Transitional Times

Transitional Times – Amanda Dait 

This project follows Shaelyn Solenske, 22, as she embarks on her last semester of college at The Pennsylvania State University.

May 2022 marks Solenske’s 8th and final semester at Penn State in which she will be leaving with a B.S. in Psychology. She currently juggles a part-time job at Wegmans and a full-time class schedule while working as a research associate as well as a lab intern. She is representative of balancing a work, school, and social life while processing emotional hardships that others belittle when they are not in the thick of it.

The goal of this project is to compel viewers to reflect on transitions they have faced and remember to be compassionate as others process their own emotions. Through this project, I was able to document Solenske as she grappled with her own changes while holding onto her relationships and life as a college student.

This project’s purpose is to serve as a connection between people that are in a transitional phase of their lives – whether that be from college to the professional world, a move to a new city, learning to live without a person that was a driving force in their life, and much more. The hope behind this project is to show the range of emotions people experience going through transitions as well as the process of keeping up with mundane and exciting experiences that accompany change. I want the audience to feel as though they are accepted and heard and to recognize that everyone processes change in their own way, but there are overlaps.

Emotions are raw and some experiences are universal, but you are not in this alone. You are understood and your feelings deserve to be felt. 

PANDEMIC INTERVIEWS
THROUGH THE GOOD TIMES…
AND THE BAD.
TO THE BAR
ENDING AN ERA

Saul Leiter

Images from saulleiterfoundation.org.

Leiter’s career began with an interest in painting until he made friends with Richard Pousette-Dart who was at the time experimenting with photography. He befriended renowned photographer W. Eugene Smith and went on to have a fantastic career with work placed in the Museum or Modern Art and other fine establishments.

Leiter’s work has mainly focused on street photography, but the way that he constructs each shot varies. He makes use of reflections, partial coverings of subject matter, and differing angles to best portray the matter in the way that he sees them. His work can be viewed as commentary on how different perspectives can tell a different story – much like how different people live different lives.

He used mainly windows and mirrors but through these reflections, could portray a partial look at his subject, leaving room for the brain to fill in how it would perceive the individual(s) as a whole.

Leiter’s street photography shows that his subjects are not staged in any way, they are simply getting from point A to point B, minding their own business as they progress through life. There’s a beauty behind the simplicity of street photography that Leiter perfectly encapsulates. The subject is typically not fully in focus or in full detail which, as previously mentioned, allows the viewer to make assumptions for what the full image would look like. I view this as a comment on how we never know the full story of someone’s life unless we get to know them, but our minds find a way to fill in the blanks (typically with bias and judgement).

The biggest takeaway from Leiter’s work is that viewing a person in pieces is more telling than viewing them as a whole. It’s the components that add up to the whole that contribute to the complexities of someone’s life.

Lynsey Addario

Images from @lynseyaddario on Instagram and www.lynseyaddario.com.

Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist that has a history of working with The New York Times, National Geographic, and Time Magazine. She has spanned every major humanitarian crisis of her career such as natural disasters with the California wildfires, to the Iraq War, to COVID in the UK and presently, the war in Ukraine.

Addario’s project focused above is her current work with the war in Ukraine. Her work is impactful for so many reasons. The subject matter. The innocent lives lost. The homes destroyed. The fact that, no, these are not scenes from WWII, but rather from 2022. Scenes from Ukraine in shambles – yet somehow resilient – at the hands of a destructive Russia.

She sets the scene with this project, displaying buildings destroyed, homes ransacked, streets littered with suitcases, debris, and shrapnel – littered with bodies. Addario’s work demands attention. It is calling attention to a humanitarian crisis that many people cannot even begin to fathom. Work such as this is essential to spark change and outreach. In my PR class we learned of “selling war” to the public. Though the hope for the conflict in Ukraine is to end the war, not spark more revolution, Addario’s work is certainly selling the idea of intervention and/or assistance. Powerful imagery has the ability to incite change and these images are doing just that.

I have never witnessed such atrocities besides what is shown to me by the media so with Addario’s skill and ability to broadcast major events on a large and accessible scale, she is allowing people like me that want to get involved an inside look at things that are not in plain view.

Her images frame people in crisis persevering, breaking down, and supporting one another as day after day, their homes are ruined. It is a call to action for governments, citizens, and world powers to intervene, show compassion for their fellow humans, and provide solace for people going through unimaginable circumstances.

On a final note, the strength through pain is evident through the faces portrayed in Addario’s work. Despite this pain, in the trenches facing evil and destruction, Ukraine still stands.

Robert Doisneau

Images from robert-doisneau.com.

