This assignment is the accumulation of the Context and Narrative module, we have covered a varied workload in this module, it has been enjoyable and challenging. I have been lucky in the fact that the work on this module has, completely by fate, coincided with a very significant life experience. It only seems right that my final assignment comes full circle to my first assignment. It continues with the running theme of the images I have taken, as well as, incorporating some of the themes covered in this module. In the words of Sontag “Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” (Sontag, 1977) and so does this module and my time at No 10.

For this assignment, Making it up, we were given free range to construct a stand-alone image of our choice, alternatively, we could have chosen to make a series, elaborating on the same theme. For this I wanted to draw on the skills learnt in parts One to Four. I also wanted to draw on the experiences I have had in my time as the official photographer for the Prime Minister. I started this module with assignment one outside the door of No 10, so it is only fitting I end it in the same place with both the module and my time at No 10 coming to an end.

 I choose to create an autobiographical self-portrait, similar to the ones we covered in part three. I wanted it to be a portrait of myself in full ceremonial uniform, in Downing Street. I wanted to portray a narrative of a strong sense of pride and achievement, this also ties in with the photographing the unseen which we also covered.

Once I had the idea I started some research, like most photographers, I am not used to or comfortable being in front of the camera. I started to wonder why this is, this self-consciousness, especially with self-portraits. This kind of psychoanalysis leads me to the writings of Barthes, which in turn lead me to the work of Lacan. It is no surprise that Barthes familiarity with psychoanalysis, that he would lean towards Lacan, they are both French theorists, heavily involved with semiotics, with Lacan being only slightly older than Barthes, they are often mentioned in the same breath.

In Bruce Fink’s, 2007, compilation and re-interpretation of Lacan’s original “The Mirror Stage as Formative of the I Function as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience” Ecrits, he translates Lacan to say “ the specular image seems to be the threshold of the visible world, if we take into account the mirrored disposition of the imago of one’s own body in hallucinations and dreams, whether it involves one’s individual features, or even one’s infirmities or object projections; or if we take note of the role of the mirror apparatus in the appearance of doubles, in which psychical realities manifest themselves that are, moreover, heterogeneous.” (Fink, 2007)

Possibly, the self-portraits we take, are a reminder that, the images of ourselves we have in our heads, do not match the ones we see reflected in the mirror, or the lens. How many times do we look at images and think “do I really look like that?” or hear a recording of our own voices and think “Is this how I sound to other people?” The only one dimensional thing about humanity is the mirror image. Although I wanted the image to show a sense of pride, reading this made me consider how I felt in my time there In the early days, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of imposter syndrome, over a short period of time I realised, everybody feels that way at some point. It is these unseen feelings that give life its depth, Luckily, these were fleeting feelings, my overall feeling were of a sense of achievement and a sense of pride.

Once I had decided the direction to take there were many technical and logistical aspects to consider. I had to gain permissions from the estate managers, the custodians and the police. Once I had the preparations in place, I choose my kit and practiced the lighting setup. I had to practice with the camera setup and lighting system inside before I moved on to the street, there was little time to test and adjust in the small window of opportunity available.

For the composition, I did not want to be right in front of No 10, I thought this would be too direct and literal. I wanted to be in the middle of the street with the Foreign commonwealth office and No 10 on either side, making me the central focus, this being accentuated by the empty street. I composed myself in the centre of the image and shot with a wide angle lens and a looser crop to add more context to the surroundings and to give the image more of a photojournalism feel as we covered in part one.

I choose a slightly lower angle on the tripod to give an increased sense of pride and power to the shot. I placed the speedlight to the right and lower than normal to illuminate under the peak of the cap. I took the creative choice of underexposing the background by using shutter speed and a shallower depth of field to further separate me from the background. This had the desired effect of keeping the main focus of the image on myself, I then edited in photoshop with basic darkroom techniques.

