Elizabeth Chandler - BA(HONS) Photography - Level 5
Proffessional Frameworks - Editorial Photography
Project Proposal
The aim of this assignment is to produce a body of work (10-15 images) that have continuity through narrative which, together illustrate an editorial feature on a subject of my own choice. The images must be of high enough quality that the commissioning editor/picture editor would not hesitate to use them within their publication.
With in-depth research and a number of feedback sessions I hope to develop an understanding about my subject/s in order to greater understand what the written article would cover.
Extended captions must also be provided to accompany the images, these will help identify the person, subject and items within the images which play a vital role is telling the story.
For this assignment I propose to create a picture story which could potentially be used for publication alongside an article in a journal, magazine, newspaper, online webzine or similar.
I plan to visit dogs homes in the northwest whom are happy to allow me access to photograph the dogs in their everyday accommodation. I do not intend to interfere with the day to day runnings of the dogs homes as I want to create an accurate depiction of the animals everyday living environment. I am aware of the issues around accessing these places but plan on contacting/approaching and asking for their cooperation. In return I will offer them copies of the images and so on. The whole idea stems from the fact that I, many years ago used to work in the dogs home on the weekend as i was in school at that time.
I remember seeing s series titled Haunting Portraits of the Homeless by Lee Jeffries
As soon as I constructed this idea for the assignment in my mind I thought of these images by Lee Jeffries.
I remember the lasting impact they had on me after viewing them for the first time.
The intense focus on the eyes makes the images so engaging and almost uncomfortable to view in a way. Despite that, there is so much detail in the rest of the image I continue to stare into these strangers eyes however great the feeling of un-comfort may be.
The sharp eyes being the main focus of the images is something I intend to achieve in my body of work for this assignment. I think there is something about eyes which induces sympathy.
I want to include a fair number of "dog portraits" in my series to present the viewer with that overwhelming feeling of pity I have for the animals when I visit animal shelters and they are cooped up behind bars.
Despite the fact that we assume the animals have a fairly good quality of life in such places (and probably do - to a certain extent) there is something un-natural about an animal behind bars, and most people often experience a feeling of sadness when in such environments.
This feeling of sadness is often present regardless of the expression the animal delivers, I feel it is that human assumption that the animals are in artificial surrounding.
Additionally there is a instinctive assumption that animals should be 'in the wild', as god intended before they became domesticated.
I acknowledge the historical importance of 'the pet', particularly when looking at dogs (which is my main intended focus)
as there is a whole string of the role of the dog especially in British culture. From the working dogs on farms, to the blood hounds who aided criminal investigations, to the symbolic nature of the British bulldog and the Queens iconic furry friends - the corgi. Alternatively I feel it is important for me to consider the social relations with dogs in recent years. Pedigree puppies being bred for monetary gain, dogs being forced to adopt aggressive behavioral traits in order to serve as protection. Status dogs chained to the arms of young men to defined their masculine appearance. Designer pooches in the handbags of 'wanna' be celebrities' or snuggled into the coats of young glamorous women.
I want to approach my images in a similar way to these examples, tonally I feel they compliment the topic of the work whilst revealing ultimate detail and showcasing the imperative factor.
The eye is a extremely powerful element of the human face, capable of encapsulating so much emotion in one gaze.
I suppose in a way, by focusing on such features I hope to bring out and element of human-like attributes in the animals. I don't want to give them human qualities, nor do I want to present them as 'human'. What I am interested in illustrating is this idea that they too have feelings, and like us are capable of experiencing similarly to us.
This work is not a scientific experiment surrounding the extents of the two ideas mentioned above, I have no interest in attempting to 'prove' those statements to be true of false. I am simply hoping to illustrate the emotional engagement and make the viewer consider the welfare of the animal. In a nutshell. I want to generate compassion.
I plan to experiment with both colour and black and white and see which has most impact. Through weekly feedback sessions I hope to develop this idea into a resolved series of images which theoretically could go straight into publication.
I will consider image format to maximize layout potentials and aim to accumulate a variety of dog portraits, detail shots and images which could serve as an establishing shot for the picture story
Some Dog magazines that would potentially publish a body of work like the one i am proposing to produce.
I found an article on the Daily Mail online website which revealed the living conditions of people in Hong Kong. I have included this here as I really like the images captured and how they really work well with the text in order to tell a story of these people and their horrendous living conditions.
I have been looking for articles which do as I propose and so far haven’t found any stories which talk about the living conditions in dogs homes. I founf plenty of articles which cover neglect and illegal activity such as dog fighting, dog breeding and so on. These could be useful and inspire me. They will certainly give me some ideas regarding composition, tone, the mood of the images and other useful technical hints.
Some examples are below.
I found a website which details and outlines numerous different terms associated with animal abuse, it covers dog fighting, dog neglect and hoarding.
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