An inventory

Our next assignment is to make a collection. Well the exact language is:

CRITIQUE: Second assignment, "An (offbeat) inventory": In a set of six photographs, begin an archive of observations that comprise a collection: these can be abstract or realistic in description, can be of a place, an event, a shape. By photographing, you will call attention to something as a kind or a type of thing to notice.

Well, in English it means that I have to select a theme, or an occurrence that repeats itself and take six pictures of this occurrence/theme at different places and, of course, time. For example the photographs of Brown sisters by Nicholas Nixon. This was a series of photograph taken by Nicholas of his wife and her three sisters, every year. The order in which they appeared in the photo remained same. He did this for 25 years (1975-2000) and published it. Another very good example are collection of photographs from Bernd and Hilla Becher. They are husband and wife team that systematically photograph industrial structures - water towers, blast furnaces, gas tanks, mine heads, grain elevators and the like. The two example of their collections are Pitheads published in 1974 and Framework Houses published in 1993. Note how the size and orientation of the structure remains consistent photograph after photograph.

Pitheads, 1974 (Bernd and Hilla Becher)


Framework Houses, 1993 (Bernd and Hilla Becher)

Another good example is the collection of German photographer August Sanders (1876-1964) in which he did portraits of people from different professions. He named the collection as Potraits from 20th century. Few of my favorite from the collections are Pastry cook taken in 1928 , Middle class children taken in 1925.

Pastry Cook, 1928 (August Sanders)

Middle Class Children, 1925 (August Sanders)

Few other of the collection can be viewed here. For this assignment, I have been working for various themes. I haven't yet decided which one will I submit finally. I have now four rolls to print. Hope I will be able to get a decent collection from them. I will post the discarded ideas here, of course.