Photographs Worth a Thousand Words

Photographs Worth a Thousand Words

by Justine Roy

Photographs Worth a Thousand Words

Justine Roy

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to explore how photography is used as a form of communication, reflecting on the social and political conditions of the time. I will be selecting a few photographs that reflect British culture and will analyze how the photographer captures the subject and conveys his/her message to the viewer. To achieve this, I will also tie in historical background as needed. This project will provide breadth beyond my theater concentration.

Introduction

I suggest you save this section for last. Describe the essence of this project. Cover what the project is and who cares in the first two sentences. Then cover what others have done like it, how your project is different. Discuss the extent to which your strategy for completing this project was new to you, or an extension of previous HUA experiences.

As you continue to think about your project milestones, reread the "Goals" narrative on defining project milestones from the HU2900 syllabus. Remember: the idea is to have equip your milestone with a really solid background and then some sort of "thing that you do". You'll need to add in some narrative to describe why you did the "thing that you did", which you'd probably want to do anyway. You can make it easy for your advisors to give you a high grade by ensuring that your project milestone work reflects careful, considerate, and comprehensive thought and effort in terms of your background review, and insightful, cumulative, and methodical approaches toward the creative components of your project milestone deliverables.

PLEASE NOTE: this milestone template has only a few sections as examples, but your actual milestone should have many relevant sections and subsections. Please start to block out and complete those sections asking yourself "who, what, when, where, and why".

Remember, as you move toward your creative deliverable, you're going to want/need a solid background that supports your case, so you want it to paint a clear and thorough picture of what's going on, so that you can easily dissect your creative component and say "This thing I did is rooted in this aspect of my background research".

Section 1: Background

Photography can be a powerful outlet and tool. People can use it as a coping tool or a way to get their voice out. The British Journal of Photography recounts multiple instances of photography being used to adjust to a new environment, gain new understanding or speak out. David Gaberle took up photography after moving to London and struggling for a while. Now he travels internationally, capturing the essence of major cities. Spencer Murphy gained new insight into the dirt biker subculture. He no longer sees them as reckless criminals but as a community of individuals seeking freedom from mundane life. In recent years the British Journal of Photography has launched a new yearly campaign to showcase British culture and what it means to live in the United Kingdom called Portrait of Britain through creating a collection of professional and amateur photographs. Such photographs join ranks of photographs from throughout history that are treasured for the story they tell about British society. The Hyman Collection was created to share such material and contains iconic photographs from throughout the United Kingdom's history to modern day. I have chosen several photographs from this collection as well as some from collections featured in the British Journal of Photography to analyze the message the photographs are telling.

London, Air Raid Shelters, East End Underground Station, November 12th, 1940

Context

This photograph was taken on November 12th, 1940. This was about 10 days prior to the end of the Blitz. The Blitz was one of the major events in World War II for Britain. In early September of 1940, Hitler was aggravated at Britain's dominance over Luftwaffe and the bombing of German cities. In order to save face, the head of Luftwaffe, Hermann Goering, decided to change tactics and launch an air raid on Britain. His goal was that the bombings would destroy public moral and draw out all of Britain's forces to be destroyed. Instead, the shift of focus from attacking military bases gave the British the opportunity to strengthen their forces and gave the soldiers a stronger cause to fight for, the lives of their families and friends. The air raids lasted for 76 days. Bombs were dropped day and night. The bombs decimated infrastructure and left fires ravaging London. Similar raids were also held against Bristol, Manchester, Swansea, Liverpool, Cardiff, and Southampton.

God Save the Queen (Hampden Crescent, Paddington)

Context

"God Save the Queen" was taken in 1965. The 1960s were a period of great change for Britain. The country was coming back from World War II with the rise of the baby boomers. Culture changed as this generation, whose parents wanted them to have it better than they did during the war, took full advantage of their freedom. Recreational drugs such as LSD became a part of culture. The Beatles ushered in a new generation for music that broke down some of the social barriers. They made pop music and pop culture acceptable to multiple classes of people. Miniskirts were introduced as the new fashion for women and feminism grew. Several key events occurred in 1965 including the death of Winston Churchill, implementation of legislation against racial discrimination and abolition of the death penalty. The last event is significant for the reason that it diminished the power of the government. Roy Jenkins was elected into office who would later legalize abortion and homosexuality. People responded very differently to this change and still have differing opinions to this day.

The Highest Product of Capitalism (After John Heartfield)

Context

This photograph was taken during a period of feminist movements. Some of the changes brought about by this movement include the passage of the Equal Pay Act, Sex Discrimination Act and Domestic Violence Act as well as the formation of the Women's Aid Federation. While significant milestones had been reached towards female rights, women continued protesting for further equality. Photographer, Jo Spence participated in the movement. Spence came from a working-class family, started off as a professional photographer and then shifted her focus to political photography. This photograph was modeled off another photograph, "Spitzenprodukte des kapitalismus" by John Heartfield, taken in 1932. Hearfield was also a political photographer during the early 1900s and opposed Hitler. "Spitzenprodukte des kapitalismus" addressed the gap in classes as a man seeking work stood next to a mannequin bride wearing a pricey dress.

Section 2: Deliverable

Additional Image

My Photograph 1 Name

here I will include my photograph and an explanation of what it portrays, why I chose the theme, why I chose to portray it the way I did

My Photograph 2 Name

here I will include my photograph and an explanation of what it portrays, why I chose the theme, why I chose to portray it the way I did

My Photograph 3 Name

here I will include my photograph and an explanation of what it portrays, why I chose the theme, why I chose to portray it the way I did

Conclusion

In this section, provide a summary or recap of your work, as well as potential areas of further inquiry (for yourself, future students, or other researchers).

External Links

If appropriate, add an external links section