Preparation for Assignment 2- 'A Cardboard City'

Well I prepared for the assignment 'People and Activity' by researching how other photographers go about similar 'documentary' photography and also by sorting out practical technicalities like starting times for the event, duration and the number of people involved etc.

   Prior to preparing for the assignment I was aware of photojournalism and how photographers tried to depict a story of an event often within a single picture. However in researching telling a story through multiple photographs I realised 'documentary' or 'narrative' photography was the closest type of this kind of photography I would be working towards in my assignment.

   The photographer in particular that influenced me with the most inspiration and ideas was Bruce Davidson. In particular I was struck by a series of photos called 'Subway' http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox&ALID=2K7O3RJSJ42A&IT=ThumbImage01_VForm&CT=Album, accessed 4 June 2012. Here there were many photos that would have worked 'stand-alone' in telling a story but together they formed what I thought was a comprehensive and true-to-life gritty depiction of how a subway in New York City was like in the 1980's.

   I found he used light in particular to set a mood but I thought there was also the more subtle factor of a reccurring theme being implemented, namely graffitti on the walls in the background. Showing the Subway in a new light, literally! and with such a harsh background in a lot of the photographs I felt set the photographs apart as a set. The 'set' was easily seen as a set because of this reccurring theme. I would try to implement at least this technique into the photographs for my assignment too, with the reccurring background being cardboard. I would also try to experiment with lighting.

   On the prctical side of things I found most details were pretty straightforward. The social event I would be attending was called 'Cardboard City' and consisted obviously enough of people building a 'city' out of cardboard. The factor that pretty much decided for me I would be choosing the second of the two options: depicting different people at the same event was the following. The event would be held over several days so of course the people attending would be different each day, apart from the organisers.

   One thing I did find out that I would have to be careful and sensitive about was that quite a few children would be attending so I made a mental note to myself to ask permission from the parents first.