Subtle colour documentary

Exercise 23 - Select two bodies of work from the Panos study "Eight way to change the world" that show different conceptual and visual styles. Discuss aspects such as aesthetics and expression.

Bodies work selected are by Adam Hinton and Dieter Telemans

1. Adam Hinton

This documentary essay focuses on goal 3: To promote gender equality and educate women

Ø         The images always show a family relationship - mother/daughter; grandmother/daughter/granddaughter; normally the elder woman has not benefited from an education

Ø         The photographs have a situational portrait feel to them

Ø         Show some elements of how the family lives - their home, their animals, their clothes

Ø         The individuals photographed engaged with the photographer and they come across as being genuinely happy, but there is still a feeling that the photographer is an outsider

Ø         A common theme is the lack of shoes, that said the photographer does not in any way infer that these people are poor. In fact, the one interior shown in this portfolio, has children's drawings pinned to the wall, a calendar, some football paraphernalia and even a mask of Spiderman - it feels like a normal environment with a growing family

Ø         The women are all clean and well dressed and are very clearly capable of looking after themselves and their families

Ø         Even the Guatemalan photographs where the development goal has not been achieved, the women are portrayed as happy and competent

Ø         The images are predominantly square format, with the backgrounds tending to be quite dark (forest greenery or wooden houses); thus making the focus clearly the women

Ø         The colours are not at all subdued, indeed the women's clothing is quite colourful

2. Dieter Telemans

This documentary essay focuses on goal 7: To ensure environmental sustainability

Ø         These images, by comparison to Hinton's, are much brighter and airier; this is fundamentally because they are taken out in open spaces (by the wells)

Ø         This portfolio has a natural sequence of events to follow and as such has a much more clearly defined structure

Ø         There is a greater sense of freedom in the style of these photographs and whilst they all build on the narrative, some are also very artistic and even some humour

Ø         It feels as though the photographer was much more involved and better engaged in the community and the water collection activity - there is a real feeling of happiness

Ø         Again the people are portrayed as very competent, but here there seems to be a greater sense of community. (This may be down to the simple fact that the act of drawing water is done by all of the community and more normally by the children - who by nature tend to be more gregarious.)