People and Possessions Discusion

The mind-map above show a few ways in which people and possessions can be interpenetrated. I choose to study people and possessions because I find it to be something different to what I have worked on before however link closer to some photographers which i like and could use for this project. For this project i have reviewed in detail Tobias Lang, Jess Morgan, Jim Goldmen, Jason Travis and Henrik Bonnevier.

By researching people and possessions it allows me to develop images and express peoples emotions towards certain belongings and show people what items people value within their life. This topic could also be taken further by exploring the lack of possessions and materialism. Materialism relates to this topic due to the way people can be seen as items. A good example of this was by Cassia Arellano.

I really like the way in which this image displays Materialism. The person has been given a barcode and used to show her as an item which can be catalogued and categorised with similar possessions. This takes away people individuality and humanity which shows the inhuman treatment some people face. I think this an extremely powerful and effective piece which is inspirational to many aspiring photographers.

The suggested photographers for this topic from the exam paper are Cynthia Connolly, Peter Menzel and Elliot Irwitt. Below is an example from each photographer.

Cynthia Connolly

Cynthia Connolly has a series of image representing people and possessions by showing them with their cars. I believe this is an interesting area to explore as cars are large and expensive possessions which people are often are very passionate and protective about. This image also tackels stereotypes, which the topic people and possessions allow people to do in an affective way, it displays a women who is passionsate about her car. This is a contrast on the stereotype of men and their passion for cars.

Elliot Irwitt

This is an example of Elliot Irwitt work. In my opinion, this is a good representation of people and their dogs. This image is also displaying their importance within peoples life. This is also showing how a dog can sometime rule someones life as they are such a big responsibility, due to the positioning of the dog on their owners lap. The positioning of the dogs could also show the hierarchy of them. The owner is beneath the dog so could suggest that they are in charge or that the owner would think of them before his/herself.

Peter Menzel

This image shows that different cultures appreciate possession differently and how people in different geographical locations view the amount of possessions they have as irrelevant. This also displays how people do not care about the value of   their possessions compared to people in other geographical locations because they care more about the people that are close to them and would share these possessions with. This interpretation comes from the happy expressions on the people faces and the few items they possess.