Gathering names and ages

With the help of some of the teachers that I am still in contact with in The Gambia I have managed to find out all the names and ages of the children that I am printing portraits of.

I am so thankful for their help because without them searching villages and school classes for me, my project would not work the way that I have been wanting it to.

So, each photograph has a caption of the child's name and their age. This allows the viewer to connect with the child. Not to feel sorry for, or ignore the child because they are nameless to who is viewing the image, it is a portrait of a child, happy and smiling, who lives in The Gambia. I as the photographer have photographed them, documented that they are a person, in the same way I feel that somebody would document a friend in a portrait, or a celebrity.

I don't feel it fair to keep portraying African children as sick, malnourished, starving, sad and miserable people. The children that I met were happy, it happens that the images I am printing are all in school, but even the children outside of the school were happy, they live with what they have and they are all so thankful for what they do have. The don't know any different - until Westerners go in and start saying 'oh poor you' and 'oh how tragic' ... then they become aware that there is a difference! Who's place is it to say things like that to these people - nobodys! They are people! They should not be treated like they are lower than us, just because they don't have iphones and computers and gadgets that make our children so anti-social and brain square-eyed. They play in sand, they play with sticks and stone - so what?! So did the older generations of the Western world!

I am totally against them living in pig sty's, and totally for putting an end to diseases and malaria and everything else like that. They have the right to life just the same as everybody else - I am not disputing that at all! I just don't agree with the West being shown such ugly imagery of beautiful.. truly beautiful children!

Sizing inspiration

I have taken inspiration for my large prints from the work of Thomas Ruff.

He created and exhibited large scale portrait photographs in 1986-90 at the Saatchi Gallery. http://www.saatchigallery.com/aipe/thomas_ruff.htm

The scales of his images were 210x165cm and 200x150cm. His images were passport style, of just head and shoulders of people, so printed at this size they are larger than life size.
They would be attention grabbing and intriguing the the viewer, there is no way that they could be ignored.

This is how I want my images to be, not able to be ignored. However, I think that the sizing of Ruff's work is a little too big and if my images were printed that size it would be difficult to see the image as a whole.

'French theorist Roland Barthes, in his book Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography (1982), suggests that it is possible for a photograph to convey deep emotion, and that there is a moment when the subject of a photograph makes a direct link with the emotions of the viewer through the surface of the image.' http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/thomas-ruff/thomas-ruff-portraits

This quote also links to my work because I am hoping that the children in my photographs will make a direct link with the emotions of the viewer. I hope that they will speak through the image, and I am just acting as a facilitator to allow that link of emotions to happen. I feel that by using the children's name and age as the title for each image, this will strengthen the link because will know a little more information about that child.

Mock-up and easy editing

To help me when printing I created a mock up of my piece of work on Photoshop.

I made each layer separately on Photoshop and then I was able to edit and size each layer to print.
I was also able to move different bits around to see how it looked without wasting paper and fabric and acetate in the process.

The fabric that I was printing on was not A4, it was slightly smaller so making each layer in Photoshop helped me to be able to size each layer to fit the paper and still edit without getting confused and again wasting paper and other materials.

Adding myself to the work

After writing my essay about hidden meanings in photographs and looking editing my images for Major Practical Project, where I found that I, as photographer, was within the images I wanted to add a bit of me to this work. 

In my essay I talk about how the meaning of the image stays within the image and can't be changed, only the connotation can change depending on the viewer. After thinking about this for a while, I wanted the meaning of my work to be within the work, quite literally, yet still be hidden slightly.

So, I used the same text as the book is written in, (Times New Roman) and wrote a small piece about the work. It reads:

'If trees could talk, wouldn’t it be fascinating to know what they might say about the occurrences on James Island whilst the slaves were held there. The island is such an idyllic place to visit, big trees, open sea, lovely heat and friendly people to explain the relics as you explore the island. Slowly, the sea is washing the island away;, it is vanishing bit by bit. At some point in the future all history of that island and stories that the trees hold within them will be lost forever. Then what will happen?'

