ITAP - Week nine

This weeks lecture was about how an image can be changed by factors such as typography, history, place and positioning of the frame. The factor that really interested me was typography and how the use of it can completely change how we look at an image. To start I am going to look at the work of Gillian Wearing.

Gillian Wearing - Photographer

Below are a couple of examples of Gillian's work. Gillian is known for using typography in her work to give it an interesting edge. She gets the people she wants to photograph to hold up a sheet of paper with hand written typography on it. As you can see from the images below, the text she puts on the paper contradicts the look of the person in the photo. In the first example, the man looks well dressed and has a smug look on his face implying that he is well off and happy with his life. On the paper, it says 'I'm desperate' which is the last thing you would be expecting to come out of his mouth. This makes us think deeper about the meaning of the photograph.

In the second example, there is a police officer holding up the word 'HELP'. This is a sight you would never see in real life as police are meant to help the public, not the other way round. This makes you ask questions such as whether he is happy with his job or if he is scared of what people can be capable of. Gillian uses typography to get you thinking deeper about what would otherwise be a plain, boring image. 

Keith Arnatt - Photographer

This is one of Keith's most famous pieces. He has used a similar style to Gillian in the fact that the words contradict the image again. This is an image of Keith himself who is a photographer, holding up a sign saying 'i'm a real artist'.

Here I have chosen a couple of photographs I took as part of my L4 visual Communication work and have added typography to them to try and demonstrate how it changes the feel.

This is a photo of some graffiti I took in Digbeth. In the first image I have written the word 'Art' in a white simple font. When we see this we instantly know that this image is trying to portray that graffiti should be classed as a form of art. Using text that is lighter than the image helps give it a fresh look and feel. 

In the second version I have written the word 'CRIME' all in caps lock and in black. This gives the image an edgy feel and makes us think about the law and how graffiti is vandalism and is illegal. I have deliberately used the same font in both images to show how simple changes can have large effects. 

This is a photo of the plant on my windowsill. In the fist image i have written the words 'Raindrops on roses...' in a pink, curly font. This gives the image a girly look and feel. It looks like the sort of image you would see on the front of a poetry book. 

In the second version I have written the words 'Cold Light..'. This gives the image a dark, eerie feel and brings out the bright light and dark shadows in the image. It now looks like the sort of image that you would see on the cover of a murder novel.