Inmotion Magnum

I've just been checking out the Magnum website re photo essays ( http://inmotion.magnumnphotos.com/ ) in preparation for this next part of the course on Narrative and Illustration. There were a number of essays that grabbed my attention and warranted a few viewings which led me to record my thoughts below:


Free Nowrooz  ( Thomas Dworzak )

This photo essay by Thomas Dworzak  focuses on Iranians celebrating 'Nowrooz' ( their new year ) in Muslim Georgia. Due to the strict Islamic laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, liberal minded Iranians have to travel abroad to celebrate in freedom. Dworzak makes minimal use of captions but places them amongst the photos to move the 'viewer' on to the next part of the photo narrative. He also uses background music which changes style and pace to suit the photos displayed.

The narrative begins with setting the scene showing the outside of venues before moving inside to capture the celebratory and liberal atmosphere of concerts being played by artists banned in Iran.The colour compositions capture the excitement of the audience and the 'liberal' nature of the celebrations ...men and women enjoying the music and dancing together; female artists based in LA performing before mixed audiences and the presence of families. The participants do not appear to be posed in any way which adds an uncontrolled quality to the picture in that only certain subjects and situations can be predicted and action unfolding in front of the camera dictates the narrative to a certain extent.... the pace and matching of music to the scene unfolding add to 'celebratory ' and excited quality of the narrative.


Las Vegas and Reno  ( Bruce Gilden )

A different but equally fascinating approach to the photo essay. This one is about foreclosures in Las Vegas ( seen as the foreclosure capital of the country in February 2012 ). The images are black and white ; the lack of colour adds weight to the evocative sense of abandonment presented within the pictures. Gilden uses voice overs matched by the picture of the speaker(s) as captions to enrich the narrative. I liked his use of symbolism and juxtaposition to emphasise points made within the narrative ...e.g. small photos of foreclosed properties lined up in strips and moved vertically as if a slot machine...perhaps not that subtle but visually interesting.


A Healthy Difference   (  Alex Webb )


Again a contrast to the first two essays. Photographer Alex Webb and Jonathan Miller, an audio journalist, met with Vel Scott, a retired lady living in Cleveland with a passion for healthy eating. She shares this passion with the people she feels need it most i.e.older African Americans struggling to eat well on limited budgets. Webb and ? joined Vel on her rounds using her voice over to provide extra detail to the narrative of photos. The colour photos themselves are sequential and carry the narrative forward often using juxtaposition  for emphasis.
Webb also included a short video clip which captures responses from the recipients of Vel's activity. This mix of approach well captures the essence of what Vel is all about..



In Whose Name ? ( Abbas)

This photo essay is the result of a seven year project after seeing September 11, 2001.
He travelled through 16 countries in a desire to understand how Islam the religion feeds islamism, the political ideology. The images are in black and white with a few captions at the beginning and then just name identification of each country travelled through. Many of the photos tell a story in themselves standing alone within others taken in the country. He uses symbolism and juxtaposition often in an emphactic way but some images are less obvious and hint at a variety of explanations. It left me personally wanting to know more and wanting to question the photographer as to choice of image and intention..