Photography as identification

-book stock

In the book “Applied Police and Fire Photography by Raymond P. Siljander, Siljander talks about the Identification Photography, about where the roots of mug shots and identification photography come from and what position they had in the 80s when the book was first published.

In history , law enforcement authorities around the world have searched for a reliable means of identifying criminals. It took until the early 19th century to bring criminal identification to a reliable and scientific level.
Not long after the inception of photography, the police started to use it to take identification photographs of people after they were charged. Commonly, such images are called “mug shots”
Photographs serve a useful purpose in the area of criminal identification, even though they are some well known limitation. Photography was, and still is, simply one of several identification methods.
Even though police took “mug shots” for years, photography was preceded by various other forms of identification methods, with different approaches, depending on time, place, culture and the effectiveness of the method.
It is very interesting to see that some of the oldest methods are still being used today in some form. For example, more then 2000 years ago, the ancient Chinese used finger prints as a approximate form of identification, and finger prints are still used today. Some ancients cultures used methods of scarification while others used tattooing. Siljander says that those methods are also still used today in some places and in some cultures. But the result of scarification and tattooing can be manipulated just as a cattle brand can be altered with a running iron.
Personal descriptions of a person have no doubt been used since the beginning of time. This is still used today even though, like other methods, the accuracy cannot be relied upon.

When photography was effectually developed as a science, police began to use it as a tool for identification purposes. It did not take them long to realise that both a frontal and profile view was the preferred format.
In Siljander's opinion, identification photographs serve a useful purpose and will no doubt continue to be used for a very long time. There will probably never come a time when they are not used, but he says they do have their limitations. It has been said that everone has a double, and it is very true that people can bear a strong resemblance to another person. Another shortcoming is that the appearance of people changes over time, some very significantly. Here is an example of the same person; the second image is taken 22 years after the first one.


The history of identification methods is long and clearly hasn't finished yet. Only time will tell what happens next. “Mug shots” will probably be around for a long time to come.

In my opinion, the book is very good but out of time. Siljander explains the history of mug shots quite simply. The book was published in the 80s and therefore there is nothing about digital photophaphy. Even criminal and identification photography changed technically with the introduction of digital cameras. He talks about the photography as if it were the photography of today, whereas it would be a better description of the photography in the 80s. It is slightly confusing, because there are a few things that have changed over the time.

Photography as Identification: Periodicals

Gandee Vasan- Dogs Days

AG Journal: Winter 2007/Isuue 46/Page 31

http://www.gandeevasan.com/

Identification is usually associated with humans, but what happened when this is replaced with animals? Does it still contain the same elements?

Vasan's work 'Dogs Days' captures 77 different portraits of dogs. From Dalmatians to Schnauzer's, each dog's characteristics and personalities are captured. Each shot is taken in a rather regimental framing, almost PassPort like.

This style of photography seems as though it could act as a form of doggy identification. The straight forward shoulder height framing of the dogs makes them all comparable, therefore making it easy to show differences and similarities between each dog. Each dog has different features and dimensions. By photographing the dogs straight on and also to the side, one can see all of these at different angles. This is almost the same as the technique used to photograph humans in a Mug Shot style.

I really enjoyed Vasan's work as it allowed a different element to be brought to this style of photography. Its not often that animals are photographed which made me wonder why choose dogs. Was this because its said that a dog has its own personality? or that dog often looks like its owner? It is also interesting that he chose to photograph them in the way that he did. He could easily photograph them with their owner at home, but he has totally taken them out of their environment, making them un-identifiable from anything but their breed.

Although i liked this piece of work, i felt that it was'nt unique as Vasan also did a project on Cats. This was shot in exactly the same way. This then totally takes the objective out and makes each dog or cat exactly the same... a pet.

Photography As A Surveillance Device

As I had difficulty finding books which specifically included references to the practical uses of surveillance photography I decided to look into photographs that had the same visual characteristics as surveillance pictures and connected to the idea of being watched and observed in our society.

One work which I found was Phillip - Lorca diCorcia's series Head which has images obtained by concealing a camera and flash on a scaffolding in New York. The flash was programmed to go off each time someone passed by and then diCorcia would take the image.

