CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The course material is somewhat vague on the genre of conceptual photography and has asked us to make up our minds following a video and then to give some examples of recent work that falls into this category. The video is found at www.source.ie/feature/what_is_conceptual.html
The main idea of Conceptual photography is that it is a way of photographing an idea or a concept. The three films categorize genre of concept photography and while watching them I made a number of bullet point notes. My first points narrow down the meaning of conceptual photography in that it is more ‘idea art’, it was an individual and different way of using photography yet completely uncategorized initially. The photos produced in the early stages of this genre were compared more to graphs as opposed to art, making them more scientific then photographic. The other main point that comes across is that these photographs were completely untraditional.
I started to do a bit of research into conceptual photography and found some other theories from websites online, but all were unified in defining conceptual photography as being photography that has been derived from or that is promoting an idea/concept.
‘Since the invention of the photographic camera, artists have explored it as a means to stage a false reality, or capture an idea. the term ‘conceptual photography’ began to used in the 1960s, coinciding with the early explorations into video art and Conceptual Art. The phrase can refer to any use of photography within the Conceptual Art movement.’ (Unknown 2016)
This statement identifies that concept photography is a process of staging the photograph to a desired outcome. I have seen many a website with numerous examples of such photography, with a range of outcomes.
‘Conceptual photography - as a part of conceptual art - is a photography genre in which the artist makes a photograph of a concept or idea. In this type of photography, you try to convey a concept or message with a photograph. Few photographers are using Photoshop to edit and process - all the magic happens in-camera.’(Ghodke 2011)
This statement accompanies a collection of examples of conceptual photography on a website call Envatotus+. I will admit that looking through these, and also examples on other websites, there are some messages and ideas that are more prominent in the images than others.
This photograph by Ted Lee was one of my favourites amongst all the examples I saw during my research. I love the simplicity of it. And the idea that there is a ghost in all of us is a relatively simple theory. The idea of what the photographer wanted to create was to show the reflection of a person, without the person being there. Its cleverly executed and an interesting concept.
The last example I want to use is a particularly strong image in my eyes and emphasises its
concept exceptionally well.
The course material is somewhat vague on the genre of conceptual photography and has asked us to make up our minds following a video and then to give some examples of recent work that falls into this category. The video is found at www.source.ie/feature/what_is_conceptual.html
The main idea of Conceptual photography is that it is a way of photographing an idea or a concept. The three films categorize genre of concept photography and while watching them I made a number of bullet point notes. My first points narrow down the meaning of conceptual photography in that it is more ‘idea art’, it was an individual and different way of using photography yet completely uncategorized initially. The photos produced in the early stages of this genre were compared more to graphs as opposed to art, making them more scientific then photographic. The other main point that comes across is that these photographs were completely untraditional.
I started to do a bit of research into conceptual photography and found some other theories from websites online, but all were unified in defining conceptual photography as being photography that has been derived from or that is promoting an idea/concept.
‘Since the invention of the photographic camera, artists have explored it as a means to stage a false reality, or capture an idea. the term ‘conceptual photography’ began to used in the 1960s, coinciding with the early explorations into video art and Conceptual Art. The phrase can refer to any use of photography within the Conceptual Art movement.’ (Unknown 2016)
This statement identifies that concept photography is a process of staging the photograph to a desired outcome. I have seen many a website with numerous examples of such photography, with a range of outcomes.
‘Conceptual photography - as a part of conceptual art - is a photography genre in which the artist makes a photograph of a concept or idea. In this type of photography, you try to convey a concept or message with a photograph. Few photographers are using Photoshop to edit and process - all the magic happens in-camera.’(Ghodke 2011)
This statement accompanies a collection of examples of conceptual photography on a website call Envatotus+. I will admit that looking through these, and also examples on other websites, there are some messages and ideas that are more prominent in the images than others.
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The Ghost In You, (Lee 2012),
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This photograph by Ted Lee was one of my favourites amongst all the examples I saw during my research. I love the simplicity of it. And the idea that there is a ghost in all of us is a relatively simple theory. The idea of what the photographer wanted to create was to show the reflection of a person, without the person being there. Its cleverly executed and an interesting concept.
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Marking the Days till freedom, (Gartman 2011)
This was another image that got my attention. Austin Gartman has used the idea of the egg
being a prison cell and the being inside physically marking the eggs interior until it hatched.
Simplistic yet effective at recognizing the idea behind it.
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Anorexia, (Alvarez 2008)
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This is a very strong concept that visualises a difficult yet prominent issue in today’s society.
