these photographs don't succeed, they do not come after the actual act of torture. The fact that the camera is available makes these acts happen. The camera is there to insight the act.  Where as Sargado has been criticised for the beauty that he brings in to his images.

“This beautification of tragedy results in pictures that ultimately reinforce our passivity toward the experience they reveal. To aestheticize is the fastest way to anesthetize the feeling of those who are witnessing it. Beauty is a call to admiration, not to action.” (Sischy, 1991, p.92)

What Sischy is saying is that because this famine is presented in such a beatiful photographic way it makes the viewer not do anything about it. It is a heavy accusation and you can see that these are two very different case studys. 

By paying closer attention to your treatment of a case study, you may find that the arguments (your own and those of others) fall broadly within the two main categories of normative ethics/metaethics:

  Consequentialism -  The moral value of an act is based on the act’s consequences: if the consequences are good, the act was good. (Close to colloquial expression, ‘the ends justify the means’.)

Deontological ethics -  You have to do your duty (Greek, δέον, deon = obligation, duty), i.e., you have to do what is right in the first place, regardless of the consequences.

Butler’s speculation raises a clearly deontological problem: whoever photographed these events perhaps incited the very act, and therefore s/he did the wrong thing in the first place.From a consequentialist angle, these images may be seen to have had (some) good consequences: of exposing the practice of torture, of bringing (some of) the perpetrators to justice. Sischy is clearly criticising Salgado for a consequentialist mistake: his methods of representing the tragedy of famine are wrong, since they are likely not to incite the right kind of reactions in viewers.Whereas it’s harder to criticise Salgado from a deontological point of view: his intentions are good (he wants to do the right thing), even according to the title of Sischy’s article: ‘Good Intentions’ (New Yorker, 1991).

Aesthetics 

There is no question photographers struggle with the difference between ethical documentation of issues that demand highlighting and how exactly they dress that issue, is it aesthetic?  Richard Misrach states:

 “My career, in a way, has been about navigating these two extremes - the political and the aesthetic.” (Misrach in an interview with Peter Brown, 2011.)

Often, aesthetics is thought to be the theory of

the beautiful in art and nature. E.g.,

•   What beauty is

•   What taste is

•   What aesthetic experience is (like)

•   Which works of art are beautiful

Often, aesthetics is thought to be the theory of formal properties in images:

•   What colours are used (if any)

•   How the image is composed

•   What formal properties produce ‘good’ images

But in photography, things are less straightforward. Aesthetics, as a distinct philosophical discipline, predates the birth of photography (as we use the term)Aesthetics already as a philosophical discipline is disputed:it is also said to be, e.g., the theory of sense perception in general, and ‘the philosophy of art’ in general, i.e., not necessarily to do with beauty (Hegel). Photography, especially in its documentary forms, does not (necessarily) deal with beauty or formal properties.

So what is aesthetics in photography theory?

Much of the discussion on photography under the rubric of philosophical aesthetics has tended to address this question:

Is photography aesthetically valuable at all? Is photography in fact an art at all?

E.g., Friday’s Aesthetics and Photography is a book wholly devoted to this question.

So what is aesthetics in photography theory?

Much of the discussion on photography under the rubric of philosophical aesthetics has tended to address this question:Is photography aesthetically valuable at all? Is photography in fact an art at all?This leads to further questions: E.g., Is photography different from painting/drawing, and if so, how? Is photography transparent (i.e., does it allow us visual contact with the object analogous to ‘naked’ perception of the object)?  If photography is not different from other media of visual art, then it has no intrinsic aesthetic value. It may have aesthetic value, but this value does not derive from its being photography. If photography is transparent, then it is not a representational medium and as such it cannot create aesthetically valuable representations.(i.e., any aesthetic value possessed by photographs would be the aesthetic value of the objects depicted in photographs, not of the photograph itself) 

Dunganess images

After the first session  i decided to look further in to photography and the printed picture. 

