Paint Box

Monday 9 April 2012

Viewpoint Photos

I have gone back to thinking about power again - this seems to be a recurring theme. I'm wondering if it's the space between figures rather than their environmental context which creates power realtionships. There is also the viewer and their relative space from the subject or subjects in the image. The photos in this post were exploratory shots playing with viewpoints inspired by Anna Gaskell's photography. http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/show-list/artist/g/?search=Anna%20Gaskell 



















Reflection


This was a rapid but very useful exercise for me in really exploring the relationship between the viewer and subject. Not only do these photos create interesting composition including cropping, some or all of the body (not just the head) but they forced me physically into a dominant or vulnerable position when taking them. I found it much easier to adopt the higher viewpoint that the very low ones as it was difficult to achieve a real worm's eye view.

I thought that the high viewpoint would make the subject would place me in the position of power, however the subject's direct gaze towards the camera placed the control with her. The photos with an averted gaze or looking completely away made me feel that the viewer was observing rather than challenging the subject - this may also have put the viewer in a position of power as they for that moment remained unnoticed. The images of with the hands in the foreground attempt yo reference my earlier collages with the outsized hands or claws. I was amazed at how feet or hands very close to the camera lens changes the whole dynamic of the image. Although you can't see the whole body, the space is occupied in a completly different way. I intend to experiment with these compositions in paint and drawing on paper and repeating an image, with the view to exploring more power relationships.









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