annamc-visual-thebinary-blog

[annamc-visual-thebinary-blog]

THE BINARY

Subjective/Objective           

Inside/Outside

Subjective Photography:

- Subjective photography was an international movement which was discovered ands founded in Germany by the photographer Otto Steinert in 1951 which championed photography that explored the inner psyche and human condition rather than reflecting the outside world.

- It evolved from the fotoform group started by Steinart and Peter Keetman in the late 1940s. 

- They held three exhibitions entitled subjective fotografie in 1951, 1954 and 1958.

Steinart - “Subjective photography means humanised individualised photography”

-Steinart was known for wanting to distance the subjective photographers from the rise of commercial, documentary and journalist photographers.

- Within the work of the three exhibitions their subject matter was more complex, reflecting the darker aspects of the human condition through their expressionistic and hallucinating images.

-His work enabled a shift in the photography paradigm that motivated others to take risks and transfer their internal world into the visual spectrum of photography.

-Steinart was born in 1915, Steinart studied to become a doctor but soon after finishing his studies he returned to taking images again. This was also when Steinart really started to be subjective with his work. It was after the devastation and destruction of World War 2. Similar to the rest of society, Steinart was hurting. 

-Artists redirected the turmoil and tried to channel it through various mediums, Steinart choose photography.

Objective Photography:

-Objective photography is an impersonal image not influenced by feelings, interpretations to prejudice. To create an unbiased photographic image or documentary.

- This type of photography is not intended to be a creative process, but a method to make a clear journal, record or evidence of something, events or objects based on facts.

Examples: 

INDUSTRIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

MEDICAL OR FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY

EUGENE ATGET: (1857-1927)

Recognised as one of the first documentary photographers or Objective photographers. In the 1890s he started to record the architecture of paris, the parks and street scenes and some of the people.

-He did not attempt to make artistic compositions, instead he recorded places.

The difference between the two styles is that Objective Photography tries to show the world as it really is, while the subjective photography tries to show the world as the photographer herself sees it.

There are also different factors to consider when taking a photograph which can determine whether or not your image is objective or subjective. 

ANGLE

TONE 

COLOUR 

INTENT

-ANGLE:

-The angle of a photo can give the viewer an illusion of personal experience (subjective) or of being an external observer ( objective) To make a camera angle subjective the best idea is to take a picture on a angle that lines directly with the subjects face or eyes.

-To make the angle objective, use an angle that makes the subject look like it does not even notice your camera.

-TONE:

-Changing a photos tone to make it convey a personal emotion or idea is best done after the picture is taken. Changing the tone from its original colours can make the picture/ image subjective.

-Keeping the original tones within a image can make it objective. You can also adjust the tones of an image by using different lighting/angles.

-COLOURS:

- Similar to changing the tones, changing colours can change the photo to being subjective. for example like changing a photo from colour to black and white. Something else that could also applied would be changing certain objects to a different colour or intensifying their colours to create more emphasis or presence.

-INTENT:

-A photographers intent is just as important as the other properties that make a photo objective or subjective. 

-Knowing what you want to achieve and what your goals are with an image, this will allow for more of an either objective or subjective image.