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Visual Sociology – Car Culture
For another Uni assignment (for my visual sociology class) we had to find a current social issue and conduct a photographic study on it.
For something a little bit different, I chose to look at the demonisation of car enthusiasts and the derogatory blanket label of “hoon” applied to anyone who has an above average interest in cars and it’s related culture.The purpose of the study wasn’t to condone illegal or anti social behaviour conducted by people driving cars, but to shed light on a different perspective rarely given an unbiased means for expression. I wanted to look at the motivation behind the wave of moral panic that surrounds car enthusiasts and demonstrate it’s ineffectiveness in addressing real issues.
I conducted interviews and looked into the government’s own research and statistics to challenge common stereotypes and publicised motives for legislation, in order to promote the need for genuine constructive discussion and original thought that involved multiple areas of society when dealing with issues of road incidents and illegal behaviour.
Below are just a few images from my study. My written exploration into the issue won’t be publicly published yet.
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Expired Film
Just like cameras, I hoard film, and for some reason I quite often come across people throwing it out, or shops clearing it off their shelves.
I can’t stand the thought of film being thrown in landfill somewhere when it can be used for something creative or fun. It’s just a waste. So as a result I have quite a lot of it.
Mostly I just load it into one of my mju:II‘s and keep it in the car or in my pocket and shoot anything that come to mind. A lot of the time they don’t turn out, and from the ones that do, only a small number are “keepers”. I’m not really bothered. This “low stress” type of shooting is what got me into photography in the first place. It’s something I lost for a couple years. Instead I’d agonise about the shot I wanted to get, the preparation and post work etc. It became a chore and not enjoyable.
These days I just shoot for the fun of it and the final result isn’t the prime importance. I find it a lot more fun now.Below are some shots from expired film I’ve been using. I’m not even sure what it is. Just some consumer grade Kodak 200 & 400 iso I think. These are some scans of the prints so things aren’t as sharp as they’d be from a negative scan, but I kind of like the aesthetic anyway.
Some shots are from my ongoing A car took me there series.
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Urban Study
As part of one of the subjects in the Masters course I started at the beginning of semester, we had to document a urban social phenomenon. Here are a few photos from the set of 15. To sum it up briefly, the photographic essay was looking at the dichotomy of conformity and individualism in the Sydney CBD. Taken in context with my essay and annotations it was well received.
For the project I used the little S90 which performed quite well I thought and was a fun change from film. The b&w conversions aren’t as bad as I anticipated also but not particularly special.
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Been a while
Wow, it’s been quite a while since my last post. Time flies.
Things have been incredibly busy lately. There’s so much on, some exciting, some not so much.
I’ll be updating with one of the more exciting things soon (should hopefully be finalised within the next few weeks). Besides that, work takes up so much time, plus because I figured I wasn’t busy enough already, I started a Masters at COFA (College of Fine Arts – UNSW) which is going great but very demanding.My shooting patterns have differed over the last 6 months or so too. Most of the film I shoot is colour, and it’s with my Mju:II, haven’t touched the R3A or any of my SLR’s for a while, but hope to change that this weekend.
I’m also looking at getting a digital point and shoot, possible the S90. I like the idea of the LX3, but it’s not compact enough for me, and that’s one of the major factors for me at the moment. Wish it shot HD video though.
I’ve realised it’s pointless wishing for the perfect camera. The best camera is the one you have in your hand when a photographic opportunity arises.
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A Car Took Me There
Been doing a lot of driving lately, so it’s only natural that some of my photos are taken from the car. Here are a few from an unfinished set I’ve been working on.
My scanner doesn’t like film anymore, so I have to scan prints – luckily I usually get prints.
I’m gradually going through a large bag of expired colour print film I got for nothing several months ago. It’s been a nice change from black and white, plus I like the random colour casts that can happen depending on the type of film and how its been treated. This unknown factor increases the enjoyment for me personally, even though the occasional shot is lost in the process.
