Adolescent girls

Rochester Institute of Technology

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Adolescent girls

Chae Kihn

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Adolescent Girls

By

Chae Kihn

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of

The requirements for the degree of

Master of Fine Arts

Rochester Institute of Technology

Spring 2005

Approved by

Elaine O'Neil

Chair: Elaine O'Neil

Date

Professor, School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

w.

Osterman

Willie Osterman

Professor, School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

Date

Loret Steinberg

Loret Steinberg

I

I

Thesis/Dissertation Author Permission Statement

Title of thesis or dissertation:

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I understand that I must submit a print copy of my thesis or dissertation to the RIT Archives. per current RIT guidelines for the completion of my degree. I hereby grant to the Rochester Institute of Technology and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in all forms of media in perpetuity. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation.

Print Reproduction Permission Granted:

I.

C\=:)lA

a ...

'(,bn

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hereby grant permission to the Rochester Institute Technology to reproduce my print thesis or dissertation in whole or in part. Any reproduction will not be for commercial use or profit.

Chae Kihn

Signature of Author: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date:

Print Reproduction Permission Denied:

I. • hereby deny permission to the RIT Library of the Rochester Institute of Technology to reproduce my print thesis or dissertation in whole or in part.

Thisthesisis dedicatedtoallthegirlsIworked with atHeritageHigh

Schoolin New York

City,

and

Beginning

With ChildrenMiddle Schoolin

Williamsburg.

They

are a continual source _ofinspiration.

Itisalsodedicatedto_{my three advisors,} Professor Elaine

O'Neil,

Professor Willie

Osterman,

andProfessor Loret

Stienberg

who worked

with me

tirelessly

on_{completing my} degree.

Most ofall, thisdegree is dedicatedto myparents,Dr Ronald Kihn and

Table Of

Contents

Page 1 Introduction

Page 3 The Elements Of

Photography

Page 10

Documentary Photography

Page 14 A Short

History

Page 27 The

Relationship

Between

Documentary

PhotographerandSubject

Page 30 AdolescentGirls

Page30 The Photographer

Page50 The Process

Page 56 The Photographs

Page 59 The Exhibition

Introduction

From April 5throughApril _{17, 2002,}1presented aphotographicexhibit entitled

Adolescent Girlsatthe_{SPAS gallery}ontheRochester Instituteof

Technology

campus.

I subsequentlyexhibitedthesame show atHeritage High School from

May

15through

June _15,2002. Theshow consisted of sixty-fiveblackand_white,silvergelatin,

photographic prints mountedbehind_glass, and alistof words_commonly usedtolabel

youngwomen. Theimages werejuxtaposedagainstthewords sotheaudience could

contrastthe"labels"withtheimages ofthe girls. Whiletheshow wasputtogether to

complete part oftherequirementsforaMasterofFine Arts_degree,AdolescentGirlsfits

intothebroadercontext of_mywork;itexplorestherelationshipsthegirlshave witheach

other and_themselves,

investigating

how_{theynaturally interact in}theirworld on a

daily

basis. Ifocus ontheircommunicationthrough

body

languageand _gestures,whichis a

commontheme throughout_mywork. Thisprojectextendstheparametersof_myprevious

projectsbecause it isthefirstlong-term, in-depth,

documentary

photographyprojectthat

I have donewithinthefreedomof an artisticframework.

By

having

the

luxury

of

unlimitedtimeIfeltthat_{I really}gottoknowthe girls withinthe context oftheirschool

environment.Thisknowledgealoud metoominimize_myownexpectations and

preconceived notions.

Atthe_{opening in}theSPAS

Gallery

one of_my guests asked mehow Ichoose the

subjectof_mythesisexhibition.

Exactly

whatinterestedme aboutthese_youngwomen? I

stoppedforamomentand_thought,how and_{why do}you choose a subject? Theproblems

as _anyothervisualartist. Thephotographs_themselves,inpart,embodythebeliefsand

concernsheld

by

thephotographer. But I alsofeltlikeanswering: thesubject choseme.

Iwas still

living

inRochester,New_York,andI photographed a_cheerleading

competition attheBlueCross Arena. I became intrigued withthe_waythat thegirls

interactedwith each other.

They

were_physicallyand_{emotionally very}connected.

They

seemedtohaveadifferent ideaof personal boundariesand

body

language. I became

very interested in

learning

more aboutthisage_groupandtheimportantconnections_they

were_sharing withtheirpeers, particularlyasthesecontrastedwith popularmedia

portrayals ofadolescent girls.

When I movedtoNew York_City,I startedto takephotographs_{in city} schools. I

wantedtoobservehowthegirlsrelated withinthestructuredconfines of a school system.

I spent almosttwoyears _{photographing}at

Beginning

WithChildren Middle Schoolin

Williamsburg

andHeritage High School in Spanish Harlem. I beganthis project

wondering: Whoarethese_youngwomen,and_whyare_they somisunderstoodinsociety?

Why

are _theyportrayed so_{negatively in}themedia?

For mythesisprojectI also wantedtodoa

"pure"

documentary

project.

By

photographingthemover atwo-yearperiodInot_{only began} tounderstandthembetteras

people,I more_clearlyunderstoodtheforcesthatmotivate me as a photographer.

Importantly,I had aclearer pictureofthe_{way I} work, how preserving

dignity

is more

importantthen_creatinga photographthatwillcreate scandal. Imade an impact inthe

livesofthe_youngwomen. Ibelievethat_seeingpositiveimagesofthemselves inthe

beautiful_theylooked. Throughthisproject_theyseemedtobemore connectedwiththe

school andeachother.

Thiswrittenthesisexplainsthroughresearchintothe

history

of

documentary

photography, myown personal

history

as a_{photographer,} andinsights intothe

exhibitions_{themselves, how I developed}thisproject,whatit looked likewhen itwas

completed,andwhatIhave learned from

doing

it. I believethatI wassuccessful because

Inot_only showedthe_youngwomen ina positive_light,but insome waysIallowedthe

girlstospeakforthemselves.

The ElementsOf

Photography

Only

throughathoroughexploration of an artistic

body

ofwork;anexploration

thatincludes

breaking

it downintotheimportant_{elements,does any} significant

understandingoftheworkas a wholeemerge. This_{is especially}truewithin_photography

becauseit isa complicated mediumfull oflayersof_{interpretation,meaning,}and active

elements notpresentinother artforms. Thephotographitself hasphysical attributesthat

define itwhich includeamongstotherthings the_frame,style, color, size,focus,time,

tone, condition,quality,and composition. Thephotographer_{ultimately determines}all of

theseformalphotographic strategiesbasedon perceptionsformulated andreinforced

thoughalifetimeofexperiences. Oneclear example ofthecontrol a photographerhas

over_meaningwithinthephotographisthe_{way photography}relatesto theideaoftime.

Whilethephotographas an objectis static,itrepresents aworldthat_{is continually}

movingandchanging. Thephotographtakesan_event,or momentin_time,andthrougha

mechanical process_{instantaneously}capturesit ina_completely original_way,changing

continuallydynamic, andina stateof_flux, and

isolating

a single_{moment,photography is}

abletochangethe_meaningweassociate with thisfundamental _propertyoflife.

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Figure 1

In photographytheideaof_capturingor_stoppingmotion_{is completely}

controllable

by

thephotographer. Howmotionis depictedcan change

depending

onthe

shutter speed. For_example, aphotograph ofaparticularsceneismadewhenthecamera

is pointedtowarda subject andthe photographerdecides how shewantstheimageto

look.

Depending

ona_varietyof elements withinthescene

including

howmuchlight

there_is,andifthesubject_{is moving} or_{standingstill,}a particularshutterspeedis chosen.

