Political Photography

[Rob MacKillop]

I can't remember any deliberately political photography on this site, yet the genre exists in the bigger world. I'm just wondering how regulars here might react if we were given a commission to respond to the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris yesterday. I wonder if there is a challenging theme here? I wouldn't know where to start, and would have to give it some thought.

I did one starkly political image, actually a triptych, when a bomb was dropped on children in a Syrian playground. The image is here:

http://imagesrm.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/flowerstorm-triptych.jpg

and some text here: http://imagesrm.com/2013/09/04/a-keening-triptych-for-the-children-of-syria/

My triptych didn't, unfortunately, stop the war in Syria! But it felt important for me to do it at the time.

So, anyone fancy trying to comment through a photograph about the Paris shootings?

 

[Pete Askew]

I remember those shots of yours well, Rob. How one would respond to the recent events though I cannot imagine. I guess if something comes spontaneously then that should be it. Having to think of something could so easily lead one astray. Interesting thought though.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

That's it, Pete. The flowers shots were spontaneous. The news came in as I was photographing pretty flowers. More difficult to calculate. Maybe nothing will come. But maybe something will. We shall see.

 

[Davie Hudson]

hmmm it's a tough one, I think with the diverse nature of internet groups politics (for me personally) is best avoided

 

[Pete Askew]

I guess protest is a better word.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Really? I'm just a tiny bit shocked. People who bother to come here, especially regularly, are clearly passionate about photography. Is our photography never to express concern about big political events? Shall we continue to photograph trees, plants, teddy bears, and the thousand other things we find worthy of pointing a camera at, without any indication of how we feel about important world events?

But perhaps we already do reflect our concerns. Maybe Davie's landscapes are a (possibly subliminal) cry for preserving the natural landscape of the planet? And maybe Pete's study of decay in urban landscapes is a political comment of sorts? Perhaps we are far more political than we think?

I wouldn't like to think that the only political use of a camera was to photograph people standing around in a city square somewhere, protesting.

 

[Davie Hudson]

Really? I'm just a tiny bit shocked. People who bother to come here, especially regularly, are clearly passionate about photography. Is our photography never to express concern about big political events? Shall we continue to photograph trees, plants, teddy bears, and the thousand other things we find worthy of pointing a camera at, without any indication of how we feel about important world events?

But perhaps we already do reflect our concerns. Maybe Davie's landscapes are a (possibly subliminal) cry for preserving the natural landscape of the planet? And maybe Pete's study of decay in urban landscapes is a political comment of sorts? Perhaps we are far more political than we think?

I wouldn't like to think that the only political use of a camera was to photograph people standing around in a city square somewhere, protesting.

Actually Rob you're right and i was thinking of a more narrow political spectrum... when you put it that way then yes i think our photos will express some kind of wider political aspects. I don't think there is anything subliminal about my message though lol

 

[Pete Askew]

Good points, Rob. I guess I was thinking about how to avoid a word that is so often associated with the petty squabbling of our elected representatives! But you are quite right. There are Political motives in many of our images, or at least interpretations. Often we have particular obsessions, interests, causes which are incorporated into our work (whether consciously or subconsciously). Are mine Political? I need to think about that. The urban decay themes could certainly be interpreted as such but I think the source of the ideas is more related to some form of nihilism or a fascination with dystopian visions. Misdirection, false memory and perception are recurring interests too. But an artistic response to something external, like the shootings, I am not sure if I would / could respond to as a maker of images. I suspect that I am not sufficiently spontaneous. Passionate, yes. Reflective, yes. But spontaneous, in that sense, I am not sure. Hmm.

Interesting.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Good comments all round. I don't have a message here, or any answers. I'm just wondering out loud.

 

[Pete Askew]

I'm pleased that you did. I do have very strong views about freedom of expression, liberty etc but it is interesting that I do not represent them often in what I think is a major way that I express myself.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

That's you exercising your freedom...

 

[Pete Askew]

And don't you forget it!

 

[Ivar Dahl-Larsen]

It's a good question and a one I'd like to contribute to with images. But being on the pad, this shall have to wait. But almost everything we do is politial conciously or unconciously. It reflects what we do and say as you did here Rob with your thread.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Cheers, Ivar. I look forward to your images.

 

[Ivar Dahl-Larsen]

Cheers, Ivar. I look forward to your images.

Cheers Rob, but I said I would like to and yes I have done this at times, sadly it is in connection with domestic politics and what takes place in Norway. I'll search my brain, probably no help there, and my archives. until then keep on

 

[Brian Moore]

Shall we continue to photograph trees, plants, teddy bears, and the thousand other things we find worthy of pointing a camera at, without any indication of how we feel about important world events?

Good question, Rob. I point my camera at anything I find worthy of pointing my camera at. I generally just walk about and snap whatever catches my eye. (Could be a teddy bear or a plant, although my "portfolio," as it were, contains few such subjects.)

However I would have no qualms at all about making a political statement in a picture, assuming I were to have a statement to make and saw how I could reflect it in a fotie. But I can't think off hand of when I have consciously set out to this.

Picture taking for me is more about observing and documenting someone else's statement. I guess you could say that in itself is a statement of sorts. But the difference I think is that what I snap usually comes across my path randomly and without preconception, and I offer such things up only for others to observe and draw conclusions of their own.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Fine, Brian. I think we are all of a similar cast there. But the question is, what if you were given a commission? Then it becomes something different. What would you do then?

 

[Brian Moore]

Fine, Brian. I think we are all of a similar cast there. But the question is, what if you were given a commission? Then it becomes something different. What would you do then?

I would do it in a heartbeat! (Assuming the commission is moral and ethical.)

 

[Ivar Dahl-Larsen]

I had an assignment for the red cross nationally in Norway some years ago, it was about caring and showing how red cross operate on a home base scale in Norway. There were posters of these put up all over the country so to speak. I had 4 days to finnish it. They have a visitor service where reps from Red Cross visit inmates in prison and I was to document this without showing any recognition of the inmate, but could show the rep of course. This was to be done in prison and some paperwork had to be done before I could show up and do my work. So I can truly say that I have been to prison But was it a political work and images? I do not think so.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I suppose there were some politics involved, but it's not the same as an artist giving a political statement through his or her work. The surprising thing, though, Ivar, is that they let you out of prison