Exhibition by Devon photographer James Ravilious

The RAMM (Royal Albert Memorial Museum is holding an exhibition by the renown Devon photographer James Ravilious from 19 May to 29 July 2012. His pictures reveal real life as it was being lived in the late 20th century rural England when the country traditions that have been handed down for hundreds of years were still part of everyday existence.

This exhibition features a new selection of photographs, taken by Ravilious during the 1970s and 1980s. Selected from the 70,000 Ravilious images in the Beaford Archive, www.beafordarchive.org.uk, familiar photographs will share space with others rarely seen before. The result is the most intensive record of any rural area in England. James' pictures are composed with the eye of an artist and above all, they show his affection and admiration for the people whose lives he recorded.

I am really looking forward to viewing this exhibition when it opens and will review it when I have.

Fossil Festival 2012

I find it constantly amazing that I actually live in a town which has such a thriving arts community and that it has so many different arms to it.  Since moving here in late 2009 I have watched the local communities in and around Lyme put on so many arts and crafts exhibitions and shows that I feel privileged to have the opportunities to look at and study such a wide range of mediums and styles. 

Lyme Regis is taking part in the Jurassic Coast Earth Festival which runs from early May until late September throughout the county of Dorset.  This weekend there have been activities for adults and children on the local beach and walks along the coastal path.  

 There was also an exhibition, at a local venue, called Deep Time with material from four artists involved in the Jurassic Journey project including an extensive collection of sculptures by Lal Hitchcock, photographic images by Ben Osborne, slate panels inscribed with Matt Harvey's poems and a soundscape by Sammy Hurden.  Lal's characters "Tilly and Cliff" will be there in person, complete with deckchairs and a beach.

Ben Osborne's distinctive cliff phorography

Lal Hitchcock has spent her time recently walking the beaches of Dorset collecting detritus and debris on the shore line to make her distinctive sculptures.  She uses the bits and pieces that she finds to create the most interesting and creative works.  Her sculpture, Nefertiti has the centre piece of an old bicycle saddle whilst her other large pieces use all that rubbish that is left on the beach or washed overboard at sea.

'Nefertiti'

 Her imagination runs riot with the pieces of abandoned rubbish and gave much pleasure to those many people who visited the exhibition during its 4-day stay in Lyme.

Motivation or Fear

http://oca-student.com/node/82794

I've been following this thread in the OCA Coffee Shop student forum and can genuinely relate to it.  Sometimes it takes hard pressure internally to move on with the exercises and reach the assignment stage of a module.  I truly believe the old saying that 'procrastination is the thief of time' and that the internet also leads you away from what you really want to do.
But the main thing that keeps holding me back is the fear that what I do isn't good enough.  I look around, especially as I live in a very 'arty' town, and see great pieces of work and wonder how the artist came up with the original idea and developed it on.  I see my fellow camera enthusiasts produce pictures which I would give my right arm to have taken and my confidence drops another notch. 

I have a new tutor for the Photography DPP level 1 module and he seems  very knowledgeable but I find it quite hard to feel confident when I send my assignments off to him.  By the time I finished People & Place in the Photography module, I had gained enough confidence in my tutor that he wouldn't trash it but consider the whole assignment and give constructive criticism.  I was happy that I could accept what he said and move on.  With a new tutor, who I haven't got the true measure of, I am very nervous to post off my work, albeit now in an electronic format which saves a lot in postage and insurance.  I await my return email with its attached report nervously, yet when it's delivered into my Inbox, my work is generally praised so why did I worry?

It's all down to confidence, which ebbs and flows like the tide.  In my lifetime I have found that as I become more confident, life has a bad habit of knocking me back.  So I pick myself up, dust myself down (as the song goes) and start all over again.  I think the main message of this post is to keep on trying, you can only get better, eventually.

Victoria and Albert – A passion for photography

Royal Albert Memorial Museum Lunchtime Lecture, 21 March 2012

Sophie Gordon, senior curator of photographs at the Royal Collection 'explored how the royal family formed a bond with pioneering British photographers, commissioning and collecting work that survives today in Windsor Castle' quote from the RAMM booklet. Sophia indicated that in the royal collection there were over 450,000 negatives slides and prints from 1842 to the present day.