When consideringtwophotographsthatweretakenunder_exactlythesame condition a

photographtakenat a shutterspeed of250thper secondis muchdifferentthanthesame

onetakenat 15thpersecond. At250thper secondthephotographismuchmore

likely

to

have capturedthemotion evenifthesubjectismoving. At 15thper secondthe subject, if

not_completely stillwhiletheshutter was open,will most

likely

be blurredwithinthe

frame. Thisslightdifference inthe _waya photographwas made creates an enormous

shutter speedin low natural_light,thisallowedforthelittle girl _{sitting in light}toremain

in_focus,whiletheman_{sitting behind her}is blurred because he was_movingwithinthe

frame. Becauseofthisuseof motion andblurwithintheframemore oftheviewers

attentionis givento themainsubject, the littlegirl, whilethe

blurry

manbehind her

creates an_uneasy

feeling

becauseyou cannot_clearly seehis face. Thistechniqueof

using motion creates a mood withinthephotograph. Thephotographin figure 2 was

takenon abright sunny

day

at ahigh shutter speed. Eventhough thereisalotofmotion

withintheframeall movementis stopped sothere isnoblur. Thisgivesthephotograph

the

feeling

of

being

capturedintime.

Figure 2

Another

inherently

photographic elementisthe use oftheframe: how a

photographerdecidestoframe somethingaffects howtheviewerinterpretsthesubject.

"Thephotographhasedgestheworlddoes

not,"

explainsStephen Shore. "The edges are

what separate whatisinthephotographfromwhatisnot"

(Shore 28). Itispart ofthe

photographer'sjobtodecide howtousethe edges ofthephotograph. Tousetheframeas

thephotograph. Theobjectsthatareimportanttothephotographerwhen_makingthe

decisionsabouthowtophotographascene aretherecipientsoftheframe's"emphasis".

Figure 3

Aframemightbeused

"actively"

by

placinga subjectclosetotheedge oftheframe

causingatensionbetweenwhatis included intheframeand whatis not. Thisalso can

indicatewhatpart ofthesubjectisimportant. Forexampleyiigwre 3usestheframe

actively inordertocreatetensionand_ambiguitywithintheimage. Thistensionbecomes

as importantas _anythingelsewithintheframe.

Forother photographs theframeis passive or_neutral,andthere_{is nothing}placed atthe

edge ofthephotograph;it onlyrepresents where thephotographends. Forexample,

figure_4,thephotographofthegirlinart class

looking

throughaframecreatestheideaof

aframewithin aframe. Butit isstill a passiveframe. _{There is nothing}closeto theedges

causingtensionwithintheframe. Thesubjectis passivelyplaced withintheframe. Then

thereisthecombination ofthetwoideas asin figure 5. Thisphotographis fromthe

MirrorStageSeries,the titleis Mirror Stage Series XVI. Inthisphotograph youhavethe

active elementontheleftside ofthe_frame,thewoman'sface isrightinthecornerofthe

photograph,and ontherighthandsideofthephotographyouhavealotof_emptyspace

which_{is very}passive. Together_theycreate adynamicwithintheframethatcauses

tensionand makes a statementaboutthe_{relationship between}these twopeople.

Figure 5

The basic facts ina photograph canbe_totally transformedafterthephotographis

made

by

anumber ofthings,

including

the sequence, condition, and presentation.Another

importantvariable in_photographyisthe

"space"

orvenueinwhichthephotographis

besideit,"writesJohn Berger (Berger 29). This istrue tosuch an extentthateventhe

spacethatthephotographis seeninaffects how a viewerinterprets it.The photographic

image'slocation

-whetherawell-known _galleryspace, a_newspaper,thewallina

dentist'soffice,a

family

photoalbum,or on abillboard in Times Square

-givesit

completelydifferent importanceand meaning.Forexample,thesame photograph canbe

presentedina_{gallery in}an expensiveframe or_{it may be} seen onthefrontof adiscarded

newspaper

lying

inthestreet. Theseconditionswillhavean effect ontheviewersandthe

importance_theyplace ontheimage. This impliesthatphotographs_activelycommunicate

withtheworld. Therefore it is extremely important forthephotographertobeaware of

her intendedmessage andhow it is changing asthelocationofthephotograph changes.

Thisbecomesa crucial elementwithinthe_{understanding}ofthephotograph.Anexample

thework of photographerJamesNachtwey,one ofthemostimportantwar photographers

of ourtime. Inthe

documentary

War Photographer₍₂₀₀₀₎produced anddirected

by

Christian_Frei,

Nachtwey

_clearlystatesthathe does notseehis work

hanging

ingalleries

butaims formasspublicationsbecause wide exposureofthe_{issues he is covering}which

heviewsas his primary purpose. For_Frei,thephotographhas itsownlife as an object

which canbe

highly

influenced

by

the_surroundingelements.

Obviously

thephotographitselfisnot_{changing from}one environmenttothenext.

What_{is changing is}theviewer'sperception of whatthephotograph_is,and whatit is

tryingtodo. Forexamplea_photograph,of an oldwoman, sitting ina shoebox could

represent animportant memorytosomeone.

Hanging

on awall ina_gallerythesame

photographcould_signifyanimportantpiece ofart,andon abillboardinthemiddle of

carrywithitanintrinsic meaningwhichwill effectthevalue placed onthephotograph

by

society. Thiseffectof_anyenvironmenton _meaningbrings _uptheimportant issueofthe

fundamental "truth"

possible within a photograph.Theinterpretation,perceptions,even

an_{understanding} of_photography influencesthe"objective"view ofthephotograph.

Becausetheobjectivetruthwithin a photograph changes

depending

onthe_surrounding

environment; photographsbecomeevidenceofperceptionsheld

by

boththe photographer

andtheviewer.

Itcouldbe furtherarguedthateveryone's perception ofwhatisinthe

photographvaries

depending

onhisorherpreviousexperiences andexpectations. In

other_words,thevieweris notneutral. Viewers haveasubjective eye

depending

on past

experiences,andthis hasa profoundinfluence on whattheviewer_actually

"sees"

inthe

photograph. Itisthroughtheviewer's_relationshipwiththeimagethatthephotograph

gets itspower. Thereis an entire setof

"symbolic"

meanings_connectingnot_onlythe

photographerto the contextof_{the environment,}butthevieweraswell. Recent

psychological studies haverejectedtheideathattheactof

looking

and_recordingcan ever

be entirelyneutral, passive,or objective. Itcontains and expresses relations of power and

control betweentheartist,viewer,and subject(Wells2). Communicationtheorists call

cognitivedissonancetheprocess

by

whichindividualsrejectinformationthatdoes not

supportattitudes_{already held}ordecisions already made. The wayaviewerlooksat a

photographcanbeskewed

by

_{strongly held}opinionstiedtoemotionalresponses. In

other_words, photographsare interpretedwithinthecontext of social beliefs already held

Justthesefew examples showtheart of_photography as a series of complicated

and activerelationships-between_{the photograph, photographer, subject,} and viewer-that

needtobetakenintoaccountinorderforthephotographic projectto_{be clearly defined}

andinterpreted.

My

owncreative process isan

interrelationship

betweenme,the

photographer,andtheexternal elementsthatcreate photography. Theexternalelements

including

the photograph, the subject,andtheviewer. That_{is why it}is_{important for my}

audiencetounderstandthateach one oftheseelements alone andinrelationtoeach of

theothershas a significant amount ofinfluenceand_{weight,rendering it impossible}to

considertheproject as a whole without_thinkingabouttheseelements separately.

