David Campany discusses the problem of ‘late photography’ in an article called ‘safety in numbness'[1].
A definition of ‘late photography’ found on a Google search is as follows:
Late photographs picture material remains left in the aftermath of events that often involve forms of violence. These photographs are usually high in detail, but formally simple, framing aftermath sites in ways that suggest the reservation of judgement and commentary upon the things they picture.
‘Late’ photographs provide a thoughtful and reflective moment for the viewer. One question is ‘Has ‘shock’ imagery worked to decrease the number of wars and decrease the loss of life resulting from these events?’ I think not.
I have found it is too easy to stray towards making images precisely composed resulting in aesthetically pleasing. Although it is a simplistic example, my Languages of Light [2] assignment was intended to show the unsafe and intimidating environment of the local shops at night. The resultant images could have provided a more rugged and unpleasant feel as opposed to the strong clean lines and geometric shapes that I delivered.
David Campany had a similar criticism of images which he felt were aesthetically beautiful. A recent example of aftermath photography that successfully portrayed the devastation of a horrific disaster was an image of the Grenfell Tower fire released by the Metropolitan Police. It was published in a lot of the Sunday newspapers and rather than glamorise the incident or offer the usual ‘Exclusive!” status it provided the horror and devastation of a typical domestic scene. It’s a straight forward black and white (predominantly) composition as if you have just walked in the room.
This can be compared with another Grenfell Tower fire image below. Although it certainly does not glamorise the incident it tends towards the aesthetic by not only being in colour but also using the window openings to frame the cityscape views. The above black and white image provides a human aspect that the viewer can relate to. The colour image is far more neutral in terms of feelings evoked.
References
- http://davidcampany.com/safety-in-numbness/
- https://ocamartynrainbird.wordpress.com/2016/10/25/languages-of-light-submission/
Martyn Rainbird 