 

 Photograph from The Photograph As Contemporary Art, Charlotte Cotton p20

Another work I looked at was City by Beat Streuli which has a similar idea behind it except that these images are taken in daylight with a very long lens usually including more of the subjects body. To me these images have a more personal and voyeuristic feel than the other series as the bright daylight and the other people out of focus and blurred in the frame make them seem like photographs from a private investigator.

Beat Streuli, City

http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/disciplinepunish/section7.rhtml

Typologies (source-books)

‘In photography there are no unexplained shadows!’ August Sander

The work and projects in this book are some of the most fascinating collection of photographs to look at. Looking through feels like trying to understand an individual’s idea of a human encyclopedia.

Using Typology with people is to divide us by culture, race and classification, the list could be endless. It’s to strip people into fragments and details that separate them from each other. In a way it’s a stereotypical way of thinking in its extreme.

Dwarves 1913

The reason I find the book so interesting is not only because of the incredible quality of the photogrphs but the whole idea behind them. There’s an interesting quote that accompanies the images in ‘People of the 20^th Century’ where Sanders has written ‘It moves from the people of the soil to the highest point of culture and down to the idiot in the finest gradations’. I have looked over and over these images of ‘the philosipher’, ‘progressive intellect’ and ‘two couples’ that are in this set and I still can't understand how he has justified the interest in each person and the connections he has made. I can only try to understand it by seeing it as the psychology of his time and social understanding.

I find some images hard to look at, as they seem like catching a deer in the headlights. They feel like awkward portraits not only to look at, but also for the subject in the photograph. As if they are being pointed at and alienated behind the lens. Sanders doesn’t seem to treat his subjects as individuals but as a network of people.

Young farmers 1914

(image taken from

http://experimentiv.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/august-sander-dwarfs.jpg)

Even though I may not agree with , or understand the true meaing behind this work, I can appreciate it's culturally significant and an important piece of history. To define and create Groupee’s was seen as important and useful around the 19^th century and Sanders work has built a comprehensive map of his own.

Famous Female Faces; Photography as evidence of domestic and public incidenthttp://womensaid.org

Famous Female Faces; Photography as evidence of domestic and public incident

Natalie Kirk

In 2007 photographer Rankin worked alongside the charity Women's Aid in a campaign against domestic violence. ACT Campaign.

Rankin shot images of famous female faces made up to show the effects of domestic violence. The campaign wanted to emphasise the fact that domestic violence can affect every woman no matter her age or situation. The images depict the affects of a violent relationship.

The fact that celebrities are used makes you instantly engage with the image, you recognise the face - "Oh it's Mequita from T4"- You take notice and it gets people talking -"Have you seen that photo of Fern Britton with a black eye? It's for that domestic violence campaign"- The power of celebrity will get people recognising and talking about your campaign, which is of course what you want, you want the attention and the hype for your cause. You want people to remember. But...does the fact that it is a celebrity somehow detract from the harsh reality of the affects of domestic abuse? Are the images somehow easier to look at because really you know it's not real, it's make up, this is what could happen to someone in an abusive relationship not what has happened to this person.

If it was a stranger in the images, someone who was a victim, someone you didn't recognise, would people talk about them in the same way? Would the images be harder to look at or more shocking because they're real, this is what has happened to someone, this person has suffered. Would they get the same kind of attention or be remembered in the same way?

I feel that the campaign is for an amazingly worth while cause and raising awarness of domestic abuse is a much needed education for our society, using the help of celebrities in the campaign deffinately catches people's attention easily. However, I can't decide whether or not it slightly detracts from the severity of the situation, if it somehow demeans the victims? At the end of the day the celebrities can wipe off all the make up, it's not a reallity for them.

The campaign wanted to raise awarness that domestic abuse is going on all around us but it also hopes to encourage victims to come forward and talk. As a victim, would you be more inspired by a celebrity putting on make up depicting your experiences or, by a real victim having the courage to come formard herself?