Documentary Photography

Photography

isa potent medium of expression.

Properly

usedit isa

great powerforunderstanding.

Documentary

-Photojournalism;becauseofthe

tremendousaudience reached

by

publications_{using it,}hasmoreinfluenceon

public_thinkingand opinionthan_any otherbranchof photography. Forthis

reasonit is importantthat thephotographerhas a_strongsenseof

integrity

and

theintelligencetounderstand and presenthis subject matter accordingly.

W. EugeneSmith

Withinour_societyphotographs areusedina number ofdifferentwaysincluding:

artistically,on_{gallery walls;journalistically, conveying information in}newspapersor

magazines;andcommercially,to sell products. Fromtheinventionof_{photography in}the

mid 1800'sthemediumhas been separatedinto many opposing traditions, "at first

betweenthe scientific and aestheticideologies, later betweenpurism and_pictoralism,and

finally

aswindow vs

mirror"

(Hugunin6). In her bookPhotographyAt The_Dock,

photo-criticAbigail Solomon-Godeauexpressesthis tension:

"Photography

is justabout

everything...oralternatively nothingat all"

My

thesisproject,AdolescentGirls, exemplifiesthe typeof_{photography known}

as"documentary". Whatis

documentary

photography? Newhall defineditas,

"authenticity

implicit inphotographsas

records."

In other_{words, thevery}nature ofthe

photographicimagemakesitadocument. Hegoes on: "Photographs aresubjectiveand

forthat reason,powerfulcriticismsoftheimpactof an economic system onthelivesof

others"

(Newhall_{235). Here he is writing} abouttheinfluential photographs oftheFarm

Security

Administrationas records of whathappened

during

thedepressionera. Newhall

is_expressingtheideathatphotographs are subjectiveinterpretations

by

thephotographer:

notjust important_records,andthereforecanbeusedas a_waytoinfluencechangein

society. Hefurtherstatesthatwhile

documentary

_{photography is}neither a"record offact

nor artforart's

sake"

thephotographs are "brilliant_technicallyand

highly

artistic". At

theirbest

documentary

images involveobservablefactcombinedwith creativity.

imagination, anddata_gathering, and_{subjectivity from}abeliefsystem or_{philosophy held}

by

thephotographer.

Thequestion"what is

documentary

photography?"

and more_{specifically,}"how is

it differentfromothertypes of

photography?"

leads usto thedefinitionof"document".

"Theword

'document'

canbetracedbacktoa medievaltermforanofficial

paper"

(Clarke 124). JohnGrierson firstusedthe word

"documentary"

in 1926todescribethe

kindof cinemathathewantedtoreplacethe

fantasy

filmproducedin_Hollywood,andthe

termwas _quicklyembraced

by

still photographers_{searching for}a phrasethatcaptured

theirquestforthe_{"quintessential quality}of truth"

(Wells 56). 1930Grierson directed

Drifters, afilmabout_fishermen,which laidthefoundation for

documentary

filmmaking.

In his

long

careerhe has beenassociated withtheproduction ofhundredsof

documentary

films. Itwasthroughhis dedicationto the

documentary

imagethatfuture filmmakerswho

wantedto_{portray something}"real"founda voice. In other_{words, these}

documentary

filmmakers wantedtocapture_{reality in}a_way thatjustwas not

being

addressed

by

the

mainstreamHollywoodmovies.

In theWebster_Dictionary,a"document"is definedas:

"Supplying

evidence of

reality."

Documentary

photographers are _attemptingtoshow some aspect of reality. A

photograph isafter all

fundamentally

adocument. The camera makes a record atthe

moment of exposure as_everything withintheangle ofthelens isrecorded on light

sensitive emulsion_or,more_recently, ona_memorycardthroughdigitaltechnology. The

concept of not

interfering

with, or_changinga_scene, isessentialformosttraditional

documentary

photographers,which

directly

relatestothe"authenticity"ofthe

photograph.

Traditionally

a reference pointforwhether aphotographwasconsidereda

documentary

photographis basedon its "authenticity". _However,thisassumption of

authenticity entirely deniestheinfluencethat thephotographerhaswhile_creatingthe

photograph.

Directing

theelementsthatcreate a photographisan essential part of

photography. _"Therefore,

'documentary'

as a

defining

term_{is misleading because it}

plays ontheassumptionthat_{photography has}an_abilitytorecordtheobjectivetruth

withouttheinfluence of subjectiveinterpretation,"writes_Marien, "Current

documentary

photographersconsidertheideaof completetruth within_photography as an unrealizable

goal"

(Marien 449). Notedarthistorian John Burgeragrees.

"Every

_image, even

'documentary'

images,embodies a particular_wayof

seeing"

hewrites. 'This becomes

photographermade consciousdecisionsto take thisphotographina particular_wayout of

aninfinite set of

possibilities"

(Berger 10).

Giventhis

interplay

between

documenting

_realityand subjectiveexpression,

documentary

photography is profoundlycomplex and multi-layeredbasedon _many

sociallyconstructedideologies. In A World

History OfPhotography

Rosenblum defines

documentary

photographyas_embracingtwogoals: "the depictionof verifiablesocialfact

andtheevocation of_empathywiththe subject"

(Rosenblum 384). Walker Evensstates

that,

"Documentary

isa sophisticated and_misleadingword... thetermshouldbe

documentary

style ...document hasause,whereas artis reallyuselessand

documentary

photography fallssomewhereinthemiddle."

Lewis Hineexplainedthe photograph's

goalswhenhestated, "Lightisrequiredtoilluminatethedarkareasof social

existence."

Itis an

interesting dichotomy

betweenfactand_{subjectivity because many}arguments

arise aboutthebasictruthfulnessofa

documentary

imagewhen much ofitspower comes

fromthe_subjectivity

directly

connectedto thephotographer's particular view.

Eventhoughit isclearthat_objectivitywithin_{photography is} underquestion,it

can bearguedthatphotographsarein some respectsabletorepresenttangiblefacts. For

example,ifthereisaredball in frontofthelensofa camera and a photographismade,

noone canarguethata redball willnotappearinthephotograph. Butwecannot

generalizeto thepointthatallredballs look exactly likethisone orthatthisredballis in

factthe"average"ofalltheredballs.

The primaryrole of a

documentary

photographeris educationthrough

understandingsothereshouldalways bethoughtfulnessand respectforsubjects.

especiallywhen

investigating

_somethingthatis

disturbing

or_degrading,becausethe

photographersare _{presentingsomething}difficulttoview. Themoredifficultthesubject

matter,themoreimportant itis forthephotographertobeguided

by

morality. The

question of_morality or ethics within

documentary

_{photographyis extremely important}

becauseofthepower ofthephotographicimageandtheimportancewe place onwhatit

showswithinour society.

Withinthis context, the

history

of

documentary

_photographycontainsthree

tensions. _Above, I discussedthetensionbetween subjectiveimpressionand objective

reality. Now ina short

history

I will considerthetension between

documentary

workand

photojournalism, andthe tensionbetweenart and

documentary

photography.

A Short

History

The

documentary

traditionwithin_{photography,especially in}theUnited _States,

generallyrefers tophotographs_specifically madefroma

"humanistic" or

"social" point

of view. Thistraditionbegins withJacob Riis (1849-1914). He began hiscareer as a

police reporterand throughhisexperiencesbecamea_sociallyconsciousjournalist. In his

book How The Other

Half

Lives₍₁₈₉₀₎Riisproducedbothavisual and written account

ofthe

living

conditions in NewYork's Lower East Side whichrevealedthehorrible

poverty inwhich UnitedStates immigrantswereforcedtolive. The imageswere_very

powerfuldocumentsthatdepictedthedegradationand waste oflives. Therewere

particularlypowerful imagesof childrenwhowereforcedtoliveand workin_staggering

conditionsofpoverty. Oneoftheimportant

documentary

elements wasthefactthat the

important

documentary

element, thephotographs motivated social changebecauseofthe

horrible images_theydepicted. Thephotographer'sinitialresponseto thesubject, the

photograph asan object_itself,andtheviewer's response of social actioniswhat created

the

"documentary

photograph."

