Positions and Practice 

Methods and Meaning

T2 

07 June, 2024

What methods and methodologies have you consciously applied to communicate a concept or an intended meaning in your practice?

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Here are some key methods and methodologies that I often consciously or unconsciously apply to my photography:

I usually shoot with a narrow depth of field using my 50mm f/1.2 lens to isolate the subject and create a sense of depth and dimension, separating the scene into layers, like a painting. I also shoot with a 24-70 f/1.2 and 15- 35 f 1.2 compose and frame the subject or object using the rule of thirds (the grid is visible on the LCD screen) and prefer to place my subject off-centre.

I prefer to shoot with natural light in the morning or evening. However, I have found that using a softbox for artificial light can help lift shadows. I am attracted to bright colours that evoke emotions or dimensions and graphic elements such as leading lines or repetitive patterns, whether in nature or architectural elements. I had a great time exploring underwater photography with a Ricoh and underwater casing in a lake in Vermont, USA, with my daughter. The light was glorious underwater, and the process felt spontaneous and exciting.

I enjoy capturing portraits and documentary-style photography in a narrative sequence. I often create a series of images that tell a story or convey a progression of ideas. When sailing around the Mediterranean, Portugal, and the UK, I incorporate objects and elements with symbolic meanings and cultural references into my photos. I created a photo journal to remember my travels and share with family and friends. Whether through composition, lighting, colour, or narrative elements, each choice contributes to my photos' overall impact and meaning.

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Have any of the practitioners you looked at this week(including your peers) given you any inspiration for strategies or methods you might 'impose' upon yourself to expand the creative possibilities of your work?

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I enjoyed this week's guest lecture by Lebohang Kganye, a visual artist and photographer who lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa.

She gathers stories from her family and excerpts from South African literature and transforms them into scripts. Using photos from family albums and her own artwork, she creates silhouettes, cutouts, and shadows to bring these scripts to life. Kganye's projects cover personal and collective histories through photo montages, installations, and film animation. Drawing from shared oral narratives and fictional texts, she delves into South Africa’s history before, during, and after apartheid.

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I found Kganye's photo montages, use of shadows, and family photos to tell the story of South Africa's history, particularly inspiring. The photographer digitally manipulated the images to fuse them, resembling ghost photography.

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Can you identify and describe methods in your practice that convey meaning you might not have intended at the time?

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Resources:

1. IVERSEN, Margaret. 2010. Chance. London: Whitechapel Gallery; Cambridge, Mass.

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2. LENSCULTURE, Lebohang Kganye |. 2024. ‘Her-Story - Photographs by Lebohang Kganye | Text by Cat Lachowskyj’. LensCulture [online]. Available at: https://www.lensculture.com/articles/lebohang-kganye-her-story [accessed 16 Jun 2024].

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3. THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S GALLERY. n.d. ‘DBPFP 2024: Lebohang Kganye | the Photographers Gallery’. thephotographersgallery.org.uk [online]. Available at: https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/dbpfp-2024-lebohang-kganye.

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