This hour long talk was a real gem. After the previous two lunchtime lectures that I had attended which had proved to be so disappointing Sophie Gordon was a breath of fresh air. Her whole demeanour was that of a person who enjoyed her work and it came across in her talk. No notes, no hesitation, she talked spontaneously about the images that she projected on the screen and brought them so vividly to life, even including the ones that showed Prince Albert and Queen Victoria on their death beds (separately, of course).

Whilst Queen Victoria liked to collect early private family pictures and portraits of the royal family, Prince Albert focussed his interests on scientific and fine art pictures. The first known image in the collection was one of Prince Albert as a daguerreotype image. The disadvantage of these was that there was only ever one image and it was impossible to copy or duplicate it. Queen Victoria amassed over 20,000 images, negatives and boxes of glass slides, and items are still being unearthed in the cellars of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle where Sophie Gordon is based.

After the disappointing previous talks, this was a real gem and I was glad that I made the effort to attend. Well done RAMM for engaging this excellent speaker who knew her subject thoroughly and who was able to put over her enthusiasm for her subject. Hopefully RAMM will continue the theme of Victorian photography in their next series of lunchtime lectures when the new programme is released shortly.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted on this blog, but things have been a bit quiet in the town recently. One thing that I have done is visit the Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) to listen to a couple of lunchtime lectures.

The first one was on Modernism and given by Dr Carol Brand who would 'focus on the exhibitions, art critics, debates and events in the art world as more avant-garde forms of modernism emerged around 1910 in England', quoted from the RAMM catalogue. The reason I wanted to listen to this hour long lecture was to try to gain an insight into modernism, post-modernism and onward in the art world as I felt that I was sadly lacking in this area.

I went with my friend who had studied the history of art whilst studying on an Access to Education course and we both felt that this short lecture fell well short of an attention grabbing talk. We were both, independently of each other, disappointed that the lecturer read for the whole of the 50 minutes from her notes in a fairly flat monotone. It wasn't until the last 10 minutes, when Carol answered questions from the audience, that she spoke spontaneously and, for me, this was the only highlight of a dull lunchtime.

The second lecture was by Professor John Plunkett from the University of Exeter who would explore Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's interest in photography as collectors. This lecture would also 'show them as subjects of the photography industry which was fast becoming a commercial and popular media for disseminating the images of distinguished people and celebrities'.

John introduced his lunch-time lecture by saying that it would be in 2 parts, that of the way that royalty had used the media to show themselves and parts of their photographic images which they had collected. The disappointment was that he ran out of time to show any pictures that Victoria and Albert had collected but once again the whole session was spoiled by the delivery. This eminent professor, who should have known his subject inside out, read his notes for 80% of the time he spoke. He was quite able to talk 'outside the box' as the saying goes and when he did he was enthusiastic and interesting but all the while, when he read his notes, it come over in a monotone and flat tone.

There is a final lunchtime lecture on Wednesday, March 21st, and I am looking forward to this as its entitled 'Victoria and Albert, a passion for photography. Sophie Gordon, senior curator of Photographs at the Royal Collection, will explore how the royal family formed a bond with pioneering British photographers including Roger Fenton and Francis Bedford, commissioning and collecting work that survives today in Windsor Castle -direct quote from the RAMM programme booklet. I have my fingers crossed for a lively and stimulating debate, hope I'm not disappointed. Watch this space.

Photographs not taken

I've been following a recent thread in the OCA Photography, Film & Digital Media forum entitled 'Photographs Not Taken: what makes a photographer freeze?' This links up with The Guardian website which ran an article on the subject and gave several instances when a photographer missed the opportunity to take a stunning image or wouldn’t take it on ethical grounds.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/mar/15/photographs-not-taken-photographer-freeze

I've been photographing for 25+ years now and the one area I find difficult to photograph is when people are distressed in any way. Years ago I was photographing a company football match and one player ended up with a badly broken leg. The ambulance was called and whilst we waited its arrival, my colleague tried to goad me into taking a picture of this poor man in agony. It was something I couldn't and wouldn't do and the moment passed. I'm still glad that I didn't record this man's suffering. What does it make me, an idiot for missing the opportunity or a better person for having passed it up?