'Surveilance' Articles via Athens

An interesting and very relevant exhibition at London's Tate modern last year was Exposed: Voyeurism, surveillance and the camera.
Initially, Shai kremer who was part of the exhibition,  stood out for me using the beauty of photography yet still utilising surveillance to address societal, political and military issues surrounding the battle for territorial dominance in Israel. In Infected landscape, The beauty of his landscape images enticing you to look and then as the photographer suggests follow up with a rhetorical punch in the face!


Another interesting piece of work is Jonathan Olley (Castles of Ulster) in which British military structures used to maintain control over northern Ireland are photographically preserved before their removal as part of the 1998 good Friday agreement.


Artists using surveillance in this way, interest me for the notion of subject becoming the viewer. At one point these objects were the tools to control and maintain control or one could say, Power. The control and power now becomes in the hands of the viewer.
The distance between subject and viewer seems to be a critical element. The closer we get, the more voyeuristic the experience becomes for photographer and viewer.
Schuman uses the short story from allan Poe. In this, the protagonist explores feelings of being totally absorbed in contemplation over the idea of observation of a gentleman he doesn't know.


The seduction of surveillance can easily lean towards voyeurism: the personal involvement is the critical aspect as Jill Miller explores in her work
From January - March 2007 San Francisco-based artist Jill Miller trained with a licensed private investigator. She worked on real cases, learning various components of the profession, from video surveillance to location stake-outs to note-taking methodology. Miller began this project out of her interest in the ways that the legal system protects (or challenges) an individual's right to privacy. Driven by this curiosity, she learned how to conduct surveillance within the legal limits of the law. Once familiar with the field, Miller executed her own plans for surveillance under the advisement of the private investigator. Only this time, instead of working on randomly assigned cases, Miller turned an eye onto the art world itself, spending 6 months undercover doing surveillance on some of the San Francisco art world's most elusive community: art collectors. Miller estimates she did surveillance on 10 houses, focusing specifically on 5 of them.




Schuman, Aaron. "Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera." Aperture Winter 2010: 14-15. Art Full Text. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.


Riches, Harriet. "THE ART OF SURVEILLANCE." Afterimage Sept.-Oct. 2010: 26+. General OneFile. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.


Howarth, Sophie, Anton Corbijn, Chris Verene, Shizuka Yokomizo, Christian Frei, Sophie Ristelhueber, and Jonathan Olley. "What are you Looking at?." Tate Etc. Summer 2010: 70-81. Art Full Text. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.


http://www.jonathanolley.com/pages/imagegroup.public.intro.php?igId=77


http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/exposure/default.shtm

Shai Kremer

Baqué, Dominique. "Vrai, faux, faux-semblants." Art Press June 2010: 90-1. Art Full Text. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.

http://www.shaikremer.com/il.html

Jill Miller


http://www.jillmiller.net/collectors.htm

Photography and Typologies

Typology is the study of classification and types. This can range from the Victorian studies on ear shapes and sizes to the studies that the Bechers did on grain silos and factories.

Typology has always been important, even today. If a new species of animal is discovered, it is classifed straight away to determine which animal family it belongs to. When a new baby is born, it is weighed and measured to see if it is an average size. Typology started out mainly to record and classify criminals and create an average. The Victorians seemed to think that by overlaying a series of images of criminals that had committed a certain crime, they could determine what that type of criminal would look like. They could give themsleves an average. This sounds slightly farfetched to us today, because we know better than to think that only certain people commit certain crimes. However, i came across an article recently that showed that some people think that this idea of an average is still relevant today.

In Thursday 10th Feb's issue of 'The Sun' newspaper there was an article that showed more than 30 faces of women from around the world. Photographs had been taken of over 100 women in different cities around the world and overlayes, depending on what country they came from. The aim of this was to create an average woman from each country. It seems to suggest that there are women that look like the countries averages somewhere in the world. I find this idea a bit odd if I am honest, mainly because we are so quick to dismiss the Victorian ideas of creating an average criminal and yet we think that this is believable, even though it is the same principle.

We are so quick to dismiss ideas that were from before our time and so quick to believe ideas that are around now, even if they are exactly the same.

Photography as Identification - Books

Immediate thoughts on Identification bring only shape, form and pattern, rather than character. I think of identifying a human, with recognisable features and lines, not of a person with personality and hobbies. A cold view of this subject however necessary none the less.

