A Country Doctor by Eugene Smith and The Dad
Project by Briony Campbell are both examples of linear picture essays, as they
are presented in chronological order. A Country Doctor shows Smith’s account of
twenty three days in the life of Dr. Ernest Ceriani working in his country
practice, whereas Campbell’s Dad Project was produced during the last six
months of her own father’s life as he battled against a rare form of cancer.
Both essays allow us to see life through the
eyes of the caregiver; Smith’s images portray the mental and physical strain of
being the sole physician covering a four hundred square mile area. Shot for an
article in Life magazine, Ceriani is portrayed as a hero, having little time to
eat or sleep as he slips from one speciality to another of his wide and varied
profession. As Dr. Ceriani deals with pain and angst as well as the joy of a
new life, his professionalism is shown through his emotional distance from his
patients.
In Campbell’s work however, emotions run high
as the love between father and daughter form the main theme of her essay. Where
Smith created his work as a commission for a magazine, Campbell’s work came
from within as a personal piece; she eventually made the decision to use the
work towards her master’s degree in Documentary Photography. Over the six
months leading to her father’s death, she dabbled, taking simple, safe shots to
cheer herself up, gradually leading to the more open, honest and emotive images
seen closer to the end. The autobiographical approach provides a much more real
view of their journey than if it were shot by another photographer.
My personal feelings on these photo essays
are quite different, although this maybe because I found more information The
Dad Project which helped to understand Campbell’s reasons for creating the
piece. On viewing the images for A Country Doctor, I wonder about the ethics
involved in photographing the family’s grief as a man is taken, dying from
their home on a stretcher merely to promote how difficult life is for the
doctor. Although I understand that it shows the emotional difficulties a doctor
has to contend with, I feel that the article could leave the patient feeling
the more exposed. The ethical issues behind The Dad Project are highlighted by
Campbell as she discusses the lead up to her final decision to create the
essay. The focus of the essay was personal to her as it showed her view on her
father’s battle with cancer, however she was not the only person exposed in the
process. Campbell considered over how the process would affect her own grief
but also spent time deliberating over the impact on her parents. It was only
with the consent of her mum and active participation and encouragement from her
dad that she finally decided to go ahead.
Thinking literally, The Dad Project has more
of a beginning and end than Country Doctor; it shows Briony’s father’s illness
from start to finish, whereas the latter shows a small chunk of an ongoing
career.
I feel that Campbell’s words, ‘an ending
without an ending’ relate to the ongoing nature of the project. Although the
images show events ending with her dad’s death, the project has been with her
for many years after. The months after her father’s death were spent editing
the images to prepare for her master’s exhibition, an activity that although
painful, helped her to slowly come to terms with life without her father. The
process aided to keep her father in her life, maybe more so than before he was
taken ill.
Campbell’s hope as she decided to create the
project was that it would encourage conversation and openness about grief and
loss. She has had to be completely open about her own grief, as her work was
recognised and used far and wide. More than five years on, she still receives
regular recognition for her work and her hopes, along with her father’s as a
family therapist continue to be realised.
