Assignment 1, C&N Assignments, Context & Narrative Blog, HNC Photography, Learning C&N, Research & Reflection C&N
Dear Robert,
C&N A1 Tutor Feedback Highlighed
Thank you for your response to my first assignment and while I generally with your comments and I very much agree with one sentence which sums up my feeling towards this assignment:
Your text suggests you’ve understood some of the social dynamics going on in Pattaya but the images do not show you’ve found a way to visualize it.
I think what I was visualising in the series of diptychs is not what you have seen – for example, the image 4 I was showing tourist returning from a trip against the “trip organisers” waiting bored for there return; image 2 the tourist almost gravitational pull towards home comforts against the freshness of (cheap) street food and image 3 here the beach for tourist involves sitting in the sun against for a local it involves giving an old man a pedicure.
HOWEVER, the fact that I am having to re-explain this to your show to me that my ideas were poorly conceived and not well executed. I am learning that this module is much more personal than EYV and I need to search more within my self for the ideas and images.
I will revisit this assignment and rework it substantially one I have had some more time to process and distil my thoughts – as iI was trying to allude to in my notes “by weighting images towards the daytime and Chinese/Indian family groups” I was trying to avoid the sex tourism aspect of the city – for a couple of reasons, one, it seemed to be “low hanging fruit” (however looking at the assignment I have gone for that anyway) – I tried to show it subtly with the last image the massage shop and clinic offering STD checks and two, it can be hard to photograph as the post sides of the industry do not really want the involvement in publishing…
I understand your comments re. getting closer to my subjects I have noticed this myself in my photography of late that I have become very shy and reticent to approach – I’m stuck on stranger 99 form 100 strangers project. While I have never been Bruce Gilden I closer than I am now. I need to reignite the mojo I had; hence will press on with the research and exercises for the build-up to assignment 2 and not dwell and spiral on assignment one. I think if I can rebuild my street photography confidence over the next couple of weeks I can revisit assignment 1 with new vigour.
Thing to consider for rework:
- Clothing
- Barefoot culture
- sex tourism/money
I’m being to think that I do perhaps need to be braver and tackle the sex tourism angle.