Woodroffe School Exhibition

There's one good thing about living in an 'arty' town, there are always lots of exhibitions and shows going on.  The latest one is a show from the local comprehensive school, Woodroffe with an excellent rating from Ofsted, who have put on a display of work from their Years 9, 10 and 11.

I went to view the art and exhibits and was truly amazed, as I usually am, with the bredth and depth of work from students of this age group.  Their ideas and imagination seem to explode in all directions and they create the most exciting work.  I would like to photograph of some of it to display here, it's not only photographs, drawings and paintings but sculptures and mobiles, but not sure it would be allowed.  The show is on for another week and I want to go back this coming weekend to view again such interesting work.

A snapshot view of some of the work

28.1.2012: I went back to this exhibition this afternoon and was struck again at how teenage students can be so uninhibited with their imagination and use of colour.  This is an excellent choice of work and should be visited again to gain a greater insight into the students' work. Well done the students of the Woodroffe School!

Book: The Genius of Photography - Gerry Badger

An excellent book, both visually and written, superb guide through the history of photography, a must for anyone interested in photography! This book is an excellent guide to the culture of photography, examining various significant photographers, mostly  from the 20th century. There could be more actual photographs but the text is well written, making interesting links between various movements and styles.

It tends to jump around a bit but is a good introduction to many previously little known photographers and I was sorry when I had finished reading it as I would have liked more of the same! It's full of wonderful images and interesting information. Perfect for anyone keen to develop their skills and perspective of capturing just the right image.

Book - The essential color manual for photographers, Chris Rutter

“The Essential Colour Manual for Photographers" is a comprehensive guide to the technical, practical, and inspirational aspects of colour photography. Whether you are just beginning your journey into the world of photography, or an experienced photographer wishing to hone your skills, you will find plenty to inspire and instruct you throughout.

I read a recommendation for the above book on colour management and managed to eventually get hold of a copy. It seems to be a book that you dip in and out of rather than start at the beginning and work your way through. It covers just about every aspect of colour management - colour theory, calibrating hardware, dealing with different/mixed light sources, seasonal variations in natural light and post-processing techniques. As I work through the level 1 Digital Photographic Practice module I feel I need to gain a greater understanding of colour ,much more than I know at the moment. This book seems to be highly recommended so let's hope it gives me the insights I need to produce realistic images.

The link below takes you to Amazon and give a better review of this most useful book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Colour-Manual-Photographers/dp/2940378118/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1325429487&sr=8-3

OCA Forum Discussion: Post modernisation

I've been trying to follow ac OCA coffee shop forum thread on what followed after post-modernisation, what did it involve and what was it called?  The latest name that students and tutors came up with was post post modernisation.

The thread went on so long that I had to copy it and paste it into a word processing document which, even when I removed the pictures and other extraneous material, went on for about 15 pages.  I'm still ploughing through it.  If you want to follow the actual thread you can follow the link here if you are an OCA student.


http://oca-student.com/node/69596

this whole subject is one that I feel I have missed out on and am trying to 'as it were' trying to catch up.  I was looking through the information booklet for the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter which my best friend Jane had picked up for me when she visited the museum soon after it reopened earlier this month.

In the lunchtime lectures there is one in February on the 'emergence of modernism'.  This, I think, would be a good start in my quest for enlightenment on this subject.  I've also noticed that there is a lunchtime lecture on Photography and the Royal Family and one on Victoria and Albert - A passion for photography in March.  As I now only live 30 miles from Exeter, in Lyme Regis, this is my best chance to see national and international exhibitions.

Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum reopened

On 15 December Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum reopened to the public after a multi-million pound refurbishment with the galleries, facilities and services that are expected of a modern museum.

With displays, loans and exhibitions from national partners, visitors can experience the splendour of the original Victorian spaces, see newly-revealed architectural features and enjoy panoramic views of the city from the Roman Wall.

The displays take visitors on a voyage of discovery from pre-history to the present day and from Exeter all around the world. They aim to do more than re-present the collections, they intend to stimulate thoughts and ideas, seek opinions and contributions, start conversations and encourage debate, making the Royal Albert Memorial Museum home to a million thoughts.

