Topic 3 - Authorship and Collaboration - Reflection

Topic 3: Authorship and Collaboration

Reflection

-       How have you allowed the input of others to shape your practice?

Throughout this topic I have collaborated with another member of the FASTNET cohort on Objects of Memory – ordinary possessions that have become irreplaceable. I chose this topic as I felt that there is a selection of objects in my home that have stories behind them and whilst they may not be used as much as they once were they hold a relevance to life and memory that is irreplaceable.

By letting my collaborator take the lead with the theme of this topic I have put myself in a position where I am responding to a set brief and the vision of other person which then helped shape my practice.

We also discussed approaches to the theme, which developed over time based on the images that we both produced. This led to further direction and input from my collaborator as they led and made decisions to shape the final outcome of the work.

We also shared edits of each other’s work, including the images used, position and size of the photographs, this allowed me to see an alternative perspective on my work.

-       What is your attitude to drawing on the ideas of other people, or their work?

I think it is important to draw on the ideas and practice of other practitioners, especially from a wide range of sources. Research can spark and develop new ideas and methods when creating images. I think that through studying the work of others you can improve your practice as a photographer. I feel my practice as a photographer has improved through looking at photographers like Alec Soth and Paul Graham.

When it comes to collaboration, there are multiple forms, working with others to form a project or respond to a brief can lead to interesting outcomes which, like in my experience, can alter the perspective of the participants. Collaboration can also take the form of a photographer working with a subject in order to create an image, particularly a portrait. The sitter has to participate and contribute in order for the work to be created, their input can make the difference. The same works for the collaboration between two equal sources but the power balance between photographer and subject can be different and less equal but can still influence the ideas and outcomes of the creative.

I like input from others on the development of my photographic work. Feedback can also bring different perspectives and improve research sources, particularly with regard to diversity and experimental techniques.

-       Where do you see the line between ‘collaboration’ and ‘plagiarism’?

Collaboration and plagiarism are very different. Collaboration is a process that involves parties working together in order to create an outcome with a range of different levels of participation, however there is agreed aim, strategy and use of the outcomes.

Plagiarism differs as it involves one party using the work of another person without their permission.

The lines might blur when something like documentary photography is involved. Potentially, if a subject does not have the ability or is not considered worthy to give consent for the use or publication of an image it may not be a plagiarised image but could be seen as morally unacceptable. Examples of this could be seen in early photographic examples where a photographer has explored and photographed in unexplored (by a western audience) places.

Topic 3 - Authorship and Collaboration - Presentation

This piece of collaborative work was conducted between two people. We communicated between the UK and Hong Kong which was a challenge as the time difference meant that communicating was complicated.

It was a good experience to work with another photographer, particularly in the editing and positioning of work for the project.