Monday 17 October 2016

Research Log

Musa Nxumalo

Musa Nxumalo is a Soweto-based photographer who's work explores the culture and identity of urban youth in South Africa and the journey to self discovery. I have chosen to research Musa Nxumalo as his work tends to focus on the alternative subculture of youth - the ones who party and listen to/play music. I am interested in this side of youth as it is the behaviour that emerges when adults are not around - it is the true youth. The way that Musa has taken this images in the moment rather than setting them up has majorly influenced my work as I hope to capture raw moments without giving the subjects any direction at all. 



Within this image we see a young man sitting on top of a bucket, who appears to be 'air drumming' as he is throwing his fists in the air. From this we can assume that he is a drummer, or that he has a passion for music and is pretending to play the drums as he listens to a song. This could connote how music is important to young people and it can completely shape someone as a person.  



The subject of this image has been placed in the centre of the frame, which immediately draws our attention towards him. The man appears to be playing the guitar, which draws in the links to music that the first image has. As there appears to be a reoccurring theme of music within this series of photographs, it could mean that this is something that is important to the photographer himself, and he is trying to include this in his images in order to mirror his own experience of youth.



As this image was taken at a mid-shot level, we can see the clothes that the subjects are wearing much clearer and so this image shows the styles of this particular youth culture. We can see three different people standing around in this room, and the way that the camera has captured their movements suggests that they are dancing. This could connote how young people enjoy letting loose and having fun. Again, this image has links to music as they were most likely dancing to a song.



This photograph is from Musa's project "In Glorious", which includes photographs that were taken at a music festival. This photograph shows a young couple kissing in the middle of a crowd. In terms of youth culture, this could address how important relationships are to young people and how it is a time for building these relationships. This could also connote how being with the right person can make you feel like the only people in the room.

Danielle Levitt

Danielle Levitt is a film director and photographer who's personal work explores the evolving landscape of youth culture. The images below are from her 'The Kids are Alright: High Schoolers" series, where she focussed on different high school kids from New York and photographed them. This shows the different subcultures within youth culture as the images show how unique each person is. This is why I chose to research Danielle Levitt - I think it is interesting how she manages to capture how unique each teenager is. This has influenced my work as I hope to at least attempt doing a studio shoot where I take images of many different people around the ages of 17/18 to show how unique and diverse youth culture is.




This image shows a group of young people all standing together for a picture. We can tell from their style alone that they are all from different subcultures and have different interests. For example, the boy standing on the far right is dressed in a slipknot top and has long hair in front of his face, which could suggest he is a part of the "emo" subculture, whereas the boy who is second from the left is dressed in a plain white shirt and black jeans, which typically isn't something that an 'emo' would wear. This image could connote how unique each person is, and how youth identity cannot be generalised into one definition.




The vibrant colours of this girl's hair contrast greatly against her black t-shirt and her solemn expression, which creates a unique and interesting photograph. We can get an idea of this girls personality through her style as the colouring of her hair suggests that she is a bright and fun person. This image shows how unique a person can be, and how people form their identities during their youth years.




This photograph shows a boy dressed in typically 'punk' clothing as he smokes. The act of smoking could suggest that this person has a rebellious nature, as he is most likely underage. The way that the smoke from the cigarette is floating around his head could connote how he is addicted to cigarettes, and how this addiction is consuming him. 




In this image, we see two young people with very different appearances. The girl has facial piercings, heavy eye make up and coloured hair. The boy does not have any unusual aspects to him and appears to be dressed in a plain black t-shirt. Their body language suggests that they are a couple, which could connote how young people do not care so much about looks and instead look deeper. The picture also portrays how relationships are important during youth.

Bruce Davidson

Bruce Davidson is an American photographer, born in 1933 and has been a part of the Magnum Photos agent since 1958. In 1959, he carried out a photo documentary project focussing on a Brooklyn gang. During this time, he followed the gang around in their everyday life and took pictures of anything they were doing. It is an interesting piece as it shows the gang as normal people just having fun, rather than violent individuals. I have taken inspiration from this as I think it is a clever way of turning against the stereotypes and showing the 'good side' of youth.




The two men in this photograph are sat with their sleeves rolled up, showing off their tattoos. The way that they are both looking at them could suggest that they were comparing them - perhaps to see who's was better. This shows the rebellious side of youth in an innocent way - they have rebelled by going out and getting tattoos, but these tattoos have clearly made them happy by the way that they are showing them off not only to each other, but also to the camera.



