Creating images that resonate with a wide audience, or any audience for that matter, can be like sifting for gold. The pioneers have long left the scene, and the chance of catching that glint of gold in a viewer’s eye amongst a million grains of sand, in the form of the photos we make is a hard task.
Evoking the Single Image
This image was created on Kodak Portra film, which renders colours in a beautifully subtle way: perfect for portraying the subtleties of project 4 x 4 x 4. It was a bright cloudy afternoon, and I had been walking through a suburban backstreet which I had not visited before. It was summertime, and the hum of a lawn mower carried in the air.
Oh! Messy England, Oh! Messy life.
Through observing the places I have visited, and within my day-to-day life, I can conclude that I find England to be a somewhat messy place. Messy in the way it presents itself, and messy in the minds of it’s people. I am pretty sure that messiness is not unique to England, but I do think all places, from the local to the national have certain qualities that make them recognisable or typical, in and of themselves. It is this sense of place that I want to consider, both through the familiar, and also the largely overlooked elements of the spaces we encounter.
The Colour Of Photography
Photography and Books: reference and research
This summer with lockdown, and an uncertain future ( in the short-term at least) it was photography that I turned to for support. The art world, and even people in photography’s commercial sector are notoriously hard to penetrate: from gate-keepers to 21st century ‘busy people’, securing a conversation with them is normally very hard. It turns out that they are human too, and they were feeling the loss of interaction with creative minds, and the freedom to visit shows, plan photoshoots, and arrange exhibitions and book launches for those they represent. Everyone became more accessible, offering Zoom talks from their homes, and relishing the opportunity to interact with other humans. It really was unique.
Eatwell's Explorations and Recitations - Part 1
The people I meet and the pictures we make
As well as spending time reading & researching this summer, I have also been entering a host of competitions, and have had work selected for various online exhibitions and hard-copy publications. I am especially happy to announce that I had two images shortlisted for Portrait of Britain 2020, now in it’s fourth year. The 200 short-listed images will be compiled into a book that will be published by Hoxton Mini Press, and released on 1st October. You can see all of the winning and short-listed images here.
Sound and Vision: making sense of photography
With that in mind I am going to present you with an opportunity to immerse yourself in a variety of sounds that I have collected along the way. I have attempted to maintain an awareness of the sensory nature of my travels by keeping my phone on silent and absorbing what I can through my senses. There is a sound-recording device on my kit-list which accompanies me on every shoot.
Photographic Pause: A time for reflection
I am writing this post as the whole world wrangles with what to do under the most unexpected of circumstances: that of dealing with COVID-19.
Things are changing on a daily basis, and London is edging ever closer to a full lockdown. The last two days have brought better weather and the urge to be outside, moving, and in the (distanced) company of others is magnetic.
My Great Photographic Adventure in Great Wakering (Part 1)
The lavatories on the platform were closed, so I headed to Fenchurch Street, where I would be catching the mainline train to Thorpe Bay, and made a beeline for the loo. As I awkwardly bashed my way through the connecting doors, due the size of my baggage, I was confronted by a line of four women, who were waiting to use the only functioning toilet. There were smiles and tuts, and then a conversation started about the lack of public conveniences in general.
Bus, Camera, Action
I feel very engaged with the physicality of my journey, whether that is using my body to walk or cycle, or by fully engaging in my surroundings through sight and sound. Even these blogposts are a way of working through the project, in an exploratory fashion; a place to get my thoughts out, and to open a dialogue with anyone who feels like sharing.
