Photographic Work Research Articles

‘The melody that’s sweetly played in tune’ #—the heritage ecologies of the Ardeer Peninsula, North Ayrshire, Scotland

This photo essay explores the ways in which archaeology and photography work together and intervene in the world, to focus on landscapes that have been overlooked or actively ignored. It considers the site of a dynamite factory that was built by Alfred Nobel on the Ardeer Peninsula, Scotland, which has now been designated as a brownfield. The prevailing narrative is of industrial progress followed by ruination; where institutional archives memorialise Alfred Nobel, the technology of dynamite manufacture, and the built environment, they ignore the lives of those who worked there. This narrative sits alongside the way the present landscape is viewed as derelict and in need of redevelopment, ignoring the fauna and flora that thrive there. We take an other-than-human approach and consider how multiple species and processes come together at Ardeer. A vibrant and lively landscape is brought to the fore in terms of an archaeology of factory workers and a heritage site as an ecology.

Picturing “our colonial problem”

Focusing on documentary photographer Jack Delano (1914–1997) and his time in Puerto Rico in 1946, this essay examines the development of photographic humanism at the start of the Cold War, when New Deal-era social programmes like the Farm Security Administration (FSA) make way for, and are transformed by, a growing consciousness of the United States as a colonial power. In Puerto Rico, this was a time of political and cultural self-reckoning, when the ruling political party attempted to curb pro-independence sentiment by, among other things, establishing social, cultural, and labour programmes that inspired a sense of autochthony in the population, despite the island’s status as a colony. Looking at photographic works, letters, and notes from Delano’s 1940s archive, I examine the photographer’s increasingly uneasy relationship with his medium as he entered the arena of Puerto Rican life and politics at this time. Through these readings, my discussion opens out to a broader consideration of mid-twentieth-century encounters of humanism, humanitarianism, and neocolonialism in the American hemisphere.

Street photography and the flâneur: reflections on Australian city narratives

This original photographic work investigates the intersection of street photography and the concept of the flâneur within an Australian urban context. By transforming cityscapes into visual texts, the study captures urban narratives through the absence and reflection of inhabitants, rather than their direct representation. The photographic work employs window reflections as a key technique, introducing multiple visual dimensions to enrich street scenes and overall narratives. Drawing on Baudelaire's notion of the flâneur and Tomanić-Trivundža's three-stage journey of the flâneur (perambulating observation, critical reflection, and production of communicable texts), this work synthesises street photography with flâneur-like observation. It employs a multi-layered visual approach to city streets, representing a less-explored facet of lens-based practice in Australia. While the use of window reflections and the flâneur in street photography are well-established in European and North American contexts, their application in Australian settings remains less explored. This work aims to contribute to the street photography canon by translating these established techniques to Australian cities, offering insights into unique local urban characteristics. By exploring the interplay between global photographic traditions and local realities, this work seeks to provide a fresh perspective on Australian city life through the flâneur lens and reflective urban surfaces, thus expanding the geographical and cultural scope of this photographic tradition.

Experimental Photography Study by Kurnia Ngayuga Wibowo “Memory Lane”

The work Experimental Photo Memory Lane by Kurnia Ngayuga Wibowo is a notable piece that has been featured in various prestigious exhibitions, such as "Permata Youth Photostory" organized by Permata Photojournalist Grant and Pannafoto Institute, Bandung Photography Triennale, Bandung Photography Month, and SEA Reading Photobookdummies in Taiwan. This work is considered a masterpiece by Kurnia Ngayuga Wibowo and serves as a compelling example of experimental photography. The appreciation of such a work is often conducted through art criticism, which plays a crucial role in interpreting and appreciating the underlying content of a photographic work. Understanding and interpreting each photograph can vary significantly, depending on the perspective of the critic or the photographer. The purpose of this research is to explore and analyze the artistic elements and intentions behind the Memory Lane series through the lens of art criticism, specifically using Feldman’s art criticism theory. This qualitative study utilizes Feldman’s four-step approach to art criticism-description, formal analysis, interpretation, and evaluation—to gain a deeper understanding of the photography series. The findings of this research reveal that Memory Lane represents a form of experimental photography, which navigates various challenges inherent to the medium, particularly in terms of storytelling through images. The study demonstrates how art criticism can provide diverse perspectives on a single work of art and how these perspectives can be integrated with other art forms to enrich the overall interpretation. The implications of this research extend to the broader field of art criticism and photography, highlighting the importance of critical analysis in understanding the multifaceted nature of photographic art and its capacity to convey complex narratives.