The idea of using the apple as the subject for visualising fat and thin really does fit well with
the concept and the title of the photograph without pushing the boundaries and using real
models. Plus, there is an added irony of the photographer using food as the subject of the
weight issue. But then apples are healthy food so you are under the impression that you
can’t get fat by eating them. So for me, this image has a lot of levels to it, with symbolism
and juxtaposition and a lot to think about. This image would work remarkably well in an
advertising campaign.
But then concept photography would probably be put to best use within advertising. Having a product or an idea than needs to be visualised for a consumer is basically what the idea of concept photography is about.
‘Conceptual photography is an art of getting your ‘concept’ across the mind of the viewer using just the contents of a photograph. It is a genre of photography where a photographer puts various things in the scenery so that his idea or concept becomes clear to perceive. ’ (Unknown 2014)
The second video of the piece we were asked to watch discusses just that. As I said previously in this post, some of the examples I have looked at don’t immediately throw the idea at you. The speakers in the film also acknowledged that conceptual photography can be challenging and is meant to get the viewer thinking. The term ‘conceptual photography’ gives the spectators a clear indication that there is more to the work than meets the eye but occasionally, even though the viewer recognizes the concept, they don’t understand it. That’s exactly what I felt looking through some examples. You could see the idea of what the photographer was aiming to produce, but I was unsure why.
The video confirms that that is ok. That some ideas can be obvious but others can be deliberately held back and that it’s not always possible to decipher the idea behind them, but then, even if you can get a message from them, the point of view can be deceptive.
I think in some ways; all photography could have a percentage of conceptual in it. When a
photographer is producing a photograph, there is always an idea behind them of what they
are hoping to achieve and how their photograph is going to turn out. But then there is the creative side where there is a specific message that the photographer wants to portray and
will set about using numerous techniques and processing to produce that concept into art
where the concept can then be deciphered by the viewer.
But then concept photography would probably be put to best use within advertising. Having a product or an idea than needs to be visualised for a consumer is basically what the idea of concept photography is about.
‘Conceptual photography is an art of getting your ‘concept’ across the mind of the viewer using just the contents of a photograph. It is a genre of photography where a photographer puts various things in the scenery so that his idea or concept becomes clear to perceive. ’ (Unknown 2014)
The second video of the piece we were asked to watch discusses just that. As I said previously in this post, some of the examples I have looked at don’t immediately throw the idea at you. The speakers in the film also acknowledged that conceptual photography can be challenging and is meant to get the viewer thinking. The term ‘conceptual photography’ gives the spectators a clear indication that there is more to the work than meets the eye but occasionally, even though the viewer recognizes the concept, they don’t understand it. That’s exactly what I felt looking through some examples. You could see the idea of what the photographer was aiming to produce, but I was unsure why.
The video confirms that that is ok. That some ideas can be obvious but others can be deliberately held back and that it’s not always possible to decipher the idea behind them, but then, even if you can get a message from them, the point of view can be deceptive.
References.
Alvarez, S., 2008. Anorexia. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9541154@N03/3063941395.[Accessed April 22, 2016].
Gartman, A., 2011. Marking the Days till freedom. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/austingartman/5379429247/.[Accessed April 22, 2016].
Ghodke, P., 2011. 70 Imaginative Examples Of Conceptual Photography. envatotuts+. Available at: http://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/70-imaginative-examples-of-conceptual-photography-- photo-5977.[Accessed April 22, 2016].
Lee, T., 2012. the ghost in you. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hyimted/6990951233/. [Accessed April 22, 2016].
Unknown, 2016. Conceptual Photography. Tate.org.uk. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/conceptual-photography. [Accessed April 22, 2016].
Unknown, 2014. Conceptual Photography: 50 Beautiful Examples. DPShots.com. Available at: http://dpshots.com/photo-inspiration/conceptual-photography.html. [Accessed April 22, 2016].
Alvarez, S., 2008. Anorexia. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9541154@N03/3063941395.[Accessed April 22, 2016].
Gartman, A., 2011. Marking the Days till freedom. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/austingartman/5379429247/.[Accessed April 22, 2016].
Ghodke, P., 2011. 70 Imaginative Examples Of Conceptual Photography. envatotuts+. Available at: http://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/70-imaginative-examples-of-conceptual-photography-- photo-5977.[Accessed April 22, 2016].
Lee, T., 2012. the ghost in you. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hyimted/6990951233/. [Accessed April 22, 2016].
Unknown, 2016. Conceptual Photography. Tate.org.uk. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/conceptual-photography. [Accessed April 22, 2016].
Unknown, 2014. Conceptual Photography: 50 Beautiful Examples. DPShots.com. Available at: http://dpshots.com/photo-inspiration/conceptual-photography.html. [Accessed April 22, 2016].
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