Workshop One - Location 25-03-12
Belinda Pratten Week
Seven Semester
One
Documentary Photographer Carla Coulson
For this task we have been asked to write a small segment
about a documentary photographer. I have chosen Carla Coulson, although Carla is
not considered a ‘documentary’ photographer by professional terms, I believe
she is as she documents her life.
I have a book of
Carla’s which will support my discussion around her techniques and styles of
photography, my first example is Carla’s photographer of the boys working in
the market in Kanchipuram India, in her small explanation of the image she
talks about how she was asked to take a photo of these boys who had been
working very hard I the smouldering heat, lifting hessian sacks full of fruit and
vegetables onto the truck. They ran over very excited and flamboyantly and
asked her to take their picture, but as soon as the camera was pulled out,
their mood obviously changed. You can almost see right through into these boy’s
souls, they stand there for the picture looking proud and strong, holding hands
with their ‘friend’, this creates the image that they are untied and stronger
together. It seems as though Carla took her time to stop and carefully compose
this image she has used a neutral style background and placed her subjects in
the middle of the frame, outlining that they are the soul focus of the image.
There are no other distracting ‘props’ or factors left in the picture, the
viewer is directed right into the boys eyes and souls, wondering what other
parts of their story have been left un told.
All of Carla’s images use similar styles having plain subdue
backdrops, so as not to distract the viewer from the subject. Carla has a
natural talent with photographing people in their own atmospheres and
portraying their story in such an intriguing way, she often uses black and
white and the eyes of her subject has strong main focus for the image. Every
portrait she takes, it seems as though there is a story to be told about her
subject, and I admire her ability to do so.
Carla travelled around many countries after leaving her
corporate job, and travelled photographing her travels around the towns and
cities.
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