Assignment 2 - Proposal for folio

The proposal I have for my folio is based on Elliott Erwitts’ view ‘that you
should always let people be themselves.’ Elliott was probably talking about
photographers placing their subjects exactly as the photographer wanted
them within, possibly, a contrived scene and that this may not be the best way
to photograph them. Several of his photographs show well-known people in a
completely different light. An example of this is the photo he took of Countess
Wolf-Stomersee – an aging Sicilian aristocrat in financial decline. He was able
to show that the world sees her as a Countess but really she was an aging
lady with a large financial debt and a decaying home.

However, this idea made me think that people who have a professional career
and have an image that they portray to the wider community may not be
showing their true identities. Quite often the lives that people live outside of
their profession may be a truer insight into the personality of that person.

I plan on taking pictures of people performing their professional duties in their
place of employment. By contrast I will take pictures of them doing what their
passions dictate in their private lives. If possible (and where appropriate) I will
try and take some pictures of the person undertaking what they really like to
do dressed in their professional attire e.g. a stone mason in his work clothes
drawing a picture.

Examples I have in mind are:

1. My local butcher – as well as running a successful butcher’s shop he is
also heavily involved with sheep dog trials on a national level

2. An air traffic controller – this person works shift work but still finds the
time to commit to his fly fishing passion

3. The stone mason – this person has the skills necessary to collect rock
and fashion it into buildings and walls but performs regularly in a band
and creates beautiful charcoal drawings

4. The waste disposal manager – he looks after the local tip by day but is
well known for his music and poetry

I think that a portfolio of this nature would be able to clearly demonstrate the
diversity of these people’s interests and be able to show their real passions. I
will also be able to show my own passion.

As well as being interesting, I think that this portfolio will add to my skills as a
photographer.

It will require me to negotiate with a variety of people with potentially diverse
backgrounds and obtain their consent to photograph them. In addition I think
that the subject matter will be challenging in the variety of conditions I will
need to photograph them in. This will include indoor locations, such as a
butcher’s shop, outdoor locations and also possibly night locations. Lighting
will be varied including daylight, tungsten and maybe some flash.

I believe that this portfolio would meet the requirements of the documentary
folio assignment.