Laura Pannack

http://laurapannack.com

©Laura Pannack

Both of these images are taken from Pannack's commissioned series 'Don Bosco'.  They both are documentary photographs, but at the same time they could easily be staged photographs. Seeing these images is what led me to contact Pannack, and find out.

©Laura Pannack 

I feel that the images may be similar to the images I could return with from The Gambia, and I really wanted to find out how she has achieved them, so that perhaps I could have the same way of working, or draw on her techniques for inspiration whilst out there.

©Laura Pannack

These two images (above and below) are from the series 'Saving the Cursed Children of Ghana'. They really stand out to me because in both images life is being documented, although there is 1 or 2 people (children) who have noticed the camera. Is is the camera that they have noticed, or is it the photographer? The photographer we know is a British female, so is that what attracts the attention of the children. Are we seeing the idea of 'the other', shown both through the image taken, as well as the content in the image. We are looking at 'the other' in the photograph, but they are looking at 'the other' taking the photograph.

This is a really interesting point me for to be stuck on. In my work, I don't want to necessarily show that bridge between 'the other', I don't want to make that statement. But, how do I avoid it? Did Pannack intend for this to happen ?
Also, why is it the children who notice rather than the adults? Would the (parent? is it a parent?) adult not be protecting the child from onlookers, are they so poor that they do not care, or is their work just too important to them that they are so in grossed they do not notice?

Did Pannack position these children like this, looking at the camera? Did she direct the image and only instruct those 1 or 2 children to look to camera?

From the email response I had from her, I don't feel that the image is that staged. I wonder if perhaps she had spoken to or interacted in some way with the people looking to camera, maybe she asked if she could take their photograph but didn't specifically pose them in the way that they are seen.

© Laura Pannack