Thistraditioncontinued withLewis Hine (1874

-1940)whodeclared himselfa

"sociological photographer."

Hewas a sociologist who_onlyused_{photography in his}

research,hethought_photographywas_very powerfulformofcommunication. _Initially,

hewanted toshowthelivesoftheunderprivileged in New York City. Hewas nota

photographerforphotography's _sake,ratheritwas_merelya meanstoanend. He

believedthat

documentary

_photographyshould not_{have any kind} of artistic_{purpose, that}

therewas no placefor it intheworldof art. Its bestuse was asa powerful_waytochange

people's minds aboutsocial conditions. Althoughhe felt very strongly aboutthisatthe

time it isobviousthat_today,over

fifty

yearslater,hiswork reflectsone ofthe tensions

within

documentary

_{photography because}nowit isconsidered art. The George Eastman

House inRochester,New_York,hasalarge collection ofhisnegativesintheirpermanent

archiveandin 1998 heldanexhibitionintheir_galleryofhis work. Withinthisrole as art

hisphotographs movebeyond

being

"documents"

of atimeand placeintothecreative

expressionofanartist(Clark54).

The

documentary

traditionreceivedaboost inthe 1930's. Undertheauspices of

theFarm

Security

Administration, abranch oftheUnited StatesGovernment,

photographs were made

by

someofthe

leading

Americanphotographers including:

ArthurRothstein,Theo_Jung,Ben _Shahn,Walker_Evans,Dorothea_Lange,Carl_Mydans,

(Rosenbloom379). _Director,

Roy

Strykersaw _photographyas a_wayof_gathering

evidenceoftheimpactoftheGreat Depression and

documenting

theaverageAmerican.

Many

oftheseimages have becomeiconsofAmerican history. Atthe_{very leastthey}

have maintained a placein American

history

and are a valuable record ofthedepression

era. "One ofthemost recognizableimagesofthisperiodis Dorothea Lange'sMigrant

Mother (1934). Itwas chosen

by

Strykerasthephotographtosymbolizetheconcernof

thegovernmentforthedisplacedfarmers,"

writes Rosenbloom (Rosenbloom 369). It is

clearly animagethatrepresents abalance between_{document, beauty,art,}andsocial

concern.

Anotherphotographerfromthistime, MargaretBourke-_{Whitecreatedimagesthat}

raise questions abouttheideaof

integrity

within

documentary

photography. Inher book

Have You Seen Their Faces?sheshot_verypersonalphotographs,changingnames and

locationsforthe sake of anonymity. Otherphotographers

describing

themselvesas

documentary

photographers_workingatthesametimeas Margaret Bourke-White

distancedthemselvesfrom her because theideaoftruthwas crucialtotheirwork.

Arecent exhibition entitled"Bronzeville: BlackChicago inPictures,

1941-1943"

provides anotherexample ofhow

documentary

_photographycanbe important in

recordingatimeandplace,and alsohaveanimportantplaceintheart world. Held in

April 2003atThe International Center For

Photography

theexhibitionincluded

documentary

imagesmade

by

theFarm

Security

AdministrationphotographersRusell

Lee, EdwinRosskam,JohnVachon,andJack Delano. In his bookwhichaccompanied

the_exhibition,Stange stated:

They

produced over1000

documentary

imagesofChicago's South Sideinthe

community. Chicago's South Side is seven miles

long

as well astwomiles wide,

wasthecapital ofblack America inthe 1940s hometosuch people asJoe_Lewis,

MahaliaJackson, CongressmanWilliam_Davison,Defender Newspapereditor

John Songstacke,

Ebony

MagazineeditorJohn H. _Johnson,andtheNationOf

Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. The photographs are of_citystreetsand

sidewalks,prosperousmiddle- _class

businesses,cabarets,andovercrowded 'Kitchenette'

neighborhoodswhere

dirty

poormigrantsfromthedeep-south

struggletosurvive ₍ Stange 4).

Documentary

photographycontinuedto

develop

throughout the twentiethcentury.

Robert Frank in his book The Americans₍₁₉₅₈₎redefined

documentary

_{photography in}

termsof_{his radically}personal style and philosophy. His original styleincludeda

self-awareness abouttherole ofthephotographer andher intention inthe photographic

process. Inhisviewwhatthephotographerwas_tryingto_sayaboutthe subjectbecame

moreimportantthan the subjectitself. He usedAmericanicons in hisphotographsina

waythatcontrasted_sharplywiththefactsofthe 1950'sin America. Theiconswere

supposedtorepresentAmericaofthefifties. Hecontrastedthemwith whathe actually

observed ashewas_travelingacrossAmerica. "Sotheautomobiles andtelevisionsets

becameconduits of aninsidiouscommercialismthatwas_{profoundly alienating}

individuals fromeachotherandthewider

society,"

writesMarien. "Therewas asensein

hisphotographs ofunfulfilledlivesand _spirituallyvacant environments ofthepostWorld

WarIIperiod. The soul-damaged population somewherebetweenviolence,ignorance,

and

despair"

(Marien 344). He shotimagesofbleaknessand sadnessina_country

determinedto_{ignore anything}thatwas not considered

"moral" or

"good."

Thiswas a

very importantconceptual

leap

inthe

documentary

tradition that_{was, to}this pointin

history, tryingto_accuratelyrecord_everythingthathappened withminimalinfluence from

Robert Frankledthe_{way in understanding}that therecouldbe manypossible

meaningswithinaphotograph. His bookwasadirectattack onAmericaand stoodin

sharpcontrasttothe_Family

Of

Manexhibition organized

by

Edward Steichen in 1955at

theMuseum Of Modern Art in New YorkCity. Thisexhibition wasconsideredthe

quintessential

documentary

exhibitionbecause it illustrated thehumancondition_using

still photographs. "The

Family

ofManexhibitionbroughttogetherover500photographs

by

many differentphotographersfrom 68

countries,"

writesRosenbloom. "The

photographsdepictedan 'essentialoneness of mankindthroughout theworld'. A variety

ofuniversalthemesand cultures wereillustrated"(Rosenbloom 483). Itwas a

cross-section of

humanity

but didnothavethe critical eye ofFrank'swork. Seenin_contrast,

theworkisas oppositeinnature as youcanget.

Robert Frank didnot care aboutthefineprintor presentation ofthephotograph.

Hisprints were _{gritty,tilted, blurred}and_completelyunpremeditated(Marien344).

Becauseof_{thespontaneity}and_{energy in his}workhe broughta new excitementand

originality into photographythatwas

long

overdue.

Along

withW. Eugene _Smith,

William_Klein,Leonard_Freed,

Gerry

Winogrand,Jim_Alinder,andBill_Owens, Frank's

work rewrotethetermsofreferencefor American

documentary

photography. Inhis

newestbook Hold Still...

Keep Going

(2001), Frankpushestheideaof

"documentary"

evenfurtheras_{he describes putting down his}cameraforamovie camerabecause he

could askthepeoplewhowere_{sitting in front}ofthislens what_theythoughtinsteadof

just

inferring

it. He believesthatthisis a moredirectandless obscure approach.

