estiaan the word vernacular is more commonly defined by being

8/7/2019 Estiaan the Word Vernacular is More Commonly Defined by Being

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/estiaan-the-word-vernacular-is-more-commonly-defined-by-being 1/9

www.estiaanphotography.com




Vernacular and family photography

The word Vernacular is more commonly defined by being, “Indigenous” or “native”. With in the

context of photography it refers to the creation of photographs by amateur or unknown

photographers who take everyday life and common things as subjects. These forms of accidental

are usually photographs that contain recordings of holiday events, class portraits, photographs of

friends, family snapshots or travel images.

Vernacular photographs are usually taken of people or their surroundings, at eye level, with the

subject in middle distance in natural light, with the subject matter usually placed in the middle.

What make these images so amazing is the unwanted flaws and bits of information that creep in

from the corners of these images that make them beautiful and complex at times. Often when I as

a photographer look at vernacular photographs, I think to myself. “What was going threw this

persons head when he was taking that photograph” and I find that is what intrigues me. There for

in this essay I will look at two images taken by my family members that I also used in my family

book that I published. Then I will look at two photographers that have inspired me in my work and

who’s work can also relate to the concept of family pictures and perhaps vernacular photography.

Lastly I will analyze two of my own images and compare what I have looked at in order two

understand what makes a photograph a memorable image and to reflect on the process of

creating a book on my family.

Firstly I will look at an image presumably

captured on their farm house in Pretoria by my

Great Grand father of my grand mother

Bettie Labuschagne , her brother Vick

Labuschagne and their two cousins whose

names are unknown.




In the image one can see four children placed against a wall. They are position so that there are

two children standing and two sitting down in front of the standing figures. It seems that the image

was spontaneously constructed in their back yard or some were around the house judging by

their informal clothing and the surroundings. The lighting in this image appears to be natural light,

most likely, judging by the direction of the shadows mid afternoon on a sunny day. This makes

the lighting on the figures very harsh creating a lot of contrast and some burnt out areas on their

white garments. Out of all for of the figures only the one girl on the left hand side of the image is

making eye contact. I find that this is what keeps the viewer engaged with the photograph and

makes it more interesting to look at.

The image could very easily have appeared “flat”, but because of the positioning of the figures the

amount of foreground left in the image and the harsh contrast created by the lighting there is

enough depth for this group photograph. The image has been photographed on black and white

film, but has a slight green tint to it. There is not a lot of movement in this image, only subtlegestures in their poses that keep the image alive. Compositionally the image has been cropped

slightly of centre in a portrait format with a lot of open space left in the top quarter of the image.

The posing of the children against the wall in quite a stern fashion along with the composition,

gives this image the sense of tradition and conformity. My initial feelings still stays the same

towards this image because of my historical connection towards the members with in this

photograph. This image is important to me and perhaps to many south Africans as a form of

cultural reference to how the Afrikaners lived during that time period and there for I included this

image.

My next image was taken by my grand mother of my father.




In the photograph is a image of a boy kicking a brown rugby ball. The image is in colour and also

appears to have been taken in a back garden or court yard. Main focus of this image is of the boy

demonstrating a kick.

The viewer eye is lead towards the boy by the strong diagonal line point in the boy’s direction by

the shadow that has been casted. Judging by the lighting this image, this image also appears to

have been taken during a mid summers day. No real focus on the lighting, figure has simply been

placed in direct sunlight, probably for technical reasons. There is no eye contact with in this

image, which makes the viewer concentrate more on the action taking place rather then an

emotion. This photograph has a strong sense of motion with the blurring of the Rugby ball and the

boys action. The shape of the boys body created is quite active that forms a very graphic shape

with in the form of the image. Compositionally the image is fairly straight forward, boy has been

photograph from a standing perspective judging by the angle of view and positioned in the middle

of the frame.

The First impression I received after looking at the image is that it appears very iconic, in the

sense of capturing boy hood. The treatment of the image and the out fit of the boy definitely gives

one the feel of the fifties era. Technically this image has been exposed farley well with minimal

blown out areas even though it is very high key, but it gives one the sense of that African summer

heat. From a cultural point of view this image can be understood and a connection can most

probably be made by most western people.

In the next part of my essay I will now discuss one Shelby lee Adams photographs that forms part

of an on going documentary of the people of Appalachia. “In his new works, Adams introduces us

to families who have moved out of the remote mountain areas into trailer parks, where electricity

and satellite dishes dominate the landscape. Whether photographing a father and child

surrounded by their cows, a family gathering on a porch during Halloween or an older couple

posing with their dog in front of a new satellite dish.” (S. L. Adams, 2007. 1)




.

