The Picture - Ming Smith, Untitled, New York, July 4 1981
In the picture, I can see a group of people standing in a street. The people are not distinct, but are smudged, as is the entire picture. The photo is dotted by flashes of yellow light, which look a bit like fireworks. Give the date of July 4, the US independence day, it is indeed a reasonable assumption that they are fireworks or sparklers. The colours are very muted, giving the entire image a brown muddy look. It looks like a photo taken on expired film, which gives these kinds of murky colours. The photo seems to be in the genre of street photography. It is not a typical street photograph, as it is stylistically unusual. Most street photographs use short shutter speeds to freeze motion and use smaller apertures which keep the subjects in the context of the built environment. Monochrome is preferred for this, as it creates a minimal, uncluttered image. By contrast, this does none of those, but instead captures using light trails and long exposures, a sense of dynamism and movement. Ming Smith took this picture using a long exposure, potentially also a multiple exposure. This is shown by the movement present in the photo, indicating the shutter speed was probably below 1/15 of a second. She must have then panned the camera vertically, as the streaks seem to bemore or less vertical and straight. Judging other technical aspects is difficult due to the shakiness of the image, but I would reckon that the photographer used a small aperture, as everything seems somewhat in focus, albeit distorted by the shakinessof the photograph. The photo appears to be taken on film, probably expired film due to the muted, brown hues of the image. The photo makes me feel somewhat confused, as the result of the shaky, long exposure is the sense of movement and chaos. The photo creates an atmosphere of unpredictability. It feels almost explosive due to the intense flashes of light which pierce through the murkiness of the image, like fireworks. If I could ask the artist a few questions, I would ask her:
What were you thinking about when taking the photo?
What do the flashes of light symbolise, if they symbolise anything at all?
What would you do differently if you took the photo again?
Ming Smith’s work is predominantly street and documentary in purpose, however it is somewhat unusual, as it commonly uses long exposures, to capture movement. This creates a painting-like feel to the pictures, and makes them very interesting stylistically.Ming Smiths work documented the lives of black Americans from the 1970s onwards. She was the first African American female photographer to have work bought by the prestigious MoMA in New York in 1978. Her work captures the struggle of black Americans in the 1970s, especially as black people were –and still are- underrepresented in art and media. While this was interesting, due to the abstract nature of the photo, this information to me did not reveal much about the nature of the photo, although it helped understand the context a bit. The photo relates to the theme creative use of light, by the use of long exposures to create a sense of energy and a painterly atmosphere. The streaks of light also come to mind. However, a simple question is: all photographs are made using light, and any photograph can qualify as a creative use of light, if it is well imagined.
My Response - Ideas and Inspiration
To respond to this work, I decided to first look at my existing work which was similar in style and concept. I noticed the main feature of Ming Smith's work is the use of motion and blur to create a painterly atmosphere, and an impression of energy. When looking through my existing work, I saw some photos I took in Frankfurt in august which I felt nicely matched the style. I used zooming into the photo to make these abstract photos, which I think were very effective. In particular, I like the leading lines, which make it look like you are being sucked into the photo. I used long exposures and zoomed in, creating this interesting effect.
some photos I took earlier which match the theme of 'creative use of light'
I then also found some photos of Canary Wharf, where I vertically panned the camera, creating vertical streaks, while also keeping some aspects of the photo recognisable. These were actually accidental, but I felt they matched the them and the original photo quite well.
some more photos I took earlier which match the theme of 'creative use of light'
I then also looked at less abstract ways of representing the theme - I am not normally an abstract photographer, and I usually prefer more conventional images.
My Response: The Pictures
Evaluation
These pictures are of Canary Wharf, but through an abstract lens. I took them using zooming and long exposures, and in the case of the last one, through a moving DLR train, and the photo of the escalator. The long exposure creates a sense of movement, which guides the viewer through the photo. The Photos create a sense of energy and dynamism, which causes a sense of restlessness. The pictures try to emulate the energy of the city, and the feelings which might come from this.
In general, I am fairly pleased with my work, as i think it fits the brief of 'creative use of light' very well. They match the visual language of the prompt well. However, I should have taken more, as I do not have sufficient variety from the ones i took. I also should have done more editing, as many of the compositions could be improved on through cropping and editing the colours.