Who is the practitioner (what is their name?) and when were they practising?
The practitioner is Margaret Bourke-White, who was a prolific photographer between the 1930s and 60s, most known for being the first credited female photographer to cover World War II combat zones (Ronk, L & Waxman, OB 2016).
What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse (can you provide a link?)
Gandhi using his spinning wheel at home.
With the photo or video you are examining when was it produced (date)?
This image was taken in 1946.
How was the photo or video authored?
It’s cited that she used various cameras to capture her photos (Camera-wiki.org 2018), but I can’t even begin to understand the difference between the lenses and mm that she has used.
It’s noted in this article that Bourke-White was told not to speak to Gandhi as it was his day of silence, and that she wasn’t allowed to use artificial lighting. Despite this, she had asked to use three flashbulbs as the room was too dark for her images (International Photography Hall of Fame 2018). Ben Cosgrove, through his 2014 article about the story behind these series of images, states that Bourke-White had taken numerous photos during the time she spent in India (Cosgrove 2014). This biography clarifies that she spent two years in India (International Photography Hall of Fame 2018).
How was the photo or video published?
The image was printed using the gelatin silver print, which is mostly used for black and white images and printing paper. To me, this makes sense—not the process, because I’ve never heard of the gelatin silver print until now—but the fact that the image is printed in black and white as it is suitable for the era that the image was published in.
How was the photo or video distributed?
The image was published to LIFE magazine multiple times, first as part of an article on Gandhi, and later as a tribute after his assassination. The first article was about Gandhi’s stance on natural cures of sicknesses, which was published a few months after the image was taken. LIFE often publishes writings about prolific people, and the article and accompanying image of Gandhi are tied to their style.
In regards to how this photo is distributed now, it’s readily available online through a quick Google search. Time.com provides a gallery of this series of work, and there are various re-uploads through non-official sites that can be found by switching to Google images.
‘[P]hotography does not merely represent life but also participates in its active cutting and shaping’ (Zylinska 2016, p. 11). Bourke-White’s images can be seen as a representation of life, as she was a photojournalist that documented various iconic moments and individuals. Her works can be seen as a way of shaping different thoughts on people and events.
References
Camera-wiki.org 2018, Margaret Bourke-White, Camera-wiki.org, viewed 21 August 2018, <http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Margaret_Bourke-White>
Cosgrove, B 2014, Gandhi and His Spinning Wheel: The Story Behind a Famous Photo, Time.com, viewed 21 August 2018, <http://time.com/3639043/gandhi-and-his-spinning-wheel-the-story-behind-an-iconic-photo/>
International Photography Hall of Fame, Margaret Bourke, International Photography Hall of Fame, viewed 21 August 2018, <http://iphf.org/inductees/margaret-bourke/>
Ronk, L & Waxman OB 2016, LIFE Photography Margaret Bourke-White and Her Cameras, Time.com, viewed 21 August 2018, <http://time.com/4355162/margaret-bourke-white-cameras/>
Zylinska, J 2016, ‘Photomediations: An Introduction’, in J Zylinska, K Kuc (eds), Photomediations: A Reader, Open Humanities Press, pp. 7-16, <http://www.openhumanitiespress.org/books/titles/photomediations/>