In this image there is a girl that appears to be standing on a step ladder outside behind a wooden

door with a handle pointing towards the girls face. She is wearing a long white dress with white

shoes. Behind her mounted on the wall is an framed photographed containing a image of a

female figure, presumably related to the little girl. Lighting seems to be available light by the look

of the contrast in the shadows and the overall tone with in the image. The figure in the framed

photograph behind the girl as well as the girl are both making eye contact with the viewer inviting

one to be drawn into the image. Image is in black and white that gives it a harder and moodier

tone, along with the simple corresponding poses of the girl and the figure in the picture behind the

girl makes for a very dramatic image.

When looking at the image I feel a sense of remorse towards the girl in the photograph, I also

sense pride with in this image because of the stern look on the girls face with framed photograph

behind her almost hovering over her. Even though Adams is not part of this family, he grew up in

a similar environment and one can see how he relates with this girl in the photograph which to me

makes it one of his own family photographs. The way that Adams has portrayed this girl can be

seen as unethical, by making use of semiotics to entice the viewer to generate his own perception

of what this girl is about. Never the less one can see that this is a successful photograph telling a

story of a girl that will most likely also be in a photograph similar to the one behind her on a

wooden wall.




CANADA. Lambton County, Ontario. Two-year-old Isaac TOWELL is carried into the

Sydenham River by his older sister Naomi to introduce him to water. 1996.

In this Book about “The world from my front porch”, Larry documents the life in and around his

front porch of his family things around the house and even further from his home.

In this image one can see to figures bating in a river the girl is holding her little brother in her arms

while walking deeper into the water. There is two strong diagonal lines formed by the river banks

converging above the little boys head framing the two figures in the centre of the image making

them the focal point. The lighting is straight forward available light used by the photographer

documenting this spontaneous event. The use of depth creates a sense of freedom with in this

photograph along with the movement created by the ripples in the water. Overall this image tells a

story of the un touched innocence and the beauty of family hood, symbolically being portrayed by

the nudity of the children. Their innocence is also protected by not making eye contact with the

viewer and I think it is that innocence that makes this photograph so successful.




The truth in your eyes depicts the strain of our past. 2010

This portrait of my dad is tightly cropped making the viewer focus on the figures eyes. The focus

on the eyes of the figure in this portrait is also enhanced by the minimal depth of field created bythe photographer making use of a small aperture. There is a soft butterfly lighting created from

the available light in the room that creates darker shadows under the eyes making the person

look more dramatic. Photograph is in colour and is very static. One wants to lean over with the

diagonal line that has been created by the silhouette of his face but the eyes contain the viewer in

one area of the photograph. I feel that the photograph is successful in revealing a sense of

essence from my dad in this photograph.




Die skoene wat ons dra, 2010

The next image last image I will discuss in this essay is a still life of my grand fathers old army

boots that I photographed in studio. This is an image of a pair of boots on a plain background with

the lighting coming from the side. I constructed the lighting in order to shape the boot, but more

importantly to create a shadow cast towards the foreground. Symbolizing that the boots are

coming from a journey, as if it is coming out of the light. The shadow that has been casted by the

boots also creates some depth towards the still life. I think the still life of the pair of shoes is a

good symbol of the journey of a family, especially mine, coming from a military background.

In conclusion to my analysis, I have come to realize that: A image of a family member or any

family photograph can conduct numerous reactions with in the viewer, weather it be confessional,

or creating an opening up, a sharing of one’s heart. These emotions can also be determined by

the medium threw which the artist decide to portray the message. I think the most important part

of creating photographs is the intension of the message that the photographer wants to convey.

This will determined the outcome of the quality or longevity of the photographed from a viewer’s

point of view. To reflect on my own images I have taken of my family members, the images that

have remained with me in my memory are the more honest and spontaneous ones, and I think

that is also what makes the old vernacular images so amazingly interesting.




Reference list

S. L. Adams, 2007. Shelby Lee Adams – resume, retrieved on 12 November 2010 from:

dhttp://shelby-lee-adams-resume.blogspot.com/

N. Tousley, 2010. The world from his front porch, retrieved on 12 November 2010 from:http://communities.canada.com/CALGARYHERALD/blogs/impressions/archive/2010/02/19/the-world-from-his-front-porch.aspx Descriptive analysis by Brett Ungles of painter Hopper’s Room in New York 1932.http://www.missouri.edu/-bkuck97/roomny.html

Semiotics for Beginners by Daniel chandler retrieved on 10 November 2010 from:Http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/documents/s4b/semiotics.html Source List:http://isozine.com/blog/?cat=5 http://www.projectb.com/browse/publication_projects http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO-H13trTZE

http://www.smith-design.com/portfolio/photojournalism

http://communities.canada.com/CALGARYHERALD/blogs/impressions/archive/2010/02/19/the-world-from-his-front-porch.aspx


http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/documents/s4b/semiotics.html

http://isozine.com/blog/?cat=5

http://www.projectb.com/browse/publication_projects

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO-H13trTZE



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO-H13trTZE

http://www.projectb.com/browse/publication_projects

http://isozine.com/blog/?cat=5

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/documents/s4b/semiotics.html



estiaan the word vernacular is more commonly defined by being

Documents