Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Research Log- Independent project.

Marc Vallee

This image of the feet of a skateboarding is really intriguing because it forms a gritty connotation. The implied meaning of this image is that this person is there as an escape- he is there alone, no one else is in the background, even though people may look at this as just being a person on a skateboard and the photographer hasn't done a full body photo- the denotation. The reason this image forms a grimy connotation of the youth subculture is because of the punctum- in the background there is a pile of muddy looking rubbish, the photographer could have cut this out or angled it so this isn't there, or even edited it out. However with this in the photo the audience is able to get a feel for the dirtiness of how it really is. This image can be used as an influence to my project because even though the whole person is not in the photo, it still has the symbolic meaning displaying the youth subculture. When I take photos I hope to take an image in this style.


This image of a wide angle shot of forms an implied meaning of the youth subculture. The connotation is formed due to the surroundings. Graffiti is associated with teenage vandalism- thus fitting with a youth skatepark. If the background of this image was pain, it wouldn't have the same gritty effect as it does in this image here. The graffiti parts this image together. Although this image has the denotation of a person skateboarding in a run down looking area. I will be able to use this image for my inspiration in influencing my project. As I hope to do my skateboarding shoot at south bank skatepark, I hope to have this same effect.

I found this image really intriguing when researching because unlike most images, the subject is out of focus. using the technique of depth of field the photographer was possible to do this. You can see a small part of the pavement is in focus. Much like the images above, I can use this to influence my skateboarding shoot at south bank skatepark. For this image the out of focus effect adds to the connotation of a youth subculture area. Furthermore, I was planing on taking photos and transferring them all to black and white- the skateboarding ones anyway- but this image has had an influence on my opinions because the colouring of the image adds to the effect.


For this final image, the photographer has again used depth of field to portray the modern day anti social subculture. This is because the skateboard, in the foreground is out of focus, but yet in the background there is a teenager in focus. The black and white effect is a good way to show the connotation of a modern day society being troublesome- This is because they are in a multi-storey car park a place where the public uses to park their car- if teenagers a skating around there is a chance they might scratch up the cars. If I were able to access a skateboard, I would like to recreate this image. In this image, the punctum is the subject in the background. Even if subject wasn't there, the low shot of the skateboard would still be able to symbolise youth. Whereas with the subject here, it can create a story, you can picture in your mind after the photo was taken, the subject ran and skateboarded past the photographer. Furthermore, the subject in the background is a way of showing the audience the perspective, the sizing of the object. I think this is a really good influence in my work and project because it shows a close up. But alongside showing a close up of an object, it holds a wide shot as it shows the surroundings and behind the skateboard.

Darren Johnson

The use of the silhouette figure in this image is very intriguing in order to show youth culture. The different colours in the sky shape reveal  smoke in the foreground- this can be symbolic of the rebellious side of teenagers. Furthermore the the body language of the figure is the interesting part of this image this is the punctum, this is because alongside this is the main aspect of this image, the posture of the subject is really strong and dominant looking; with them punching the air, this can be symbolic because it could form a negative stereotypes of teenagers, that they are violent and always looking for fights. 


The focus on this image is really intriguing in this image, this is because this photographer has managed to focus the subject making her sharp. This places the emphasis on the smoke- this is the main part of this image. The reason this image is interesting is because of the calm face the subject has, but this could be argued to be ironic, it shows shes smoking as a form of escape, yet smoking can be the result to shield you- killing you. This is one of the images from this photographer which I would like recreate, taking the focus and the positioning of the subject into account.  Therefore, this shows how the influence of this image is very strong into my independent project.


This image is really intriguing, however, I do not think when taking an image like this, I would include this type of filter colouring, this is because I believe it gives it an alienated type of perspective. Yet the idea of this image is really good- I would like to take an image like this. The use of the vape would have been key in this image because this way it forms more smoke. The way the smoke covers the subjects face is really interesting, it almost takes away the subjects identity. If the image didn't have this colouring, it would hold the connotation of being "just like every other youth". With the audience unable to see who this person is, it forms the stereotype around teenagers in general- all teenagers are like this, but in actual fact, not every single teenager is like this, not everyone smokes. This image of Darren Johnson's has influence on my work because if I have access to someone who uses a vape, I would like to take the element of not being able to see the subjects face.


