The brief for the first part of the Body and Object
project was to photograph someone in the community in their work environment
and then invite them into the university and take photographs of them in the
studio.
I began my research by looking for photographers
who photograph workers in their environment. Song Chao’s series ‘Miners’ appealed
to me as the workers are shown unwashed and in their working clothes. The
viewer can see immediately what Chao was trying to show.
The impact that photographing a body can achieve
will vary according to the context, as shown in the work of Carl Warner. His
images portray the body looking like a landscape.
Therefore, representing my subject appropriately to
allow the viewer to understand the image was going to be crucial.
I decided to use the local library as my focus for
a worker from the community and make my concept How and if Libraries are Affected in the Age of Technology.
I devised a short questionnaire so I could get the
answers to this matter. The manager from my local library completed it. The
results are recorded below.
Library Questionnaire
Completed by Stella
Hawkins – Chiswick Library on 15.01.2014
1. Do you feel that the numbers of
people using the library has fallen in recent years?
No.
Actually usage has risen in London and elsewhere.
2. If so, do you think this might be
because more people have access to the internet?
N/A
3. If not, what do you think it is
about the library that people want to come to it rather than research
information on line or buy their own books?
Many people (approx 20%) have no internet access at
home. People also use libraries if they need information but don’t know how to
research it themselves. Families tend to see libraries as a gateway to literacy
for their children. Also, with the contraction of other govt services, many
people use libraries for advice on benefits, money, job seeking, local
facilities and health. Libraries are also developing as social/community
spaces, with activities such as book clubs. Many libraries also offer add on
services such as training course, events and small cafes.
4. Your website tells us how many
books were borrowed last year, but has the number of books borrowed fallen
since E-readers became popular?
Not
noticeably.
5. Are people using the library for
other reasons than just borrowing books?
Yes,
see answer 3.
6. Do more people come to use the
library for research reasons rather than to borrow fiction?
No, fiction remains our highest used stock area.
However, free internet access means people do research using print media or
online.
7. Have you made the library more
community-friendly because it was felt that it would be made better use of?
Yes,
see answer 3.
8. Do you think that if a town has a
uni, this affects the numbers using the library as they will use the uni
library?
No, as the stock profiles of public libraries
and uni libraries are completely
different. Also, access to public libraries is free to anyone.
9. If the numbers of users has
declined, is it enough to put the library at risk of closure, bearing in mind
local authorities are cutting back on services wherever they can?
Not
in this borough.
The choice of appropriate props would be vital to
my issue and what I was trying to portray.
The importance of props can also be seen in the
work of Steven Karl Metzer. His images entitled ‘Workers’ contain props that
allow the viewer to understand the image.
The Studio Portrait
Shoot
As we tend to think of people who work in the
community as friendly and approachable, I wanted my image to reflect this. I
thought if I used a soft-lit, but bright lighting, this would help create this
impression.
Equipment used:
Bronica medium format camera
135 lens
Black and white film ISO 160
Shooting at F8
White background
4 lights
4 poly boards
2 large soft boxes
2 shallow discs
2 light packs
Sync cord/light meter
1 library book/iPhone
I used the 80 lens first of all, but that
kept showing the edges of the back drop so I experimented with the 120 and 135
for a longer lens.
The Process
Step 1. I set up four poly boards, arranged
into two corners.
Step 2. After pulling down the white
background, I positioned two lights with shallow discs on to face into the
corners of the poly board to achieve the soft lighting effect.
Step 3. I also positioned two soft boxes in
front of my model so that they were facing her. This cancelled out any shadows
and made her more illuminated.
Step 4. I used the light meter to make the
exposure correct before my model went into position.
As my theme was ‘the library in the age of technology’ I took some shots of my
model holding a library book and some with her holding her iPhone. I then took
some of her holding both together to represent people choosing the internet
over the library.
I felt my choice of props, although simple, were
perfect to represent clearly what I was trying to say. I also felt that by
using a soft-lit atmosphere this helped to create an impression of the
friendly, approachable, helpful image we have of an individual who works in the
local community.
I am happy with my images, but I do feel they could
have been improved if I had not been so anxious because my original sitter had
failed to show up and I had to improvise at the last minute.
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