Which of the words given in the brief document have you selected, and why?
I have chosen the word ‘Division’. I chose this word as I wish to explore the deep meanings of the word itself and explore further its definition.
What do you want to point your camera at?
I want to produce portraits of four family members, each representing a different generation within my family. I will produce a portrait of my grandad John aged 89, my father Lee aged 56, my eldest brother Daniel aged 26 and his son Charlie aged 2.
Why are you interested in this subject?
In the summer of 2017 my mother tragically and suddenly passed away, over the forthcoming months I have learnt the true meaning of family and the importance of togetherness. Because of which I want to highlight the importance of family by constructing this project around them. I hope to display a divide in generations, that ultimately subverts through the term to reinforce togetherness.
What do you hope an audience will take from your images?
While taking the photographs I will ask each family member to think about what ‘family’ means to them. Through this divide in generations I aim to produce images that the audience can interpret via posture and facial expressions of the subjects, to determine that due to the divide in generations, each family member will display a different meaning of the word.
What areas of research are you considering to help deepen your understanding of the subject you have chosen?
I plan to research into portraiture and particular practitioners of said genre of photography and especially practitioners who photograph families. I also intend to look at relevant texts that feature on the module guide reading list.
What practitioner(s) or visual resources would you consider to have influenced you?
As I have not studied photography before I would have to say that all practitioners we have so far looked at have influenced me. However to be specific I have been majorly influenced by Jill Greenberg’s ‘End Times’ and Nick Waplington’s ‘Living Room’. Others include Nicholas Nixon, Trish Morrisey, Martin Parr, Thomas Ruff and Thomas Struth. Since I wish to evoke a certain meaning within my piece, I also found it fundamental to look into some books on the subject, in particular Victor Burgin’s 1982 book ‘Thinking Photography’.
What support or equipment might you need to achieve your goals?
To achieve my goals I will need a DSLR camera and to travel home 3 hours to be able to take these photographs of my family members.
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