Frankalsostatesthathe doesnotbelievein capturingadecisivemoment; rather

Thisviewcontrasts_sharplywithHenriCarrier-Bressonwhois amongthemost

influential

documentary

photographers ofthe twentiethcentury. Cartier-Bresson believes

in thedecisive moment,intheideathat the

documentary

photographerfinds everything

in_{the world;}thephotographer_only hastowaitforthe decisivemoment when_everything

comestogether. Hewrotein his book The Decisive Moment (1952):

Formethecameraisa_sketchbook,aninstrumentofintuitionand_spontaneity,the

master oftheinstant_which,invisual_terms,questions anddecidessimultaneously.

Inorderto 'give a

meaning'

totheworld,onehastofeeloneselfinvolved inwhat

oneframesthrough the viewfinder. Thisattitude requiresconcentration,a

disciplineof_{mind, sensitivity,}anda sense of_geometry- it is

by

great_economy

of meansthatone arrives at_simplicity of expression. Onemust alwaystake

photographswiththegreatest respectforthesubject andforoneself. Totake

photographs meanstorecognize

-simultaneously andwithin afractionof a

second- both

thefact itselfandtherigorous organizationof_visuallyperceived

forms thatgive itmeaning. It_{is putting}one's _head,one's_eye,and one'shearton

thesame axis. (Bresson ₁₆₎

Whetheror not

documentary

_{photography in fact}"documents" _reality, it has

changedthe_{understanding}of

history

inthe 19thand20thcenturies. Withinthe20th

century,

documentary

photography, through technological advancesand practical _uses,

visualized

history

asa seriesof eventsthatspeak ofthecomplexities ofhuman

experience. Farfrom

being

passive_witnesses, photographsoftenbecame directors inthe

way historicalevents were seen. Thisraisesa secondtensionwithin

documentary

work:

whenisitdocumentary,and whenisitphotojournalism?

ForexampleEddieAdamsworked as aphotojournalist

during

theVietnam War.

His Pulitzer Prize winning imageofa man atthemomentofdeathnot_onlychangedthe

faceoftheVietnamWar but America's involvement inall warsinthefuture. Itwasthe

firsttimethatawide publicaudiencehad_witnessed,inthephotographic_image, the

of names andnumbers. Powerful photographslikethisonebroughttheattention ofthe

wartotheAmericanpublic. Inanother_example,thephotographer

Hung

Cong's

photographAccidentalNapalm Attack₍₁₉₇₂₎ presented a moral condemnation ofthe

VietnamWarandhas beenone ofthemost reproducedimagesin history. His image

introducestheideasand complexities of_moralitywithin

documentary

photography.

When should photographerstakephotographs and when should_theyputdowntheir

cameras andbecomeinvolved? Aretheremoments when it is inappropriateto

photograph?

Thenegative implicationsassociatedwith

documentary

_photography

directly

relatestothefactthat

"photography

wasborn inthe daysofthe 'BritishEmpire' when

photographywas usedtocaptureimages of'nativepeople'

which_onlyconfirmed views

ofthemastheother"

(Wells 97). That is how

documentary

photographers are associated

with_takingpictures of peoplefrom differentculturesfromtheirown.

Historically

this

was_particularly

damaging

because photography "claimedtobeabletocreate_objective,

scientific recordswhich werefree frombias" (Wells 85). Thepeople seeninthe

photographsbecame representativesof entire_groups,and were usedto_classify entire

racesof people.

Unfortunately

thisnegative useofphotographshas followedthe

tradition of_photographythroughouthistory. Itisarguedthat_{photography has been}used

as a_wayof_consumingtheworldina mannerthatgivesboththephotographer and

viewerpoweroverit.

One entitythat

fully

understandsthepower of"photojournalistic"

documentary

photographswastheUnited StatesGovernment.

During

thefirst Gulf WarGeorge H. W.

photographerswerenot allowedtophotograph what_theywanted_to,only whatthe

military said_theycould. BecauseoftheAmericanpublic's responseto theextreme

censorshipimposed

by

theUnited States Government

during

theGulf_War, theAmerican

public_{felt strongly}that the government was_tryingtohide something.

During

his lecture

attheNew York Historical

Society

in

May

_2002, Peter

Turnely

discussedwhatitwas

like

being

a photojournalist

during

theGulf War: "Itwas_{extremelyfrustrating,} we were

being

watched_constantly and wewere

being

kept fromtheaction. Noone wasallowed

tomake photographs

freely during

theGulf War. Therewas always atleasttwo_military

peoplewithus at all times...thegovernmentwastryingtocontrolthemedia andthespin

that thewarwas

making."

Fromthe_beginning,tensionshave existed around whether

documentary

photography depicts

"reality"

and whatdifferentiates it fromphotojournalism. Another

tensionexists aroundwhetheror not

documentary

_{photography is "art". If}photographs

are_really created

by

the photographer and not objectiverecordsthen is

documentary

photographyart? Inthe_{early 1900's Alfred Stieglitz brought photography into}museums

andgalleries, tocreate an atmosphereinwhichthephotographic printwouldbeas

commonin an art_gallery as a_painting or sculpture.

Today

therearecountless examples

of photographic"art". The Civil War,forinstance,wasthemostdocumentedwar ofits

day

becauseofthetechnical advanceswithin photography. Eventhoughatthetime these

photographs were

being

made as puredocumentsof_{events,today they} are considered

valuablecollector'sitems and are presentin alargenumberofimportantcollections. In

another_example, atChristy's Auction House in April _1999,a

Timothy

O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan'ssubjective view ofthe world? We know that_theyare not pure objective

representationsof reality. Because_they are aninterpretation of_{reality based}on

someone'ssubjectiveview,wecan thenconcludethat_theyare importantbothas art and

as

documentary

evidenceof events.

Anotherexampleis Matthew Brady's military groupportraits which always

conformto_military

hierarchy

withthegeneral asthecenter of attention inthemiddle of

thephotograph. This isa good example of a subjectivedocument. Mr.

Brady

was

limitedto theacceptedformulaoftheday. Hecould _not,forexample,putthegeneralat

theend ofthelineontheoutskirts ofthephotograph. Thiswouldhave beenseen as a

direct insultto thegeneral,and

by

_{extension, the}United States military,renderingan

imagethat was not_sociallyacceptable. Inother_words,while

documenting

_{the officers,}

Brady

was also_producing an

"artistic"

work withinthelimitsofthat_society andhis

vision. Withinhisown aestheticshe hadtoconsideracceptedsocial normsthatin some

waysdictateda conventionalformtohim.

Understanding

the timeperiod and _{society in}

whichtheimageswere made is invaluable in

determining

the_realitywithinthe

photographsthemselves. Withoutthisknowledgea complete_{understanding}ofthe

photographis lost.

Fromthe_{beginning,many}critics blurredthedistinction between

documentary

and art_photography

by

_placingfineartphotographers withinthe

documentary

tradition.

Forexample,Eugene Atget (1857

-1927)isconsideredthefatherofEuropeanmodern

documentary

photography. Hisworkfigured inthe_early exhibits_establishingmodern

photographyas art: thefirst Independentsalonof_{photography in France}(1928),for

(Featherstone41). Intheyears 1898- 1914Atget

soldimagesofParistoarchitects,

decorators,

publishers,andartists. More oftenthennothe was self_directed, not

commissioned,and_only soldhisphotographs after_theywere made. "Hewas_extremely

interested_{in recreating}aParisofthe

past,"

writes _{Rosenbloom,"not just recordingParis,}

but

instilling

itwithanartistic eye. Hemade closeups,

long

shots,details, viewsfrom

many differentangles ofthesame_thingat_many differenttimesoftheday."