The World as Image and the Image of the World: Photographing Google Street View

This essay focuses on artworks created through the reproduction and appropriation of images available in the interface of Google Street View. As a reflection of the growing proliferation of images produced by automated cameras, independently of human perception and cognition, these artworks provoke a reconsideration of the photographic act, the role of the artist as a commentator on and curator of images, the sublimation of authorship thus entailed and the ontology of the photographic image. The fact that such artworks are created by extracting images from the GSV interface could be perceived as indicative of certain visual redundancies. This article argues, on the contrary, that the photographic works in question entail their specific creative techniques and modes of aesthetic appropriation.

Photo Arts Concept as Alternative Photography Works

The development of photography so far has encouraged the birth of various forms of new concepts in the field of photography. The birth of digital photography technology has provided various conveniences and encouraged photographers to develop photography more widely. Currently, the concept of photo art has been widely used by photographers or photo artists through the development of new ideas and concepts in the form of photographic works. Fine art photography can be an assessment and representation for the photographer who created the photograph. Therefore, the time has come for photographers who may or may not have unique characteristics in creating photographic works, to make photographs into works of art with a combination of new concepts in photographic work.

Penciptaan Produk Eksklusif Melalui Aplikasi Material dan Tekstur Pada Karya Fotograf

This research is an effort to synthesize, explore and experiment to formulate photographic products of applied art by combining aspects of photographic art and aspects of painting. Concretely, through this research, digital photo printing will be carried out on paper and canvas media which in the next stage will be applied with painting materials and techniques to get an exclusive impression. The physical consumption of photography is now increasingly focused on meeting domestic and artistic needs. The results of observations show that the texture in the painting has its own visual strength, which is not found in photographic works. The main question of this research is how to select, digitally print photos on certain media, and apply materials and painting techniques to produce unique, exclusive, and characteristic photo works through the application of materials and painting techniques. The innovation resulting from this research is a working model to increase the value of photo prints in society by adding textural elements resulting from the touch of a hand. The creative method for creating works refers to Graham Wallas in The Art of Thoughts which consists of stages: preparation, incubation, illumination and verification. The product will be analyzed by using Otto Ocvirk’s theory in Art Fundamentals Theory and Practice. He discusses that texture gives the illusion of a touch effect so that the surface character looks real. It is found that applying resin to photos printed on paper has a positive impact and corresponds to the illusory effect to be achieved. Keywords: texture, photograph, exclusive product

Practice on Designing Stages of Work Creation Methods as a Basis for Creating Photographic Works.

Practice on Designing Stages of Work Creation Methods as a Basis for Creating Photographic Works.

Embodiment of Parental Love Through the Medium of Wooden Matches in Expression Photography

This photographic work raises the theme of parental love through the medium of wooden matches in expression photography. This work focuses on life experiences, the daily activities of the creator while he was born and grew up full of love from his parents in Aceh. The theory of ideas that the creator uses in creating this work of Expression photography is in the form of Expression Photography, Composition, Semiotics and Lighting. This creation method also involves experimentation. The creative concepts and ideas displayed in this photo work are a reflection of the creator's daily life. The main object in making this work is a miniature person created from wooden matches. This work is inspired by the author's life story of the sincere love of his parents, as well as daily life activities that the author has experienced and felt. Rooted in a deep narrative of parental love, the project captures the essence of familial warmth and affection, depicting miniature wooden matchsticks involved in everyday activities as symbolic representations of the human experience. Each photo encapsulates a narrative of parental love and familial bonds, visually depicting moments of tenderness, joy and nurturing care. In "In Mother's Lap", "Happiness", "Dodaidi Swing", "Adab", and "Guardian", the creator visualizes the multifaceted nature of parental love, from caring for babies to guiding adolescence. These photos are a touching reminder of the eternal bond between parents and children, illustrating the profound impact that love and care can have on a child's development and well-being. Ultimately, through a blend of artistic expression and qualitative inquiry, the project “Parental Love through the Medium of Wooden Matching in Expressive Photography” transcends the realm of conventional photography, offering viewers a glimpse into the depth and richness of human relationships and experiences.