Robert Doisneau was a coming-of-age photographer when WWII broke out, putting his photographs on a secret backburner. His daughters discovered 450,000 negatives after his passing and have worked to preserve his legacy and keen eye for a perfect shot to tell the story of a man living in Paris during and following the war to show that even in times of war, little delicacies of life can be cherished and shine some light.

One may argue that anything can and will turn into historic photography, which is certainly true because even photographs prior to a major historic event help to set the scene for life “back then” but major history seems to convey an importance in resilience, pain and emotion portrayed through photographs. Doisneau’s work in the photographs and project above show his focus on children.

As previously mentioned, Doisneau worked and lived through WWII in Paris. Though he was forced into other career work to provide a steady living for him and his family, Doisneau had an eye for “the moment” and was able to capture said moment in time to provide context to what life was like following the war. These photographs are especially compelling because of the innocence that the children have to offer. They seem completely unaware of the fact that they were just at the center of a world stage in a world war – they simply continue going about their lives. They are seen playing, attending school, and walking the streets of their hometowns, interacting with one another without care because they have not been disrupted by the burdens of adulthood.

This is an important thing to remember, that childhood should be cherished, because we are often in the mindset of “I can’t wait for this or that” and are focused on the next thing rather than practicing mindfulness and being in the present moment. Doisneau’s collection focusing on children post war brings this thought to a forefront. He forces viewers to realize that there is something innate in humanity that causes kids to block out certain pain and tap into the playful experiences that accompany a life without responsibilities.

Looking back on this work from the past, whether it be as individuals fresh to adulthood or as adults with children or grandchildren, it’s important to realize the opportunity to be present and appreciate the stage of life we are currently in. Adults are viewed as these all-knowing individuals, but there’s a beauty in learning from children. They view the world in black and white (while also somehow viewing it in color) and take life at a moment-by-moment basis – slowing things down to appreciate each breath, each experience, each friendship as its contribution to the greater life they are bound to live.

Afrikaner Blood

By Ilvy Njiokiktjien and Elles van Gelder

This multimedia video documentary follows a group of young boys that are training to “defend their culture” in post-apartheid South Africa. The main focus follows the mental barriers and the comparison of these boys’ spirits and attitudes when they enter camp, are being “trained” in camp, and are finishing said training.

The military officers breaking the spirits of these boys do not view what they are saying as racism, rather, they label it as addressing the truth. They have become brainwashed to believe that white Africans are superior to black Africans because of biological factors that make brains of white individuals larger than that of blacks. Due to this supposed difference in brain mass, blacks are labeled as an inferior and dangerous group of people that will allegedly break into homes and harass other individuals.

In a powerful 8 minutes, the documentary shows these young boys entering camp, believing in diversity among others and being proud to live in a country that accepts differences, and then attending lectures that have a soul purpose of changing their attitudes “in just one hour”. By the end of camp, the officers hope to establish white supremacy with the cover of allowing these boys to play, while actually training them for war and showing them “the correct way” of bringing pride to their families.

The images and videos that the photographer chose to incorporate cover a wide variety of subjects and individuals to capture the duality of multiple young men interacting with an environment of training that they have never experienced before. The documentary splices together audio clips from interviews where these young men reference their appearances – calloused hands, dirty bodies from crawling in the dirt, etc. – to images that depict these descriptions. There are also instances in which these future soldiers show their vulnerable and childish sides, because they are just that, children. Advancing this concept, multiple interviews had a focus on a single boy as he cried about not being cut out for this lifestyle but wanting to bring pride to his father.

Other images and videos include the boys running through tall grass, carrying logs as if they were rifles, and dropping to the ground in case of active fire. When there were images, they would either be accompanied by environmental sounds (such as gunfire, trucks driving through coarse terrain or orders to pick up the pace being shouted by officers) or they would be compiled with interview audio clips from officers explaining the intentions of the camp or their views on “inevitable racism”.

The photographer documented and pieced together the story but the ones that experienced it – the officers, the young boys that had their childhoods and spirits taken from them, the families that are not pictured but have sent off their sons to a never-ending battle ground – are the ones that are conveying the truth of a life we as Americans will hopefully never experience.

Steve McCurry

Images from stevemccurry.com.

Steve McCurry is a photographer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a graduate of Penn State University. McCurry’s images tap into worldly cultures and transmit the message and impact of societies that out-groups will never experience firsthand, but only can witness and sympathize with. He began his career with a newspaper prior to moving on to travel work with multiple trips to India and other countries to document life, climate and culture there.