This truly exciting refurbishment has opened with exhibitions on French and British paininting from Impressionism to the early 1920s and a photographic collection by Fenton & Cameron of early British photographs from the Royal Collection.  What is interesting is the series of lunchtime lectures on these photographic collections given by Professor John Plunkett from the University of Exeter who will explore Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's interest in photography as collectors and Sophie Gordon, Senior Curator of Photographs at the Royal Collection who will explore how the royal family formed a bond with pioneering British Photographers commissioning and collecting work that survives today in Windsor Castle.  Entrance to the museum itself is free but these ticketed lectures are only £4 full price and student discount drops the price to £3.50.  Full details can be found on the RAMM website www.rammuseum.org.uk/

Lyme Regis ArtsFest 2011

What a treat there was in Lyme and its surrounding area over the past 10 days, a surfeit of arts, crafts, exhibitions and workshops. There are over 60 ArtsFest artists who showcase their work in collaboration with local businesses. These include an exhibition of children's art, painting, poetry, drumming and dance workshops, interactive drawing at the museum, busking by young musicians and a Big Draw event at the Aquarium on the Cobb.

The whole festival included two major group exhibitions at the Town Mill Galleries and the Baptist Church Hall, open studios where you could meet artists in their environments and view their work and an art trail around the town where artists' work was on show in shops, cafes, pubs and other businesses.

A tremendous amount of work went into the organisation of the whole event which has been an important date in the town diary for the last eight years. What was so great about it was that even if you didn't want to take part in the workshops or found visiting an artist's studio on your own a bit daunting, you could just walk up and down the main shopping streets and take in a wide variety of artistic and photographic work. The Art Trail enabled artists to place their featured work in local shop windows which gave them access to an audience which might not normally go to an exhibition. It was truly amazing, and it all happens again next year, wow!

http://lymeregisartsfest.com/

Bending Space - photography of Georges Rousse

I came upon this website by chance and was totally blown away. Firstly I thought it was my eye sight giving me trouble and that I might need new glasses but, when I looked and read about Georges and his projects, I realised how amazing his work was.  His vision is something I know that I lack but to see it in others is pure pleasure. I can take an idea and go further but to have the original idea is the thing that I struggle with.

His works are photographs of paintings done on buildings which are made to look like overlays of colour. From the single point perspective of rousse’s camera, his paintings are made to appear 2-dimensional, in reality you would see that the paintings are strategically done in 3 dimensions.

This illusion is what makes rousse’s work so intriguing. his ‘durham’ project was the subject of the documentary ‘Bending Space’, a fitting title to describe Rousse’s work.

http://www.georgesrousse.com/english/reception.html

End of the Summer

Well summer is virtually over, September 1st has arrived and I can't believe that the events I was part of with my local photographic society have been and gone. It hardly seems any time at all that our main summer period with a pub quiz and summer exhibition is over.

My society is always short of funds so, rather than lie down and die, I got together with some of the other members and organised a fund raiser to support the club's summer exhibition. Whilst the £150+ profit might not seem great to some clubs, it was a shot in the arm for my society. This enabled the members to put on an exhibition in the town centre, albeit off the main street, without worrying that it would drive the club into extinction.

All in all, visitor numbers weren't great, but the main object was to get publicity to increase membership and our press officer, Jane, did a magnificent job getting small items in the local press both before and, larger items with pictures, after.

Our new season starts on September 23rd with the AGM and showing of pictures taken on our summer outing and ramble, so it will be interesting to see if we get any new members along.

The link to our society website is:
http://lymebayphotographicclub.org/club-news/ - have a look and see what you think.

Male Domination in Photography

This has been a subject that I have been watching in Flickr recently and it's interesting to read the different points of view from both male and female photographers.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ocarts/discuss/72157624647324931/

I was a commercial photographer at Heathrow Airport in the late 1980s/90s when there weren't too many photographers around and the work was spread around quite nicely, thank you. I worked for several airlines around the airport doing mainly 'grip and grins' and feature pictures for their publications. There were three airport photographers (not press photographers as you see in TV programmes such as Airport) and the ratio of male to female was one male to two females (me included). Each of us specialised in a different area and if you wanted a particular type of picture you went to one person.