This is a different approach of youth culture, it shows not all teenagers have hoodies, but the posture and outfit still show an aspect of youth culture. To me this image appears to of been taken on stairs leading to a London underground- a place where normally, people wouldn't want to sit, because they are so dirty, therefore this is symbolic of a side of youth culture, not caring. Furthermore, the dead pan pose of this subject makes it intriguing of youth because it forms a mystery to this story, why is she sitting somewhere that is grimy and dirty and isn't smiling- stereotypical showing a mystery to teenagers, no one knows what they are really thinking but them. In this image, the most intriguing part to this image is the tattoo on her leg, people say that tattoos are personal in a way to them to express themselves artistically- however, to other people, a tattoo could mean nothing to them. The photographer could have taken a photo of this subject in jeans, or anything that covers her legs, but this way, people wouldn't be able to get a feel for who this subject is. This image has an influence onto my project because I hope to take the aspect part of the dead pan and a subject sitting somewhere where people wouldn't want to typically sit. 

Ali Seglins

When researching, I was really intrigued with Ali Seglins work. This is because the majority of their work is in the style of film photography, which I find really inspiring as it shows an older version of the youth subculture. In this image, it isn't really a portrait as subject, because you can't see a full body of a subject, yet you can see the hand of someone by three bottles of beer. The focus of this image is really intriguing because it gives an older effect of this image. I find this image influencing my ideas for my work because I hope to take the idea of focusing beer bottles in order to show youth, but to add my own spin on my photos,  I would like to have people sat in the unfocused part of the image- making it more symbolic of  youth subculture.


The style of this image is really interesting because it shows youth culture but in a more "mod" style, the 80s style. This images is really intriguing because it shows a rebellious side of the teenage youth culture because of the nose piercing, yet it shows the younger side of youth because of the subjects braces. Furthermore, the pink hair would be seen as rebellious as it's a way of not conforming to everyone else- a way for this subject to be individual. As the subject is leaning on her hand, it shows a bored emotion but also that she wants to be somewhere else. This image has had an influence on my work because I would really like to take an image like this because you are unable to see who this person really is.


The fashion of this image is really intriguing into showing the mod-80s style of teenagers. As you can't see this persons face, you are unsure on who she is, but the muted tones of the colours in this image is really interesting. Much like other images taken by Ali Seglins, it has a film like effect to it, as this is the style of camera that would have been used in the times when people wore clothes like this, it fits really well. I do not have a film camera myself, but I have researched how to get this effect which I hope to use on my shoots including this style. This is has influenced my work because I was originally going to juts take photos of teenagers in the modern day, however Seglins has influenced me to show the changes- how the colours of clothing has changed. Not only this but this image itself has influenced me because it has given me the idea of taking photos of not only the person, but the clothes they are wearing, this is because the clothes someone wears can significantly tell you about a person.


When researching Ali Seglins, I first came across the image above of the coat, but then later on I found this image, which appears to be the same person just at a half body image. I think this image is really intriguing in showing the mod subculture because it shows a "don't care" attitude, which is very similar to the pose shown in the work of Darrrn Johnson as shown above in his last image. This is symbolic because it shows even though time and fashion has changed the stereotypical view of teenagers not being "bothered" with anything hasn't really changed. This is why I find this image has influenced my work because it shows a distance glance of this subject but also looks very stylish.

Gavin Watson

Most of Gavin Watson's work is on skinheads and punks, which I find really interesting into showing how youth was portrayed years ago. I chose this image because the simplicity of the portrait. The subject appears to be smoking but at the same time not caring at all. The black and white effect combined with the posture and body language (having their leg up on the door whilst leaning on it) adds to the symbolic suggestion that this person does not care at all, therefore continuing onto the stereotype of how teenage attitude hasn't really changed from this era to the modern day. This image has a punctum which makes it really interesting- the damaged old looking door handle- it appears to be falling off and looks like it could need repairing, this is be symbolic for the photographer to include this because adults would have seen that generation dress like this and smoking and thinking that is wrong and they shouldn't be presenting themselves int hat way- they need to fix themselves- much like the repair needed on this door.


