In his photography of the US, and what is toughly American, Robert Frank included much about the car and he was commissioned to drive across the US in his Ford and take photos along his route.
In addition, here are some images from Lisa Kereszi whose focus is cars and people in junkyards. There's clearly a Robert Frank influence - the idea of "American" really has a presence.
If I somehow pursue my idea of of images of the freeway and the idea of a space of contact/non-contact, then here's how Frank slots in: if the car is American, then it surely is unAustralian?
But what does it mean to be un Australian?
The term implies that there are fundamental characteristics shared across our society that bind us as Australians regardless of our diversity, and to be un-Australian is to challenge this. However, cultural stereotypes aside, is there a national identity that reflects the reality of our everyday lives or is it simply a myth?
Brisbane's Living Heritage Network, 2009
See here is Anja Schwarz's article: "Modes of ‘un-Australianness’ and ‘un-Germanness’: Contemporary Debates on Cultural Diversity in Germany and Australia"
Spending hours in the car on bitumen strips is not the identity of Australia promoted through the concepts of (masculine) Mateship (it's 'official' it's on the Federal Government's 'culture' portal so it must be 'real') and the Bush (as in BOTH desirable Naturalness we must protect and inhabit with our families and an unconquerable Mistress that men must master).
Back to considering the folio
So how can I show these ideas of non/contact and un/australian identity in images of freeways?
1. What content in my image might show this?
Peak traffic and tailbacks:
- Shots to the side through lanes of cars showing faces in various emotional states, and diverse ethinicities.
- Shots through the front window showing distance (or lack there of) to other objects eg car in front, line pof cars stretching away, lines of road, bridges etc
- Shots of road and unexpectedly things by the roadside that one misses at 100kph.
2. How do I construct the shot (technically and method - without being dangerous)?
All I've got about method at the moment is that tail backs might afford me the chance to take photos while the car is stationery (not that I think that gets around the need for a driver).
Technically, how do I use the camera, I don't know. I think depth of focus is important to show that non/contact aspect and also stillness which opposes the idea of the freeway in the first place as well as Australia is often portrayed as a 'young' country (when we ignore our original inhabitants) and one that is on the move - Victoria's numberplates have been 'Victoria" On the Move' since Kennet's time (although the joke for me was that, at the time, Victoria seemed to be on the move to the Gold Coast).
This is where I hope for the most help from Stuart!
3. What do I use in Photoshop to enhance the ideas I've shot?
Enhance lines - so-called Australian values are not about formal lines in terms of 'natural' bush, for instance, but they are in terms of mastery over it.
Increase/decrease depth - to show lack of contact/imagined contact, maybe to even maje some shots seem really crowded (where is the distant horizon of the wide brown land) and about to fall out upon the viewer.
Enhance colour - the (masculine) characters of Australian identity are colourful but also 'white'.
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