Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 6: The Impact of Research, 2012

The book concludes with a rather thin chapter (half of its 15 pages are images) rehashing much of what has already been said. Research is valuable in developing a photographic practice by creating a feedback loop of reflection-practice-reflection.  The idea of journal keeping is brought up again, this time with the suggestion of maintaining a private journal in which one can record freely without the pressure of having to think about an audience.  Archives are revisited, especially personal archives, which the authors see as especially useful in providing material for future reflection (either for oneself or for an audience).  Perhaps the most valuable advice is something most of us probably already know - time creates distance and fresh perspective. As we change during the interval between seeing a set of images, so too does our perspective and our evaluative abilities.  (Apparently Ralph Eugene Meatyard used to develop his photos only once a year.  At the other extreme, Winogrand seems to have been rather uninterested in developing and printing, leaving behind 2500 undeveloped rolls, plus 4100 rolls developed but never reviewed.)

Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 5: Research and Practice, 2012

After you have been working for a while, research becomes connected to practice in a way that makes the two things hard to separate — the working process becomes second nature. A reflctive practitioner automatically engages with research methods and a continuous process of critical analysis right from the start of a body of work. 

From testing the relevance of your work, determining your audience and taking time to view your work from new angles, to the final production decisions on how to present your work, your research will continue to inform your practice. p121

This chapter is another grab-bag of issues, from ethics to exhibition.  The authors begin with the idea that photography involves testing ideas.  In order to find out how things look, photographers devise ways to view their work in different ways, such as test prints hung on a studio wall to determine how images work in space - size, color, lighting and relationship to other images.  They suggest that besides testing out technical methods, photographers may also test out audience reaction.  Ethics in practice, such as full disclosure to interviewees and model release forms, is briefly mentioned.

Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 4: Compiling Your Research, 2012

Research materials need to be compiled in such a way that they are user friendly, so that you, as well as other interested researchers, can make the best use of them. 

Each photographer will have a different method or system for compiling their research. There is no right or wrong way – you need to find the approach that works best for you. The way you choose to store or catalogue your research does not have to look pretty, but it does need to be accessible enough to inform your work; it will require some additional effort to organize and structure your research materials. If your research is in a manageable order it will be easier to create a clear and organized project. p 109

This is a rather thin chapter in which the authors suggest using physical or digital notebooks in which to record research, everything from the odd musing to actual data collection.  For those keeping physical notebooks and other material records, the idea of preservation through long-term storage is to be considered, and for keepers of digital data suitable backups.  (The authors fail to mention digital redundancy.)

Another case study from Caruana’s career is showcased, though no specific information is presented on how the research for her clown project was recorded and collated in journals or blogs.  The chapter concludes with a blogging exercise in which the reader is asked to create a blog and do a one-week research project in order to become familiar with blogging and “how much research you can gather in one week.”  This looks like another exercise created specifically for the book, and not something that a classroom teacher would suggest, nor particularly suited to practicing the chapter contents.  How do you practice compilation and archiving except on an ongoing or completed project?

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Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 3: Practice as Research, 2012

Practising photography – taking photographs – is a primary part of the research process. It is easy to just shoot photographs and not record what you do, yet if you stop for a moment and consider the significance of how you are photographing – when, where, why, with which tools and what assistance – it all starts to become part of an interesting research story.  p61

The main idea here is that image making is not the final act in the process of photography, but an ongoing practice informed by other types of activity, what the authors refer to as research - reading, viewing images, listening to and participating in discussions.  Photographers are encouraged to go out early in the planning stages and start capturing preliminary images.  These become objects on which to reflect and develop.

I was interested to see how they would flesh this out, but the chapter turns into a collection of lists that don’t seem to have much to do with the process of research.

First up is a discussion on the differences in studio and the street shooting, followed by brief descriptions of photographic types (landscape, documentary, fashion, art), as well as paragraphs on editing, post production, and reflection.  An evaluation form covering many of the steps in the Proposal outlined in chapter 1 is included as handy reference and is perhaps the chapter’s best feature, which concludes with another interesting activity only loosely related to the theme or content of the chapter, that of recreating a classic photo.

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Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 2: Developing Ideas through Research, 2012

The chapter opens with the suggestion that Google and the internet are not the only means of conducting research.  “Libraries are extraordinary places,” the authors enthuse, perhaps for those who have never been to one.  Other suggested real life sources are specialist libraries, archives, museums, galleries, lectures, and meetings of photography clubs/circles/societies.  For those that have never encountered the internet, advice is provided on managing bookmarks and using such tools as blogs and social media.

Two case studies are presented.  Sally Verrall makes art installations which result in photographs of the work.  Her process requires research of the space in which her work will be installed, including measurements of the available space and line drawings to calculate from where to photograph to produce desired effects.

Neeta Madahar made a series of photos exploring female youth and glamour based on a 1935 series.  The newer series required her to work in collaboration with her models, set designers and make-up artists.  All the images were collaborative and negotiated.

The chapter concludes with the kind of exercise I see often in English language textbooks, an activity that in itself looks interesting but is not really tied to the pedagogical aims of the course.  The authors suggest visiting a garage sale or flea market to purchase some old snapshots, then sequence them to tell a story, AFTER WHICH you can do some research on the photos to check the truth against your own story.

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Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 1: Planning, 2012

Research in Photography is included in the Essential Reading list of OCA’s Digital Photographic Practice course.  I thought I would read it a chapter at a time over several weeks or months, but on actually beginning reading I found the 176 page book is perhaps half images, the text written at a rather elementary level, and the ideas dished out in tiny dollops.  In other words, you can get through it pretty quickly.  I expect I’ll finish it by the end of the weekend.

From the Introduction
Photographic work is developed through knowledge gained in exploring the medium: investigating histories and theories of photography, observing the world, reading and listening, taking part in debate, critical reflection and numerous other activities.  p6