Seminar 1 - "The Commission - The Portrait Issue"

'Changing Pace, David Weir', Finlay MacKay

Finlay MacKay is a Scottish photographer who studied fine art photography at Glasgow School of Art.

His visual thinking appears to be centred on his creative use of post-production techniques.

Whist shooting for the ‘Road to 2012’ project MacKay moved away from the traditional approach to sports photography. His images suggest that he observes and then responses to the narratives presented by the athletes. He looks into the training locations of the athletes and provides a story of the London 2012 Olympics from a singular perspective.

MacKay photographs his subjects in their own homes or places which I believe shows his understanding of them as individual. Showing them in everyday surrounding ensures that they look comfortable and their appearance is not too false or structured.

Aesthetically, the above image gives a great sense of movement. The curves of the winding road and the trees that almost appear to be leaning backwards on the right of the image add to this appearance of motion. Weir himself is shown in a similarly streamlined fashion which may refer to his determination to move forward and not be held back by his disability. MacKay appears to have used strobe lighting to make Weir stand out by casting a strong light over him. The depth of field is large and allows the viewer to take in not only Weir but also the other surroundings. Personally I would have expected a shallow depth of field to be used as it would have picked Weir out of the picture and emphasised his importance. 

'Actual Life', Toby Glanville

Toby Glanville is a British photographer from Kent. His series was taken from 1997 to 2000

In an interview with Juan Ignacio Moralejo, Glanville was asked what his motivation for photographing people in their workplace was. He explained that there were a number of reasons but the main one was the idea that work places people in the world. He also said that “when one encounters people in the workplace one feels quite removed from the order of things, from society’s method of ordering”. It seems that Glanville is suggesting that seeing people at work may cause others to contemplate the fine line between employment and the other.

The subjects in Glanville’s photos seem to be quite at ease in their jobs as they do not look uncomfortable when being subjected to the camera. With further research I found that the people Glanville photographed were often only part of small businesses or were their own bosses.

                                       

The photos appear to use natural light and the shadows present emphasize the fact that the subject is being photographed in their place of work. There are no special costumes or props present which again keeps the photo natural. This may have been done by Glanville so as to keep the subject comfortable and allow him to gain the image he wanted.

The photograph above uses a camera angle that looks slightly up at the subject which may reflect how, as she appears to be a teacher, that she has a power in the form of knowledge and therefore power over the viewer. The large depth of field allows the audience to take in the surroundings and how the subject fits into them respectively. The setting itself is very modest and does not overwhelm the subject. The pastel colours give a gentle appearance to the subject and may suggest an aspect of her nature as a person. This assumption could be supported by her expression as it seems natural and friendly.

The shadows, coupled with the highlights on the subjects face, provide a good tonal range without including shadows and highlights that are too harsh. 

In comparison with MacKay's image Glanville's portrayal of his subject shows a deeper understanding of how a person and their background intertwine. The relationship between photographer and subject seems stronger in Glanville's images as the subject's gaze is fixed on the camera lens whereas in MacKay's images the subjects are more engaged in the activity they are performing. This may suggest that Glanville has a clearer understanding of how a subject relates to their surroundings and how it shapes them as a person.

 

‘Freischneider’, Ulrich Gebert

Ulrich Gebert is a German photographer. In his series ‘Freischneider’ (Hedge Cutter), Gebert photographed shrubbery and also the men with the saws that brought ‘order’ to them. It explores the relationship between human being, shrubbery and patterns of order. The garden and gardener are set face to face with a confrontation that seems to resemble a culprit-victim relationship.

The landscape worker seems to be portrayed as a goliath figure, armed with protective gear. His gaze looks away from the camera and into the distant giving the air of importance, as though he has a greater cause to achieve rather than having his photo taken. The vivid colours and sharp focus on the subject suggest that he is a strong individual. However, the subject is not seen to be obviously standing in front of any background as the depth of field is quite shallow which keeps the background out of focus. This suggests that Gebert does not understand the subject as an individual but views him more as a mean to a larger end: his portrayal of the culprit-victim relationship.

Comparison

In conclusion, I think that the works of Glanville and MacKay are alike in their choice of depth of field but also very different as Glanville's subjects seem to connect to the viewer more on account of their gaze being almost straight into the camera lens. Both Glanville and MacKay are showing their subjects in their natural surroundings which appears to bring a more comfortable and relaxed air to their posture and allows them to be seen as an individual and also lets the audience understand who they are as a person. On the other hand Gebert's photos do not engage with the subject or the viewer as the gaze of the subject is a lot more hard set and facing away from the camera which makes it seem as though Gebert has no interest in creating a relationship with the subject and is not seeing them as a person, as MacKay and Glanville have, but rather as a tool for a larger message. Overall I feel that the most successful portraits are those of Glanville as they allow the viewer to engage with the subject and also gives them a clearer understanding of who the person behind the camera lens may be.