Part One: Origins of photographic portraiture

EXERCISE THE SQUARE MILE

If you’ve completed the assignment Square Mile from Photography 1: Expressing Your Vision, you might like to think back and reflect on what your ‘square mile’ means to you, bearing in mind what has been discussed so far about who we are and what our sense of place brings to our identity.

 This was my original submission for the square mile assignment: https://nkssite.wordpress.com/category/a1-the-square-mile-submission/

 What my square mile means to me:

This is my countryside square mile as I live between two places, the other more urban. This place is my secondary home where I spent a third of my time, but where my soul breathes best. My two centre living perhaps places me well to consider the effect of physical place/space on identity.

Two years on it’s interesting to reflect on whether the series of photos still reflect what my square mile means to me.  Yes the beauty of the coast, the hills, the village, the boast and the lush greenness that some images show still represent my love of this countryside and the outdoors. My connection to the sea, the boat club, the rowing and sailing are there in the images. These are connected to activities and are particular to my identity in this place and interestingly these would not factor in my identity when I’m living in my urban home. So it seems that location could be a part of an identity.

The “Moorings committee” and “neighbourly rubbish” images relate to the impact of the local politics here and the lack of privacy that a small community brings; this impacts on my behaviour when in this place, but doesn’t alter my identity.

 

Other images such as “fixtures” which represents playing tennis and the importance of general social arrangements is a part of my identity wherever I am based.

The images “Boundaries” and “Secret places” are represented by physical places in this location but are themes that are central to my identity where ever I am.

 

So in summary, for me my sense of place and location obviously does affect my identity to a degree and my behaviour to a greater degree, but the core of my identity is central to me where ever I am. I guess the physical place is the more temporary and transitory part of my identity and the mental place affects my identity, or feeds it, but is carried with me when I’m in another place.