Here we can see the gang as a large group of young men. The man without the top on seems to be the main focus of this image for multiple reasons. Firstly, he has no shirt on which makes him stand out from the rest of the group. He is the closest to the camera, and so our eyes are immediately drawn to him. Lastly, the rest of the group behind him seem to be looking in his direction, laughing. From this, we can assume he is the 'leader' of the gang or a more important member.




In this image we can see a male and a female - presumably a couple as they are hanging out together without any other people. In the background, we can see that they are at a beach and so we can get a glimpse of youth did in their spare time during 1959. The body language and facial expressions of the two people make them seem intimidating and unimpressed, which conforms to the stereotype of youth being aggressive and unapproachable. The cigarette in the girls hand not only connotes rebellion, but also goes against the feminine stereotype.




The boy is this photograph is holding a bird in his arms, whilst looking down at it. This image has a theme of innocence and gentleness to it as the boy is carefully holding the bird and looking down at it with a genuine expression of happiness on his face. This image contrasts the stereotype of violent and aggressive youth as it shows how kind and sincere young people can be.

Adrienne Salinger

In 1995, American photographer Adrienne Salinger carried out a photography project called 'Teenagers in their Bedrooms'. This series of photographs features many different teenagers posing in their bedrooms. It allows us to see the person as they appear and also how they represent themselves through how they have decorated their bedroom. It is an extremely personal set of photographs as it allows us to see into the subject's most private place. This has inspired me to somehow represent the subjects of my images in a more personal way. It may be quite difficult to access their bedrooms, so I could do this by taking pictures of them and their most valuable possession, for example. 



The girl in this image is sat on her bed in front of both a large and small image of Jim Morrison from the band The Doors. The girl in this image is dressed in a white shirt and has minimal make up, and so could symbolise innocence and youth. This could also be implied through the white teddy bear we can see next to her. But, this contrasts against the images of Jim Morrison as The Doors are a rock band and so is not conventionally tied to innocence. It is clear that Jim Morrison is an idol of the girl's as she has the same two images of him on her wall.



The objects on this girls wall are very contrasting. On the left we see a shelf filled with childhood toys which could convey nostalgia and a simpler time of freedom. On the right, we can see a poster of  Bob Marley, a reggae singer who's lifestyle has more mature themes of smoking weed and drinking. This image could connote growing up and entering the real world, as from left to right it transitions from childhood toys to rebellion.



The girl in this image is stood in front of a set of drawers and a mirror, which is covered in many different soft toys. These are most likely toys she was given when she was younger, and so she could be keeping these all together in her room as a reminder of her childhood. This could connote how she is not ready to grow up and wants to remain attached to her youth for as long as possible.



The bedroom of this girl is quite simple and tidy with plain white walls and a patterned duvet set. There are also pops of colour from the images on her wall - the poster for rock band "The Who" and an image of a painting. This could connote how this girl is into art and music as these are the only parts of this room that give us an insight of her interests as the rest is kept quite simple. This could also imply that she likes to keep things clean and tidy, and so does not like to clutter her room with different bits and pieces.

Janette Beckman

Janette Beckman is an English born documentary photographer who lives and works in New York. Beckman's photography series "Made in the UK 1977-1983" focuses on British bands and fans from the Punk, Skinhead, Mod, 2 Tone, Ska and Rockabilly subcultures. These photographs allow us a clear insight into what youth subcultures were like during this era in terms of aesthetic and activities. It also shows us how important the collective identity of certain youth subcultures was to the people involved. This is an aspect I wish to capture in my photography - I want to capture the true nature of this generation of youth.



In this image, we see a crowd of young people standing together in the street, with two young men standing with their backs to the camera, showing off the writing and design on the back of their jackets. We can see clearly that one jacket says "Sex Pistols", showing that these people are part of the punk or rock subculture. This image was taken at Sid Vicious' memorial in London, 1979. With this context, we can tell that this group gathering is not to intimidate like the stereotype would suggest, but is to mourn an idol of this subculture.



The two men in this image are twins, and are both part of the Mod subculture as they are dressed in the stereotypical suits, hats and trench coats. The aim of this image is to clearly show the style of these people as they are stood against an ordinary brick background, meaning that our only focus is on them and what they are wearing. The way that these two men are dressed could connote how important the style of mods is as they are dressed the same and so clearly follow particular guidelines in fashion.



This image shows a group of punks stood outside a house in London. They are all stood around smoking, which portrays the rebellion of this subculture. The way that they are all stood around clearly shows us the different but similar styles that these people have. They are all wearing jeans and most are wearing leather jackets, but they all seem to be customised so that each person can set themselves apart from others and truly show their uniqueness through their design.


