Research Log

Research Log 

Bruce Davidson 

This photograph by Bruce Davidson is from his photo series 'The Dwarf'. The image collection portrays the life of the Dwarf man who works in the circus, however, it is not how people would expect instead it shows his isolation from society and the way the outside world see him. The image above was taken in 1958 in USA, Palisades, New Jersey. We can see in the photograph the dwarf as the main focus of the image, he has a sad expression on his face which doesn't relate to the character he plays when performing in the circus, showing a different side to him. In the background of the image you have three people sitting and eating at a table, they are looking over at the man and appear to bee laughing at his expense. The people are staring and laughing perhaps because he is different to them and they don't realise the effect of their actions. This is a powerful image in terms of showing the real side of certain people's everyday experiences due to usually just seeing one, cheerful side to them. 

Richard Billingham

This image by Richard Billingham is from his photo series 'Ray's a Laugh'. The series focuses on the everyday life of his household, living with his mother and alcoholic father. In the image, we can see the father looking quite vulnerable and almost afraid of his wife who is standing next to him looking quite threatening. Her clutched fist and tattooed arm and the way she is looking at him with her lips parted looks like she is shouting at him about something that he's done wrong. He is avoiding her eye contact perhaps because he's afraid of what she's saying but maybe because he just isn't interested in what she's saying and has heard it all before. From the decoration of the house and the clothes, they are wearing it gives us a good idea that this series was taken around the 70's and 80's. 

Robert Doisneau 

This image is by Robert Doisneau from his collection called 'Dance'. This particular image was taken in 1963 and is of the dancer Catherine Verneuil who was a french ballet dancer. I especially like the way this image has been taken from the bird's eye perspective. Not only does this view really flatter Catherine's Tutu it also makes appear very vulnerable but gentle. True to the posture a ballet dancer should possess this image shows her structure perfectly making her seem in perfect form for dancing. I think the black and white element really accentuates her facial features and collar bones to make her appear very feminine the way ballet is viewed, this really adds to the light but wonderful feel of the photograph. 

 

Vivian Maier

This image by Vivian Maier, is from her collection titled 'Street 5'. It was taken in 1956, shown by the black and white nature of the image. The image shows two men coming out of a shop smiling at a dog who is waiting at the other door. The dog looks very content and very obedient perhaps waiting for his owner. I think this reflects my own work as my dog plays a big role in my everyday life shoots. It shows how an image can be centered around an animal and peoples reactions to them makes the photographs different. 

Mary Ellen Mark 

This image by Mary Ellen Mark shows a young girl feeding a baby a bottle on the corner of a street whilst an even younger girls rests her head against a pole with two babies in her hand. Both girls look too young to have the responsibility of caring for a baby especially on the street. This kind of situation makes you wonder what kind of background the girls have and at a guess it may not be a very good one if the street is their only option. They appear to have had their childhood taken away from them by the looks of their unhappy faces and tattered clothes and lack of shoes perhaps showing that they are living in poverty or an unstable home. 

Martin Parr 

This image by Martin Parr is part of the collection titled 'Think of England'. I particularly like these images because they show the everyday life of British society, which is similar to what my project is about. The images are very patriotic and show a stereotypical England which is slightly unrealistic, the one above shows beans and chips perhaps being eaten at the seaside, quite a common scene. What I like about this photo is the closeness and the detail it shows. It is an image of the smaller more in depth parts of the photography this is something I really want to include in my own work. 

Stephanie Sinclair 

Whilst Stephanie Sinclair's work is classed as everyday life, it is very different from what most people think of as everyday life. Her work shows what happens daily for people in other countries who do not live the same as the British or American photographs. The image above is from the collection of photos titled 'child brides', a very sensitive and awful topic that not many people would consider as something that happens everyday. However, for these girls it is their reality and something most of them will have to face. You can't imagine the kind of horrors these sweet, young girls will have to experience due to it being their families only option. That is what makes this photo so powerful as looking at these innocent young girls you wouldn't think of their childhood being snatched at any moment. 

Jaime Davis Smith 

I really like the image above because its a very simple everyday activity but given a slight twist due to it being a child eating. The image has quite a childish feel to it as girl struggles to reach the table and licks the icing off of the cupcake. You can also see at the other side of the table there is a monkey teddy bear adding to the childish feel of the photograph. 

Mike Brodie

This image by Mike Brodie shows a young man looking over a bridge to the train below. The thought is from the collection called 'A period of juvenile prosperity' this suggests that the man in front of us is moving from being a teenager to adulthood. Therefore showing him in his daily life would be quite interesting as he transitions and finds out who he wants to be. 

Corey Arnold 

This image by Corey Arnold shows a man leaning over the side of  ship pulling a fish out of the water. The nature of Arnold's images are 'life by the sea' most of them show people working by the sea. This image also shows this by the looks of the uniform the man is wearing this could be his job or his livelihood.