The first way i have decided to look further in to this is by reading “The Printed Picture” by Richard Benson. This book is about pictures and the ways in which they are printed. I wanted to research in to this to give me ideas as to how to print images in different ways in order to experiment with my images.

colour photography 

One the first techniques shown in this book which has interested me is the Hand Coloured photographs. Throughout the nineteenth century photography was entirely black and white. The prints might have had different colours according to the processes used to make them but the data captured in cameras was monochromic. There had been a long history of hand colouring etching and engravings, though, and this practice is easily moved over to the photograph.  The daguerrotype in its earliest form had a dull grey look, which was often received by applying pale red to the subjects cheeks or sports of gold to the button on a jacket. In japan, albumen prints made for the tourist trade where often given wild applications of colour. These modifications where made with dilute oil paints prepared for this purpose. Long after the invention of colour photography these oil colours where still sold in kits, so that the favourite family portrait could be customised and made more lifelike.  There is an interesting technical difficulty in hand colouring. A black and white photograph translates the colours of the world in to grey tones. In early photography, when the materials of the negative where sensitive to blue and insensitive to red, or “orthochromatic” they translated blues in to light shades of grey and reds in to dark ones. The print of a picture made this way was dark where a colour image would have been red, so any hand application of colour in those areas was obscured by the heavy tone already present. The solution was to make a light print and hope that it had enough tonal space to allow applied colours to show.   I find this process interesting because it relates to the fact that their are two completely different ways to make a coloured picture. ne way is to create a monochromatic skeleton and fill in the colours on top of it. The other method, is to build up an image out of primary colours, which themselves create the natural vales in all areas where all three of them are present. The black and white skelengton is absent and colour alone makes the framework. This is the pratice that leads to the riches of colour and also to technical problems when the balance of the primaries distrust the neutrality of the grey tones in the picture.

The first practical colour process was the Lumiere autochrome, invented and marketed by the same Lumber brothers, Auguste and Louis, who made the first movies. These colour pictures where on glass plates and were viewed as transparencies.  some examples of the Lumber autochrome process is shown below. Work that uses this technique is still being exhibited. For example there the was an exhibition on at the museum of science titled “Drawn by light” the image is shown below: 

I am very interested in using ink on prints to create a coloured photograph and would like to experiment with this technique.

Wood engraved Photographs. An example of what a wood engraved photograph looks like is shown below:

The sequence by which this wood engraved photograph was made is: 

1. The photograph is taken 2. The negative is printed with a light sensitive coating that has been applied to an end-grain women block 3. A carver labourisly engraved the block by hand, working with a burin and using the image printed on the block as a guide 4. The finished block was locked up with type in a chase 5. This composite was used to generate a stereotype ( a thin metal replica, shaped to fit a cylinder) 6. The print is mounted  on the cylinder with a rotary printing press, to be printed at high speed for the use in the magazine the century.

At the time this print was made, photography was mature and was replacing handwork in the task of gathering data for widespread dissemination by the printing press. The presses themselves where fast, drive by the  equally mature steam engine. What is odd about this process is that the hand still plays a important role in translating the photograph in to printable form.

What i find particularly interesting about this process is that it involves the maker of the wooden and puts them in to the image. By involving a physical process in making the image it puts the engraver in to the image even though they did not capture the image.  Another rein why i find this process interesting is because of the texture it gives the image. Combining an image with a physical texture changes the tone and atmosphere of the image.

Scanner as camera.

The scanner began as a rotary device that drew a stream of data from a rotating drum on to which a film transparency had been placed. As the drum rotated, the scanner eye moved slowly parallel to the drums axis and extracted  a spiral thread of tonal infuriation from the transparency. These scanner are still around, but are digital now and very expensive. The new inexpensive scanner is called the flatbed. They can act as multiple lens cameras, making pictured with a high degree of depth of field over an extended period of time.

an example of this is shown below:

Looking further in to current images in the media this is an intresting series of images i have found based on Philippe Petit’s walk between the twin towers.These series of images have been released in the media lately as a new film is being released based on this event.  

“In 1974, Frenchman Philippe Petit walked across a tightrope stretched between the World Trade Center’s twin towers. The 1,350ft-high walk was six years in the planning, and afterwards Petit was arrested and taken for a psychiatric evaluation. A film of the event, The Walk, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt was released in the US on Wednesday” 

Personally i fid the image below to be one of the most interesting from the series: 

There are several reasons i find this image to be interesting. I find it intriguing that the true scale of the danger the subject is in is not truly evident unless context to the image is given. For example you cannot see the height of the buildings and without context a viewer could question the reliability of the image. However once context is added to the image either by researching the event or looking further in to the series of images itself it is only then the viewer can see the image to its full extent. The text accompanying this image states: 

“At one point Petit lay down on the steel cable.”

Another image i find to be particularly interesting in this image is shown below: 

This image has accompanying text saying:

The tiny figure of Petit seen from 1,350 feet below.

