Thursday, November 11, 2010

Alex Harris “The Idea of Cuba”


I have always been a quiet person and because of that I have been inherently drawn to documentary photography, in that, the technique is used to discover and tell a story. Without the use of words, a photographer can use the nature of a photograph to narrate the story that exists without it being influenced by our own oral interpretation; the photographer is in search for a visual representation of truth, as we tend to trust our eyes more than our ears. This search drives the need to find truth in the nuanced details that make life and culture so fascinating; the stories themselves. That being said, I have found Alex Harris’ documentary photography collection, “The Idea of Cuba”, to be the most adherent to my own interests and reasons for creating a documentary body of work.
What first drew me to Harris’ work was the way he handled the presentation of a common idea by use of three different subject matters; each being photographed respectively in their own aesthetic and technique. Alex Harris’ goal was to depict the essence of the modern Cuba. He did so through the means of reversing the obsolete attitude and viewpoint the West, essentially, America, has towards Cuba. His book was divided into three sections: photos of Cuban landscapes through the lens of classic American car windshields, photos of Jose Martin statues in public spaces, and portraits of Cuban prostitutes. By choosing these three subject matters, Harris was able to juxtapose America’s idealization of Cuba, as well  to show the self-reflection of Cuba’s current social-economic status  in comparison to its own idealized view. The simple, yet genius technique worked to show various parts of the whole, each section being an individual aspect, whilst still tying this overbearing concept all together. I find myself constantly struggling to go beyond the surface of concept while still being able to convey my ideas to the public. In my beginnings, my work was often individual photos that stood on their own. But, translation and communication were lacking. With my educational experience, I have and still am evolvehving into building bodies of work, yet I still struggle as I find myself focusing on a single aspect of a concept. Harris avoids this problem completely by providing a broader context, relating the specific concept to a broader audience. This method, I feel, works especially well when dealing with a culture and its experience, often multi-layered, which I often find myself photographing, as I am doing so for this semester.
In his interview on CNN, when talking about this body of work, Alex Harris says he went to Cuba as a photographer not trying to say anything, but trying to see what the pictures would tell people. I found this hypocritical as all photographers have intentions when taking photographs. He wanted to show the public the real Cuba. He did not necessarily know at the beginning what stories to tell, but he knew what he wanted as the outcome.  In cultural documentary photography, I find there being a natural sense of justice attached and I found this in Harris’ work. He is showing a struggling people who want the freedoms that Western societies have. Whether he intended this to be the case or not, by choosing such a subject matter, this sense of justice does come through and he is responsible because he is the photographer. I personally don’t mind if my work has this attached feeling to it. I am a fighter for equality and justice. It is part of who I am and it is bound to come out through my photography; through choice of concept, and subject matter. By denying what naturally exists, you deny documentary photography itself. Also, all media influences thought, whether we like it or not. Sadly, there is no true objective viewpoint when it comes to sharing. We are beings of developed influence and perspective; we are opinionated by nature. As individuals and documentary photographers, we choose what to photograph and these photographs tell the story as we see it, stemming from our eye and cognitive thought.

But that aside, the deepest connection I felt with Harris’ work was this search for cultural truth. For some reason we have this need as photographers to share with the world our interest in this. Why must we take pictures? Why must we explore other cultures? I personally use culture and society in my search for the tragedy and beauty of what it means to be human and I can see this in his work as well. By doing so, we are constantly asking why. Why are things the way they are? Why do we have these different and shared perspectives and experiences? Why do we choose to do the things we do? And what causes these choices? Through documentary photography, I am able to explore these questions, asking them to the world, attempting to answer them for myself. This drive to tell stories and truths relieve some sort of burden we have on our minds. Maybe it is because we are naturally so judgmental and we are trying to justify our own perception. I am not sure, but I do know that it is necessary to look at others in order to view ourselves.