This shows a group of mods in what appears to be a field or woods. Some of the people in this image appear to be quite young, which shows that creating your own identity and become part of a subculture begins at a particularly young age. The way that they are all standing in a group, staring at the camera seems quite intimidating and so follows that stereotype of youth. There appears to be a lot of rubbish on the ground, which could imply that this group of young people do not care about their surroundings or the environment.

Sophie Day

Sophie Day is an 18 year old New York born photographer, currently studying photography and media at California Institute of the Arts. A lot of Day's work is about "sex positive exploration" and female empowerment. This photographer looks into what makes young people act a certain way. For example, her photo series "fuckboy" isn't a piece that looks to expose the bad nature of boys, but searches for an explanation as to why they act that way. I found this focus intriguing as it is interesting to think about why some members of the youth act a certain way and it could be quite difficult to capture this in photographs. I have been inspired by this to try and take pictures of this with my subjects.



The person in this image appears to be a young man due to their body shape. But, they are wearing a top with Hello Kitty on which is conventionally a girl's icon. This could suggest that youth today have a relaxed attitude towards gender stereotypes and norms and do not believe that certain things have to belong to particular genders. This image shows how this generation of youth have a more relaxed attitude towards what people enjoy and how people dress.



The setting of this image seems to perhaps be a party scene as there are a lot of people behind the main girl in the image and it appears to be set in a house. The girl in this image appears carefree and fun as she is wearing comical glasses and is grabbing herself in a sexual way. This could connote how youth today do not care about topic such as sex as much as past generations have and just enjoy having fun and joking around.



The girl in this image seems to part of a crowd, as we can see more people close together behind her. There is more lighting on this girl, which brings our focus to her. But, the bright hair of the girl behind her also draws the viewer's attention here. This could connote how unique different people's sense of style is and how unique each person is. 


Here we see two young men standing together, one of them appearing to down a beer. The one with the beer has his fist in the air, implying that he is proud of himself. This behaviour conforms to the stereotype of rebellion. Whilst this behaviour is rebellious, it also shows how nonchalant the attitude of youth is as they appear to simply be seeking fun times and creating lasting memories.

Andy Richter

Andy Richter is an award-winning documentary photographer who has worked in over 40 countries. Andy's work has been exhibited internationally and he is represented by Verbatim and Novus Selet/Aurora Photos. One of the countries that Andy has worked and exhibited in is Taiwan - specifically, the capital city of Taipei. This series of photographs specifically focus on representing the youth of Taiwan and how unique their culture is. I enjoy how Andy Richter has combined both the culture of youth and the culture of the country into his work and this is an aspect I may try to bring into my work. I feel as though this is something that will be presented as an underlying theme - whilst I am just focussing on youth, I am specifically photographing youth in Britain and so, without realising it, showcasing the uniqueness of British youth culture.



This image was taken on an underground train in Taipei. In this image we see many people, but the two people who stand out the most are the two younger girls in the centre of the image. They both wear vibrant and unique clothing, making them stand out from the crowd and so the attention of the viewer is immediately drawn towards them. This captures the fashion of youth in Taiwan and shows how different the style of youth can be in different cultures. It captures how youth is a time of expression and finding yourself and these girls have done this through their clothing.



This image shows us a young man, stood by a surfboard whilst he smokes. This image is strange as the surfboard has been planted in the grass, which is unconventional as typically surfboards are found at the beach. As the man is standing next to it, it could be assumed that this is his surfboard. This gives us a sense of his personality and makes us wonder why he has a surfboard in the middle of a park. The fact that he is smoking could also symbolise rebellion as this is an act typically linked to bad behaviour.



Andy Richter took this image in a wig shop, and shows something that is very different to UK youth culture. In this image, we see two girls wearing and trying on wigs as they look very happy. Wearing wigs is a popular fashion statement with youth in Taiwan, whereas in the UK this isn't a common fashion trend and so this is another clear example of the unique culture of youth in this country. This gives us an insight into what is popular with young people and how trends can catch on within subcultures.



The woman in this image is dressed in dark clothing and has very heavy, dark make up. These aspects of her look are conventional with the 'goth' subculture, and so we can assume that she identifies with this group. This image represents how youth use their looks and their style as a way of expressing who they are and representing themselves/their subcultures. 

Anthony Georgis

Anthony Georgis is a photographer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Georgis says that his work is influenced by quirky, real people caught in genuine moments. The photo series "Friday Night at the Dollar Store" shows this influence well as it captures a group of girls doing a task as simple as going to the dollar store, but having a fun time and creating amazing images out of it. This has made me want to conduct shoots that focus on the ordinary, day-to-day activities of youth as opposed to them doing something they wouldn't normally do. It makes the subject of the image seem more real and relatable. 



