Vernacular Photography

After talking about John Berger's Ways of Seeing I thought it might be interesting to go back to the presentation about Vernacular photography from a couple of weeks ago. 

'Vernacular photography is the creation of photographs, usually by unknown photographers  both professional and amateur, who take everyday life and common things as subjects.' (Wikipedia) 

So basically this kind of photography  focuses on everyday life, which, I think, is really interesting, because it is often different from what we would normally consider as art. Due to the rising development and use of new technologies, vernacular photography has become accessible for everyone and is thus also one of the most common and popular forms of photography. Examples of vernacular photography could, for instance,  include travel/tourist pictures, family portraits, etc...

August Sander: 

August Sander has often been described as 'the most important German portrait photographer of the early twentieth century.'

In his work, the german photographer focused on showing an insight into the life and characters of German citizen through the way they presented themselves in portraits. 

The project that resulted from these images was  'Citizens of the 20th Century' which had the aim to create a portrait of the German life and its society.  The series is divided into seven sections, that are named after different parts of society: The Farmer, The Skilled Tradesman, The Artists, Woman, Classes and Professions, The City, The Last people.

Sander's archive included approximately 40000 images. 

Robert Frank: 

American photographer Robert Frank has gradually changed photography and thus he's often defined as one of the most iconic photographers in America and his most famous project, which is a book called 'The Americans' is constantly referred to as 'The Book That Changed Photography'.

'The Americans' presents a different look at American society, and shows the reality of everyday American life, a reality that wasn't  necessarily like  'The American Dream' that people often imagined it to be. 

For his work, Frank had to accept a lot of critique, because his pictures presented that which people didn't want to see, the reality that they didn't want to face.  Freedom and endless possibilities are overshadowed by oppression and loneliness. He captured life as it was and not life as it should be and this was exactly what made his photography so revolutionary. He dared to show the truth, a truth that everybody else had been scared to show and accept. 

Personally, I'm impressed by Robert Frank and his work. I think that he achieved what every photographer should be aiming for: making a change with your work, and opening people's eyes to the not so sunny parts of our world and our everyday life, even if this means that sometimes you'll have to deal with a lot of negative critique. 

Martine Parr: 

Martin Parr is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photo book collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical  look at the anthropological aspects of modern life, in particular documenting the social classes of England, and more broadly the wealth of the Western world. 

In his early years he got strongly influenced by his grandfather,  George Parr, an amateur photographer and fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.''The fundamental thing I'm exploring constantly is the difference between the mythology of the place and the reality of it'', Parr has said of his photography.