Photography has allowed for visualization of thought;  a communicative means besides that of spoken and written word. And as I stated earlier, we trust our eyes more than we do our ears. What we see is and by exploring ideas visually, new perspectives are to be had that were once not there. We as photographers choose not to write or to speak. We choose to show and as documentary photographers, we choose to show what is.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Assignment 3

War Photographer

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough"
-Robert Capa

A film portraying all that is beautiful and all that is hellish pertaining to that of documentary photography. First off, I must say it is ridiculous I have never seen this film in my life, as I feel “War Photographer” is pertinent and integral for all photographers. The mannerisms and photographs of James Nachtwey are that of elegance, class, and wonder; with them is an important timelessness taken with so much care.
Right off the bat, I found an instant connection with James and his words. “You have to be single minded.” My jaw dropped and a sense of relief overwhelmed me when this was said. I consider myself to be a lonely observer in this social world, as is James Nachtwey. Being so, one is able to not be responsible for that of others, allowing for a beaming focus opening one’s eyes and mind to the world around you. Doing so, one is able to transcend relative reality, making all matters yours. You become unemotional and distant as a human being, but regain these as a photographer through the lens. The documentary photographer must be invisible yet so involved. Having a single mind, one is able to do so. The reason I felt so relieved was that fact that I have been battling being a loner rather than embracing it. It finally clicked that this is not such a bad thing when there are others who accept this and use it to their advantage.
I love the fact that James is so reserved, holding so much respect for those around him, yet he still manages to become so involved in the events. His actions and photographs speak for him, again, allowing for his eyes to take in the environment; to do the work; to see what needs to be seen. This is very difficult to achieve as documentary photography can feel so invasive and voyeuristic. Lately, I have found myself lacking in the confidence to do so, stopping me from capturing what I observe, having almost too much respect for the world around me.
Why are people so interested in the loss of others? The celebrations of others? The emotions of others? What do we as documentarians get out of capturing what it means to be human? Well, the answer is just that. As being observers by nature, and documentarians specifically, we are in search of what it means to be human. It allows us to witness history from what happens to ordinary people, not the academic world, as said in the film. Personally, it helps answer my question of purpose. When you observe others in situations, you can picture yourself having these experiences. But then ask the question, why them and not me? Through photography, I am able to appease that questioning by not only sharing these experiences with myself but those who see the photograph.
As far as picking a favorite photo of James’, it is impossible. Because of how astounding of a photographer he is, his photos are all that of amazing, breathtaking and real. I cannot relate to any of the situations he photographs because I am a middleclass White American who is not brave enough to go around the world experiencing these events for myself. That is my situation. I have not experienced famine, war, epidemic, etc. I can only imagine and sympathize through his depictions of these situations. It is also hard to choose a favorite due to the subject matter, in that, even though the photograph may be well done, the subject matter is so devastating making it almost disrespectful to say that is my favorite. I do not think James would want us to choose a favorite; he wants us to react with human emotion and action.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Mr. K's Shoot 1

A successful meeting with Mr. K allowed for an all-access initial tour of the facilities.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Final Project Proposal 2: Food 622

Orange Curry Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon and Mexican Naan (tortilla)

My interest in culture and tradition has led me in the direction of food. Inspired by the experiences of famous chef's Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, and Paula Deen, I and those around me, have become enthralled with the art of cooking. Multiple times a week, the roommates and I journey to grocers and markets around Tucson to purchase ingredients for the dish of the night. The total experience, that of planning, shopping, preparing, cooking, and eating, has become a tradition and a time of bonding for the three of us; allowing for conversations of life, philosophy, comedy, etc... The art of cooking has become therapeutic and meditative.  Our passion is so infused in us that it has led to talk of dropping out of school, saying fuck it, and opening some sort of food stand or restaurant.

I want to document the surface, as well as the personal experiences that we have; the laughter, the enjoyment and the result: the food itself. Having many steps in the process, each being an experience of its own, I feel there will be much to document.

I foresee the fact that I am often very involved in the process of cooking being a problem. It will be hard to document as well as cook at the same time, especially in the confined space of our kitchen. I am not sure that a tripod'd and timer'd setup would do the job as I want the camera to be just as involved in the experience as the cooks.