Photography Themes and Issues

Photography Themes and Issues Photography Themes and Issues Essay Describe how a greater understanding of the social and historical context of a body of photographic work can be useful in interpreting its meaning. You should refer to the work of an individual photographer, or of an organisation using photography, to justify your argument. In this essay I am going to look at the photographic work of Craig J Barber and his unique approach to post-war Vietnam and Havana, Cuba using the medium of pinhole photography. I will explore how Barbers approach to photographing Vietnam through the use of pinhole cameras, tells a unique story of its own in terms of post-war Vietnam, the atmosphere and life after the war and also the alternative route he has taken compared to the work of other photographers who have looked at Vietnam as a subject. I will also look at Barbers view of a modern day Havana and how the countries past issues with politics has shaped Havana and how its future is deconstructing the Socialist ideal. The Vietnam War began in 1959 and continued until 1975, the war was fought between the Northern Communists and the Anti-Communist South. The Vietnam War had a profound impact not only on the countrys political shift but also on the surviving population as the death toll reached over 4 million Vietnamese dead by the end of the war. The Vietnam War was well documented photographically and produced some of the most iconic images of war of the past 100 years, most notably Nick Uts famous image of Phan Thi Kim Phuc as a young girl, running towards the camera whilst screaming in pain due to injuries sustained from a napalm attack by Southern Vietnam. Another iconic image of the Vietnam war was Eddie Adams ‘General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon depicting a Vietnamese police chief executing a war prisoner in a street. Both of these famous images are stark statements of the brutal and inhumane nature of war and symbols that helped boost the anti-war movement s during that period and subsequent periods of conflict. Craig J Barber served as a marine in the American armed forces during the 1960s stationing him in Vietnam during the war at the age of 18. Thirty-five years later, Ghosts of the Landscape: Vietnam revisited is Barbers attempt to re-visit and document the aftermath of the devastating war and the country that so deeply affected his life forever; â€Å"This was an opportunity to be able to revisit a land that had a profound effect upon my life and to be able to come to terms with it. I always remembered it as a beautiful land that I wanted to return to.† The pinhole photography of Ghosts of the Landscape is a very different account of the country compared to the photojournalistic style that covered the war itself. Due to the nature of the pinhole camera, the images are given a softer focus that feels like the landscapes of Vietnam are nothing but memories left over from before the country experienced such devastating bloodshed. Another characteristic element of pinhole photography that has helped to separate Barbers work from the likes of Adams and Ut is the longer exposure times for each image. Working with pinhole allowed Barber to observe his subject more closely helping him forge a working relationship with the subjects while he waited and observed; â€Å"For me it is important to get to know a place in an intimate way. When I work I am very slow, I like to look around the corners and behind the doors at the small, quiet details that make up the cultural landscape.† A standard SLR or medium format camera used by many photojournalists will decrease down to f22 in aperture size, whereas when working in pinhole the aperture can take an f-stop down into the hundreds. In many of Barbers Ghosts images, he has chosen to include a human presence, often that of children (Plate.2 and Plate.3) which then gives these images a distinct difference in meaning to the desolate landscapes in his other images. When we see a post-war Vietnamese village, obviously populated, but with its inhabitants obscured and blurred almost into the background itself, it starts to invoke thoughts of the aforementioned ghosts and memories for Barber of the country he first saw in his youth. The inclusion of children in these images then provokes thought at whether or not this is an homage to the dead or perhaps something deeper, for example this could be Barbers way of telling the viewer that the people who live in Vietnam today are still plagued by the after-effects of war and that pride, hope and dignity is still yet to make its way back into the lives of every Vietnamese person. It would be worth noting that during the Vietnam war, The US inflicted a deadly toxin ‘Agent Orange onto Southern Vietnam resulting in 400,000 deaths and subsequently causing half a million children to be born with such birth defects as; cleft palate, mental problems, hernias and extra toes and fingers. So Barbers inclusion of children as blurred semi-human shapes could also be a message to the world about the continued suffering and miserable conditions that are a day to day occurrence in this country. If Barber had used standard photography equipment, he would have needed to document this aftermath either literally or by including a body of text with his image to give clarity to the viewer, whereas pinhole has given him freedom to simply create his image and let it speak its own story through stripping away individualism and showing that it is not just an isolated problem to any one group of people. Almost all of the images included in Ghosts in the Landscape include views of rural villages made up of primitive wooden huts (Plate.5) and other areas of grand French architecture (Plate.16) Barber is documenting the lack of technology in some areas and the lack of change that has occurred since his first days in Vietnam in 1960. It shows the innocence among the people and stays true to the anti-capitalist ideals that they held. Barbers combination of the platinum process and his focus on documenting his own past and the past of the Vietnamese serve to take the viewer back to a time in history through a beautifully contrasted and toned path of desolation and despair. Craig Barbers pinhole work went on to a project ‘Havana Passage which looked at Cuba, a country that following a revolution in 1959 became a Socialist republic and has been under a trade embargo from the United States since 1962. Barber, perhaps unbeknownst to him, makes several connections between his Vietnam and Cuba photographic work; Both of these countries have been in conflict with the United States, both countries share the same radical political stance and both countries have experienced revolutions during the 1960s and transitionary periods that have left the contemporary culture at a slight economic and social disadvantage. â€Å"In the late 1990s I ventured to Cuba for the first time and visited a land that has remained a forbidden mystery for most American citizens. Unspoiled by mass consumerism and global trademarks, Cuba remains a unique blend of Spanish colonial and 1950s Americana with not a Starbucks in sight.† Cuba began its revolution with Alberto Kordas iconic image Guerrillero Heroico and ended up at Barbers Cuban lament through a series of images depicting the final ghosts of Communism roaming the streets of Havana. Barber chose Havana as a subject for his pinholes because he wanted to document the fading culture of Cuba as it started to lose its revolutionary ideals. Once again, pinhole manages to create mystery and despair through its long exposure times of Havanian streets and public spaces although this time we see well built Spanish architecture and people who are busily working at street stalls or having a moment to themselves. The photograph Cabbages tells Cuba that they are moving away from the world of the local grocery stall where there might be a friendly face, conversation and fresh produce and moving towards a corporate atmosphere where buying pesticide or genetically-engineered riddled produce will strip away the intimate moment of conversation and interaction with a local farmer or street stall-worker. The cabbages are forced into the eyes of the viewer pleading for the time when Cuba provided for itself, where the cabbage was grown with love from the farmer and for the country. Memories is another photograph from the ‘Havana Passage set, this image depicts an outdoor bar in a beautiful setting. There is a distinct lack of human presence here, no bar staff and no patrons and it could even be considered a ghost town with its neglected paint work and no typical bar products in sight. Memories looks at the imminent loss of freedom, an outside bar is where people go to relax and socialise while enjoying the world around them, but with the Capitalism creeping in, these people might instead be stuck in their new office job miles away in the heart of Havana creating new areas of desolation among the beauty. In juxtaposed, Barber creates a Fritz Lang style scene of Havana. The foreground consists of an almost empty street scene with subtle hints of neglect to the road and the paintwork of the buildings, there are some people dotted around in the foreground only, and they seem to be unaware of the looming Modernist building creeping up in the background. The photograph looks almost like a photomontage, there is such a contrast between the rough, textured neglected street scene and the smooth perfect curves of the new Modernist architecture. There is a car that contextualises Cubas lack of consumerism and Capitalism and lets the viewer see Cubas antiquated way of life in motion. It looks like a car from the 1950s around the same time that Cuba underwent its revolution. The Modernist building is a direct symbol of the times moving forward, from the patchy street that contains a community, stories and families to the high rise apartment blocks for the wealthy and the sterile office environme nts. Craig Barber shows the photography world that pinhole is so much more than just a niche for experimentalists, pinhole could be the next stage of documentary photography tailored specifically to documenting the slow demise of one country after another; perhaps employed by prospective government parties during elections to show the public where it is heading as a propaganda tool for their own ‘revolutionary office. Bibliography Books Craig J Barber Alison Devine Nordstrom (2006) 1st Edition Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited. New York: Umbrage Editions Websites http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara_(photo) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._embargo_against_Cuba http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Korda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana http://www.robinricegallery.com/pastexhibitions/craig_barber/index.html http://withoutlenses.com/view/a-conversation-with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_V%C4%83n_L%C3%A9m http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu%E1%BB%B3nh_C%C3%B4ng_%C3%9At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Adams_(photographer) http://www.eastmanhouse.org/exhibits/container_60/index.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_orange http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara_(photo)

