How important is context in presenting and viewing photographs?

[Norma Desmond]

Following up, to an extent, on John's question about our galleries and what they say about us, to what

extent does the context in which a photo is presented or found affect how it is viewed?

 

How much does the internal organization of our portfolios affect each individual image?

 

How much do the juxtapositions we offer in a book or gallery or even a slide show create a way of seeing

that is different from viewing only the individual?

 

When critiquing a specific photo, how important is it to you to look at the larger portfolio of the

photographer?

 

When creating, looking at, and assessing your own photos, are you more concerned with the individual

image or with its place in your body of work?

[winn]

Comments on the last two questions - When critiquing a specific photo, it should be judged on its own. However, looking at the photographer's portfolio may give a better understanding of what the photographer was trying to do. It will also help in communication, especially if comparing to other pictures in the protfolio.

 

Myself, I am more concerned with the individual image than its place in my body of work. However, I am not a professional trying to sell my services, nor am I trying to make a statement with my portfolio.

[kristina_kraft]

Nice theme you have started!

On first question: Well, I have some experience of three years of exhibiting, and I've been welcomed very well. Firstable, exhibiting a photograpy is not traditional here in Croatia. The chair for photography at Academy of Dramatic Art is established four years ago. But as I saw, the photo exhibitions is going quite well, in the last couple of years.

 

How the photo affects is another story! As far as I can tell, there hasn't been so much of the critiques in a media. And cultural magazines doesn't follow everything. From my own experiance, I don't know how much I have influenced on a wider scale, but I am aware of people who attended openings of my exhibitions.

 

About portfolio: I'm in a process of creating a concept and I became aware that every photo should communicate with each other, being much more connected with the whole internal organization of portfolio.

 

About others, I must say that I like to read other portfolios and of course it has a great influence on a photo which is presented at particular moment. In that way I can understand what photographer wanted to express.

 

The last one: At the begining I was creating an individual image, and now I'm creating images that has a concept, that are inner related and are narative. I became aware of how it is important this narative side of photographs and their relationship to each other.

[jtk]

Fred was at least partially addressing P.N. galleries: mine was posted casually, across two days, only last week.

 

We can answer some of Fred's many questions with our P.N. galleries.

 

I made no effort to direct a viewer's "way of seeing"

 

It fell into its order/disorder as a result of the way my files were organized. Only one change was made, and that was only in the interest of symmetry (not the Russians).

 

Like many, I have thousands of "scenics" (lots of hikes in mountains and deserts of California and New Mexico) but I care little about them. My gallery reflects instead the minority of my images that currently make me happiest. They go back a long way, but suggest what I'm likely to continue to do going forward.

 

Only when I saw what I posted did I notice the lack of color. For decades I've shot mostly color, but I've cared most for B&W.

 

"When critiquing a specific photo, how important is it to you to look at the larger portfolio of the photographer?"

 

I look for some kind of significance. Without context, significance is lost.

 

"Context" doesn't mean "whole portfolio." For example, a Steiglitz (or Steiglitz curator or publisher) might properly decide to show his portraits or nudes of Georgia O'Keefe all by themselves, without showing his clouds, skyscrapers, and steaming horses. Such dilution might reduce significance.

[Norma Desmond]

Thanks, John, for both the obscured and more clear version of your thoughts. I appreciate

your Steiglitz example in distinguishing levels of context.

 

Kristina, mostly I'm still just trying to take good pictures. Starting to think about work as a

whole, but just starting.

 

Brian, thanks for your thoughts. Just what I wanted. To know where different people are at.

 

Few but quality responses. Thanks. Guess it wasn't the most stimulating question to ask!

[jtk]

Fred, it's a very stimulating Subject but a dozen questions :-)

 

I wish some of our Brit friends would address this from the perspective of their famous camera club print viewings.

[pnital]

Fred, so many questions.. I will try to answer some of them in my order. I usualy look for a context that gives significance to the image, while looking and assesing an image of another photographer, as well as in my work. Even in an abstract, I look for some form, color, composition, some logic, or feeling that is touching my inner world.

 

I try to arrange photos according to subjects in folders, but relations to each other in PN is not possible ,if it was possible, I'm sure the order in the folder would have been changed to get more relation to one near the next. For me each individual photo is important in itself and in relation of others in a given folder( like dance, traveling, landscape, portraits etc.) I like to see it

in others as well, it is easier to get an impression of the one image, as a part of a whole ( body of work ). For me there is one exeption, it is what I call "recently" uploaded photos, that is a variety that later on will pass to the right folder, and some will stay in that one for a longer time, becaus it has a special significance ( for me).

 

When I asses a photo of another photographer, I ALWAYS look at his folfers( as much as time permit, and if not I will do it later on) and if he has a bio, I read it ! only than I know if I want to follow his/her work, especially when it is a new one that I comment for the first time, I'm curious to see the whole.It brings many surprises, sometime I find folders full of gems, and sometime I can find a fine work and medium body of works. I pay attention as well to the way comments are given, the wording, and way of interpretations, even I'm aware of the fact that it is an international site with English not an everyday language, even mine....

[Norma Desmond]

John-- Point taken. I'll wait for a slow philosophy day next week and post again, limiting

myself to one simple question along these lines!

 

Pnina-- I, too, try to follow the critiquing style of others, so I know in what context to

understand their input. I've asked several times whether we will ever be allowed to order

photos within folders. Been told it was a good idea. That and 10 cents . . . (Of course, by now

it's $2.50). Your English is always good enough to get your point across and that's good

enough for me. Thanks.