My Idea for Body

My idea for Body is going to be about How the High-Street has been affected by the recent Economic Climate like the Initial Economic Downturn in 2008 and more recently the double dip recession of 2011/12. I want to focus on the small independent Shops as opposed to Big Chained Shops because I am interested how the current economic climate has effected the individual rather than the many which gives the issue a more personal insight. I am going to be asking questions to the owners of three independent shops in Rochester High-street to gain some knowledge of the economics of the local area.

Kate Peters

In this Series called The Ridley Road Portrait Project by Kate Peters. She Photographs Tradespeople in Ridley Road Market, Hackney. Peters  celebrates the diversity and Multiculturalism in 21st century London. With her photographs she tries to create a lasting documentation of the Market through her Portraiture in wake of the dying high-street  small traders and traditional markets disappearing  in favour of chained stores and Supermarkets.

 The viewer's eye is immediately drawn to choice of using props because the colours of the props stands out from the neutral backdrop and the clothing worn by the subjects. I think the use of props adds a deceiving  element to the photographs because without reading the story that is provided below the image a stereotypical assumption is made without looking into the context behind the images. The gaze of the subjects in the majority of this series is off camera an interesting choice made by Peters because this could be a metaphor for the loss of small independent shops in Ridley Road Market. The lighting is quite harsh in this series which I am not too keen on because it makes the photographs look like cut outs. Peters is relevant to my project because she is influential to my Studio Portrait task because of the context behind her work. The important element I have learnt from her work is the use of props. 

John Delaney 

In this series "Hoboken Passing" explores the survivors of a neighbourhood in transition. Delaney documents owners and workers of traditional family owned "Ma and Pa" shops. This traditional way of life and trade in recent years has been sadly disappearing from the streets of, New Jersey due to the changing economy and being replaced by national chained stores. From this series I get a rich sense of history and culture because of the rich textures and colours used. Also I really like the use of studio lighting in the series because I feel it highlights the urgency of this dying way of life and trade. Delaney is relevant to my project because of the context behind this series. The important element I have learnt from this series is the use of the environment with the subject. 

Dave Alexander

Lee Jeffries 

In this series called "Homeless" Jeffries documents the problem of Homeless People on the Streets of Europe and the US. I find these portraits quite haunting because of the detail captured in the subjects face. Also the portraits are filed with emotion because of the dark tones captured. However, I find the portraits to be quite beautiful because of the lighting used. 

Laura Stevens

In this series "Us Alone" Stevens photographs the struggles of coulpes who fight for their personal freedoms. This series breaks the reality of the "Happy Couple" and documents the struggle of coexistence between Men and Women. Even though I can't see it on the subjects faces there is this huge tense atmosphere in the photographs, I think this is due to the lighting used which is a kind of "Spotlight" lighting.  

Richard Renaldi

In this series "Figure and Ground" Renaldi uses street photography to document the changing American Social Landscape. I really admire the use of a shallow depth of field in this work because it makes the viewer be drawn into the photograph and focus on the subject. I like the use of mixed lighting in this series using Natural and Indoor Lighting which gives an evenness to the work. 

Jeff Cowen 

John Thomson

This series by Thomson was to document the different Races of Humans in places that had never been seen before these photographs were taken. I like the simplicity of the photographs because of the neutral white background used. I admire the neutral expressions on the subjects faces because it makes the documentation seem more truthful and accurate. Thomson is relevant to my project because of the use of the gaze and facial gestures used by the subject.  

Articles 

Fifteen Towns Share £1.5m aid revive High Street

High Street Retailers: Who has been hit hardest?

Mary Portas visits Margate for review of High Streets