Done. I am finally finished. Damned essay. While it is on a subject of great interest to me (Magnum Photos), it's still something of a drag. That drag, was indeed the culprit that caused my project to go shit. I had two ideas. One was to photograph lobbies in skyscrapers. I like the design in them. I believe a lot of thought is put into these, seeing as they are one of the first things we see on the scraper.
The other project was to stop strangers on the road and take a picture of them, without including the head. The idea was to see how much you could tell about them from looking at the body (language), I also like the idea of fucking around with them abit, making them smile and stuff. Also that would make them anonymous, and anonymity seems to be something of a theme in my 'work'. In addition I like how people don't really like it when you ask them if you can take a pic of them, while they are photographed hundreds of times every day by mr CCTV.
I went to that business area close to Liverpool street, where that crystal thingie is and that building with the elevators on the outside (I believe they are known as the Gherkin and the Lloys building) are located. First time I brought up the Swede, a security guy came out of nowhere and had a go at me. I produced my precious 'fuck-you-I'm-a-photography-student' letter from Vince, the guy had a very very quick glance at it, but didn't feel that it made any difference. Anyways I left after considering for quite a while to snap a picture of him just for the hell of it. Next building and hard stares. I didn't really approach the building properly, and went on to the next one, which was more 'interesting'. I framed some architectural goodies and stood there for a while looking for someone to walk into my perfect picture. I suddenly noticed someone moving inside behind the windows. It's one of those blasted security guys, I noticed that he was walking towards me looking menacingly at me while seemingly talking to the air around him. Well obviously he wasn't. After I had tried to gesture that I actually couldn't hear him through those plenty centimetres of glass, I turned back to my perfect picture. And in it was a fucking security bastard literarily legging it in my direction. I turned and bailed pretty quickly (really should have just snapped a pic of him running towards me). After that I got the rather unpleasant feeling that every fucking security guy in the area knew about me. They seemed to already be looking for me when I came. I got the slightest inkling I might very well be mistaken for a terrorist. And being mistaken for a terrorist is hardly the coolest thing to do these days, so I left the place after this feeling slightly down to be honest. My feelings from Canary Wharf returned. What, REALLY, is the point in building these rockin' buildings if I can't fucking photograph them?! I mean seriously, did you guys seriously not consider that someone might be interested in photographing a building with the elevators on the outside, or even more a building which gives associations to giant didelydo? ! stupid stupid stupid!
Seeing as that project went to shit, I went to the Magnum Photos agency. I had planned going there, because I'm writing my essay about them and because I seriously dig their shit (well, not literarily though). After nearly an hour of looking after the agency (during which I stumbled over a Leica shop, fucking aye!) I finally stood outside. As I feared, they had one of those press-to-ring-and-talk things. Just as I was about to press it, I realized I had to say something to them. But WHAT? Really, what? 'I want to be a Magum photographer!' ? Like how many millions of others? Well anyways I babbled something about being a photog student and a nice lady let me in. She told me they didn't really do private portfolio reviews, and I was totally lost. I hadn't thought this through even a little bit. I mumbled something about internship, which I know they do have. She said they usually go through universities, and I suddenly realized that there's probably university courses whose sole purpose is to make people ready for Magnum-type photography. Needless to say I felt a little stupid, and I felt I really wouldn't be anywhere near their top choice. I mean seriously, if there was a list, no matter how long it was, I wouldn't be on it. No chance. Anyways she let me in to see an exhibition of magnum photographs from the revolution in Cuba. And even though I felt somewhat like that very young kid who they let join the football team just to be nice, but who's never gonna fucking play, I rather enjoyed being in there. A free magnum exhibition, very nice thank you.
Next day I did my strangers thing. You'd be surprised how short the gap is between gladly posing for a picture for a stranger, and saying how you don't wanna do it in a way that gives the expectations of a follow-up-punch. Out of the 50 people I asked, some 5 agreed to be taken a picture of.
They were:
only men (I guess it would be slightly more creepy for a woman)
walking in a natural tempo (I didn't even bother asking the joggers).
Two of them walked in the same direction as me, making for some minutes of uncomfortable silence after picture taking, two of them asked me what it was for, upon which I answered once that it was an art project and once that it was a photography project (the guy asked me if I did graphic design, apparently that seemed more natural than photography to him). Anyways, the pictures turned out shit, I'm not happy at all. Hopefully my essay is a better read so that these last three weeks have not been for nothing.
Everybody in Kingston, be warned. You know that German market by Borders? You know those guys selling pick and mix candy that is laid out on that big table? You know they do not under any circumstances let you taste before you buy? Yeah, well, there's a reason. You have to give it to them though, those huge chunks of chocolate marzipan looks friggin delicious! They are, in my honest opinion as a rather ventured taster of marzipan, by no means delicious. They are bricks of awful fudge which in an act of desperation have had some essence of marzipan or almonds or something far far different (you go ahead and imagine!) added to them and they are covered with a layer of a chocolate which under certain circumstances I am sure could have inspired both the Swiss and the Belgians to go to warfare. And we bought A LOT of that fucking shit, confident that they would taste so good that the rain that had been blown in making them wet, would not be noticed. I feel screwed over, and the fucking wet fudge melted out over all the other gooddies we'd bought. £8 we paid for it. RIP OFF! Just don't go there and buy that stuff, not matter how good it looks. If you ever consider it, come to me and I'm sure you can sample some, I believe I will never finish it all. The most stupid thing is that we'd been waiting ages to try that stuff, walking by saying that one day we'd buy loads. That stuff makes me angry.
Just some last annoyances that I have to get off my chest:
1. A black border around a picture does NOT make it good (or art). It really FUCKING doesn't.
2. Neither does turning it into monochrome (b&w so you won't have to ask WIki). If you go for the jackpot and combine these two = seriously not art. I mean there's art with it. I like b&w pics with black borders, that's not it. It's just that if it's a bad picture, adding black borders and making it mono doesn't magically make it good, it really fucking doesn't. I can't stress this enough...!
3. Cropping a picture into 16:9 or 1:2.39 or other panorama/widescree ratios does NOT make it cinematic
4. And if you do go for a cinematographic aspect ratio, are you SURE you need to put black spaces above and beneath the picture? In all fairness, it's really only there because our tvs aren't in those ratios. I guess it's ok, as it gives a bit more of that movie sensation, but for fucks sake, don't overuse it!
There will be more!
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