Linear storylines have often been used in photo essays, telling a story chronologically from an insider’s point of view. In 1948 W. Eugene Smith made a photo essay for LIFE magazine. Country Doctor chronicles the ups and downs in the life of general practitioner Dr. Ernest Ceriani from Colorado over 23 days: http://time.com/3456085/w-eugene-smiths-landmark-photo-essay-country-doctor/[last accessed 27/08/2019]
The chronological picture or photo essay is something that is often repeated in contemporary photography and can be very compelling, like Bryony Campbell’s work documenting her father’s death from cancer, The Dad Project (2009) http://www.brionycampbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ The_Dad_Project_Briony_Campbell.pdf [last accessed 27/08/2019]
Both photographic essays have been presented as chronological studies of the life, and in the case of the The Dad Project death, of an individual but they are very different works.
Viewing images from The Country Doctor feels you are looking at stills from an old black and white film. The camera positioning leads the viewer to feel like a spectator, in a similar way to a television programme or film appears as a window through which you are watching the action unfold. The close up images bring you closer to what is happening but you remain separate from it. Contrastingly, the Dad Project manages to shrug of that Journalistic style. The work feels intimate and conveys feelings. Each image communicates far more information and emotion than is presented in the frame.
When photographing The Country Doctor, Eugene Smith did so as a 1948 documentary photographer for Life magazine. This period in time would have affected the style of the photography and the magazine’s requirements would have affected the presentation of the images. It is likely that the images would have been edited by the magazine to create the story that they wished to portray, so there is no guarantee that the final essay was chronologically accurate. Some of the images work together to create short stories. These groups of images could be presented out of sequence from Smith’s original chronology without really damaging the context of the essay.
Finally the work in its entirety captures a 23 day snapshot in time. It conveys to the viewer that there would have been time beforehand. I.E. The doctor was a well established professional in a community the he knew. The viewer is also aware that there would be time afterwards in which the doctor would continue to treat his patients and potentially they could revisit in the future.
The Dad Project differs from this as it presents a finite work. There is a chronological ending and the viewer is taken on a very intimate and sensitive journey to that end. In this case the viewer is not left with the feeling of the opportunity to return to the story but is left contemplating and reflecting upon the profundity of the event.
Bryony Campbell’s use of metaphors such as the stain on the carpet or the glass and straw convey meaning beyond the frame. They achieve this because they are positioned within a context already created by earlier images in the series. The viewer mentally places the image within this context and assumes the circumstances surrounding it. The inclusion of herself in the frame helps to create intimacy, the viewer witnessing her vulnerability and pain.
Campbell’s comment about an ending without an ending is open to the interpretation of those who have viewed her work. I took from it that she meant that her life would continue, the grief would eventually diminish and she would carry on with both the void which has been left by her fathers passing and her cherished memories of his life.
As someone who has lost both parents I recognise that my perception of the work will have been affected by my own experiences. I found it a very moving work and at times I was reduced to tears.
Holli Kalina - Photography Coursework 