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

Local Camera Club Print Exhibition

During the week of the Beaminster Festival, Saturday 25 June to Sunday 3 July inclusive, the Beaminster Camera Club displayed about 80 images representing the work of members at all stages of their photographic journey.  The exhibition, at the Beaminster Museum, was run in conjunction with work from the photographic department of Beaminster School, together with an exhibition of paintings and ceramics by Dorset artists.

It was a very wide ranging, eclectric mix of pictures that were very interesting to see.  All the prints in the main room were numbered and visitors were able to vote for their favourite print.  It will be interesting to see which print was the most popular.

If there was one fault running through both photographic exhibitions it was that the main subject area was not pin sharp.  I have the same problem with my auto focusing if I am not careful in that the main subject area which should be pin sharp is not. I tend to focus in front of the subject (especially when I go for a grab shot) instead of checking which part of the focussing area will be the main subject area.  It looks like I am not alone in this area as several of the prints had the same problem!

On Photography: Susan Sonntag

After reading various books on photography technique I decided to find books which covered the theory behind it all. It is a very good read and a facinating insight if a little dry.

This is best read by flicking through and reading literary snap shots of Sontags work. If you are about to do a photography course this is the book for you and if you have ever wondered about photography this book will inform you.

Lens Culture online magazine

Lens Culture is quote "an online magazine celebrating international contemporary photography, art, media, and world cultures with photography from all continents and various points of view: documentary, fine art, photojournalism, poetic, personal, abstract, human, and street photography." unquote
http://www.lensculture.com/index.html

I dip into this website occasionally and am always fascinated at the wide range of features included at any one time. In a wide ranging sample of life from around the UK in the photographs of 'Drinking England' or 'Under Gods: Stories from Soho Road, Birmingham' or one extremely disturbing portfolio by Prix Pictet finalist Chris Jordan who has been documenting an astonishing and disturbing effect of consumer waste: discarded plastic packaging and toys inside the stomachs of thousands of dead baby albatrosses. Not something to view on an empty stomach.

Fay Weldon Portraits

Fay Weldon

Fay Weldon

I followed a link from the OCA 'We are OCA' February 27th 2011, the Open College of the Arts Blog, to an article of an exhibition called 'Revelations from Back Home' reviewed by Gareth Dent, link here:

http://www.weareoca.com/photography/revelations-from-back-home/  

and onwards to a review of the Fay Weldon exhibition at the National Media Museum in Bradford,  link here:

http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/PlanAVisit/ExploreOurGalleries/GalleryTwoLandRevisited.aspx

I met Fay Weldon once, in the 1990s, when I attended a course in Twickenham on landscape photography.  She showed pictures taken of the British landscapes which depicted how it was being spoiled by the invasion of man into the wild and remote places that still existed at that time. All I can remember is a small, slight blond woman but who was full of energy and passion who wanted to get as many photographers as she could involved with saving the places she loved. I didn't realise at the time that she was also president of the Ramblers Association.

What I also didn't know then was that she had been an eminent portrait photographer and had moved away from that genre in the 1970s.  I followed further links to one on the National Portrait Gallery where there is a section showing 48 of Fay's most notable portraits.

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person.php?LinkID=mp08162&wPage=0

I was very interested to see how she portrayed the people she photographed as I wasworking on the People & Place module final assignment and, through discussion with my tutor, was taking portraits of local characters where I live in Lyme Regis.  It was interesting to see how, in her published images, she posed her subjects in a very similar way coming in close to feature mainly portraits of the head and shoulders of a person. This went against the advice I have been given by my tutor, who said it was important to produce an image which told a story about the sitter and this story could usually be found in the surroundings that the subject was shown in, ie, their own home. Sometimes a strong full face portrait can show much more character than one where the subject was smaller in the frame. There is a place for both, dependent upon what it is you want to show about the sitter but |I think that a full face or profile picture can be a very strong image.

Salvador Dali Exhibition Catalogue

I work as a volunteer at my local hospice shop and it's surprising what comes in as donations for sale. Last week I found a copy of the Salvador Dali Catalogue from the Tate Gallery exhibition in May/June 1980. I've never taken much notice of Dali's work before but I had seen his Time Clock on the South Bank in London and enjoyed looking at it. It looks very tactile and I wish there was an opportunity to touch it as I think half the pleasure of seeing sculpture and art is to be able to touch it.

I've looked through the Tate catalogue and it made me interested enough to look into Dali's life. He was born in the Pyrenees in 1904 and attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando but didn't graduate as he felt his work far superior to any of the academic staff. He lived in Paris where he spent time in his studio creating some of his most famous works.

With artists like Pablo Picasso approving of his work, Salvador Dali's paintings, such as "The Persistence of Memory," became icons of the Surrealist movement. During this time, he also met his future wife, Gala and they married in 1934 and throughout the next decades, Dali and Gala lived in Paris, New York and Spain. Dali enjoyed great success not only as a painter, but also as a filmmaker, sculptor, architect, photographer and writer.

When his wife died in 1982, Salvador Dali's health deteriorated, and he spent his final years in near-seclusion with a host of health problems. The artist known for his radical artwork, his flamboyant personality and his unusual moustache died from heart failure in January 1989.

When I visit exhibitions or look at books or catalogues of well-known  respected artists I realise that I am a jobbing photographer but I am working hard to improve my work and how I see pictures.  I live my life pleasing others to feel accepted and end up losing my sense of identity.  It's not easy to live with my own inadequacies!

Revisiting the past

I picked up the link for this TV clip from BBC2's Artworks Scotland in a blog I dip into occasionally and found it fascinating to watch and listen to two old pros talking about taking ‘real’ photos in the 1960s-70s.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zj4rs#clips

Harry Benson and Albert Watson discuss multiple imaging

'Two of Scotland's most successful photographers - Harry Benson from Glasgow and Albert Watson from Edinburgh - now live in New York.  They spent a day together revealing the tricks of their trade and revisiting some of their best known images - Benson's photos of The Beatles at the peak of their fame and of Bobby Kennedy's assassination and Watson's portraits of Alfred Hitchcock, Mick Jagger and Mike Tyson.'

I I can remember when there was no Photoshop and you had to produce multiple exposure images with cunning and expertise. Oh, the tricks of the darkroom had to be seen to be believed, but how much more exciting to produce manipulated work than it is today when you just do a few mouse clicks and there you are with a new picture.

I found this though a blog at http://janetsocaphotographyblog.blogspot.com/  The owner is a lecturer called Janet Jamieson who lives in East Kilbride, Scotland. She is just completing Assignment 5 from the People & Place module. I find it really helpful to read other people’s blogs and sometimes see how they have tackled the projects and assignments. It’s like having friends who you can call on when you get completely stuck and need inspiration.