Much like the image of Ali Seglin shown above with the image of a close up of someones clothes, this image has the same effect. It shows part of the style of teenagers in this era. The narrow depth of field in this image is really successful into informing the audience what they should be looking at. The boots in the foreground are in focus, they are also in the left third which I think is really intriguing. If the boots were int he middle of the screen, I do not think this would have had the same effect on me as the audience, this is because half the screen would be what this subject is sitting on, which I do not think would work. However, as the shoes are int he left third, it means the dark colours of the boots, combined with the grey colour of their trousers and then the light grey of the pavement all put together make a very interesting image and is aesthetically pleasing to look at as it all goes together. This image has a very similar influence on me to the image shown above, in which it has shown me that it doesn't need to be a full body image in order to tell an audience what their personality is really like- their clothes tells this for us.


This image taken by Watson is symbolic and supports the view of theorist Hedbridge- that youth can either be portrayed as fun or trouble- however who's to say the line between them having fun or just causing trouble? Something fun to them may appear trouble to someone else. This theory is important when looking at this image because it is symbolic- it shows a group of boys running down the street- looking like they are having fun. However, even though this is just an image, we are able to form a story behind this photo, to suggest these boys aren't running in silence, they are probably making a lot of noise and being destructive- therefore causing trouble for the drivers passing by, as they may be distracting them from driving. This image has had a strong influence on my work because I think it is important to capture youth in a group at times. The whole stereotype of teenagers is that they are destructive together, if I were to take all my images of single people, it would not have the same effect.


This is a more recent image to Watson's work. He was asked to take photos to advertise Dr. Martins shoes. This was an image which  I decided to use because even though I still wouldn't class this as being taken in the modern day, it is still more recent than the images shown above, however this could be because of the use of colour used int his photo in contrast with the other images. This image is successful in showing the youth subculture because of the couple aspect and also the "in their own world" aspect. They have their feet up- one on the seat and the other on the window. This could show a generation gap because the older generation may look at this image and think they are being disrespectful as other people will have to sit there. This has influenced me in the way of the image above- to include portraits of more than one person in order to successfully show the youth culture.

Don McCulin

Even though this image doesn't signify youth exactly, the location of this shot is very similar to the locations I plan/ hope to shoot in- run down places. This is because I would be able to manipulate, throught he use of my subjects, the messages I intend to show. For example, this location would be useful into showing my smoking shoot because it shows that they are living in a slum like place and at the same time are spending money on smoking rather on doing up their home. This image has influenced me through making me think my locations clearly. Addtionally, McCulin in this photo has documented struggling really clearly- thus influencing me to take images documented as well because the final results hold much more for the audience to read into the photo.

This image is useful into showing the rebellious side of youth culture. Even though it is not completely clear what this subject is hold, the body language implies that he plans to break it and as we see through the surroundings/ foreground of this image, it isn't the first thing he has broken as there is already glass scattered everywhere. This is useful into showing the youth culture because it shows destruction, vandalism and rebellion. Furthermore, it is suggested that McCulin documented this image and it is not staged, which gives it a better effect on the audience as we can get a feel for this subject and who he really is. It is more than likely the audience will pull from this photo that this subject is from a working class background, we can suggest this due to the clothes he is wearing and the state of it.

The subjects in this image are much younger than the subjects in which I intend to get photos of, however McCulin's use of blur in this image is very symbolic into showing a youth subculture. We can see the angriness of the subject holding the gun, yet it is out of focus, this could be because the gun is being moved, perhaps from the subjects hand shaking because really he wouldn't shoot the gun- suggesting is just a way of trying to look tougher than they really are. Not just looking at this subject, but the other subject in this frame is really useful and can influence me into my work because it implies youth is easily influenced by others. I can use this in my work because it implies other youths learn how to behave from their friends, through peer pressure and also copy one another.

This image is very different to a youth culture photo. However I chose it because the black and white effect gives structure to this image. Notwithstanding this, McCulin has also used documentary style photography again in order to frame the pain of this man, who appears to be not very well off but also homeless. This image can influence my work because it shows how documentary photography can be used on the streets in orer to frame the pain/ personality of an individual.

