Analysis of Ponting's Photography
3: Analysis of Ponting’s photography The aim of this study is to address a deficiency in close analysis of Ponting’s images by studying relevant literature, as has been done in Chapter 2, and by examining Ponting’s photographs and film, which will be done now. A visual semiotics methodology is used, based on a combination of discourse analysis (Gee 1990, 2005) and visual analysis (Kress & van Leeuwen 2006). Ponting’s book is also used to enable fuller understanding. Overall, the images and the book form a synergistic relationship, the different codes, visual and verbal, each enhancing the understanding of the other (Hodge & Kress 1983), so that the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual ones. Ponting’s work in Antarctica was different from his previous assignments. While the overall task was similar to that involved in his photography in Japan, India and other lands, Antarctica represented a greater commitment in time, an isolated location, more arduous conditions, and huge technical challenges. In place of local inhabitants, he was depicting a small, highly specialised and purpose- directed microcosm of British society and culture, mostly from naval and scientific contexts, in an uninhabited land. His role in the expedition was functional, but he intended to generate post-expedition income for himself by exhibiting and lecturing on his work, and this influenced his selection of subjects and the way he presented them. There are a very large number of stills, and the focus here is on a representative selection: landscapes, portraits, activities (individual and group, work-related and recreational), and wildlife photographs.
[Show full text]