(Rosenbloom₂₇₉₎ Atgetwas not well knownatthetime ofhis_death, but Bernice Abort

broughtthousandsofhisphotographs to theattention oftheMuseumofModern Art.

While Atgetcreated photographs withthe intentionof_makingart,other

documentary

photographers were brought intotheartworld

by

galleries andcollectors. Marianne

Fulton,senior scholar oftheGeorge Eastman House in Rochester New Yorkstates,

"people like Brassai andKertesz andCartier-Bresson have beenwelcomed

by

theart

establishment."

Thiswelcomehasnotbeen entirely_easy,however. Theseand other

well-known

documentary

photographers have been "soappropriated

by

theart world and

within

society,"

writes _Eskin,"thatyouhavetorememberthatwhen_theywere_actually

makingthephotographs_theywere professional _workingphotographers. These

photographers didnot considerthemselves as_artists;they werenot_makingthe

photographs as pieces of arttobe

hung

in galleriesbuttobe usedinsomekindofsocial

context"

(Eskin 105). In March_2002,theInternationalCenterof

Photography

in New

York

City

opened _{The Rise of}the Picture_Press, ashow of classic photojournalism

imagesfromthe 1920'sand 1930's.

"Documentary

workthatwasdone 30or40years

agowas notdone asfine_art,but it has lifeasfine art,"

dealer, who sold a 180-pictureportfolio of_mid-centurystreet_photography

by

members

ofthePhotoLeagueto theColumbus MuseumofArt in_Columbus, Ohio(Eskin 104).

A currenttrendin

documentary

_photography supportstheideaof_photographyas

artistic perception ordescription, notfact. For_example, NanGoldin'sbook Ballad

Of

Sexual

Dependancy

is a

highly

personal account ofher lifeandfriends' lives

during

the

1970's, 1980'sand 1990's. Anotherexample is RichardBillingham's book Ray's A

Laugh, anintimate documentofhis family. Thephotographs are_color,taken with a

cheappoint and shoot_camera,and printed at a one-hourlab.

Withinafewweeks afterthe terrorist'sattackontheWorld Trade Center in New

York

City

onSeptember _{11, 2001,}avacant storefrontonPrince Street in lower

Manhattan becamean interactivegallery. The digitalprints were availableforsaleat$

25 each. Theprofitsfromthesale ofthephotographs weredonatedto thevictimsofthe

tragedy. Thebook This Is New Yorkwaslatercreatedfromtheimages inthisproject.

Thisisan example of a symbiotic _{relationship between}the traditional _meaningof

documentary

photography,as arecorderof_events,andtheconceptoftraditionalart as

viewedintheart_gallery,astheviewersbecametherecorders of_history,andthe

recordersbecametheartists. Peter_Galassi,curatorof_photographyattheMuseumof

Modern Artstates,"Themostinteresting,most_successful,and mostimaginative

responsetothe September 1 1 _tragedywithinallthe visual arts camefrom

photojournalism" (Eskin 101).

Atfirsttheideaof"beauty" was conceived as one ofthegreatestdangers fora

documentary

photographer.

According

toFeatherstone,manyphotographers thought that

"bringing

beauty

wherethereis ugliness makeslightof critical

issues"

Becauseofthis thereisa_stronganti-aesthetics and anti-elitist movementinthe_early

documentary

tradition. Amore recent view dictatesthateven though

documentary

isnot

about_aesthetics,thephotographhastobe_appealingenoughtoattract_viewers, basedona

social construct ofwhat

beauty

is.

According

_{to this view, the}

beauty

ofthe photograph

fundamentally

makestheviewer acknowledgetheimportanceofthesubject matter.

Theideaof

beauty

inthe

documentary

image is basedontheideathatweare

trainedfrom

infancy

tobeattractedtobeautifulthingsandto turn_awayorbe repelled

by

uglythings. So, eventhoughwithinthe

documentary

traditionthere isthebasic principle

of_{anti-aesthetics,it is really}all aboutaesthetics, employedtocapturetheaudience's

attention. Forexample, Eugene Richards,aworld-renowned

documentary

_{photographer,}

prints_beautiful,largeprintsfor his_travelingexhibitions. He believesthatifthe

photograph was_ugly orhadunattractiveaesthetics,no onewouldbe interested inthe

subject matterofthephotograph. Thephotograph would _{ultimately be}unappealing.

Vicki

Goldberg

statesinan article aboutRichardsthat, " ... no one can quitepin down

what makes a photographer seek out_{nursing homes} andblindmenandbabies

dying

of

AIDS tomakethemsomehow_beautiful, somehowcomprehensible, somehow visibleto

thosewho were notthereandwould_not,perhapsevencouldnot,look if Gene Richards

didnot showthe

way"

(Goldberg

2004).

Inanotherexample,Sebastiao Salgado's book Workers(1993),alandmark book

ofmodern

documentary

photography,contains

beautifully

reproducedblackand white

printsthatdrawthereaderintothesubject matter. Eventhoughthesubjectis"ugly"or

"difficult to see"

by

many viewer's standardstheuglinessis portrayedinan"artistic"

feelmore secure

inviting

them tocontemplatenot_onlythephotographbutalsothe

subjectitself. If Salgado didnottake

interesting

photographs people wouldbe less

interestedinwhathewas_tryingtosay. Ifthephotographsdid not_comply withthe

acceptedsense of

beauty

inframing,vision and_{understanding,}itwouldbe mucheasierto

look away fasterand_{entirely dismiss}theimageandtherefore the subjectmatter. Inthis

waySalgado usesthe"art" ofhisphotographstopromotetheir"documentary"nature.

Anotheraspect ofthe"documentary-art" tensionconcernsthe _qualityoftheprint.

Mary

Ellen _Mark,a well known

documentary

_{photographer,}is veryconcernedwiththe

qualityofthefineprint. "She doesexpectittobe

beautifully

printed,"

writes_Fulton,"and

toreflectthe tonalrange presentinthe negative,asabad print can ruintheimpactof a

photograph,shefeelsa good printis

essential"

(Fulton 14). As Markexpressesit: "I

wantto take_strong

documentary

photographsthatare as good_technicallyas _anyofthe

besttechnicalphotographs,and as creative as_any ofthebestfine-artphotographs. That's

whatIwant. _{And certainly}agoodprintis part ofthat".

Inthe end, to answerthequestionofwhether

documentary

_{photography is}art,we

needtolookatthenature of art and_photographyastwounique categoriesthatmerge

together. Inthe_early part ofthe twentieth_{century Alfred Stieglitz}raisedphotography's

statustoart

by introducing

it intothe_gallery space and_treatingthephotographitselfas

an

"object"

of art. Traditional _{documentaryphotography falls into}the

"straight"

photographycategory. Isitstillart? I believe itisalso art.

Documentary

_photography

The

Relationship

Between the

Documentary

PhotographerandHer Subject

Another issueraised

by

AdolescentGirlsisthecomplex_relationshipbetween

photographerandsubject. Henri Cartier-Bressonhasexplainedthis_relationshipas

follows: "... acertain

identity

ismanifestinalltheportraitstaken

by

onephotographer.

Thephotographeris searching forthe

identity

ofhis_sitter,and also_tryingtofulfillan

expression ofhimself. Thetrue portrait emphasizes neitherthesuave northegrotesque,

butreflectsthepersonality."