Thomas Ruff – ‘Other Portraits’

Ruff’s ‘Other Portraits’ are in somewhat of a similar response to Identification to that of myself. Superimposing two of his portraits and then using the base of Andy Warhol’s ‘Most wanted criminals’, he then took a photograph of the face construct and printed.

 His response is that of multiple images, being impossible to depict a personality or fix an identity. He uses a series of portraits symbolising the fact that there are millions of people, identifying one is no important than the other.

‘The portraits are about each individual and at the same time about all individuals’. 

There is a very reliable style to his portraits. Common lighting and poise, same facial expressions and background. Almost exactly like passport photographs; The most commonly widespread form of identification in our everyday lives, these portraits are depicted straight from the criminal identification photographs as well as common passports.

Articles Via Athens 'Photography As Identification'

Photography is one of the most reliable forms of identification. Most formal forms of identification tend to be a passport or a licence of some sort, but lots of photographs have ways of making us identify somebody without it being the same old passport photo style with boring lighting and same focal length.

These two images we find more memorable as this is what has been showed to us more often.
The photograph of Saddam Hussein is memorable to us as this is when he was captured and this is what was shown to us on the news.. We didn’t get to see the mug shot of him which is how most people remember other criminal such as Al Capone.

The mug shot of Michael Jackson is one of many similar shots that have documented the surgical changes he has made to his appearance. They have the typical style of the ‘mug shot’ the boring lighting and the size. But using Michael Jackson as an example are they true proof of Identity? This man has changed his face that much that he doesn’t resemble what he used to look like. So what’s to say that they are a reliable type of identification?

http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.44

Forensic Photography - Books

Alphonse Bertillon was a French criminolgist. He showed very little interest in his fathers works of anthropometry but when he joined as a junoir clerk for the Paris Perfecture of Police in the record office he realised the greatest problem was indentification. One of his father's friends, Lambert Quetelet, a Belgian stractisitician said no two persons shared exactly the same combination of physical measurements. After several years of persuasion his superiors allowed him to to set up a system that would record measurements of criminals and suspects. He documented the results, including eye colour and filed them on card.
Bertillon started using photography to catagorise his records of convicted criminals and specific identifying details. He took his interest further by using photography at crime scenes to document evidence. Later this was known as Bertillonage.

Photography requires the use of art and skills but when using photography to document evidence you need skill, intelligence and training. Forensic photogrpahy involves much more then being on the scene of the crime and taking photographs of anything and everything. The forensic photographer will understand the what, where, why and how of the process and visualise the objects of the investigation before the camera is taken out the bag.
Nothing should be touched or changed as it is important to document the evidence. As the use of photography within crime scenes and bodily injuries are most important for investigations, they can be enhanced to clarify particular information and details that were not apparent to the eyes of the crime scene officers or the medicals and examinar.
Photographing a crime scene; it is crucial for the timing to be right and the photographer should start the minute they arrive at the scene. Documenting a crime scene requires an open mind; to try and convey every possible story within the photographs. The photographer must have a idea of the scentific method so they can have an understanding of what images may be neccesary to create the whole story.

When photographing an accident, a crime scene, or evidence, it is mendatory to capture sufficient images and take specific notes to ensure that the work will tell the whole story. This documentation must be able to stand alone without oral explanation to any other time and in front of a jury. Always review your work and how you present it to ensure that everything, including "the story" is easy to decipher.
Scientific Storytelling with Photographs, from Forensic Photography The Importance of Accuracy by Sanford L. Weiss

Using the story telling from original crime scenes photographs some artist photographers duplicate the meanings in their own work. The American Surfaces photographs by Stephen Shore give a rather sinister impression. The simplicity of the images are compelling.

Forensic Photography The Importance of Accuracy by Sanford L. Weiss
Body in Question Exploring the Cutting Edge in Forensic Science by Brian Innes

(incomplete- need further research and images)

Typeologies - Periodicals

Typeologies - Periodicals

Eadward Muybridge and Etienne Jules Marey both recorded movement in humans and animals e.g birds, horses, elephants etc. they did this by taking multiple exposures on a single plate.

