Having
mulled over my feedback on assignment 4 for some time, I feel that there is a
need for a complete redo. The Brighton Shopkeepers project didn’t really go as
planned and I made several mistakes that I cannot go back and rectify. My
feedback wasn’t good and the fact that my tutor feels that my assignment didn’t
fit the brief has left me feeling a need to rethink and start again.
On
starting the assignment, I knew that I was photographing a touristy area but
hoped that I could delve beneath the touristy element and show the real people
who live and work in the area. I don’t think I was as successful as I’d hoped
in achieving this aim.
Xyza Cruz Bacani pairs images with text in her project, ‘Humans of Makati’ to give
an insight into the world of the city’s locals. The images show portraits of
chosen locals, some posed, some taking part in daily activities. The
accompanying text gives a quote or some information on their hopes and
aspirations as well as their views on Makati. Bacani also asks their views on
love and relationships. I like that a few short sentences shows a relatively in
depth view into the individual’s character. While most subjects are shown in a
single image, some are shown in diptych, showing differing perspectives or a
close up detail shot.
My
favourite is a portrait of a street seller; her story is brief, yet gives a
very clear view on her life and that of others like her. She seems proud of
what she has achieved for her family.
Not
all images show the subject’s face; the image of a taxi driver is shot from the
passenger’s point of view, showing a glimpse of the driver’s head in the rear
view mirror.
Having
spoken to a few of the shopkeepers on my way around Brighton on my second,
slightly more relaxed day shooting, it had crossed my mind to add text to my
images to further explore the characters working in the Laines. I had chatted
for some time to the owner of a Bonsai tree shop and enjoyed listening to his
tales of past life as an actor, having appeared in episodes of Dr Who and
productions at my local theatre in the north. Looking back now, I feel that the
text would have enhanced my work, although it may still have been too touristy
to hit the brief for this assignment.
I
really like the idea of adding text to images of people to give the viewer a
deeper understanding of the subject; I would be interested in doing something
along these lines for a future project.
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