Aesthetic Trends and Evolutions in Photography Art in the Digital Era

In recent years, the rapid development of digital technology has not only changed people's lifestyles but also brought new opportunities for industry reform. Under the context of the digital era, the creation methods, dissemination methods, and aesthetic trends of photographic works have all undergone varying degrees of change, bringing new opportunities and challenges to the development of photography art. The widespread application of internet technology and digital processing technology, as well as the popularization of photographic equipment, has brought more new possibilities for the creation and expression of photography art. This can appropriately expand the aesthetic field of photography art and endow it with diverse, personalized, and instant characteristics. Therefore, in the new era context, the fusion of reality and fiction, and the combination of art and technology will become aesthetic trends in photographic technology. Photographers, based on the actual development situation, should explore and innovate in a targeted manner to fully display the unique charm and profound connotation of photography art, meeting the various requirements of the new era.

Cabo Delgado in Peace: Memories and Forebodings

In 1996, Mozambican photographer Sérgio Santimano travelled to Cabo Delgado to carry out photographic work, with the objective of documenting the province in a time of peace and renewal. His travels resulted in the exhibition, Cabo Delgado: A Photographic Story about Africa (Cabo Delgado: uma história fotográfica sobre África), which consolidated his international renown. In this photo-essay, we revisit a selection of Santimano's photographs on Cabo Delgado, with the aim of offering an image different from that of devastation and death which has dominated the national and global news since an Islamist insurgency erupted in the province in October 2017. While providing a pathway into memories of Cabo Delgado as a place rich with life, history, culture and individuality, Santimano's photographs also offer eerie forebodings of the present.

Making Space for the Better: Living by the Sacred Yamuna

Eviction could hold a different meaning if a home’s immediate surroundings contribute to its residents’ livelihood, especially for informal laborers. This paper explores the notion of the fragility of a home within an expanded space—the space on which a home stands and its surroundings when turned into a contested area. It specifically looks at the slum of Yamuna Pushta in Delhi, which was demolished in 2004. The act uprooted thousands of low-income families who were blamed for polluting the river. The demolition was fueled by new urban visions and planning strategies, political and capitalist ambitions, projections of national pride, and an event-driven approach camouflaged under an environmentalist concern attempting to “clean” the river. Using the photographic works of artist, curator, and activist Ravi Agarwal as a case study, this paper argues the presence of a counternarrative in the works, challenging the projected environmentalist discourse around the river, the slum dwellers. This study further states the dual marginalization of the Pushta residents and the Yamuna by critiquing the economic format of majoritarianism through the growing normalcy and agreeability of the slum demolitions by the urban non-poor disguised as the “greater good”.

Botanical Portraits: On a 1935 Argentinean Book by Ilse von Rentzell with Photographs by Anatole Saderman

Abstract In 1935, the Argentine-German botanist Ilse von Rentzell (1893–1985) published the book “Maravillas de nuestras plantas indígenas y algunas exóticas” (Wonders of our Indigenous Plants and Some Exotic Plants) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, illustrated with photographs taken by the Russian photographer Anatole Saderman (1904–1993). The publication of this book was entirely selffinanced by Von Rentzell herself, and it is one of the first in Argentina to include such a large number of photographs with this much prominence. The collaborative photographic work developed by these authors goes beyond the images included in the book. Working together, they created a corpus of photographs that each of them used in the following years to enhance their personal careers. At the time, these photographs of plants represented a break in Argentine photography, building bridges with the genealogy of botanical photographic publications in other parts of the world.

Postmodernism in Photography: Deconstruction and Reinterpretation of Visual Norms

This paper investigates the impact of postmodernism on contemporary photography, emphasizing its role in redefining visual norms and perceptions of reality. By analyzing the works of prominent postmodern photographers, the study focuses on three main themes: the deconstruction of the photographic subject, the application of intertextuality, and the creation of hyperreal environments. It suggests that postmodern photography, by questioning traditional concepts and methods, prompts a reassessment of visual authenticity. The deconstruction of the photographic subject challenges the notion of authenticity, intertextuality enriches interpretations by referencing other art forms, and hyperreality blurs the distinction between reality and simulation, influencing how media shapes our perceptions. These themes collectively show how postmodernism not only alters photography’s aesthetic and technical facets but also engages with broader cultural and philosophical questions of the digital era.

