The photographic gaze explores the ethics of ‘looking’ in the context of the photographic image.  Photography is often described as being voyeuristic, something we usually associated with images of a sexual nature.  However, this is not always the case as it denotes any form of furtive surveillance or distant viewing of the subject. Many photographers approach their subject from the perspective of a spectator which can result in objectification of the subject through distance and disconnection from the subject.

The gaze in photography is entirely subjective and is often shaped culturally and can also be influenced by cultural and gender stereotyping. This is particularly true of the way in which nudity is portrayed in photography as well as the focus on the female form. As photographers and consumers of the photographic image, we must confront these questions: when does photography become voyeuristic and when does the image become offensive?   At what point does representation become fetishisation?  When does the gaze shift to being something else?

Wendy McMurdo’s work touches on identity through the camera as mirror, particularly in the digital age where the image is so much a part of shaping identity through its relationship with social media.  McMurdo’s work looks at how the photographic image reflects back to the subject, causing the subject to encounter a different view of self, at times an unsettling and uneasy experience of confrontation. 

This is something I can relate to as I prefer to be on the other side of the lens as the photographer rather than the subject of the image.  I struggle to confront my own image and find it challenging to cast my gaze upon myself – perhaps this is a call for me to explore self-portraiture and the conflict of the different aspects of the gaze as both the photographer, subject and viewer of the photographic image.   

As a landscape photographer, the question arises as to how the gaze falls upon the landscape and what characteristics are attributed to it. There has long been an artistic tradition of feminising the landscape and this is often seen in the Utopian visions of the Romantic writers and artists, such as William Blake. In contrast, the industrial and city landscapes are viewed as dystopian and potentially portrayed as masculine landscapes.

Within my own photographic practice my gaze falls upon the urban landscape and the structures that shape our relationship with it. The absence of human interest within my landscapes is an illusion as closer inspection will always reveal small details that remain and indicate somebody has been there before. This is reminiscent of Ruscha’s images of Los Angeles swimming pools where the ripples in the water are all that signify human interaction with the urban landscape. This could be viewed as a distant gaze, yet it is an intentional and focused gaze that looks closely at details to reveal relationship with the urban landscape.

References:

• STUDIES in PHOTOGRAPHY. 2020. Interview | Antonia Laurence-Allen In Conversation With Wendy Mcmurdo – STUDIES In PHOTOGRAPHY. [online] Available at: https://sshop.org.uk/2015/10/13/interview-antonia-laurence-allen-in-conversation-with-wendy-mcmurdo/ [Accessed 25 June 2020].