Photography Assignment 2

Matt Barber

The Past

            This photographic series will work to explore the ability of photographic images to tell stories within their visual representation. I am also photographing everyday objects, that when seen in different environments and context, have totally different effects on the overall product. I am extremely interested in how photographs tell stories, and with the recent stock market crisis and the thousands of houses going into foreclosure, I believe there are many stories to be told. Due to the stock market crisis and housing market depression, one can’t go a couple of miles without seeing  houses that once were shelter to families, but now are just subjects to demolition. After learning about Roger Fenton’s war and landscape photographs in class and doing some outside research, I became inclined and inspired to use his human-free approach in taking pictures. However, unlike Fenton who used his photographs to show and document different landscapes and battlegrounds, I explored and used his technique to show how everyday objects tell stories of the past. By doing so, I look to evoke emotions, such as sadness, in each of my images. The day before it was demolished, I was able to capture images of a house and its remains before being torn to the ground, telling a story about the ones who once lived there.

The first photo I took captures a doorway that leads into a hall. As seen in the photograph, the once white walls that stood as a foundation for a family now stand tagged with spray paint and surrounded by trash and dirt. I believe this photograph says a lot about how the recession drove people from their homes and how their homes have become trash awaiting demolition. I choose an eye level perspective for this photo aiming towards the hallway to not only show viewers that they are looking at a house but that multiple walls are spray painted. 

The second photo I took depicts several miscellaneous household objects such as a golf ball, several hardware pieces, and trash. I took this photo form the ground perspective on the front porch of the house. The various objects portray the possible actions of someone that once lived here.

The third photo I took was of a shoe from the ground level. I choose to take it from the ground level perspective to capture the open back door of the house in the background. The shoe was a remnant object of someone that once lived there. It is close to the back door, which I like to think means that person left it behind when forced to move from their house. 

The fourth photo portrays several objects found in the backyard, the biggest of which being the spray paint can. The spray can says a lot about the house which once was new because as seen in previous photos, now stands covered by gang markings and drawings. I choose to take this photo from the ground level as well to show the rust on the bottom of the spray can, which shows that the can has been there for a long time, meaning that the house has been empty for quite a while now.

The fifth photo I took captures what appears to be a computer chair and more spray paint markings. The presence of this household item also indicates that the house once was occupied by life. I feel that there are two things expressed in the photo, the expression of past life as stated above, and the spray painted writing, which I also believe is a form of art that shows someone claiming territory.

The last photo I took was found on stairs on the side of the house. It shows a name (my name coincidentally), and a date, 9-08-1999. This is my favorite photo of the six for several reasons. When I was younger I remember moving into a brand new house and my brother and I wrote our names and the date in freshly laid concrete. I believe that this is what we see in the picture and further tells a story of the excitement and life that the house once obtained.