This book by John Berger is suggested by my tutor in the feedback on assignment 2. I watched some of the episodes on youtube prior in getting the book. They were very interesting, and I watched episode 4 on publicity several times.
It is hard for me to comment of this book, because it is about commenting on someone else comment, which I don't have a strong feeling on. John Berger has his opinion on how oil painting was painted (largely and historically) reflects the prosperity of the owner or how he wants to see himself, and how the male viewing subject is not painting in nude painting. It does provides some explanation on why certain painting is painted a certain way. However, at this stage, I don't know if anything new coming from me (apart from what he has said) even if I go to the museum and look at similar painting. I somehow prefer looking at those paintings myself and ask if they appeal to me at all, regardless of the culture context or motivation.
The last section on publicity is more interesting one. The goal of publicity, or advertising image is to prompt people to consume, by posing the idea that by processing certain thing, your life will improve. The publicity image creates a tension between what one wants to be, and the reality that one is not.
Most of the photographs I have taken so far is driven by interest and curiosity, such as walking in the street and noticing something I like. Thinking of creating an image for specific purpose, say to make people to engage in a fantasy to fuel consumption, is on an opposite direction of what I am used to do in image creating process. Say I take a photograph of a beautiful woman, I am certain that other people will disagree with my notion with what beautiful is and disagree on the fact that my photograph is of a beautiful woman. However, what kind of woman I should photograph such that it appeals to general public that she is beautiful?
I have post it at the end of December 2011 (http://art-of-photography-sip.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/review-photographer-or-not-part-1.html) on an interview I have read from a fashion photographer, Stephen Eastwood. He said the following:
"As a career, never make it about you or your views of beauty. If you want to succeed, understand that the client and the market the client is aiming for decide what is beautiful. "
Similar, isn't it?
Anyway, I think this set the tone for assignment 4, which I am still reading about during Easter. I have three if not four books on the line, so I think this assignment will really take a while to finish. Not to mention all the exercises in between.
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