James Nader

This portrait shows power through rebellion. Through the use of a half body shot, the audience is show enough to frame a good perception on the personality of this subject and it is combined through the body language of the swearing which suggests this subject doesn't really want to be there, even though it is a clearly posed image, it is very useful into showing ways I can use body language in order to show youth culture. Nader has used irony in this image through the use of technique this image was taken by. High Key lighting. This tecnique is normally used to show beauty and serenity. However Nader has taken the pure technique of high key lighting and used it in order to show the audience something which can be deemed offensive. Furthermore, this image is useful into influencing me on what subjects to use due to the "state/style" of this subject- it can be argued that as this subject has long hair, he doesn't care much to keep himself "neat".


The old fashioned style of this image is really intriguing into showing stereotypes of youth culture. this is because there is a fashioned side of this photo- the pose of the subject, thus suggesting teenagers care so much on what they wear, but also the scratches on this photo suggests it hasn't be cared for very well; for example putting the photo on the side rather than in a photo book. This can be symbolic into my work because I could use this idea in order to suggest teenagers being unkempt and messy- the highly used stereotype that teenagers are the messiest people, for example having really messy rooms and selves. Furthermore more, this image can influence my work because at first sight, this just looks like an old photo of someone posing, but then once you look further into the image you can see that she is smoking. The way this image is black and white is useful here because it hides the cigarette quite well.


Again, much like the first image I have chosen by Nader, this is a posed shoot taken within the studio. Yet this time he has chosen to use a black background which works really well into highlighting this subjects tattoos. Nader could have chosen to take this image with the subject wearing a shirt, yet this would hide his tattoos, or if it was short sleeve top would hide them. Yet with this subject being topless, we are shown the art work which he has chosen to have on his body for life. This can be useful into looking at youth because even though the people I will be taking photos of won't be of the age to have tattoos, it is very similar to the work of graffiti- just on the streets rather than the body. This can be helpful because this subject is clearly happy to model his tattoos around and clearly youths would be happy to be seen with their art work of graffiti.

This final image is clearly of a man trying to get somewhere, perhaps to work but the whether is horrible- it's raining, even though we cannot see the rain, in the background we can see people with umbrellas. This is important because as we are looking at this subject, he is either unaware of his photo being taken because he is in a rush and he is squinting his eye (as it's raining), or that he is choosing to ignore the fact that someone is facing a camera at him. This is important in documentary photography because this photographer has been able to capture the rush of this man. This can be helpful in my work because if I were to sit somewhere with my camera, it is more than likely that stereotypical youths would pass me and whether they choose to acknowledge me or not, the image would see being able to portary the individuals personalities.
Megan Doherty

For this image, the overall effect could go either way depending on what way you look at it. If an older person were to look at this photo, they may see as a rebellion as they are misusing a shopping trolley for sitting in, but also sat in a carpark- as we can see the painted parking lines in the background, getting in the way of the public who might want to park there. However, if a younger person were to look at this image, they would suggest they are doing no harm and are having fun. This is because the surrounding parking spaces are empty, so they are doing no harm to anyone or damaging anything but also she is just sitting there drinking a drink, there would be worse things that she could be doing. This image is really intriguing into showing the different stereotypes of youth because it supports how it really depends on who the audience is to what they believe the effect of it is. This image has influence my work because it has shown me to experiment different ways that youth may see as fun but older people- perhaps parents would see is as being disruptive and "in the way".


This image is an example of friendship, much like the image above, it depends on the person who is viewing this image to what they believe is happening in the photo, whether is it good or bad. To some, it may be a picture of two people playing a innocent game of cards- having fun. However, someone may read into this as having the implied meaning of youth (these two subjects) finding an empty place away from everyone to have a "look at their cards"; symbolic to looking at their life, thinking. Whereas others may find a negative stereotype created within this image as playing cards can be gambling- a way of losing their money. There is an additional factor which shows youth as being careless and that is the smoking. The raw form of this photo is really intriguing because even though some may look at this and think it's a simple image of two people playing cards, it's so much more symbolic and this is why this image has had an influence on me- to try and include symbolic meaning into my shoots. Examples of this photo may be used in my Shoot Six- Changing of Interests.