Although their work isn't classed as categorised it is still considered to be put into the category of movement images.

As the times moved on the typeologies subject has grown widely, it has been split into categories such as criminals, cars, sports, colours, books, houses, people etc. All these are being recorded as evidence for example in museums insects are categorised by size and shape.

A photographer Omar D gathered together a set of images of people who had gone missing in Algeria, by doing this he was trying to keep their memory alive for them to be found, i feel this runs in the category of people.

From what i found there was more than just one set of images with missing people's faces on them. I am not too sure if this is exactly a typeology, but the way that they have been gathered and shown it could be a part of a typeology for missing people. This image i found while looking through the journal ''Camera Austria''.

Another image that i found while looking through the journals were of portraits of military personel, these had all been taken with with the head and shoulders showing giving it more of a formal photograph. This could be categorised into high ranking officials.

Although i found this search hard to do, i also feel that after looking through the journals that i found that typeology can categorise anything that has something in common with another, and this can go under any subject.

• Blind Spot- 2008
• Camera Austria - 2010 Issue 111 pg 23 Omar D
• Professional Photographer - 2010 pg 66
• PhotoWorks 2010 pg 52 Muybridge and Marey
  
  
  

Photography as a Surveillance Device - Source Magazine

Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin

As photographers we are always surveying our environment, wether it be as solid granite cliff or as fluid as a persons gate, we give it meaning, turning it into an impression though our camera lens. When I think of the word Surveillance, I think of cameras recording for our own protection, crime prevention via the closed circuit television. However, what if we think of it in a different light, one where the vantage point is not high on a lamppost but in amongst the the action? - with the decision of the photographer influencing its perspective and composition. Does this then give it more meaning? Does this then mean its more of an art form?

Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, two photographers from West Belfast, Northern Ireland documented the cities troubled past away from the main violence and heavy media attention the political problems caused. The images are mostly of people ducking for cover or vandalising places seen as the opposition. They seem to have a genuine feel to them, as if the photographers want to "expose" Belfast for the city it was. Almost circular windows to view the scenes playing out before us.

What caught my eye with these images rather than the other articles i found was the different format. To me the circular images seem suited to the information within as it adds the "looking from afar" - as if through a telescope effect. Also Chanarin talks about how easy it is to create a 'bad' archive of images, giving commentary about how the circular images help collate the works into a single piece.

Finally, and arguably most importantly I believe there are two sides to these images, they raise the much debated question "how far does the photographer influence an image of an event?" The naive side of me wants to believe that these two photographers want to show Belfast for how it was, broken but not shattered. The other part sees that these "snapshot" style photos are deceiving in their appearance and do not really reflect an unbiased, surveyed world.

Article from - Source Magazine. issue 65 - winter 2010/11. Pages 43-49.

Photography as a Surveillance Device- book stock.

Photography as a Surveillance Device: Web

Harry Callahan, Atlanta, 1984
Voyeurism, Surveillance and The Camera
Tate Modern: Exposed

Quote

Exposed is an exhibition with a collection of photographs showing how different artist have portrayed the subject of surveillance and voyeurism. Voyeurism, even tho linked to surveillance, is an unacknowledged aspect within the bigger topic of photography. The exhibition brings up many peoples' views on surveillance as well as show casing some intresting but sometimes off putting images. Surveillance has become a big topic recently through the years, with the 'Big Brother' theory, yet this way of photographing has been around since the invention of the hand held cameras. Artists such as Harry Callahan feature in the exhibition with works varying on the scale of intruding on the varied subjects lives. His work Untitled was shown in the exhibition, this work shows a more sutle form of surveillance with the image being shot from a camera maybe held at the hip, hence the angle and subject in the shot. The high concrast in the image draws you in to the image.

"I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and felt that their individual feelings were worth expressing. To me, that makes photography more exciting."
Harry Callahan

This quote for me best puts his view across for this work and also relates to the image. Other images from the exhibition were totally different from Callahan's work yet relate so well in the subject and the greater meanings behind the images.

Alison Jackson, The Queen plays with her Corgies from the series Confidential, 2007

Walker Evans, (Subway Passenger, New York), 1941