The Story Behind The Atomic Bomb :: essays research papers

The story behind the atomic bomb Atomic Bomb August 6th, 1945, 70,000 lives were ended in a matter of seconds. The United States had dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Today many argue over whether or not the US should have taken such a drastic measure. Was it entirely necessary that we drop such a devastating weapon? Yes, it was. First, look at what was going on at the time the decision was made. The U.S had been fighting a massive war since 1941. Morale was most likely low, and resources were probably at the same level as morale. However, each side continued to fight, and both were determined to win. Obviously, the best thing that could have possibly have happened would have been to bring the war to a quick end, with a minimum of casualties. What would have happened had the A-bomb not been used? The most obvious thing is that the war would have continued. U.S forces; therefore, would have had to invade the home island of Japan. Imagine the number of casualties that could have occurred if this would have happened Also, our forces would not only have to fight off the Japanese military, but they would have to defend themselves against the civilians of Japan as well. It was also a fact that the Japanese government had been equipping the commoners with any kind of weapon they could get their hands on. It is true that this could mean a Japanese citizen could have anything from a gun to a spear, but many unsuspecting soldiers might have fallen victim to a surprise spear attack! The number of deaths that would have occurred would have been much greater, and an invasion would have taken a much longer period of time. The Japanese would have continued to fight the US with all of what they had; spears, guns, knives, whatever they could get their hands on, just as long as they continued to fight the enemy. As mentioned before, it is a fact that some civilians had been ready to fight our military with spears! What made it possible that the Japanese would resort to using spears? Why wouldn't they use guns or other weapons? Well, the truth was, the government just didn't have the resources to give out a gun to just any citizen. US naval blockades are one of the major reasons that Japan was so low on resources, and a main point opponents of the decision to drop the bomb constantly bring up. Japan obviously was very low on resources.

“Dawn is at Hand” by Kath Walker Essay

In the poem ‘Dawn is at Hand’ by Kath Walker, the author attempts to change people’s thinking about aboriginal people. The poem talks about a better future for all aboriginal people and letting go of their past. The author uses many poetic devices such as theme, repetitions and metaphor to enhance her message and inspire the audience. The main theme of this poem is that aboriginals will be discriminated no more, and they will be equal to white Australians. In the mainstream Australian society Aboriginals are ofter looked down upon, discriminated against and marginalised. This poem is trying to change the attitudes of both Aborigines and the white people of Australia. At the beginning of the poem the author addresses her people as the ‘Dark brothers first Australian race’ she talks about their struggle for justice and when all hope for a brighter future seemed ‘folly’. The author changes the tone of the poem and talks about a brighter future for all of them. She talks about her vision of a future Australia where ‘dark and white upon common ground’ describing equal standing for both black and white Australians. The poems message is a hopeful one for a better future for all aboriginals. The author tells her aboriginals people it is time to leave their shameful past and enter this ‘brand new day’ where they will be welcomed mate ship wise in industry and enterprise. They will stand a better chance in accomplishing their dreams because they will ‘feel a friendly land’ and will receive a ‘grip of the hand’ which emphasise on the fact that the future Australian society will learn to be more accepting of the aboriginals and will learn to treat them with equal respect. ‘The grip of the hand’ is a metaphor that signifies that the hand shake between the white Australians and aboriginals will be powerful, stronger and meaning full. It won’t just be a split second touch between the two hands, as proven in line ‘fringe dwellers no more.’ The author often repeats the line ‘fringe dwellers no more,’ by this she means the aboriginals will no longer be outcasts of society left to themselves and ignored. As the first line of the poem states ‘first Australian race’ the aboriginals are the original people of Australia, but  yet they feel outcast in their own land. The author repeats this line to emphasise their rightful belonging and their move to mainstream everyday Australians. The author even repeats this is line as the last line of her poem to show all Aboriginals and white Australians that Aboriginals will be a part of the new and better Australia. Therefore author Kath Walker’s aim was to change people’s thinking about Aboriginals people through the use of poetic devices such as theme, repetition and metaphors. She made a clear statement that the future Australian society will not be the same shameful past, and Aboriginals will be just as important as the white Australians.

Analysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

Lots of people like to think they are in control of everything around them, but nobody can really understand or grasp something that large. â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been,† is a short story concerning a young girl in a rush for freedom, which she quickly regrets. The story is based in the late 60s, and the main character, Connie, is fascinated with the new rebellious trend the 70s bring. She enjoys the new fashion trends, the music, everything about it excited her. Connie always thought she had her life in control, and she never thought it would bring her the trouble it did. She is later at a crossroads, whether to sacrifice her family or herself, when everything backfires. Joyce Carol Oates, the author, was inspired by the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"From the outset of the narrative, members of Connies family recognize their powerlessness and thus their difference from her. Her mother and sister are not attractive, so they do not really count; and her father, who spends most of his time at work, is weak.† (Urbanski 1). Connie did not look anything similar to her family, she is much prettier and has a better personality. Connie did not want to be like the rest of her family, she wanted to be better and prettier than her sister and even her mother. Her family was still in the early sixties trend, while Connie despised the way they acted and dressed. Even Connie’s taste in music pulled her further from her family. Her mother despises the way the admires herself, yet her father is not talked about much. â€Å"Connie’s father doesn’t care where she has been, and her mother, who the story implies was much like Connie when she was younger, takes only perfunctory interest in where she’s going†(Coulthard 507). Although she is always fighting with her family, she never meant for her actions to affects them in the way they did. She even clinged to them for security in her most traumatic times. While looking for Connie’s dream guy she finds somebody much worse. Arnold Friend epitomize somebody evil, like the devil. By removing all the R’s out of his Arnold Friend’s name it leaves an old fiend, which means villain. Connie knew she recognized the name, but could not figure out how. â€Å"She looked at that name,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been? `` Essay929 Words   |  4 Pagesimagine a better world and becoming better people. Thoughts allow us to logically make decisions. Beliefs allow us to have hope. In Joyce Carol Oates â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† and in Nathaniel Hawthorne â€Å" Young Goodman Brown† the protagonists are both presented with fantasy-like situations and we see how they deal with them. In â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† Connie is an average everyday girl who wants to free herself from authority instead of being a little girl. In â€Å"YoungRea d MoreAnalysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been1094 Words   |  5 PagesWhere are you going, Where have you been? â€Å"Where are you Going, Where Have You Been?† is a story written in 1966 by Joyce Carol Oates. It was originally published in Epoch magazine, but now it is in many short story anthologies. The story tells of a young girl named Connie, who doesn’t want to grow up, and is kidnapped by Arnold Friend one day when she is home alone. It is based on an American serial killer Charles Schmid, who lured young women to the desert where he murdered them. I first readRead MoreAnalysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been1205 Words   |  5 PagesIn her short story â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† Joyce Carol Oates depicts the journey of Connie, a beautiful, mistreated, 15 year old girl yearning for attention and the loss of her innocence along the way. Oates creates this story around four murders by Charles Schmid and retells them with her own style, giving internal events the excitement, suspense, and climax normally associated with external events . Oates utilizes the demonic adversary, Arnold Friend, to awaken Connie from theRead MoreAnalysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been1371 Words   |  6 Pagesthousands of years there have been many different writers, while being unique and talented in their own way. Joyce Carol Oates, the author of â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been†, is no exception. However, while writers may be talented and unique in their own way, the readers will have their own opinions about the stories. It is rare for a reader to read a story without having a critical outlook on a few of the stories elements. â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been† is a story that lacksRead MoreAnalysis Of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?977 Words   |  4 Pages A number of the stories, graphic memoirs and poems we discussed in class have introduced us to women who have been trapped in some way in their lives. Henrik Ibsen’s A Dolls House (1879) and Charlotte Perki ns Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† (1892) both demonstrate women being trapped by men in a patriarchal society in the nineteenth century. However, Joyce Carol Oates’ â€Å"Where are you going, where have you been?†(1974), Jamaica Kincaid’s short story â€Å"Girl† (1978) and Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novelRead MoreAnalysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been914 Words   |  4 PagesKatie Gonzales Professor Golden November 7,2017 Essay â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† is a short story written by Joyce Carol that Oates in 1966. Oates based the short story on the well known serial killer Charles Howard Schmid, then wrote the article â€Å"Pied Piper of Tucson† by when he cruised an area in Tucson known as the Speedway in the 1960s, picking up girls.In 1985 Joyce Chopra along with her husband Tom Cole wrote the screenplay. Chopra and Oates portray several differences betweenRead MoreAnalysis Of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been 1148 Words   |  5 PagesJoyce Oats short story, â€Å" Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,† is a great read on many different levels. Oats displays the effects of youthfulness in a teenage girl named Connie. The story is a gripping story that unveils the weakness of a teenage girl. Connie could hardly validate fantasy from reality. She delights herself as a beautiful girl who understands the basic mores of life. Her need for boys attention makes her pride herself as a shinning example of beauty. Connie finds desire inRead MoreAnalysis of â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† Essay1018 Words   |  5 PagesHurst 1 Allison Hurst Professor Ben Mayo English Comp II 30 April 2011 Analysis of â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† by Joyce Carol Oates In 1966, Joyce Carol Oates published her short story â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?†. Oates was inspired to write this story after reading about a serial killer that was referred to as â€Å"The Pied Piper of Tucson†. Oates was disturbed by the number of teenagers that this killer was able to persuade to help him and keep his secretsRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Essay878 Words   |  4 PagesLiterary Analysis of, Where are you going, Where have you been By: Joyce Carol Oate’s In Joyce Carol Oate’s, â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been†, a young teen by the name of Connie is in a stage of what appears to be rebellion. Along with many other teens, Connie’s parent’s oblivion to what she does outside of the house allows it to continue and worsen. Since Connie not being held accountable for her actions, it leads her down paths of destruction. Are Connie’s bad decisions really herRead More Critical Analysis of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?857 Words   |  4 PagesIn Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? the author, Joyce Carol Oates, essentially asserts that the nuances of ones personality are not generated from within, but rather shaped by external circumstances. This is an argument whose justification is abundantly clear in the inner conflict of Connie, the protagonist of the book. The source of that struggle is her unstable relationship with her family, which ultimately results in her identity conflict. As one who always been deprived