Much like other images of Megan Doherty, this image is very simple but conveys youth culture really clearly in it's raw form through creating symbolism. This image of a teenager in the alcohol isle forms an implied meaning that she intends to buy lots of alcohol and then get drunk. However it is hard to tell the age of this person- is she old enough to even buy alcohol? Does she even have the money to buy the alcohol herself? Or is she buying it because she's the oldest of her friendship group? There is irony within this image which makes it intriguing. Whisky; stereotypically the drink associated with the middle class and those with wealth. Yet this subject through her appearance looks more of a working class background- with not a lot of money, yet she is facing towards the whisky, as if that is what she is going to buy. However, if someone older was to look at this image, as there is an "old-ish" feel to image- as if it was taken a long time ago, they may argue that this teenager wasn't looking to buy it anyway, she was going to steal it, hense why she is as the expensive alcohol- she has no intention of paying it. Therefore this creates a negative stereotype of being rebellious of breaking the law but also being careless enough to attempt to steal alcohol to then get blindly drunk. This image is really intriguing and has had an influence on my work because it has shown me that I do not need to go all out on setting up a scene for my subjects, something as simple as shopping can still hold a powerful effect on my audience's perspective of youth culture.

This image is very similar to the first one shown on here for Megan Doherty, through the use of props- the shopping trolley is shown again here. However we can see this is a different trolley due to this one being red. Additionally, the location has changed, here we are faced with the subject being in an abandoned/ run down location. The prop of a fire extinguisher is used, this raises an implied meaning that this subject is about to cos a fire, yet as she has an extinguisher she intends to put it out, so she is only doing it as a form of entertainment- having no intention of doing harm (accept to what she burns). This can be suggested to be a satire stereotype on youth culture because she is intending to "have fun" with something that burns- fire which is very dangerous. This image has influenced me in giving me an idea to use fire as a from of showing youth culture stereotype as disruptive, yet as I will not have access to a fire extinguisher, my shoot won't be exactly like this, but similar to the way that my subjects will be near fire- a way of their entertainment.
Dan Boulton

These images by Dan Boulton are examples of the gritty negative stereotype placed on youths as an anti-social collective identity. For this image, it may be seen as "too much going on" due to the amount of graffiti spread across the frame and the use of black and white making it slightly harder for the audience to tell the difference between parts. Yet this is very symbolic in understanding the mindset of youths. Lots of people stereotype through the individuals appearance yet this image symbolises the mind stress many teenagers go through every day- through the stress through tests argument, youth is being taking away, replaced by scores on their test. With the subjects fading into the background of graffiti suggests as generations are progressing, youth is slowly fading away. Therefore the use of irony in this image is important, there is symbolism through the mind pain, yet to many, they may just see this image as teenagers being a pain sitting in dirty places and that it was probably them or people like them to of done this vandalism anyway. This image is important in portraying youth stereotypes and has influenced my work in showing me that the use of graffiti can be symbolic into sharing the thoughts and identity of them which they are trying to express through this use of art.

This image was picked because even though it appears to be staged, it is clear the subjects didn't exactly know when this photo was going to be taken. The appearance of the subjects in this image is very important in showing how this photographers work conveys youth stereotypes because it reinforces the idea of hoodies and gang culture. Much like the image above, the use of the black and white effect is important as it makes the subjects almost fit into their surroundings. This image could be an example of teenagers "posing" with their work. Graffiti to some is considered an art and  can take a lot of though, these subjects may have just done part of this graffiti and are proud of their work at a sense of achievement. You can also see the photographer has captured the technique of blur, the majority of this image is sharp, yet the subject standing on the left's hand is blurred through his movement. This can be symbolic into showing the stereotypes of youth as being in patient, he isn't prepared to stand still long enough for the picture- becoming bored. Being bored is one of the key stereotypes attached and labelled onto the youth culture which this photographer has managed to capture very well. This image had influenced my work because it has shown me that if I use subjects, telling them to stand with the graffiti is can have a very powerful effect upon the audience.