The relationship between thephotographer andthesubject

isfarmore problematic _{cross-culturally}thanwithin asingle culture. Initsworstform

photographydehumanizes, victimizes,and stereotypesgroupsof_people,anditcanbe

usedas atool ofpropaganda. "Thephotographisa screenupon which wider socialforces

becomevisible,forexample,racism exists and _photographymakesit

visible," states

Wallis (Wallis 111). Forexample, Eugene

Richards'

bookDorchesterDays₍₂₀₀₀₎

documentstheracistBostonneighborhood hegrew_{up in. He}wrote:

DorchesterDaysspeaks_clearlyenough about_{growing up in}a_raciallycharged

and_{changing inner city} neighborhood. DorchesterDayswas _begun,I suppose,

upon _myreturn a bitfucked upanddisappointed fromyearsdownsouthas a

socialworker/activist. _Unemployed,

having

returnedtoDoratheaandthe

neighborhoodI escaped, I began photographing- _whatwasinfront_ofme

...

mine was a notablebirthplace with racistSouthBostonnextdoor. In 1974

-75

thereoccurredin South Boston aviolent resistancetoschool

bussing

thatwould

havemadeGeorge WallaceandtheKKKproud. I havethephotographsto tell

thismelevolant story. EugeneRichards

Ifthephotographerhasanideaofthesubjectorhas preconceivednotions, this

will berepresentedinthework.

Nothing

demonstratesthismore_clearlythan the_early

photographsoftheBritishexplorers in AfricaandIndia. Throughadvanceswithin

photographytheEuropeanexplorers were abletousethenew mediumof_photographyto

photographersdidthisinthe_waythat_theyused_photographytoaccentuatethe

differences betweenthecultures.

They

posedthepeoplewithinthephotographicframe

andthusdeterminedwhat_theyconveyed aboutthecultures upontheirreturntoEurope,

whereEuropeanswould usethisinformationastheir_onlysource ofinformationabout

entire groups of people.

Early

commercial photographerswho capitalizedontravel

photographs realizedthatthemore_excitingtheimageswerethemore_theycould sell,so

theywantedtomakethesubjectsinthephotographs seem_excitingand dangerousoften

posingthemand_givingthempropsthatpropagated myths.

"According

tothisviewthe

diversity

ofhumanbeings'

physicalcharacteristicswastakenas evidence ofthefactof

racial differences,"statesWallis (Wallis 2). The waythat these _earlyphotographers

definedanddetermined photographyinfluenceswhatwas

being

photographed andthe

waythat the photographisviewedtoday.

Morerecently,as audienceshave becomemore educated and more aware ofthe

probleminherent in

documenting

other_cultures, it has becomea central questioninthe

valueof_many

documentary

projects. Thisaudience awarenesshappenedwhenthe

editors ofTime Magazine darkened O.J. Simpson's skin colorina cover photographin

June 1994. "Readerseverywhererecognizedboththenature ofthealteration andthe

intendedracialized connotationthata person ofdarkerskinis more

likely

tobea

criminal,"

writesWells (Wells 1 1 1). This inherentsocial racismisbothcreated

by

and

expressedthroughthephotographicimage.

FilmmakerJim

McKay

addressed this tension

during

an open discussion at the

FilmForumon

May

25,2001, abouthisfilm Our

Song

thatfollowsthreeadolescent girls

difficulty

being

a white director_entering ablackandHispanicworld,andhow wouldyou

respond to criticism that you're an outsider/ voyeur

depicting

a world that's not your

own?"

Heanswered:

The criticism _{is only} validifit speaks to specifics. If I'm inaccurate I shouldbe

called on it. It's bullshit that I don't have a right to tell the story.

My

responsibility is to tell it with _{respect, truthfulness,} and a lot of hard work.... However I do recognize _my outsider _status, and do everything I can to check

myself. I don't take it _lightly, and I do my collaboration and research _very

seriously. (Anonymous_flyer)

The ideathatphotographs aredocumentsoftheworld asabsolutetruth _obviously

ignorestheentire cultural and socialbackgroundagainstwhichtheimagesweretaken

justasitrendersthephotographers as_{neutral, passive,}andinvisible (Clarke 1 12). A

successful photographisalways a reflection of a specific point ofview. Inother words

thephotographerhasa_theory aboutasubject and what she wantsto_sayabouta situation

before shooting begins. Thisconceptisshapedfrom herpersonal _{history,experiences,}

relationships,and_{previously held}viewsofherrole.Eugene_Richards, oneofthemost

respectedAmericanphotojournalists,saidthathecouldnevertrustphotography. "You

won'tcatchhim sayingthat themediumis

truth,"

commentedGoldberg.

"Photography

canlettheideas looseand startthe_discussion, but hedoesn't believeyou can change

anything, thoughyoucandothebestyou

can"

(Goldberg

2004).

Thus animportant influence in creating a photographisthe photographer's own priorities

andher_{understanding}ofhowherexpressionofthe subject relatestothose priorities

Adolescent

Girls

ThePhotographer

ThephotographicprojectAdolescent_{Girls, lies entirely}withthe_{"photographer";}

itwas_{conceived,funded,}and produced_solely

by

me. Itis essentialtounderstandthe

photographerinordertounderstandtheprojectandthephotographs.

I 1990received a BachelorofScience degree in

Psychology

from Wayne State

University.

My

continued interest in humannature, social_psychology,andrelationships

is a_strongmotivation in myphotographs. While Iwas at_university, Ipicked_upa

cameraforthefirsttimeandI became

immediately

hooked. I knewthatIwantedtodo

this"thing,"whateveritwas,fortherestof_{my life. So I} sold_{everything I}owned and I

movedtoSouth_{Africa. The country my father}wasborn inandleftinthesixties.

Growing

up I heardalotaboutSouth Africaandfeltthedisplacementof

having

to live in

another_countrywithout an extended

family

orsense ofcommunity. In part,I returnedto

South Africatofindout what_{my father had been talking}about,tounderstandhim_better,

andwhatitmeantto bea whiteSouth African. _Politically,itwas a_very

interesting

time

in South Africa. IarrivedjustafterNelson Mandelawas releasedfrom prison onRobben

When Iarrivedin South Africa I didnot_{have any}workbutwantedtouse

photographyin a_sociallyrelevant_wayso Icreated a project_takingphotographs of

children

living

onthestreets ofCape Town fora research project atthe

University

ofthe

Western Cape. Atthelaunch of_{the project,}ImettheDirectoroftheNational Street Law

Project,aUnitedStates basedhumanrights organization. Hegave me ajobas a

documentary

photographer withinhisorganization. Figure 6 is froma projectI

completedfor Street Law onhumanrightsfor farmworkers. Fromthisjob I got other

assignments _{working for human}rightsorganizationsin South Africa. Figure 7is froma

projectI did foran oral historianatthe

University

ofDurbin inruralSouth Africa.

During

thefirstnational democraticelectionsI workedfor USAIDandProject Voteon

voterrights and education.

My

photographs were

being

usedtoteachfirsttime voters,

especially thosepeople who could not read orwrite, howtocasttheirfirst ballot.

Figure 7

Iworked as afreelancephotographerin South Africa from 1993 - 1998.

By

1998,

workingon projectsin "highrisk"

conditions _{away from}otherphotographershadleftme

awayfromAmericafor fiveyears. Irealizedthatitwastimetoeither putdown

permanentroots in South Africaormovebackto theUnited States. I alsowantedtime to

concentrateon_becomingabetterphotographer. Asa creativeperson, Ithoughtitwas

essential to_{find my}ownvoice within _mywork andIcould notdothatwhileI was

working forotherpeople. Ilearnedwhat_my employerslikedanddidnot_like,andI

beganto shootfortheirtastesand not_myown. _So,Iappliedtograduate school and

movedbackto the UnitedStates.

Figure8

IcametoRochester Instituteof_Technology inthefall of 1998. I lovedthe

freedomandspace graduate school providedmeto workon_myown workand expand

myknowledgeofphotography.

