In any photographic portrait there is a degree of power and control wielded by both photographer and subject, in thinking about how to address/play with this balance in my own portraiture I have been looking at photographers whose work I admire. Adam Bromberg & Oliver Chanarin’s ‘Ghetto’, a book full of individual stories from 12 ‘modern ghettos’ (gated communities), addresses this balance in many different ways. Here’s some examples:
Self portrait by Mario, 60 - Rene Vallejo Psychiatric Hospital, Cuba
In these portraits of patients in a Cuban psychiatric hospital the notion of power becomes even more central due to the vulnerability (or perceived vulnerability) of the subjects. This is addressed by handing over the majority of the power to the subject, who takes their own portrait with the help of a shutter release cable. Broomberg and Chanarin’s control has been limited to framing (full body) background (plain) and viewpoint of camera (eye level), all choices made for neutrality. The rest comes down to the subject’s personality/mood, the two most magical examples for me are Mario (above) who decided to turn his back on the camera and Julio (below) who made two portraits: One for his heart and one for his head.
Self portraits by Julio, 30 - Rene Vallejo Psychiatric Hospital, Cuba
Text & Image
They make great use of text alongside their portraits, most of which comes from interviews with the subject. Sometimes its stark and funny:
Earl Anderson, 71, retired grain miller - Leisure World Gated Retirement Community, USA
Sometimes slightly more abstract and funny:
Sam Frackman, 82, retired travelling salesman - Leisure World Gated Retirement Community, USA
My favourite example of text with image in ‘Ghetto’ works in a more subtle way, the combination used is beautiful in it’s simplicity: a bare chested subject describes his ideal uniform. From this, alongside his proud presentation to the camera, we can read so much about the militaristic life he craves/lives. What is it that men find valuable in the infamous number gangs of SA’s prisons? The parallels with an army life are clear to me, it offers a code of honour to live by, some sort of order within the chaos, a family to be loyal too. These type of military over/undertones are also obvious in the tattoos. This portrait humanises Dion by providing him a platform to present himself the way he sees himself; as a man of honour. Click the image for a larger version.
Dion, 41, General in the 28s - Polsmoor Maximum Security Prison, South Africa
I think the Polaroid can be an interesting means of the subject asserting some control too, here it’s used to name the subjects of a group portrait, treating them as individuals rather than simply inmates.
Polaroid with writing - Polsmoor Maximum Security Prison, South Africa
I’ll sign off with another favourite, which I won’t over analyse, it just makes me smile!
"My punches are hard and my uppercut is lethal. The other kids at school are terrified of me" Raif Redat, 13 - Shutka Roma Settlement, Macedonia"
