Potential for an Edit
In the hope of looking at all the images from the current project so far in a slightly more organised way, I thought I’d put them all here for us. I’d really appreciate some preliminary edit advice, even if your decisions need to be based purely on aesthetics, feel really. I’ll try and order images with a similar feel together in the hope of giving them some unity at least, but it’s hard on a screen. I’ll put the couple which I feel will be getting axed at the very bottom.
After this, I think I’ll try to afford to get some prints done, and then we can attempt a physical edit soon, which’ll be much easier.
And the potentially rejected..
Right then.. Any glaring images that don’t seem to fit? Any semblance of a natural order seem to show itself?
Project Update
I am now trying to ween myself off of calling this project ‘Space Interrogation’ as I’ve grown a distaste for it. I think this may be due in part to the fact that the connotations of the lexeme ‘interrogation’ are too severe for a set of images that depict such quiet. With this in mind, I will be finally trying to rename the set in the near future.
That aside, I’d like to present this new shot for your consideration. Thoughts please?
Archway, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, February 2012
Edgar Martins – This is not a House
I went and had another look at the Edgar Martins “This is not a House” exhibition at the Wapping project yesterday. I thought I should share some of the photographs from the book seeing as it hasn’t had a mention on here yet.
Martins was commissioned, by The New York Times Magazine, to shoot a series that depicts the demise of America’s housing industry, brought about largely by the downturn of the global economy. I assume they selected Edgar Martins because they wanted something slightly different to the usual journalist or documentary style photographer. The project was actually pulled from their website after it had come to light that he had tampered with some of the images. It seems a bit strange really, a lot of his previous work has quite clearly been manipulated, and so I can’t help but wonder why they weren’t expecting it.
Anyway, I still think the work is fantastic, and the exhibition itself is possibly the best displayed exhibition I have seen. Well worth a look. The photograph below was taken on my phone so it’s not brilliant but you get the idea.
Pedestrian Bridge, Kinson, Dorset, February 2012
Space Interrogation update from this evening’s wander.
To London and Paris
I haven’t got anything specific to write about at the moment… Just sharing some photos from London in September 2011 as a result of spending a week there (in a youth hostel, much cheaper than a hotel, and more interesting), and some from a very cold/sub-zero Paris where I spent the fist weekend of February this year on a short break with my better half. I’m only sharing a few of the photos that interest me as singular images – I spent most of the time in London shooting stock and the time in Paris firmly stuck on tourist-mode snapping the things/sights I want to remember, trying not to think about photography too much for fear of driving my Charlotte nuts. Enjoy. (London first:)
Piccadilly Circus
Your friendly family phone box.
Canary Wharf and pigeons.
Paris:
Stunning building, the Louvre. Incredible.
Louis Vuitton window:
Playground, Winchester, 2009
Wandering with my Bronica – Part 2
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I can offer no attempt at context here beyond a freezing cold snowy walk and a moment which appealed to me on an aesthetic level and seemed to capture the atmosphere of that day and that place. For once the image which I saw on the focus screen actually translated how I hoped into the final image. There is something about the colour and sadness that appeals to me.. but it might just be me. I call it “dog on snowy ridge” 
Wanderings with my Bronica – Part 1
Just a few shots taken on the most freezing cold day of the year, at the seafront at Salt Dean. I love this bit of coast because it is so bleak and peaceful and the light is usually pretty beautiful.
Chris Floyd
http://chrisfloyduk.wordpress.com/
This month’s Brighton MiniClicks speaker Chris Floyd had to get a mention here for a really interesting talk and some great work. You can see loads more of his work on his website and blog (above). As a speaker he was entertaining and easy to listen to and it was really interesting to hear his perspective on his own work and just generally on being a working photographer. I’m not sure whether its reassuring or worrying that a guy who is clearing doing so well seems to share the same general self doubt/loathing that we all do, but I’m going to go for the former. He also talked about his reasons for getting in to photography (primarily to get over his shyness and have an excuse to meet interesting people and see interesting places) and the importance to him of this element of the process, which I would definitely identify with.
Also announced at the talk were a couple of interesting upcoming events, including a collaboration between miniclicks and the photobook show, which is due to be happening in London at some point. Not sure of the details as yet but there is some more info here.
All images ©Chris Floyd
A Closed Field of Forces?
Today I had the pleasure of attending a guest lecture by Sam Holden.
As well as talking about his commercial endeavours, he discussed how, in the pieces shown below, he dedicated a large amount of his personal practice to dissecting the famous Barthes quote:
“The portrait-photograph is a closed field of forces. Four image-repertoires intersect here, oppose and distort each other. In front of the lens, I am at the same time: the one I think I am, the one I want others to think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am, and the one he makes use of to exhibit his art.”
- Camera Lucida
“70 Still Frames and 5 Minutes 50 Seconds of Video”
“Focus (No. 2)”
For more of Sam’s work, check out his Vimeo page.