My

first WalkThrough(attheend ofeachterm

during

thefirstyearoftheMasterofFine Arts DegreeattheRochester Instituteof

Technology

thereis a

day

_longexamination andinvestigationofthestudent's work meanttofurther

theideasand_{understanding}oftheartist as a person andthe

body

ofworkas a_whole)

was all about

discovering

thefreedomthatgraduate schoolprovided. Itriedtofitwords

wallwith_maskingtapeand glueandwrote withblackpaintrightovertheprint. The

photographitself became unimportant. Iwas interested in

breaking

the constraintsand

boundariesthatI had feltas a_workingphotographer. I wantedto_play with_extremes,to

discoverwhatwas _possible,andthencome backto_{something different.} Figure 8 isan

exampleof_myfirsttermCoreclass and was a part of_myfirstWalk Through. It

illustratestheneedI hadto_{break away}fromtheconstraints of_my previouswork.

Figure9

Afterthefirst Walk Through Iwenthome for

Thanksgiving

break. I felt isolated

from myfamily, becausethiswas_{my first}

holiday

wehad spenttogetheras a

family

since_myreturnfrom Africa.

My

immediate

family

consists of_mymother,father,and

older_brothers,Martinand_Paul,andMartin'swife,Julia. Irealizedhowmuchthe

family

dynamics and_myrolehadchanged since_{my departure. More}specifically,Irealizedhow

much I hadchanged

during

_{my stay in Africa. All}of a suddenI wentfrom

being

a child

inthe_familytoan adult with an adult role. So I startedtophotograph_myparents as a

waytounderstandthechanges withinmy primary

family

andas a_wayto

bring

them

closertome. Figure9 isthefirst imageI madeforthis

body

ofwork. ItisanimageI

about. Itwasaproject we could all _actuallywork ontogether. Itwas also a project

whereIcould

"safely"

workwiththeideas Iwas

learning

intheclassroom and

incorporatethem_{into my}work.

Figure 10

When Ireturned and developed_{these photographs, they} spoketo_somethingthatI

wanted_{to say,}not_onlyaboutthatspecific_relationshipbutabout relationships ingeneral.

After I lookedat_{the photographs,}I _{became extremely}interestedin gestures and

body

language,andhowweinferthingsabout peoplethroughnonverbal elements. Ialso

became interested intheperceptions wehave of peoplebasedontheir

body

language:

how _theystand, walk, sit,and move andhowwe communicatethrough nonverbal

communication. I started_makingphotographs of_myown_relationshipand

laying

them

out_{randomlymixing}themwiththephotographs of_my parents. Figure 10is a

photographI made of_{my boyfriend}and meforthisproject. When Imixedthe

photographs_uptherewas an_anonymitythatwascreatedbetweenthecouples and

individuals: the_{viewer was not sure who was who or which}couple it_was,andthe

boundarieswereblurredandextendedbeyond_anyspecific couple. I wantedtoextend

ambiguitytheaudiencecouldrelatetowhat_theywere seeing. Thephotographsbeganto

havethe_anonymitythatIwas _strivingfor. When Iwenthome for ChristmasandNew

YearIcontinued_workingontheproject,photographingmyparents and myself_{in my}

new role. Atthis time_{my images}were

becoming

alotmorelayeredwithmeaning.

Withintheframeworkofthis project_myphotographs were_gainingalotmore depth.

Figure11

My

second Walk Through in March 1999consisted oftwo4x5 grids madeoutof

16x20 fiber based blackand whiteprints

documenting

_my

family

and_{relating it}to the

influenceon_mynew relationship. Figure11 is aninstillationphotographfrom my

second Walk Through. _Further,I wantedtoexploretheideaoftruthandthenarrative

withinthe visualdocument. I struggledwiththequestionofthe_waythenarrative

element within

documentary

_{photography dictates}an_{understanding}of"truth". The

projectdevelopedinto a complex exploration ofinterpersonalcommunicationthrough

bodylanguageand gesture. Throughthis_{investigation,} Icametorealizethat

relationshipsarenotjustone_thing,theyare not"good"or "bad"

butconsistof a_very

rhythmic,not_{static,continually changing}overtimeand space. Withinthis

body

of_work,

it is importantthat_{images play}off of each otherinadynamicway,

forming

patterns and

meaningwhichforcetheaudiencetocreatethenarrative ratherthan thephotographer.

^

W

I

K3P

x

r^S

J

m~**

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Lim&2i

<*A

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jaw-**

i

Figure 12

After mysecond Wa/_Through, I knew thatI wasn'tfinishedwith_{this project;}I

neededtospend more time photographingand researching. So I kept_takingphotographs

of_myparents andmyself andpushedtheboundaries of comfort.Attheend of_{my first}

yearatRochester Instituteof

Technology

inthe

Spring

of 1999_{for my final Walk}

ThroughI created awall of photographs(inadouble_studio) whichwould nothavea

beginning,middle or end. Figure 12 isaninstillation photographfrom my final Walk

Through. I alsotookthephotographs offofthewalland

hung

fragmentsofthelarger

images fromtheceiling. I put afan inthestudio so_theywould_continuallymove and

playoffofthephotographs onthewall. Theviewerhadtolookthroughthe

hanging

imagestoseethephotographs onthewall. I enjoyedtheplayful_waythat the_moving

my inclusionoftheideaofmovementwithin_{my work,specifically} movement withinthe

frame.

By including

motion as an elementitcreated more excitementanddynamics

betweentheseriesofphotographs.

Figure 13

After my firstyearatRochester Instituteof_Technology,I movedtoNew York

City

forthesummerandinternedwithrenowned

documentary

/portrait photographer

Mary

Ellen Mark. Oneofthemostinfluential womanphotographers of all_time, Mark

hascreated some ofAmerica'smost well known imagery. OnthedayswhenI was not

assistingor

interning

I shotlikea"madthing"

tryingtocapture_something ofthe

relationshipsthrough thegesturesI observedof

daily

life expandingupon whatI had

learned

during

_{my first}year. Thepart of relationships Iwas mostinterested in_capturing

wasthevisible aspect of people's_{everyday interactions. More specifically I} was

interested inwhat we are ableto_casuallyobserve,atiltofthe_head, ahandonthe

shoulder,_crossingand_{uncrossinglegs in everyday life. I felt}thatalltheselittlegestures

relationshipsthat_theyfindthemselvesin. Figure 13illustrates_myinterest_{in capturing}

theimportanceof

body

languagewithin a relationship. When Iwas_{photographing}Ialso

becameinterested intheideaof personal _space;orthedistances betweenpeople as_they

movethroughtheworld. Howpeople needthisdistance inordertofeel secure,andfeel

threatenedwhenitischallenged.

Figure 14

When Icame backtoRochester_{for my}secondyearintheMasterofFine Arts

Program,I preparedfora showI hadatthePierce Art

Gallery

in West Virginia. This

consistedof_{my Walk Through}photographs andsome workI haddone in Africa. I was

veryexcited aboutthisshow becauseitgaveme the_opportunitytoshow workfromthe

second andthird Walk Throughtogetherforthefirst time. Figure 14isaninstillation

photographfrom myshowatPierce Art Gallery. Afterthat show, Idevelopedand

printedthephotographsthatI hadmade

during

the summerandhadashowin theAlumni

Gallery atRochester Instituteof

Technology

entitledFragmented Evidenceswhich was a

Looking

backatthis

body

ofworkit isclearthatIwas

"trying

on"

differentstyles,

exploringthelimitsoftraditional blackand white photography. Becauseof all the

informationI was_absorbin