This image shows us two girls in darkness - most likely they are outside at night. Anthony Georgis has used a flash to capture the moment when the girl opened the shaken up bottle in her hands. The use of the flash makes the particles of drink in the air seem like lights. Behind this, we can see the joy on the girls face as she opens the bottle. This emotion can connote how carefree and fun the lives of young people can be.



  The girl in this image is giving a cheesy smile to the camera as she carries four bottles of orange drink in her arms. This photo suggests that the girl in this image has a fun and unique personality as she poses in a silly way for the camera. The image could imply that being young is a time of not caring what people think and acting exactly how you want in order to have fun.



This image shows us all of the girls that were subjects in this photo shoot. The focus, though, is on the girl in the white jumper as she is in the foreground of the image and the girls in the background are all looking at her, attracting the viewers to her also. The reason they are all looking at her is because she is playing with a hula hoop - a childhood toy. The girl is likely to be reminiscing with her childhood as she hula hoops, and so this image could connote how, although they are growing up, young people are still playful and still have some innocence to them.



Much like the other images from this series, this image has connotations of a carefree attitude and living to have fun. The girls in this image are playing around with a trolley  - the girl steering the trolly is laughing as she pushes she other two girls around. The facial expressions of all the girls show that they are having fun and are finding enjoyment in a small thing, which suggests how young people take joy in the smaller things in life.

Victor Sapozhnikov

Victor Sapozhnikov is a Russian photographer who became interested in photography in 2011, and over the years and focussed his work more and more on the portrayal of youth - more importantly, their emotions. He says that this is because he aims to capture sincerity and naturalness in his images, and that he wants the person in his frame to be believable. The use of natural emotions makes the image seem unforced and so more appealing, which is something that I aim to capture in my photographs.



This image shows two girls in a department store. The girl in the centre is riding a children's bike, whilst the other one wheels a suitcase behind her. The girl riding the bike appears to be the main focus of this image as she is the one most in the foreground. Not only this, but the colours of her outfit seem brighter and more vibrant than the rest of the image, which could connote that she has an untroubled and happy-go-lucky attitude.



This image shows us two, slightly silhouetted girls sitting on a bed together, appearing to be in conversation. The girl on the left is considerably younger than the girl on the right, and so could perhaps be a younger sister. This image shows youth in a more positive light than usual, as it shows us the relationship between a young adult and her younger sibling. Therefore, it could represent how, although they are at an age where they are told to mature, young people still find ways to reconnect with their childhood.



This image shows a girl running along the edge of a lake, creating a splash as she does. It appears to be an abandoned/enclosed area, as all we can see around the lake is hills. Behind this image could be connotations of a desire to escape and have an adventure, as we cannot see what is nearby and so this could be quite far from civilisation. A sense of adventure is also shown in this image from the way that the girl is running through the lake as you wouldn't ordinarily do this.


Here we see two girls in a supermarket, modelling with two pizza boxes on their heads. To the left of the image, we can see an older women who does not appear to be happy. This could imply that there is a major difference in attitudes between the generations. In this instance, it suggests that young people have less cares than the older generation, and that the younger girls are there for fun, whilst the older woman is not happy by being disturbed with this.

Jeff Luker

Jeff Luker is an American photographer known for his documentary, commercial and fashion work. Luker's project "In Wildness" is a documentary series, which focusses on capturing youth in the wild - exploring nature and escaping reality. The images below are all from this series as I felt that it was the one that was most similar to the kind of images I want to take. I feel that this is a key element of youth - the feeling of wanting to escape - and so I hope to try and incorporate this theme into my work.



In this image we see two people holding up red flares, shooting them into the sky at night time. The darkness of the night really makes the figures stand out and makes the flare seem even brighter as there is nothing distracting in the background. This image could connote how there is a sense of danger within youth as it can be dangerous to set off these flares and they appear to be doing this casually. 



The woman walking through this photograph is the punctum of the image as she stands alone in field - there is no sign of life for as far as the horizon. This could connote a sense of loneliness or isolation as she is completely alone for miles. However, it could also connote how youth have a sense of adventure as she is exploring new, empty places and discovering the world.



This image shows us a man jumping into a lake from a significant height. The use of a narrow depth of field bring the viewer's entire focus to the person jumping as he is the only part of this image that is clear. This image holds connotations of fearlessness and bravery as not many people would jump into water like this, and so could suggest that youth are more fearless and seek fun in everyday life.



This image was taken with a flash at night, which means that the majority of the image is dark. As a result, the subject of the image and a small part of the water is illuminated. This gives us enough information to know that she is running through the sea at nighttime. This could connote how young people want to go out and have fun all the time and that they don't care about peoples opinions as they do what they like.

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