Don McCullin Research log

Donald McCullin, was born 9 October 1935 and is an internationally known British photojournalist, who is commonly recognized for his war photography and images of urban strife. His career, which began in 1959, has showed an extreme focus in examining the underside of society, and his photographs have depicted the unemployed, downtrodden and the impoverished. McCullin uses formal elements in order to emphasise aspects of his images. These formal elements include contrast, tone, pattern and more.

This photo is interesting because it shows the gritty industrial areas in a few interesting ways. The black and white filter of the camera enhances the gritty and polluted themes within the image. The image is set up in in a way where the sky is used in contrast to the gritty industrial structures in the bottom of the frame to enhance the themes of pollution . This contrast is shown using the black and white filter to bring out the black colours of the smoke and the white colours of the sky. Pattern can also be seen within the fallen fence, depth can also be shown by analysing how the structure changes over different distances. This same example of distance can be seen using the lines of the road.

This image features a man mid-action. The use of the man holding a gun acts in contrast to the white background. This promotes the thought that the violence of the man is acting in contrast to the purity of the white wall. This use of contrast makes the man with the gun the focal point of the image. The light being shone across the ground reveals the rough texture. Pattern can be seen within the image. This is shown on the frame of the door, revealing a square pattern. The dark shadows of the open door create a striking contrast within the image. This is caused by the bold black colour from the door clashing with the light colours of the surrounding the image.

This image shows pattern within uniform and shows a united power amongst the police. Contrast is also emphasised here as the protester stands out and becomes the focal point of the image dues to his difference in both outfit and position within the frame. The black and white filter highlights the contrast between the dark colour of the police uniform and the white background. The contrasts within the image cause the protester to become the focal point of the image. The fact that the sign is turned to a large group of policemen makes this a more visually powerful image as a result. The fact that the audience cannot see what the protester's sign says makes the image more intriguing to the audience.

This image is interesting because of its composition. In this photo we can see the facial expression combined with the body language of the soldier to show us that he is shocked and scared. Tone and form have been used within this image in order to highlight the shadows within the image. This causes the soldier to appear more detailed as a result, revealing emotions, clothing and dirt. This all culminates to tell the audience the story of what the soldier is thinking. The image has been composed in a way that includes the gun in the lower frame. This makes the image more powerful as it makes the soldier appear more fragile as grips his gun in a defensive state.

Evaluation:

Don McCullin's approach to his images offers layers of meaning to be seen by the audience. He is able to use multiple themes to tell a story in his pictures. His use of black and white filters help to accurately reflect the tonal weight of the image. Some of the formal elements used within his images allow for a more unique visual style, through pattern, tone and contrast.

Influence:

 I would like to reflect McCulin's use of hidden meanings through different elements in my own work in order to produce interesting results. I would do this by thinking about different formal elements in order to show different results.

I havde used some formal elements such as movement in this image in order to recreate some of McCullin's methods. As a result I am able to incorporate different themes into the image. I think that McCullin has had a positive impact on my work as I am now able to consider the use of formal elements within my work before hand and can add layers of meaning to the image and cause it to be eye catching to the audience.