As a start to our new concepts brief, each of us were given an image by a fashion photographer to visually analyse in approximately 750 words. In the previous seminar we had had a go at writing down words that spring to mind when we see images and we applied these skills to the image we were allocated. I was given an image by photographer Iain McKell.
Here is my visual analysis:
This image shows a young child, potentially a girl, standing in the doorway of a traveller’s home in a messy environment. She stands with a neutral expression upon her face and holds objects in both of her hands, whilst wearing a red jumper. Around her is an array of everyday items such as cooking ingredients, tools and shoes. The home is a circular one with a green exterior and what appears to be a hand-painted pattern on the outside. The lower part of the door is swung open and the windows at the top are half open.
The image has an extremely muted colour palette of browns, greens, beige’s and dark greens, immediately creating a sense of sadness and loneliness. This sense is heightened by the young girl stood by herself in a dark doorway which frames her. Another element of loneliness is the fact that the home is the only one in the picture plane and there is no sense of socialisation nor community. The photographer has used the technique of framing to emphasise the key figure in the subject matter, this framing is mirrored by the trees in the background which frame the mobile home and the whole image. To emphasise the girl as being the main figure in the image, she is physically placed in the centre as well as being the centre of the subject matter. The girl is also highlighted by the vibrancy of her red jumper compared to the dull tones of the colours in the image. There is a clear sense of foreground, mid ground and background, creating depth to the photograph. The slope leading up to the home is in the foreground which makes the viewer’s eye look at the girl in the mid ground and then the natural elements in the background, such as the shrubs and trees. The circular element of the roof builds up another layer of framing and a sense of security and protection over the child, perhaps replacing the missing adult in the image.
The image makes me think of childhood, innocence and naivety. The girl seems to be vulnerable as she stands alone, surrounded by mess, this provokes the questions of: where is her parent or guardian? who is supposed to be looking after her? what is the story behind this image? The fact that this image brings so many questions instantly creates a deeper meaning to the photograph.
To me, this image appears to be an embodiment of disruption, physically and literally. The mess of the foreground juxtaposes the darkness of the inside of the home, creating a sense of confusion and disruption. The girl belongs to a family who travel and are on the go a lot, causing a temporary and disruptive lifestyle for her, which is reflected by the mess of the foreground. There is an element of sadness within this image as she stands alone, perhaps there has been a loss in the family which is symbolised through the girl standing on the side of the doorframe rather than the centre to show where her mother or father would be standing. The missing figures makes the viewer want to visualise a story in their head, what has happened just before this image? what is going to happen after this image? Perhaps her parents are socialising or working on the land or looking after animals or other children and everyone is busy, or she could be experiencing loss.
There is a great sense of realism and haste upon this image, it appears to be capturing a real life scene and apart of someone’s everyday routine. The realistic element of the photograph connects to the viewer as they can relate to it and want to know what is going on in the image even more than if it was staged. This also brings in an element of the image referring to film and it being film-like. The image could easily be a snapshot of a film or a documentary, raising the awareness of neglect perhaps. It appears as if everything has been stopped for the camera, like it was a scene of haste and rushing beforehand, due to the mess in the foreground. On the other hand, has the photographer staged this image and is he idealising the lives of travellers and potentially appropriating them? These are two perspectives which I have formed whilst visually analysing this image, this image provokes a great sense of mystery, loss and sadness which interests me.
BETHAN SANDALL 