 I found myself reading the image using the techniques we have learnt in this module, using the signifier and the signified highlighted in Barthes, Elements of Semiology (Barthes, 1967). The image is a self- portrait of myself wearing ceremonial uniform in the street (the signifier) But even with the more obvious signified points like the pride and power I was aiming for, there are other signified points, like the fallen leaves signifying the end of an era and the size of the old buildings adding to the power of the image and the leading lines leading out of Downing Street. The street, which is not instantly recognisable as Downing street, but still has a sense of familiarity as we have all seen it on television so many times.

Overall, I was happy with the image and the research, it was good to think about and put into practice some of the skills I have learnt over this module. Most of these things I have been doing in my work for years subconsciously, it is good to be taking a more measured approach to my process.

Works Cited

Barthes, R. (1967). Elements of Semiology. In R. Barthes, Elements of Semiology (p. 12). new york: hill and wang.

Fink, B. (2007). Ecrits The first complete edition in English. In J. &. Lacan, Ecrits (p. 93). New York: : W.W. Norton & Co.

Sontag, S. (1977). On Photography. New York, New York, usa: farrar, straus and Giroux.

For this assignment I have chosen, Napalm Girl by Nick Ut. This image, as powerful as it is, also has a personal attachment for me on different levels, firstly, I am in the military, this image is a stark reminder of atrocities that can happen in war. Secondly, this image was used in my photography aptitude examination, it was the first time I realised the power of a single image.

When you examine how much difference A single image could make, you would think that a black and white photo of a screaming child arms open running from a flaming village, skin melting from the effects of Napalm would be enough to stop any war, or at the very least provoke change, or does the bombardment of horrific images just make us numb to the atrocities that the world keeps turning up generation after generation?

In 1972 when Nick Ut first shared his image of Napalm Girl, originally named The Terror of War (1972) it was a reminder that a still image has the potential to tell a story, make a statement in a universal language and evoke emotion in a single captured moment. It soon became one of the most iconic images, of the most contentious war, America has ever fought, the Vietnam war. Napalm Girl, subsequently went on to win the Pulitzer prize in 1973. Although much weight is given to the media for turning public opinion against the war in Vietnam. This image was seen the world over on the front cover of magazines and newspapers alike. How much can A still image actually change the course of a war?

The Associated Press (AP) was founded in 1886 to supply speedier battle reports from the war in Mexico. It became the eminent force in photo journalism during the Vietnam war, where they won 6 Pulitzer prizes 4 of them going on to become images that still represent that war and the devastating effect it had on civilians to this day. In this article Pyle is quoted “Nick Ut’s unforgettable image of 9-year-old Kim Phuc running down a road, her clothes burned off and her skin peeling, as she and others fled a napalm bombing attack by South Vietnamese planes on an enemy position — widely regarded as the other picture of the war” (Pyle, 2017)

It is maintained, the emotional attachment the public had with the image, significantly changed their stance on the war and therefore the conclusion of the war. The opposing argument was, support for the war was already dwindling and that the ongoing media coverage was just representing the publics opinion on it. Some will also point to the lack of evidence used to support these reports.

Even though The Vietnam war was coined the ‘living room war’ originally by Michael Arlen, whilst reporting for the New Yorker in 1960, due to the extensive coverage given by news agencies and for the first time and the freedom given to the press during this conflict. It was the still 35mm images that were telling the story. According to Pyle “Even television, making its own battlefield debut in Vietnam, lacked the impact of the small 35-millimeter camera, the tool of choice for photojournalists.” (Pyle, 2017)  

The critic Susan Sontag remarks in her 1977 book On Photography that “a naked South Vietnamese child just sprayed by American napalm, running down a highway toward the camera, her arms open, screaming with pain—probably did more to increase the public revulsion against the war than a hundred hours of televised barbarities.” (Sontag, 1977) The unparalleled power of photographs wasn’t simply because the camera had become “the tool of choice for photojournalists,” (Sontag, 1977) as Pyle attests, but because photography, as Sontag described, “are a neat slice of time, not a flow. Television is a stream of underselected images, each of which cancels its predecessor. Each still photograph is a privileged moment, turned into a slim object that one can keep and look at again.” (Sontag, 1977) Together with Nick Ut’s picture, Eddie Adams image of General Nguen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong Prisoner in Saigon is probably the other most unforgettable image of the Vietnam War. There is actual video footage of both these same events which rarely gets a look in compared to the visceral snap shots of the still photographs. Some of this is to do with the timing of the news footage going out, some scenes to disturbing for prime time television meant the real gore was saved for print media.

