Exercise 3.2 postcard views
Gather a selection of
postcards (6-12) that you’ve either bought yourself or received from other
people. Write a brief evaluation (around 300 words) of the merits of the images
you find. Importantly, consider whether as Fay Goodwin remarked, these images
bear any resemblance to your own experience of the places depicted in the
photographs. (OCA Course Material)
Goodwin believes that postcards and tourist guide books etc.
do not bear any resemblance to her experience of the place. “The picturesque
pictures…are a very soft warm blanket of sentiment, which covers everybody’s
idea of the countryside…It idealises the country in a very unreal way.” (Fay
Goodwin 1986 as quoted in OCA Course Material p84)
She advocates that postcard images “exacerbate the
polarisation between those living and those working in the countryside and
those who simply enjoy it for leisure and regard it as part of their heritage
but are denied a better insight into the complex social and industrial issues
of contemporary rural life.” (Fay Goodwin 1986 as quoted in OCA course
Material p84). In other words, Goodwin is suggesting that tourists don’t have the
understanding of the issues facing the local inhabitants.
Arctic Circle
Herd of deer, (expected wildlife), wilderness landscape,
atmospheric lighting, picturesque. Meets with my expectations of what to
experience in the far north, although as Goodwin alludes to, this is probably
different to living there. The image looks idyllic taken at this time of year;
showing nothing of the constant day or night time, severe cold weather which
may affect people in winter or health problems faced by those coping with this
lifestyle.
Mageroya, Nordkapp, Norway
Idyllic life or set up as a tourist image? Fits in with
Gilpin’s idea of why we travel; to learn about different cultures or the
heritage of men. Major tourist destination for people travelling in Northern
Norway. Shows reindeer and national costume with landscape in the background,
although the only merit I see is commercialism for the inhabitants.
Trollstigen, Norway
3 images on portrait orientated postcard of the troll road.
Taken on a day with fine weather, affording great views, showing scale of the
mountains, waterfalls and bridge. Picturesque images. Lack of people suggesting
barren wilderness – would appeal to me as a tourist.
106km long, incline of 9%, 11 hairpin bends and 6 viewing
platforms.
(visitnorway.com/uk/where-to-go-uk/fjord-norway/the-geirangerfjord/what-to-do-in-the-geirangerfjord-area-and-trollstigen/geiranger---trollstigen-national-tourist-route/)
I consider this a “postcard”; sent because it was a place enjoyed by tourists;
maybe a hotel employee would view it differently. However, people speak
positively about their experiences, encouraging more to visit, keeping the
local economy afloat.
Iceland (Multi view 15 images plus map)
Shows off major tourist sites of Iceland and northern
lights. Wilderness and dramatic landscape. Advertisement for tourists.
Commercial.
Munich (11 views)
Impressive mix of old and new buildings taken in different
lights – dusk, dark, daylight including Oktoberfest and the BMW building. Atmospheric.
Tourist advert. Commercial.
Grand Duchy of Luxemburg
Formal Gardens of Luxemburg – I visited this city and it was
not the first image that I recalled. Picturesque in the sense of the Oxford
dictionary (pretty) rather than that of the Tate (artistic). Good weather,
small image taken with a wide angle to show the city walls.
Ben Nevis Range, Scotland
Bought whilst on holiday in this range of mountains.
Impressive looking mountain range – wide panorama makes good use of the extra
space. Map works as viewer may not appreciate scale of mountains – e.g.
position of gondola. Memories fade – at the time I thought this was great; now
it is just another postcard.
Whitby
Received on a box of shortbread as a thanks for looking
after the cats. Light picks out different coloured rooftops. Unusual viewpoint
(taken from the sea) which I would not have recognised instantly and made me
look closely at the landmarks – abbey, pier etc.
Falmouth (5 images)
Green spaces, nautical history, pretty beach, safe harbour –
same as other seaside towns? Taken on clear days giving a good view.
The Peak District, Stanage Edge Millstones, Derbyshire
Credited to a photographer. Picturesque – millstones, autumn
colours, lack of people. Similar to hundreds of images on the internet. Perhaps the modern day postcard for those who don't send postcards? The mobile phone camera records the image which is uploaded to facebook almost instantly.
Melleiha Bay, Malta
Interesting shapes and colours, aerial shot, saturated
colours, clear sea.
Different impression sitting on the beach spending time with
the family and people watching.
Azure Window, Gozo
Artistic, picturesque, wild and not the everyday image of
the tourist destination.
After studying 12 images closely, I agree with Goodwin’s
sentiment of idealism of the countryside. I don’t send postcards because I have
never seen it as a fair representation of a place.
Write a brief response
(around 200 words) to Graham Clarke’s comments. Do you think it’s
possible not to be a “tourist” or “outsider” as the maker of the landscape
images? (OCA Course Material)
"...the landscape photograph implies the act of looking as a privileged observer so that, in one sense, the photographer of landscapes is always the tourist, and invariably the outsider. Francis Frith's images of Egypt, for example, for all their concern with foreign lands, retain the perspective of an Englishman looking out over the land. Above all, landscape photography insists on the land as spectacle and involves an element of pleasure." (Graham Clarke as quoted in the OCA Course Material)
I believe the photographer who has local knowledge of the area through living and/or working in the area will see the environment or socio-economic situation as it actually is rather than through the rose tinted spectacles of a tourist, including showing the negative aspect of life - rubbish, industry, poverty or local issues. Thinking about Richard Billingham's Ray's a Laugh work for example, he understood his neighbourhood because he lived there. He portrayed the estate in such a way that the viewer built up empathy with the place.
Francis Frith on the otherhand, a Victorian photographer who successfully sold images of his trips to Egypt, was one of many who set the standard for Victorian landscape photography which was copied over the years because it was successful. If the atmosphere or emotion is lacking in a landscape photograph, it may well be likened to "an Englishman looking out over the land."
Thinking about landscape photography insisting on the land as a spectacle; to some extent this is true - the photographer will know through research when the best time of year is to capture land at it's most beautiful and may have planned a trip with this in mind. If the photographer achieves the desired shot, they will experience some pleasure. However, if the land does not perform (e.g. Northern Lights) the photographer may be disappointed which is an emotional response. Perhaps the answer depends on what the photographer sets out to portray? A dramatic landscape image such as the Northern Lights, volcanoes erupting, extreme weather conditions or even the change of seasons could be viewed as a spectacle whilst a more documentary style approach of could be seen as working with the land.
Further reading:
http://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/tourist-photographys-fictional-conquest accessed 20/9/15
