Tom Johnson strikes me as a photographer, he captures the people and the places around him as they actually are, not as he would like them to look so as to fit simply and stylishly into his portfolio. His work spans portraiture and documentary photography – he once bought a 1980s motorhome and travelled up and down the UK photographing the people he came across – and touches distant edges of the population, from female bodybuilders and transvestites to a clan of Peckham’s sapeurs. He’s currently looking to merge the three areas of his practice into one, with new commissions for The New British and VICE pushing him to new territory and to photograph evermore fascinating characters.
His first image that has caught my attention is the image of the two elderly men that are showing a lot of love and care for each other by huging and the smile on their face. Although, as many older people are in elderly care homes, you can see the love and strong relationship between the two. Some people will have no hope in older people because their 'time is over' and now it's time for younger generation however, this image challenged that stereotype and shows us that, they still have life, love and somethign to hold on to. The second image focuses more on gender and challenges the stereotype that men can only be masculing and strong and how it doesn't look good on women. The woman is represented to be very strong (both mentally and physically), brave for challenging such stereotype knowing that there are many people out there that judge. The femenint aspects are still present and are demonstrated through the bra top, earings and make-up worn so the woman is not trying to be like a man figure but rather show that she is a woman and can still get the well-built body that she desires.
This image is from the series of 'Another London' from Tom Johnson and it represents some parts of London and it's peoples comfort zone, where they chill, what they do, who do they hang out with? This is very interesting because opposing to the other images, this one is different because it shows where people fit and where they feel comfotable rather than going against it and challenging it.
The above image is another image i found excitingly interesting because it portrays an old lady to be extremely fashionable nd 'living her life' through the way she is posing, to what she is doing and what she is wearing. Fashionable handbag and trainers, bright colours and a cigerette in her hand are thing you wouldnt generally expect an older person to be looking life and holding but i reall like the way she has expressed her fun side by the reccuring yellow colour that represents happiness and good willingness. The image next to it is of a muslim boy in a mosque, somewhere he feels like he fits in due to himstanding comfortably and strongly. You can tell by in the environment that he is in by the islamic dressing that can hint to us that he is a religious boy.
The image taken in Peckham, is of an old man and lady standing on the left and a young man on the right, you can easily tell that they're not together but the image shows us the diversity and the different people within London However, what I find contradicting and I think may be used to challenge stereotypes is how the old woman is talking on phone and using technology whereas, the young man is holding a walking stick. According to the expectancies society has made, it should be the other way round. This might be done accidentally or purposely The second image is of a man dressed as woman by wearing a wig and make-up and the clothing such as the heels. This image doesn't only challenge gender but it challenges emotion and character. We presume that younger adults are happy and fun however, we can immediately tell through the facial expressions of the person that they are feeling miserable although they are at a funfair and by dressing up they have tried to cover up and hide the miserable and saddened side that is there. However, it is still reflected through the position of the model and the way in which they are sitting on the cold and icy floor and being confront-able by looking directly at the camera.
CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES
These images challenge the typical stereotypes that are present within our society today. The main one being, elder people are lifeless, boring, and uncultivated. Therefore, through photography i tried to challenge the stereotypes and show people that the following stereotype is false. Catching elder people in their 'happy moment' when they're having fun or even simply asking them to pose for a picture, here are the responses that I have received. The images may be shocking to many people because they portray the elder generation as happy, joyful and energetic. They also show that they are fun to be around and can be childish at times. The vibrant colours on the image reflect this very effectively.
How people actually perceive old people to be? To show this i used an image of my model being extra happy and throwing peace signs to show excitement and funky side. I then photographed the image in each stage as i crunched it even more at each stage. You can now see the dynamic development of how the old become old and wrinkly. How the start to become lifeless and the big smile on their face begins ta fade slowly to point where even their identity has become in disguise.
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