A photojournalist is a person who captures events through the medium of photography.
Who is your chosen photojournalist?
My chosen photojournalist is Leonard Freed.
Why did you choose this person?
I chose Freed because of his personal interference with his photographs. He believes in what he captures and he does so magnificently.
What stands out about their work that has drawn you in?
I believe that black and grey photography says a lot more than colour photography and Freed captures these events in such a way that they seem raw and very emotional.
Do you find their work interesting?
I do think that Freed's work is interesting because there's a lot going on in some of his images. The images convey a very hectic, busy scene yet captured in still motion. They say a lot more when you look into the photograph than simply taking it at face value.
Describe 3-4 of your photojournalist's photographs and what they capture.
USA. New York City. 1978. - Freed captured the image of a man sat in the back of a car with his hands handcuffed behind his back. You do not see the face or any distinguishable marks to recognise the person which is mysterious as you know nothing about the man. It also conveys the sense that as a prisoner they know nothing and mean nothing which is why we don't see their face; almost as though they have no soul, for the crime they did.
USA. Wisconsin. Milwaukee. Young Neo-Nazi at home showing his S.S. tattoo. 1989. - As the title explains Freed photographed a young Nazi supporter in Wisconsin. The black population there is very much a minority apart from Milwaukee where the photo was taken. It shows the racial divide in separate states very strongly with the prominent Nazi symbols shown behind the man. His tattoo also shows his permanent mark in belief of his chosen faith.
USA. New York City. 1972. Death from overdose in Harlem. - This photograph shows a man lying dead on the ground beneath the staircase, a few levels down from where the photograph is taken from; almost like a birds eye view of the event. The set up of the photograph is very blocked and cubist which almost makes it a painting, with the blocked sections of the image. The focus is very much on the dead body on the ground as the staircase spirals away from his body and the doors stretch out, as he is the focal point in the image. Its very striking because you don't see the subject immediately and as obviously as other photographs, then as you see the focal point and follow it you see the subject, the death, the event and chaos that Freed has captured in this photograph.
Do you think they are important photographs? If so why?
Freed's photographs represent events that we would not usually see were it not for the photojournalists. He captures motions that would slip by in passing moments. Freed also captured African-American culture during the African-American Civil Rights Movement 1955-1968, which is important as the images document a lot of personal feelings rather than the political side of the movement; for example young children playing near a fire hydrant, oblivious to the activism taking place.
What have you done so far?
So far i have completed my music, gathered my images and titles and i have also written my script for the narration in the documentary.
What research methods have you used?
I gathered a general idea of Freed's work from books in the library, then i researched his work further by gathering titles for his images on the internet, narrowing it down to a select few that stood out to me so i could feature them in my brief.
I have also researched the history behind the dates in which Freed's photographs are taken to relate the context to the economical or even political climate, to gain further meaning from his work.
What books/websites have you found useful for your research and why?
Because i couldn't find many images on the internet that featured in the book i found on Freed in the library, i had to search the internet for images and the titles, although it was hard to do.
List of websites that i used:
www.leegallery.com
www.magnumphotos.com
On the internet there were images from books by Freed, some that i looked at were:
Black in White America - From www.magnumphotos.com
Made In Germany - From www.magnumphotos.com
What are your thoughts/feelings about what you have learnt about your chosen Photojournalist?
I believe Freed was extremely passionate about his work and the situations in which he took photographs. He dealt with many situations delicately, like the fighting in Budapest, in which he documented as though he was invisible to them.
Have you encountered any difficulties? If so how have you overcome them?
At first i chose the photojournalist Don McCullin then changed it to George Rodger as 2 other members of the group were also documenting McCullin. After researching Rodger's work i found that there wasnt a great deal of information on him and his photographs, so i quickly found Leonard Freed and the vast amount of information from his background to his journey into becoming a member of Magnum.
I was then able to gather lots of research and begin my brief.
My iMovie also didnt work for a couple of the sessions so i had to perfect my script and images so that i could get everything planned out when it decided to work.
How do you feel the different elements of your work are fitting together?
I think that my music is to the best of my ability for this brief as i think the mood fits really well as i didnt want the music to overpower the brief as to accompany the images to make the brief feel fuller and warmer. My script is as detailed yet as short as i can make it to fit with the music but i believe it ticks all the boxes.
My images have not been arranged yet but i will do so when i have finished recording my narration.
Have you watched anything that has inspired your work in any way? If so what and why?
In class we watched a documentary on Annie Leibovitz which i loved, as it was plain, simple yet kept pulling you back in by featuring photographs she has taken and the personal side of Liebovitz in family photos and film clips.
I also saw a clip on YouTube that documented a young photojournalist called David Gillanders who is a campaigning photojournalist. It was predominantly piano in the background music and very mellow, which i wanted to recreate in mine.
I have also watched many nature documentaries by David Attenborough on the BBC which has taught me to be calm and be passionate about the narration otherwise there is no atmosphere created in the piece.
How can you incorporate any inspiration into your own work?
I can keep the audience interested by following how David Attenborough uses his voice to convey different emotions without changing pitch and being quite monotonous. I will try fit the narration to the beats in the music, so that there is a sense of rhythm and pace to the documentary.
Has it made you consider something you need to do that you didnt think about before?
Really it's just confirmed what i told myself i needed to do. It's made me alter some things in my music but only so that it flows more easily, and that you dont need to have music in every part of the piece.
Discuss what you still have left to do for the brief and how you plan to complete it.
- Narration - can record after half term
- iMovie - Upload narration and music then fit the images to the music.
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