This image is an example of the younger side of youth combined with the older. The subjects in this image appear to be quite young, yet their body language is very similar to the subjects in the other images I have chosen for Dan Boulton. This suggests that younger teenagers are being highly influenced into thinking their behavior is the correct way that they should be behaving. Furthermore, in the surroundings of this image, it creates a negative and gritty affect on the audience, suggesting this wouldn't be a place you would want to walk past when it's late at night, yet these subjects are happily sat there looking around and probably watching other teenagers on their behavior as well. Furthermore, the angle that this image is set out can be viewed as the photographer attempting to be symbolic into showing more stereotypes of youth than at first sight. The ceiling of the location here is very dark and there is a clear line between the ceiling and the light walls; the reason this can be considered as symbolic is because the photographer could have chosen to  take this image head on, so the line contrasting the wall to the roof would have been straight, yet as it is at an angle it suggests a unsure atmosphere. Teenagers are considered to be "always changing" and "going through phases" because they are unsure on who they really are. As the photographer has capture a dark line diagonal across the top third it highly suggests the subjects in this image and youths in general are indecisive. This image has influence me in my ideas because in stead of taking just one age group and different eras, it could be very interesting to look at the difference in ages as well because it could be argued the younger subjects look more "stereotypical" teenagers which could be their way of trying to conform to social pressure.

Finally, this last image I have chosen for Dan Boulton's work is suggested to be a documentary because of the blur technique captured but also the facial expression and body language of the subject. The audience may look at this image and think this subjects face conveys his thoughts- "why is this person taking a photograph of me?". This is important in showing teenage stereotypes because he appears to be quite angry and confused on what is happening and some may claim this to be a key factor of youth- if they are in an unusual situation or something they are partically uncomfortable with, they are rather rude and miserable- stereotypically- the way this subject is conveyed to the audience. Furthermore Boulton has captured the "slouched" body language of this subject stereotypically portraying a work-classing upbringing, combined with the location. Much like the images above, this location appears to be somewhere you would feel uncomfortable passing by late at night. This image could therefore be argued to be an example of hegemony- a way of the middle class looking down at the working class, "they aren't out working, they are wasting their time in dirty places skateboarding and doing no good". This image has therefore influenced my work because it has shown me in order to gain key stereotypes of youth, documentary images are key- if teenagers are unaware of their photo being taken, I would be more than likely to be able to capture their true behavior/ attitude.

Sophie Days 

The use of the documentary factor in this image is really intriguing because it shows how this subject was just going about his normal activity of smoking/ about to smoke but then the photographer has captured him. There is something about the film effect which gives this an "amateur" feel to this photo, however in displaying youth this can be really symbolic; especially with an image of someone who appears underage to be smoking. The reason the use of film can be symbolic in teaching an audience about youth can be that it suggests they aren't purposely doing this action, it's how they think they should behaving. Furthermore, this image is really interesting because it suggests the use of film is to capture the medium of movies, in the movies people are displayed smoking all the time, the way the photographer has linked these two aspects together suggests the influence the media has on impressionable youths. However the photographer of this image has managed to capture irony in this image due to what she has included around the subject. The location of this photo appears to be a bedroom, on the left behind the subject is a picture of Barack Obama, as this person has the president of America on their wall, it suggests an act of intelligence, however this subject is smoking, stereotypically associated with the lack of intelligence of the working-class- displaying a contrast between the props and the action.

Sophie Days in this image has managed to capture the recklessness of the youth culture, they are mindlessly letting other people give them alcohol. The way we are unable to see the subject of the person pouring the drink can make this image really symbolic to the audience. The is because it suggests a stereotype of youth culture, that as it is classed as an impressionable age period, this photo shows how they are willingly letting other people control them- through what they drink, linking to who they become. This further suggests how youth culture is all about trying to fit in, this subject doesn't care what the person is doing, they are doing nothing wrong, just drinking. Furthermore, the location of this image links really well the message Days is forming to the audience, between the drink and the subject appears to be a mess of clothes and directly above the subject in graffiti, with lines which shape perfectly around this subjects head. This is an important factor when looking at this photo because it implies it isn't the subject who shapes the graffiti, the act of this rebellion shapes the subject in terms of their behaviour.

Within this image it displays friendship of youth culture. The way to top subject is leaning on the other subject suggests a dependence on one another, thus teaching the audience of this photo how most of youths are part of a collective identity, they aren't them when they are alone, together they feel "themselves". Furthermore, the location of this image, much like the others shown by Sophie Days completes this image into showing a reckless feel for the youth culture. If the photographer captured this friendship in a location such as one associated with the middle class, it may not have the same effect due to their clothing, they look quite "messy" and that they do not care that much on their appearance. As the location is a slum like bedroom, with clothes, mess and graffiti around them, it completes the photo by teaching the audience the slum like label attached with youth culture and their friendship- even if they don't wear the same clothing, they are still very similar with accepting their surroundings of mess.

