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/