Study of Hiroshi Sugimoto's Photographic Works: The Characteristics of Picture Expression of Photography in Postmodernism

Study of Hiroshi Sugimoto's Photographic Works: The Characteristics of Picture Expression of Photography in Postmodernism

The Work of Craft in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: The Lai Xá Photography Village in Vietnam

In Lai Xá Village, Vietnam, studio photography is the village handicraft. Counter to Walter Benjamin’s characterization of the click of a button, privileging eye over hand, but typical of many craft traditions, photographers there describe painstaking apprenticeships through which they learned to master the tools and materials of their craft. They learned to compensate for the shifting properties of light, climate, humidity, and irregular supplies of electricity, chemicals and printing paper, and adapted to changing regimes of technique and labor organization. As in many other craft traditions, apprentices often acquired their most valuable knowledge by stealth. We argue that studio photography belongs within contemporary discussions of craft as a handed, adaptive, engaged, small-scale social practice, and that craft awareness enables a richer ethnographic understanding of the work of studio photographers, both material and social.

Imagining home: Mahtab Hussain’s photography of diaspora and belonging

This paper responds to the works of photographers dealing with questions of diaspora, home, and belonging in the context of South Asia. I offer a close reading of the works and practices of Mahtab Hussain, a British-Kashmiri artist, by placing his photographs and practices in conversation with the work of scholars in the field of diaspora studies and educational research. Hussain’s photographic work offers a curriculum: a rewriting, a creation, an imagination, and a retelling of the story of the Azad Kashmiri diaspora and it is told from multiple axes—the homeland, those who moved, and the ways in which this migration impacted the lives of those who stayed back. Ultimately, Hussain’s artistic work invites educational researchers, theorists, and artists to rethink our notions of home, belonging, and diaspora; to imagine otherwise.

Авторское право на фотографические произведения в Российской Империи XIX–XX веков

Article analyses emergence of copyright law on photography in Russia and achievements of its prominent figures in early stages of formation and evolution of this art in the 19th — early 20th centuries. Copyright on photographic works in the Russian Empire was first regulated in 1857 by naming photography among other artistic property rights, and only in 1911 a separate chapter “Copyright for photographic works” was introduced in Copyright Law. Lack of legislation, as well as complex procedure for obtaining rights for photo production and registration of photographic works significantly impaired photographers rights. Originally photo studios could function only by obtaining privileges “for crafts, trade and inventions in crafts and arts” as well as permission “to engage in photographic craft”. De facto copyright on photographic works started developing right after new photo technology was introduced, even before it was enshrined in legislation. Authors emphasise significance of this historic period of Russia for legislative initiatives in copyright law in general and copyright on photographic works in particular which was also facilitated by the achievements of prominent representatives of photographic art, whose works and technologies serve to preserve cultural heritage.

Aesthetic Composition in Ansel Adams' Photography

Photography is the art and practice of capturing images or recording pictures using camera devices to create visual beauty for its audience. One of the most beloved genres of photography is landscape photography, documenting the natural beauty of a place so that it can be retold through visual communication. Ansel Adams is a world-renowned photographer and vocal environmental activist, whose work has become iconic in the world of photography in discussing the importance of preserving the natural beauty of the world. This study aims to explore and analyze the aesthetics of visual composition in Ansel Adams' photographic works. The main focus will be on how Adams utilizes the basic principles of visual composition. Using a qualitative descriptive method approach, this research analyzes Ansel Adams' legendary photographic works, exploring how aesthetics and visual composition can form a language of visual communication in photography for the general audience.

The Black Woman in Caribbean Photography: Intersectional Narratives between Race and Gender

This article examines the evolution of the representation of Black women in the Caribbean photographic universe, establishing two significant moments: the foundation of the figure of the “Black woman” as a sign in nineteenth-century photography and the shift in paradigm in the work of contemporary Caribbean artists, with an emphasis on the photographic works of Renée Cox, from Jamaica, and María Magdalena Campos and Susana Pilar Delahante, both from Cuba. Some arguments from decolonial feminism, in the voice of María Lugones, are taken as theoretical sources, with an emphasis on the intersectionality between race and gender as an interpretative key to assess the evolution of the sign “Black woman” in Caribbean photography.