The document discusses perspectives on the insider/outsider dichotomy in photography. It references Sontag's view that photographers try to avoid boredom by finding new ways to look at subjects, implying an outsider perspective. The document also discusses Solomon-Godeau's view that the insider/outsider dynamic relates to issues of empathy and power. Leah and Jasmine disagree with evaluating Diane Arbus' work as purely outside rather than inside. They also discuss how Ed Ruscha's documentary photos of buildings illustrate the rejection of subjectivity and style in favor of an objective outsider position.

1. INSIDE/ OUTSIDE
LEAH ALLARD & JASMINE DAWN

2. ONE. IN SONTAG’S CRITIQUE ON THE
WORK OF DIANE ARBUS, SHE STATES:
‘The photographer is always trying to colonise new experiences or find new
ways to look at familiar subjects - to fight against boredom. For boredom is just
the reverse side of fascination; both depend on being outside rather than inside
a situation and one leads to another.’
DO YOU AGREE WITH SONTAG’S
OPINION?

3. 'Photographers are always trying to find new ways
to see their subjects, to be different from everyone
else….’
During our research we discovered Arbus’ work is
labelled in an objective way… ‘outside rather than
inside’. eg ‘Man’ ‘Women’ ‘Midget.’
Leah believed that Arbus’ titles gave off the
impression that she was an outsider rather than an
insider, because they were so formal with basic
information.
Jasmine agrees photographers are always trying to
achieve new ways to portray there subjects, to be
different from everybody else. Though she doesn’t
agree that fascination leads to boredom, vice
versa…to support that, looking at Diane Arbus’
herself, you can see she has instead grown in her
style and strength while still shooting the same
subjects in her street photography.
Overall we disagreed against Sontag’s critical
opinion on the work of Diane Arbus because we felt
during research of her images that the subjects all
have different ways of reflecting the individuals
that she shoots.
Russian midget friends in a living
room on 100th street, NYC. 1963
Source: .Diane Arbus. An Aperture Monograph
(book)

4. TWO. SOLOMON-GODEAU DISCUSSES ‘ THE
PROBLEMATIC NATURE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION OF THE OTHER’ IN RELATION TO
SONTAG’S AND ROSLER’S TEXTS. THE AUTHOR STATES…
‘And although the inside/ outside dichotomy for Sontag pivots
on the possibility (or lack) of empathy and identification, and
where for Rosler it devolves on issue of power and
powerlessness, it is nonetheless significant that from either a
humanist or a left perspective, the inside/outside couple is a
central theme.

5. Research and find an image or artwork
which will enable you to illustrate and
support your own thoughts and
understanding of “the possibility (or lack)
of empathy and identification” and/or
between “the power and powerlessness.
An image could have been personal and
photographed for a reason, (insider). Or it
could have been photographed for those
outsiders that could relate, making them an
insider, and/or photographing for ‘the
possibility (or lack) of empathy and
identification’.
On the subject of power and powerlessness,
Jasmine believes it is up to the
photographer/subject to decide how the
image is viewed. The subject has the power
to let you take the image and the power to let
the viewer see how much of themselves they
want seen. For example ‘Hermaphrodite with
dog in carnival trailer’ MD 1970 taken from
Arbus’ book An Aperture monograph, I
believe the subject is in control as they hold
the power to give permission to take there
photograph. You can draw your own
conclusion on weather there being exploited
but ultimately only the photographer and
subject know, it is up to those involved to
decide who has the power and who doesn’t.
These two images connote power and powerlessness
but using the idea of rich against poor, in Leah’s
opinion. Both images represent ‘the other’ which is
both something elegant, perhaps rich, looked after;
against a rough background representing war and
damage. Rosler has present these images in very
similar ways, shown through a window.
Source: google images/Martha Rosler

6. THREE. THE AUTHOR USES ED RUSCHA’S EVERY BUILDING ON THE
SUNSET STRIP (1966) TO ILLUSTRATE HER POINT OF THE
“EVACUATION OF SUBJECTIVITY, THE REFUSAL OF PERSONALITY,
STYLE-IN SHORT, THE REJECTION OF ALL THE HALLMARKS OF
PHOTOGRAPHIC AUTHORSHIP, NO LESS THAN THE NATURE OF
SUBJECT MATTER ITSELF-THAT WOULD SEEM TO SITUATE SUCH
WORK LOGICALLY AT THE ‘OUTSIDE’ POLE OF PHOTOGRAPHIC
PRACTISE”.

7. Do you think a body of work or a photographer’s position to her/his subject/subject matter
can be considered as either subjective work/subjective approach (insider position) or
objective work/objective position (outsider position)?
Leah think‘s a body of work or a photographer’s position to her/his subject/subject matter
is considered as objective work/objective position (outsider position) because you aim for
your outcome making it YOUR objective, whereas subjective makes it an influence by
personal feelings and opinions.
What are your research findings which you will use to support or justify your opinion?
Jasmine believes Ed Ruscha’s work: Every Building on Sunset Strip to show Objectivity;
His photographs are an impersonal documentation of sunset strip. It’s a recording of the
buildings much like forensic or medical photography where it’s a record basis only.