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Conflicted

“He was cracking jokes,” said Nicole Tung. A sentence all too welcome to those having family members involved in a war. 27-year-old Guy Martin was not involved on the front lines with a gun, but rather a camera. The world of conflict photojournalism can be one of the most dangerous occupations; one where you can't fight back. Ed Ou recalls a trip to Cairo with Martin during the uprising. "We would always be talking,” Mr. Ou said. “Always talking. Every 30 seconds, we would go: ‘Is this safe?’ ‘Is this dangerous?’ ‘What’s our exit strategy?’” During one particularly intense struggle they voted to hide behind a large wall adding, “The bottom line is we kept each other safe.”

The world of conflict photojournalism has not always been prominent. Since photography is a relatively new invention as compared to that of conflicts themselves, it has taken many years for this form of photography to thrive. Since the inception of photography itself, there were almost always photographs of the war sites being taken. John Burke, who photographed the Second Anglo-Afghan War in the late 1870s, paid his own way to Afghanistan. The camera toted along with him was a standard at that time; a 4-by-5-inch field camera. Though Burke created astounding images of the region, he did not do so with that of the conflict.

It was not until the Spanish Civil War that photojournalists began capturing the moments as they happened. Three photojournalists in particular became famous for covering the war; Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and David Seymour. "All three openly supported the anti-Fascist Republican cause and were eager to use the camera as a weapon to fright Franco. They not only recorded battle scenes but, whenever possible, the harrowing effects of war on refugees and civilians" (source).The cameras themselves were also much more versatile by this time.

Regretfully, all three died on the battlefield of different wartime locations. Taro was the first, dying just one year into the Spanish Civil War, Capa in Vietnam in 1954, and Chim in 1956 during the Suez War. All three left a lasting legacy and paved the way for photojournalists to get closer and be involved.

Gorey, but not quite.

Even after his death almost eleven years ago, one man continues to inspire through the images he created. When Edward Gorey died at the age of 75 he already had a steady following of creative individuals, a number which has steadily grown since then. Gorey’s books showcased a variety of black and white images centered on illustrated images and dead pan remarks. The style of the comics themselves drew a line that enveloped Surrealism with Victorian true-crime set in a British place with times reminiscent of Victorian, Edwardian and the Jazz Age.

Gorey’s career entailed working for PBS and even Broadway. His playful illustrations would introduce the series “Mystery!” on PBS, but before that his drawings were used as set pieces for the 1977 version of the Broadway play “Dracula.” Despite these beginnings, he has inspired an array of individuals prominent in the spotlight today. Lemony Snicket author Daniel Handler called himself a “complete rip-off of Edward Gorey” before anyone knew who he was referring to. (Now they agree wholeheartedly with Handler.) Tim Burton owes many a scene to Gorey, including that of Coraline and Alice in Wonderland. Neil Gaiman, the author of Coraline, said he originally wanted Gorey to illustrate the book, but Gorey “died the day I finished it.” Gaiman’s inspiration drawn directly from a Gorey drawing hanging on his wall. Established designer Anna Sui has drawn inspiration from him as well, saying that “he picked up on all those cultures and was inspired by them.” American Idol contestant Siobhan Magnus sported bicep tattoos of illustrations done by Gorey.

The market for Gorey’s merchandise has certainly grown in recent years. Book publishers merchandise demands have buoyed with increased interest in his comics. Even the Gorey House in Massachusetts has seen increased notoriety. Before an exhibition arrived in February, numerous individuals had arrived to the house.

Gorey aimed to provide a world based on the 1860’s with a deadpan, ironic worldview. His love of film, theater, and ballet inspired him, often causing him to create compositions that looked more like dramatic theatre sets. His crosshatched or stippled artworks were well composed to give you something new to look at every time you viewed them. “The philosopher Jacques Derrida might have said it is this very elusiveness — the sense that meaning can never be pinned down by language — that is Gorey’s overarching point.” (source)

LA as Art Mecca

Recently I have noticed a strong shift in the art world. When a person usually thinks of the art world center, New York is one of the first, if not the first, place to pop into their thoughts. For years New York has been the center of the art world, and probably rightfully so.