I placed this text in italics, as it is personal I wanted it to stand out against the text from the book. I placed the text against the light brown at the bottom of the image, I think it is a piece of wood or something on the ground. I put it here because it does not interfere with the rest of the image, however the black text stands out against the light background. 

When it is placed amongst the other layers it is not very visible. Which I like, because it is in there and so that cannot change.. it is a literal trapping of the meaning within the piece of work.

I also like that it overlaps slightly the text from the books. The text from the book is bolder so that stands out more, hiding my text and blurring the words slightly. 

Now I feel like I myself am a literal part of this work. 

Refering back

Looking back at some of my previous research I thought it would be good to reflect back and compare my work now to what influenced me at the beginning of the project.

I think that this photograph by Ami Vitale has really influenced me and can closely be compared to the images that I have printed today. 

This image is showing raw emotion and sadness, which my images don't do because I specifically chose not too show that sort of emotion in my images. However, the piercing eyes is an aesthetic that this photograph and mine share.

My image is not black and white, because I feel that if mine were black and white they would be too similar to the campaign image and it could be argued that I am trying to get the same message out through my image.

I have also noticed that when zoomed in, on both my image and Vitale's image the photographer is visible in the childs' eyes.  At first I was horrified that I had captured myself in the eyes of the child, I thought it was a horrible mistake and I should have been aware of that happening when I was shooting.
However, I now feel so differently about it. I have a huge emotional connection with this project and with the children that I have photographed. I feel that I have a responsibility in showing these images, that I have to portray them right and fairly. I think that quite often it is easy for a photographer to feel like they hide behind their photographs. I often say 'I much prefer being behind the camera than infront of it' and it's true.. but with this project it is so important to me and i feel so passionate about it that by putting myself in the frame as well as behind it I even more so have to get it right and portray them fairly. The world can not only see these children in the photographs but they can also see me in them too.

It also comforted me a little that other photographers have done this.. whether intentional or not, or for the same reason as I have or not.. it works and it is not overly powerful on hers or mine. To begin with in my images it was all I could look at because it stood out to me as a mistake but now it is not the most obvious part of the image and I like it. It adds a new element and dimension to the image I feel.

Print size

This morning I printed an image in A2 and A3 size.

I printed on matte paper because I don't want my photographs to be shiny and glossy. When images have a shine to them I personally feel that it takes away a rawness of an image. These photographs are very raw, and real and I want to show that in all aspects. They have not been edited (other than sharpening for the purpose of print), the colours have not been enhanced, and in no way have blemishes or marks been removed or toned down. I feel that having a shine on the paper will really just take away from being able to see the child and really take their gaze and emotions in as a viewer.

I printed an A3 and an A2 because I am unsure of which size to go for. I want the images to make an impact to the viewer. I do not want the viewer to be able to see the image and walk past it. I want to grab them, entice them and pull them in to really see these children and spend time with them.

I feel like the A2 print does that. When I saw it coming off the printer and then laid in front of me, I had goose bumps. I very rarely get emotional over photographs but truthfully sitting and looking at that image printed in A2 brought tears, and goose bumps and shivers to me. That is exactly the reaction I want from somebody looking at my photographs.

In order to print all my photographs at this size though, I need to make sure that they are all perfect with focus and sharpness and that they really do grab hold of the viewer.

The other aspect of this decision is price. The A2 is so much more expensive than A3 when printing not just 1 of each. I don't want to have to go for the cheaper option and sacrifice the work though...

The A3 has the impact but just as much as the A2 does. The A2 is just like BAM in your face whereas I think with the A3 you could just glance at it and walk past quite easily.


I am going to put the images up in my living room and spend some time with each before I make my final decision.

Decision made

I have made the decision that I am going to show my work as individual prints not in a book.

I want my images to challenge people and be attention grabbing and I just feel that if they are in a book I will be sort of hiding them away and they will not challenge people unless they are in peoples' faces.

The imagery that we are shown day to day is not hidden away for us to choose to look at it. It is on our tv screens and on billboards, in magazines and newspapers.. they are in our faces and really we can't escape it.
I am challenging this and so I want to do the same thing. I want my images to be unmissable, people can't just walk past without seeing them. Therefore I need to print them as individual images and I think I will print them big.