How We Are: Photographing Britain

[alef]

Considering there's close to 8000 photos in that pool, the two people that got two in the the final 40 must be pretty pleased with themselves!

Assuming each person entered four, then if chosen randomly from the pool there's only a 30% chance of each of the 40 being from a different photographer.
3*1/7845+3*2/7844+ ... + 3*39/7807 = 0.299

A similar problem is that with a randomly chosen 20 people there's more than a 50% chance of two having the same birthday. Probability can be counter-intuitive.
</maths teacher>

Ofcourse the judges could have paid attention and made sure there were 40 unique photographers, but I kind of like that they judged on the images alone even if I do disagree strongly with a few of them.

 

[Paul Russell]

Right! Thanks Alef. I was just wondering who was going to spot that first

[/captain mainwaring]

Assuming each person entered four, then if chosen randomly from the pool there's only a 30% chance of each of the 40 being from a different photographer.
3*1/7845+3*2/7844+ ... + 3*39/7807 = 0.299

A similar problem is that with a randomly chosen 20 people there's more than a 50% chance of two having the same birthday. Probability can be counter-intuitive.

 

[Paul Russell]

I like that shortlist too.

But Jackiey...?

There's no escape from third-rate "celebrities" – which is indeed how we are now, sadly.

As that is a photo of a TV screen, does the Flickr poster even own the copyright?

Wouldn't that be Channel 4?

 

[alef]

As that is a photo of a TV screen, does the Flickr poster even own the copyright?

Wouldn't that be Channel 4?

That's an excellent point. I kind of like the photo, though suspect the main reason for including it was a sort of alternative take on the theme of portrait. It does have that "duh, my gran can do better than that" quality though.

 

[Paul Russell]

Ahh, it's a knowing nod to Warhol's Jackie K screenprints.

Makes it art, dunnit:

"This photo is one of around a thousand I took of my old black and white television set. Television has of course changed British society irrevocably, but this image has a CCTV quality, I think. Big brother is a kind of reenactment of contemporary life under CCTV, especially now that the general public are celebrities. Reality and its representation have become confused. In England there is one CCTV camera for every 14 people and our lives are recorded around the clock. However, I hoped the image would have an iconic quality (the title refers to Warhol's Jackie Kennedy screenprints). She looks like a contemporary Marilyn, but an anxious and rather fleeting one, perhaps a little bewildered too."

 

[alef]

I noticed that many of those selected had some text alongside them. Perhaps I'll try to knock together a few words for future competition entries. Often good to give more context and explanation to things. Though can be a slippery slope to pseud's corner...