Category: Miscellaneous

Is the Documentary Group a vehicle for innovation?

I find some aspects inspire me to try things that are new to me. Equally there are some that don’t. It has most definitely given me the confidence to want to innovate and to find at least one way of doing so.

It was membership of this group that helped me through my OU certificate, that helped me identify the genre and subgenres that I resonate with, and that led me to want to explore a more formal preparation in applied documentary photography.

It led me to sign up for the Falmouth MA (although that wasn’t for me in the longer run). It introduced me to people further into their own journeys, who engaged with me as an equal, and who helped me understand my own development path. It provided advice and guidance about choosing alternative routes.

Membership has provided me with ways of volunteering that allow me to contribute to the group by drawing on my existing skills, and through which I can be inspired and get a better perspective on the world of documentary photography.

As you said elsewhere, it is often at the interfaces of disciplines that innovation occurs, and I am delighted to have found a potential way of uniting my interest in behavioural science with my photography to achieve a far bigger impact with my work than I had perhaps dreamt of.

It was members of this group who helped me rebuild my confidence when it was knocked by someone whose approach seemed so alien to mine, who adopted an antagonistic stance, and used his position of authority to undermine me.

In a few weeks’ time, the group has provided me with an opportunity to try out some of my ideas for collaborative working in documentary projects. Some might not consider this ‘innovative’, but it appears to be an idea that is slowly coming of its time, and is certainly innovative to many.

The fastest way to learn is to teach, and it was because of my experience within the Documentary Group that I was able to get a foot in the door of the educational element of photography, and to become a member of its embryonic professional body.

Again, it was membership of this group that gave me the confidence to step in to help run a special interest group in Street Photography in Oxford – we have over 100 members, organise six events a year and are about to have our first public exhibition. This simply wouldn’t have happened if I had not been a member of the Documentary Group, and had this forum in which to bounce ideas around, and balance my fledgling views with the wisdom of others.

Last week, I wrote the first half chapter of my first serious photography book. I won’t give the game away, but it certainly tries to teach photography (not exclusively documentary) in a modern, and highly innovative, way. It was conversations on this forum, especially, that highlighted the need and a path to do something.

So, personally, YES, the Documentary Group is very much a vehicle for innovation. We have to define that for ourselves, and we have to be prepared to put work in, in order to get something out. But that is life.

As part of a CIPD course that I’m running, I wanted to give an example of reflective practice. The University of Melbourne have some excellent resources on this, so I pointed the students to these, in which they introduce a four step model. Wanting a practical example, I decided to write this particular item in their format.

DESCRIPTION

I was out for a walk, and came across a field of young cattle.  They were curious about me, but cautious too.  I stopped for several minutes encouraging them to come closer and then began to take photos.  This was one of the last ones.

INTERPRETATION

The cattle (two juvenile females and one intact juvenile male) were interested in me and obviously wanted to engage, but were scared.  My position, differences, behaviour, were all outside their experience and so fear is understandable.

I have always been on the periphery of animal welfare.  At primary school, I was already fascinated by zoology, and animal rights (I formed an RSPCA Animal Defenders group at school).  In the summer, we had a pool in our garden and I remember often trying to save shrews that had fallen into it and drowned.  Throughout secondary school I wanted to be a veterinary surgeon, but didn’t get the grades I needed, so I studied zoology and did my PhD in animal behaviour.

For lots of reasons, my employment has concentrated on the relationship between human beings and their work, in particular their emotional connection with it and how this is ‘managed’ by them and others.  My photographic interests have mirrored this direction. 

About 20yrs ago, I was on a course and had to identify ‘spiritual’ experiences that I had had.  Two or three came to mind at the time; they were all eye-to-eye encounters with other species – I described them as a form of communion.  The experience with the cattle in the image, had the potential to be another, though it wasn’t. 

EVALUATION

This encounter with the young cattle was timely, and has made me question whether there’s a different direction on which I should be heading.  Not only am I at a decision point in my research, but as a result of lockdown, I’ve been using some of my time to explore some of the online resources available for teaching.  I came across a short course on animal rights photography by Jo-Anne M from Canada.  Her approach embraces both the horror of animal welfare, and also the beauty of animals in “rescue” centres.  One of the places that she visits regularly is a slaughterhouse, where activists ‘witness’ the animals being taking in.  This week, one of the activists was killed by a truckdriver.

I am not averse to a bit of upfront image making, but I wasn’t convinced that joining midnight raids on broiler-houses was my thing.

While the cattle encounter wasn’t spiritual, this has got me thinking about whether photography could provoke or capture that essence?

PLAN

At a basic level, I can see that this picture was better than others because it was taken at their eye-level if not a little lower.  I will try to incorporate a similar angle in other shots. It was nearly the last shot as I had to get walking (I was with someone else) but spending longer would enable me to get more shots.

Larger scale, I begin to see a theme emerging around the interaction of sentient beings with the human world around them.  I am wondering if this could be the beginning of a ‘body of work’?

I am wondering about ways of creating more opportunities for this kind of encounter.