This image has displayed documentary photography again as the photographer has been able to capture the facial expression of the passer by. The facial expression on this subject suggests he is confused to why this photographer is taking his photo. It also displays to the audience two sides of youth culture, being on the phone and also the skateboarding aspect of their hobbies. The location of this image differs from the others in this post of Days' work, the other images are shown in a bedroom/ messy slum like location, yet this image is displayed in a park which suggests a sense of freedom to youth culture.
Richard Sandler

The use of framing in this photo is really interesting because it almost acts as a visual photo frame of this subject, surrounded by all the graffiti.  With the suggestion of the wall closest to the photographer being out of focus and the subject/ train door being within focus is really interesting because even though this image isn't of a visual young subject, the use of graffiti makes the implied meaning that teenagers have been there prior. It can also create a story for this image. For example the audience may see this photo and the dennotation to suggest there is a man standing in the next carriage in the view of the window for this photographer. However the connotation of this photo may be an insight of this subjects young self. Now he is represented in a suit and a business man, yet perhaps when he was young, before forced to grow up, we too was a rebellious individual. Therefore this has shown me that even though the subject is not young, everyone is a teenager at one point in their lives and photos such as this one are a useful insight into how teenagers may but rebellious when they are young but eventually they soon grow up, as a mature individual, as if that period of time never occurred. This complies with the theory suggested by Giroux (1997) of youth being an empty category.


This again is a similar image to the one displayed above which I chose because even though youth isn't purely present in this image, the connotation of this photo gives a youthful meaning. Some may see this image and believe it to be purely of an old lady behind a pole- suggesting a split mind thought. Therefore the audience may look at this image and read into this symbolism as on one side of the pole there is an old man looking at her, but on the opposite there is a younger subject looking at her. This may be implying that even though this is an older subject, she still holds both ages within her. Furthermore the background of the train is useful into including youth in this image because like the image before, graffiti is associated with youth and the grittyness of the stereotypes of being a teenager. Additionally, I chose Sandlers work because the vibe/ effect which was given off through the editing style was really intriguing because even though he doesn't exactly research youth, the editing style can be really useful for me to include.


For this image, I thought the business of the frame was really intriguing. Even though it isn't directly looking at youth like the other work of Sandler, I still believe this style can have an influence on my work because this image can be symbolic in showing the theorist of Ann Gould's six stereotypes of youth- include the sexual behavior. The two subjects in the center of this photo appear to be together/ like each other and everyone around them appears to be continuing on their everyday route to or from work. This is combined with the train created by the train behind them, this can be used in showing how it is just them and nothing else around them matters. The use of low key lighting in this photo as makes it interesting used alongside the black and white filter because it puts emphasis on the central subjects and also the highlight of the train. The train can also be used as the punctum of this photo because it creates a symbolism which may influence me to use this style in my work because it suggests the business of the youth life, yet sometimes they just want to remove themselves and take a step back from it all. A way which I could include this in my work could to be use it when taking photos of friendships- making the background blurred through movement but make my subjects sharp and in focus and also in the center of the frame- this way the audience are automatically drawn to this part of the photo- the main point of it.


This final image differs a little from the rest of this series yet I still wanted to include it because I think the simplicity of the frame could be useful and influence my work really well. This is because Sandler has managed to capture the raw form of someone travelling either to or from work and has managed to seclude himself. Stereotypically, youth are seen to do the same thing- make it just them and no one else. Therefore I find the story this image creates- an individual being all alone yet carries on regardless- could be a really interesting approach to include if I were to use a youth subject. Furthermore, the surrounding location of this image is also really intriguing because it appears to be a run down train carriage. I believe this to of been taken in an American subway, yet I believe a London underground train would have a very similar affect, even though there isn't as much graffiti on my local trains and are quite colourful if I were to use a similar editing style as shown in the work of Sandler I believe it could work really well in my final shoots.

1 comment:

  1. A very high level of research here fern well done, I only have one point of correction and that is w.r.t. To your comment of high key under James Nader, it is in fact a mid key image in the sense at the tones are predominantly mid tones...

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