Although the image itself gives the viewer a huge sense of overwhelming scale the text adds a even further context to the image. I find this image to be extremely interesting not only visually but also historically. This was an extremely dangerous stunt for Petit to perform not only for the obvious reason that it risks his life but Petit was also arrested after the event as it was a high illegal act. To look in to the reasons for Petit performing this act i would have to look further in to Petit himself one way is to look in to interviews, one interesting interview i found is shown below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWZfPtL1V9c

What i find particularly interesting is Petit’s repetition of how he tries to perfect most things he pursues in his life. He mentions how he finds it fascinating  that in history people would spent their whole lives practicing one thing in this case it was juggling, in order to perfect it.  This explains how Petit could spent six years planning and practicing for certainly the most dangerous walk of his life.

Going back to the images shown above, they where captured by Alan Welner. When researching in to Welner’s images not much can be found. There is however some interviews with welner in the original movie for man on a wire.

After the first personal vision session i was inspired to look in to exhibitions that are currently on in order to gain imagery that is relevant for this assignment. I soon found that this exhibition was on and i was extremely interested in the topic of the exhibition and the imagery it may contain. 

Initially when entering the exhibition the viewer is faced with a wall of text giving insight in to the life of Christina Broom and the initial stages of her photographic career. Alongside this on the opposite wall was a selection of magnifying glasses, these where to view the small glass negative plates that where on display in other rooms of the exhibition. I found that although this was only an assisting tool for the exhibition it made the viewer more involved with the work. 

The exhibition itself was divided in to four rooms, each room showcased a different genre of work from Broom. One of these titles was “ A woman in a mans world” i found that the way the exhibition divided each room was very interesting and it sturctured the work well. The exhibition lead the viewer through not only Broom’s work but her life story, involving the work her daughter provided for Christina.  Showcasing the notes for the developing and printing process the Christina’s daughter used to assist her mother and Broom’s tripod this exhibition was not only photography based but also history. It showed the viewer the journey from novice to professional photographer and how Broom developed her own business of postcards that where of London's most iconic sights.

Each room in the exhibition was played out differently, i feel as though this represented a dived in the style of work that Broom was producing. Initially there were a selection of glass plate negatives shown on a light box including Brooms first photograph that she had taken. Some of these negatives are shown below:

Although these negatives are hard to visualise as prints i feel as though a strong atmosphere is projected through them. The strong history of London is represented through the plates themselves as using glass plates is a very old technique. Looking through this room there was also a video projection of the process of making a print from these negatives. Although this is a simple video of a darkroom process a reality is shown that Broom would have never of seen these negatives printed to a large size. this almost adds a solum atmosphere to the negatives that are shown. 

Moving through to the next room it showcases work from royalty to racing. this work shows the viewer how Broom started off by photographic royalties horses and soon she was granted access to photograph royalty itself. Although this work was interesting i found the images themselves where more a documentation of historical events such as the death of King Edward VII. although these images are very powerful i felt as though i could not relate to them as strongly as they did not show a reality of the everyday documentation of life in London.

The next room in exhibition was initially confusing, as you enter the room there are a large number of rows made up of black columns. It is not until you go to the back of the room and face forward that you can see the vast amount of images that are shown. This is shown below:

Alongside this there where interactive column which gave an personal history of some of the figures in the photographs. Also there was a large projection on the wall by the entrance of the room showing Broom’s images and alongside this was a quote, shown below:

I found that the use of this quote was very interesting. I feel as though it questions the use of the term “Bad picture” by suggesting that a bad picture is not necessarily a technically bad image but an image that shown a representation of a subject in a bad light. I also found this quote very interesting in relation to the large amount of work shown, it makes the viewer question how many negatives where “Smashed” and it made me personally view the work in this room again and see the work in a new light. You can see the images in this room in a new way, using the magnifying glass you can see in a way the Broom would have viewed her subjects, individually looking at each aspect of the representation of the person, their uniform and only then i feel i felt a full appreciation of the lengths Broom went to in order to not take a “Bad Picture”

Moving through to the next room there where images of the Suffragette movement. This room was presented very professionally.Large prints where presented in frames whith accompanying text next to a row of images, shown below is an example:

A remembrance of the fact that Broom would have never seen this images printed to this size seemed to overwhelm me in this room. Alongside the quality of the images themselves i felt as though the quality of the presentation of the images was extremely important. Throughout the exhibition there had been a variation of presentation, i felt as though this variation was taking the viewer through the different stages of Brooms photographic development. In this final room all the images are presented professionally and with appropriate text. I feel as though these images are very historic and document the changing lives of the women in London.  

