Image Bank - Issues and Observations

For this Image Bank, I have collected 30 images from the internet, displaying a range of issues as well as including street photography to portray the 'observations' side of this topic. I decided to search for issues that particularly interested me, or that I felt strongly about, as well as some that are personal. For instance, as you can see from the photographs above, a lot of them portray: Homelessness, Domestic Violence for both men and women, Mental Health Issues, Gender Equality, Equality as a whole, Addiction, Child Abuse, Racism etc. I decided at the beginning of this topic that I wanted to explore such issues that I have mentioned above, and so based my shoots around as many of them as I could within the time frame. I was particularly interested in the photography I came across advertising help for domestic violence victims, as each photographer has a unique style to how they have displayed it, some are horrific, and some are artistic. For instance, there is a photo above of a woman's face, with the google search bar covering her mouth, along with a few 'common searches' displayed underneath, for example: "Women should stay at home", this photo is highlighting the importance of gender equality, as well as the extremity of prejudice there is against women. On the other hand, I also found photos from magazines such as Vogue, where the images weren't as extreme. Such as the one above, whereby there is a woman with a variety of different colours painted on her face, in the style of a bruise. This keeps the 'beauty' within the image, but also helps the cause of domestic violence. Likewise, the last image shown above is of a woman with a full face of makeup, but the photographer has 'cracked' her skin, and reveals a cut across her nose. I came across a few of these images, all revealing a bruise or cut in different places of the face, and I think they all show how victims hide their injuries. Another issue I was also interested by, was how homelessness was portrayed through photographs. Most of the photos that I came across were portraits of a homeless person on the street with a sign, showing that that is all they had. However, I also found the first image on this post, which is of a homeless man sat on the floor alone, and probably cold. As well as, two men in suits walking by, completely ignoring the fact he's there. I think this is a powerful message displaying the issues within society, as a lot of people will walk past homeless people on the street without a thought, forgetting that they are human too. 

Definition Post - Issues and Observations

Definition of "Issues" - An important topic or problem for debate or discussion.
Definition of "Observations" - The action or process of closely observing or monitoring something or someone.

Adjectives to describe and/or relate to Issues and Observations - Problem, Debate, Watching, Society, Social Norms, Current, Major, Minor, Historical, Equality, Political, Domestic Abuse, Homophobia, Gay Rights, News, Crime, Mental Illness, Suicide, Inequality, Gender, Sexism, Racism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Depression, Changes, Time, Fashion, Style, Architecture, Global, International, Silence, Protest, Worldwide, Poverty, Homelessness, Money, Status, Class, Voting, Humanity, Inhumane, Negative, Impact, Consequences, Terrorism, Segregation, Past, Present, Future, Evidence, Power.

The four images below are ones that I have chosen to include in this post, because they best portray my interpretation of my chosen topic of "Issues and Observations". Obviously, I will also be looking at Documentary and Street Photography to reflect my understanding of the "Observations" part within this topic. However, in this post I wanted to highlight the "Issues" half of the topic. Throughout my shoots, I plan to express my view on specific topics within my photographs which relate to the images below. For example, the first image that I have chosen for this post, is a head-shot of a shirtless woman, with wires around her face covering her mouth and stopping her from being able to speak. To begin with, as the woman is shirtless, this emphasises her vulnerability of being female within society. Furthermore, due to the wires, it shows that women have less power, and do not have much of a voice within society. I believe this image is expressing the ways of sexism. Likewise, the second image is concerned with another issue, which is homophobia. This photo is of a man, but the space where is face should be has been deleted, and replaced with the words "I'm born to be gay". Therefore, the photo highlights that no matter who somebody is, as the man in the image has no identity, due to having no face, they cannot help who they are and who they were born as. Thus, those who are homosexual cannot help being who they are. The third image is based around mental illness, in this image we can see a woman in a mirror in an army uniform, looking concerned and holding her face/head. Outside of the mirror, we can see the same woman, but in normal clothes, and this side of her is crying and holding a gun to her neck. This image is outlining the feelings of post-traumatic stress, by showing that despite the woman not looking depressed inside of the mirror, she is on the inside. Mental illness cannot always be seen. Finally, the last image is called the "Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange, and was taken within a Refugee camp. In this image, the woman, who is the mother of the children around her, is looking away from the camera with a frown on her face, looking completely distressed and worried. In this photo you can see that the mother is thinking about the future, and what it will hold not only for her, but for her children.

Real Example - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html

My own definition of "Issues" - Aspects of the world that are causing a negative impact on humanity, and therefore need to be fought against and diminished. 

My own definition of "Observations" - The act of watching and listening others, places, and your surroundings to see what is happening at that current time. 

Mindmap - Issues and Observations