Later on more photographers came on the scene but these were mainly men who specialised in aircraft photographs rather than people which meant that my area of expertise remained fairly available. There was no fighting, no commercial rivalry and when we met up, as we did occasionally, we chatted as friends. If we needed help or couldn't meet an obligation, a quick phone call to one of the others made sure the job was covered.

I really don't think it matters what sex a true photographer is, what matters is their work and their competence. If you have any skills in your area of expertise being male or female shouldn't come into the equation. A woman driving HGV lorries is accepted for what she does, not that she is, I think it is the same in photography, show you can do the job and you are accepted in the industry.

Street Photography Now - Sophie Howarth, Stephen McLaren

This is a beautifully produced book showing some of the world's best street photography. It also explains what motivates and fascinates these 46 men and women contributors.

You close the book and still feel intrigued to understand more about the situations you've seen. Some are very amusing and uplifting, others leave you questioning and thoughtful. The pictures show you that wherever people are in the world they are consistently unaware of themselves and their actions. I thought the interviews were very good and editorially perceptive. So much better than the usual assembly of unrelated submissions. They give a real insight into the photographers and were suitably down to earth as is appropriate for street photography.

This is the most comprehensive book I've read on the subject to-date and it cleverly captures what makes street photographers tick.

Lyme Bay Photo Club Summer Exhibition 2011

Results are in for the favourite images with over 100 prints to vote for.  I was awarded a very pleasing 3rd place (of course, first would have been much better) with a Panograph image of the Lyme Regis Harbour Master who'se main task in life is to watch life going past.

The winner was a print entitled 'Towards Stonebarrow' by club member Jenny Wallis:

And 2nd place was awarded to a print entitled 'Charmouth Rainbow' by club member Ian Bolton.

Self motivation

I am now on my third level 1 module and have found it very difficult in the past to keep motivated, especially when I was working full time.  The worst time was when I was working through the Art of Photography which seemed to go on for ever.  The relief when it was completed was immense and I sent it on its way thankfully.

It seems that I was not alone with keeping myself motivated as I have picked up a thread in the OCS student forum site from someone who is going through the same problem and is asking for help.  There have been 13 support posts in 3 days with other students either expressing the same feelings or offering advice on how to get remotivated.  I wish the forum had been around when I was struggling through TAOP, it would have helped immeasurably.

Here's the web forum address of the thread on self motivation:

http://oca-student.com/node/65658#comment-34755

Lyme Bay Photographic Club summer exhibition

I haven't blogged recently as I have been working with a group of club members to put on our summer exhibition.  I never realised how much time it took to get it all together. The last club secretary did it all himself and complained what little help he got from the members.

We have five members working together with me, as programme secretary, directing and cajoling people along.  One of the hardest things to achieve in Lyme Regis is publicity in the local newspapers of which there are two main ones.  There are always so many things going on that space is limited and you have to do something special to get noticed.  But, the news is getting out, members who have email have sent messages round to their other interest groups and we have posted notices in the town and other local towns to let people know.

The town is holding a Carnival and Regatta Week (which is why we chose this particular time when there are many more visitors around) and we hope to benefit from their publicity as well. 
Everything seems sorted (bound to be some last minute hiccups) but there is time yet to unravel any problems.  Let the showing begin!

ELINCHROM LIGHTING SETS

In the mid-1990s I worked as a freelance photographer and had a set of lights similar to the Elinchrom BXRi To Go set which came with a big black carrycase which, if you were a bit inebriated, looked like a coffin. It was a great set of lights which saw me through a wide variety of situations and I was sorry to sell it when I gave up freelancing to get a proper job. When I was looking to buy a new car I even had to take into account the boot size to make sure the case would fit in it!


I was interested to see the thread in the OCA Students Forum where various lighting set ups were under discussion. Nothing changes, people want the best value for their hard earned money and it's good that others are willing to share their experiences before you make a decision and spend what is quite a considerable amount of money.

Here's the link to the forum thread:

http://oca-student.com/photography_film_digital/node/63694