Exhibition: Photography history, series and sequences. 

Located in the Victoria and Albert museum there is currently an exhibition on the history of photography. A link is shown below:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3820/a-history-of-photography-series-and-sequences-5358/

in particular this exhibition focuses on both the historical past to photography but also series and sequences in the history of photography. Above are some examples of work which i found particularly interesting.

In the first image i found the daguerreotype process to be very interesting a historical piece. This piece was not exhibited to show sequences but the history of photography and one of its origin points. I found this to be particularly interesting as daguerreotypes are not a common form of making images and they are not as common as they once where. If i was to analyse an image form this series i would use history as a methodology. In particle i would use cultural history, as well as a social history. These can be applied as i feel the popularity of the daguerreotypes became a popular almost fashion of the time. Also another methodology that could be applied to this work would be environmental theory. I feel as though daguerreotypes record an economic development both in a photographic world and in the world surrounding the production of these daguerreotypes. 

Next follows the work of Edward Muybridge. As the exhibition is titled series and sequences the tie with this and the combination appears to be an obvious choice. Never the less i found that seeing Muybridge's work was very thought provoking, this is because had not seen Muybridge's work in the physical form before. This may have been why this work became indebted in my memory, seeing the work i have studied multiple times on a screen in physical form defiantly provoked an emotion from me.  If i was to analyse the work of muybridge i would use history as a methodology. In particular i would use history combined with an environmental theory. History would add context to these images as would the enviomental theory. Also i would consider using gender theory. This would be because it was an unpopular opinion for women to take up photography at this time and i would research this further.

Another piece of work that provoked emotion from me was the work of August Sander. The piece that i was particularly drawn too was “ Young farmers on their way to a dance” again i had studied this work in depth in the past and this may be why i felt almost attached to it. I also feel as though the series itself in which Sander focuses on categorising his subjects by profession or social class to form a collective representation of german society, to be a very interesting historical subject. This is a series that i would like to look in to further. In this series Sander photographs his subjects in their own environments to enhance the naturalism. If i was to use methodology to analyse the work of August Sander i would use history as well as photography theory, environmental theory and possibly globalisation theory. The reason i would use enviomental theory is because this project focuses on the environment of Germany and the people living within this environment. I would use globalisation theory to contextualise the project in showing Germany within a global aspect. 

Another series which features in this exhibition is the work of Nicholas Nixon. I found this work particularly interesting as the concept of time is questioned. In the series “The Brown sisters” Nixon has photographed his wife and her sisters every year since 1975. In the first photograph they are in their teens and early twenties. The sisters appear in the same order in every photograph, looking directly in to the camera. The series charts their individual and shared passage of time, as well their developing womanhood. I found that this series is very moving in the sense that it makes the viewer realise how precious time can be.  To analyse work from this series i would use history, photography theory and gender theory. The reason i would use history is because the sisters history is shown throughout this series and history is what the project is based around, a specific history. I would use photography theory as documentary theory fits wells with this series and i would use gender theory as this project is based on four women and the questionability of gender and its representation can arise.

In this first session we where introduced to how to analyse an image using Methodologies and how to research a image or series.  Below is the image i had brought to this session.  Edgar Scamell “ The Muffin Man”

The reason i chose to bring this image is because recently i have visited an exhibition at the victoria and albert museum which featured work by Edgar Scamell. This exhbition is linked below: http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3820/a-history-of-photography-series-and-sequences-5358/

I found that Scamells work was particularly interesting as it features portraits of workers in london of dying trades. Scale documents the people in the changing environment of london. This series ran from 1892-5. 

To beging to analyse this image i would have to do some further research. For example i could look in to more images from the series and other work Scamell has produced. As this is an old image i could also add context to the image by researching the time period it was taken in.  After researching further in to Scamells work i would find an appreciate methodology to analyse my image with. Instantly one of the strong methodologies to use would be history. This is a very historical image, i could look in to social history and cultural history. Another methodology i could use would be Globalisation. In this series it focuses on labour and the hard working people of london who's jobs may be in danger of not existing due to globalisation. Another methodology i could use to analyse this image would be Urban theory. As this series focuses on the people of London this seems to be a very strong link to urbanisation.