Earlier in the year I went to see the exhibition of Zofia Rydet’s photographs at The Photographer’s Gallery in London.
Rydet was Polish and an established artist who took up photography in her 60s with the purpose of photographing people in their living spaces because she felt that the personality of the individual was reflected in the way they decorated and furnished their homes. If we think about it, that’s what most of us do – we decorate a house in our own style and it says something about us.
The main body of work comprised people in their kitchens, bedrooms or sitting rooms, presumably decided by Rydet based on what she saw and whether she felt there was enough visual information that gave an insight into the individual she was photographing. She used a wide angle lens, probably 28mm in order to get as much of the room in the frame from ceiling to floor and wall-to-wall. There is also evidence of flash reflection in some of the photographs.
In addition there are also a number of full length portraits of middle-aged women standing in their doorways.
What struck me as I walked around was that there was nothing particularly ‘special’ about any of the images individually. No great technical skill was required and some could have been improved with a slight movement of the subject and/or photographer. The photographs were the idea and to understand the idea you had to stand back.
You needed to stand back because it was the whole body of work that was magnificent. The consistency of framing, the sheer number of portraits and the variety between images made the experience wonderful.
It would be easy to pick holes in one image and describe it as being fairly average, but when you look at a sequence of 30 or more in the same style, you are being presented with a piece of art in the form of a body of work.
Consistency, regularity and returning to the same theme – or even the same place – can produce a visually stimulating body of work. It’s not just the relentless pursuit of a single image.
Andrew Cameron
I am a documentary photographer who work with retailers, the construction sector, manufacturing, and agriculture to engage audiences about change, sustainability, ways of working and project progression.
I work with my clients to create compelling visual stories that support employee communication, investor relations and external stakeholder engagement.
Find out more about the services I offer here.
I have written a book, Making Documentary Photography, which can be downloaded here.
I also run a Documentary Photography Mentoring program to help people who want some practical and moral support building a documentary project. You can find out more here.