The city of Los Angeles has always been a mix of people, culture, and ideas. It is the largest city on the western coast, a port city, and a landscape filled with a plethora of imagination and innovation. The film industry already reigns supreme here, so what's stopping further growth towards another type of industry?

I recently interned for the annual photo l.a. in Santa Monica. While the internship itself was quite demanding, I noticed something about the art scene here. Many of the booths were not centrally located in California, but instead came from around the United States as well as places like Germany, China, and Switzerland. In this one space a wide variety of people had gathered for one purpose: art. The mass collection of ideas and art was apparent. Los Angeles is a place ready and willing to thrive on the people that travel and live here.

A recent LA times article explored the idea of a large art show being organized in LA. While there are several smaller art fairs, there has yet to be a fair that garners resumed international attention. Miami now holds one of the most prominent contemporary art fairs, Art Basel Miami Beach. This fair brings in many artists and also brings the attention of the press.

However, there is one large factor that stands against LA. While the city may have a cornucopia of restaurants, galleries, and party spots, it lacks a sizable venue to hold incoming artists. One thing I noticed at Photo L.A. was the complex nature of a space. There was a great deal of people crammed into one venue and not much room for anything else. Los Angeles has a wide variety of spaces, but none of which can hold a fair the size of other cities.

There is no doubt that an international art fair would bring much more tourism to the state. But the challenge begins with how to organize a fair. The people are ready. The art is ready. There are viable spaces available. Now comes to challenge to organize.




Assignment for JRN412

Work.

Lately, I have been faced with a grueling statement: Photography isn't work. This statement has come in various forms, from various people over the past few weeks and each time it irks me a little more.

One conversation involved me telling my Father's friend about my major and what I am currently doing (he later wanted me to take pictures for his business). Another occurred when someone claimed that photography doesn't count as a class. Of course, there are always those individuals that think photography is more of a pastime and not necessarily something that takes effort. To anyone who has dabbled more than briefly into the occupation could probably disagree with this idea wholeheartedly.

In my current production class, it seemed that capturing the image was the least amount of time I spent on this project. In order to capture the image I first had to create a lookbook. For this project it was essential to work with a portrait-style photo and then incorporate a texture into the photo. This in itself required much research in an attempt to garner a look for the actual shoot. It seemed as though I spent hours searching through magazines, the internet, and even asking my mother for help in an attempt to begin creating my lookbook. Upon finally creating a lookbook I then had to wait in order to present the idea in class. Even after I had set the idea and presented it, I realized (probably not more than a few hours before I was about to shoot) there was a better image I could execute.
When the day finally came to shoot I had to rush my model out the door in hopes that the cloudy, overcast day would continue. My first instinct was to set her underneath the parking structure in front of my apartment. This proved to be the best lighting situation, although my range of shooting was limited. While I did capture a few more images I ultimately went with one of my first from underneath the parking garage. This entire process only took about twenty minutes total.
The next step was to capture the texture I had wanted to use since I was first assigned this project: different parts of a palm tree. Since the correct lighting was difficult to find I had to set each piece onto a black mat board then bounce my flash off the dishwasher. After several attempts I achieved the correct lighting and had all my textures.
With all my images and textures finally on camera I had the most extensive part of the project complete. The next process was to bring them all into Photoshop and combine them in as many ways as I could imagine. With a few combined class periods I had finally combined several images into one me and my teacher could be satisfied with.

I can say that I am happy with the image that was produced it definitely was not instant. Throughout much of this project I second-guessed myself. Many times I thought I should re-shoot or start over with another idea entirely (even if I did stray almost completely from my original concept).

With the process I learned something that I may have not fully realized before: photography is work. A look at this graph will surely make anyone think about the work that goes into the life of a photographer. While the majority of people think it's about one giant party, it's really not. Also, take into account the stat that 85% of new photographers go out of business within the first five years.

If it were as simple as everyone entailed, then I’m sure more people would be inclined to pick up a camera.


Assignment for JRN212.