With images as strong as these, it is no wonder people claim they effect public opinion. Some would argue that the media was and always is just a reflection of an already waning public support for the war. According to the myth busting author and Professor W.Joseph Campbell, “By June 1972, American public opinion had long since turned against the war in Vietnam. Nearly 60 percent of respondents to a Gallup poll conducted early in 1971 had said that the United States had made a mistake by sending troops to fight in Vietnam. (Gallup periodically has asked since 1965, when just 24 percent of respondents said it was a mistake to have sent troops to Vietnam. (W. Joseph Campbell, n.d.) By August 1968, a majority of respondents said it had been a mistake.) Ut’s photo can hardly be said to have galvanised opinion against the war: That shift had taken place years before.”

An LA times 2017 report goes on to make the point that the war ended 6 months later. This is, in fact, a myth, the conflict rumbled on with South Vietnam troops fighting on for a full 3 years after the photo was taken. To further the argument Campbell goes on to say “By June 1972, the war was essentially over for American forces in Vietnam. President Richard Nixon had announced in November 1971 that U.S. ground operations had ended in South Vietnam and by June 1972, nearly all U.S. combat units had been removed from the country.” (W. Joseph Campbell, n.d.)

According to the Fred Greene’s, 1970 Journal article, The Case For and Against Withdrawal from Vietnam and Korea “ The case for withdrawal, based on a notion of Hanoi’s actions are, if not justified, understandable, and that Communist governments in Southeast Asia are neither particularly dangerous to us nor anathema to their populaces. Vietnamization has many advantages for us, but, given a weak government, runs the risk of a failure, endangering American troops. Troops should be withdrawn from South Korea, both for its good and our own.” (Greene., 1970) The fact this was published a full two years before Ut’s famous image is further proof of political opinion, it also furthers the discussion of public opinion preceding Ut’s picture, “ A crucial point is that the American public today cannot be convinced of the value of continuing the war given the costs involved, the doubtful nature of the outcome, and the pressing needs that have manifested themselves on the domestic front.”  (Greene., 1970) This is further evidence that, in truth, the media were more likely to be using these images to echo the already growing political and public opinions.

As much as the media would like to take credit for the end of the war and over inflate their role in it, the hard truth is, nothing really changes as Sontag put it ““photographs cannot create a moral position but they can reinforce one—and help build a nascent one.”  (Sontag, 1977)

Much credit should be given to Ut’s and any war photographer that place themselves in danger to share these amazing images that stir emotion and create debate. Sontag continues that we require “existence of relevant political consciousness” in order to be “morally affected by photographs. Ultimately, It is the consensus of the public that ends conflicts not the images that represent them.” (Sontag, 1977)

Therefore, as powerful an image as this is, I do not believe that it is the images themselves that change the course of public opinion on wars. It seems the most probable outcome is, the images are a solid reflection of public and political opinion. Picture editors, reporters and news crews cannot help but to be swayed by such opinions. Couple that with the statistics from the Gallup poll and the social science journals published years before the images were taken and the irrefutable facts that nearly all US combat troops had already been removed from Vietnam by the time Ut’s image was even taken, it becomes harder to justify the claims that images alone are responsible for ending the conflict.

The fact that a harrowing photograph such as this can have a happier ending than most is heart-warming. Ut an already award winning photographer, went on to have a glittering career with The Associated Press and Phuc, after surviving the Napalm attack, Phuc was used as propaganda for the Vietnam regime. She eventually managed to escape to Canada, where she has since gained citizenship and is the founder of the Kim Phuc Foundation International for children injured in conflict. As recently as, February, 2019, Phuc was awarded the Dresden award for Peace, for her work with UNESCO as an ambassador for peace. Ut and Phuc remain good friends until this day.

Not all images of this type can boast such a happy ending for those concerned but I’m glad in this case it did.