As previously mentioned, McCurry’s work has spanned many topics with people and cultures at the focal point. The project that is shown above is entitled “Monsoons” and involves images from India, Australia, Indonesia and other countries that have suffered the impacts of climate change. This is why McCurry’s projects are important for social consumption. People try to ignore the impacts of climate change, especially when they do not experience its effects firsthand. Despite this, climate change is very real, and it is far-reaching in impact – it therefore deserves to be documented to play its role in history and in informing the public of today.

The images included above as well as the other images in this project show context of weather and environment by depicting the storm and the aftermath on the land as well as the impact on civilians as they seek shelter, wade through water, and attempt to continue on with daily life.

In viewing these images, we are made aware of the humanitarian crisis that is occurring in other countries. The images offer an ability to reflect on the privileged and sheltered life that populations experience in the United States. They also convey a compelling urge to help. That is what powerful work such as McCurry’s is able to do. With a good photo narrative, the photographer can incite change. It is not just about informing the public; it is about making them feel something that urges them to make a difference. I feel fortunate for the life that I live, and I recognize that I will likely never face the same challenges that these people face. I am also made aware of the unequal distribution that occurs with climate change and how though big world powers such as the United States will be impacted with storms and whatnot, we will never suffer the same insufficient preparations and reparations that other countries face.

Blake Fitch

More projects and images at blakefitchphotos.com.

Blake Fitch’s project Dress Rehearsal comments on how tapping into femininity is not a weakness – it is a personal choice and can allow younger generations to recognize and appreciate their feminine side. Fitch’s explanation lands in that dressing up allows these young girls to pursue women they look up to and idolize in order to feel strength and individuality.

The importance of this project is linked to the idea that these girls will grow up and will likely be told by society that being a girl is a weakness, that believing in the power of princesses makes them inferior in some way, which is a ridiculous notion because the power of the female is incredible. Women bring life into this world, are caretakers for those around them and take on the world with grace and strength. To view this project as an opportunity to recognize the childlike admiration of the strength in women and how this is something that deserves to carry through for the rest of our lives is a privilege.

Tapping into your feminine energy is a strength because it proves you are strong enough to be vulnerable and caring in an otherwise cold world. This work by Fitch allows young girls to act the way they see their admired princesses and not feel sorry about that. The hope within the project is that as the models get older, they will feel comfortable enough to look back on this part of their lives and feel the strength of their inner femininity and that as outsiders and grown women reflect on Fitch’s work, women can view it and remember what it was like to not be embarrassed by being female and instead, once again practice the unapologetic nature of being a girl.

Pete Muller

Images from petemullerphotography.com

Pete Muller started his career with an interest in stories – studying history and switching over to documentary photography in 2005. He has spanned interests in topics ranging from war to social movements to sexuality.

The project of interest focused in the pictures above was Muller’s work in documenting Ebola in Sierra Leone. This project contains compelling images for any onlooker – even if one does not realize the story behind them. Muller has a way of being in the right place at the right time, and his photographs seem to transport the viewer to the action. They seem as though you can reach out and interact with the subjects, or that you’re experiencing their hardships firsthand.

The topic of an epidemic, and one that was as impactful as the Ebola outbreak, is a piece of history that deserves to be documented – if not for honoring the lives lost, then for remembering just how far reaching and deeply entrenched trauma can be.

Muller does not shy away from uncomfortability because he acknowledges the need to document experiences that not every individual will have in order to incite change in others. His work elicits a call to action from those that are capable of contributing to alleviating the pain of those suffering. His ability to get close and personal with his subjects displays a respect to them, their experiences and their current situation in order to best portray a heavy topic.

Being able to witness photographs as powerful and compelling as what Muller did with this series is a blessing. It allows viewers to be transported to a place they would otherwise never find themselves and to be moved by issues they would otherwise never face.

Where I Don’t Belong or Seldom Ever Go

Images by AMANDA DAIT

Webster’s gives off what most would consider stereotypical coffee shop vibes. Every person within seemed very comfortable and at peace with who they are as individuals but also kept to themselves – most were sipping on fancy lattes or perusing records. Webster’s also has a small scale thrifting storefront that offers a place for local venders to sell accessories and second-hand clothing.

The goal of this series was to photograph a place where I don’t belong. A coffee shop may seem like a strange place to choose but Webster’s has a rather strict no photographing policy (unless you receive consent). Webster’s wishes to make all their patrons feel at ease and to offer them a safe haven to be who they are – a main part of that is eliminating the fear of judgement that can accompany a person with a camera.

Something I can confidently say is that though I entered as an outsider, Webster’s certainly meets its goal of attempting to welcome all. Their employees truly care about the identities of their customers and work to create a calming ambiance for all within.

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