Quote of the Month:

"...whether a million monkeys with a million digital cameras would eventually shoot the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson?"

Saturday 29 October 2011

Northern Delights

Salts Mill Gallery, Saltaire.




Impressions Gallery.



Bradford 1 Gallery.




National Media Museum.




I think the one thing that annoys me most about galleries, including the Turner Contemporary in Margate, is their insistence on banning all photography within the art space. Why can I not take a photograph of an image I like that is hanging in your art gallery?

If I am ever lucky enough to have a solo show, I will have a sign stating exactly the opposite. "Photography is NOT banned." You can hold me to that, even when I'm rich and famous.

Chris

Projects

On the way back from my recent trip up north I was able to formulate a few of the ideas in my head into words on paper. It's official, I have a first draft for each of the required pro formas. As a teaser, and out of interest to look back on in six months time, below are each of my modules and the related working title of the project.

Major Practical Project | Bookface
Independent & Art | Free
Dissertation | Beyond 'The Decisive Moment'
Professional & Community Practice | Exposed

None of these are ready to be signed off as yet, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. I just need to find some time to iron out some of the creases and develop each of the ideas further.

Chris

Monday 17 October 2011

Thursday 6 October 2011

Bicycle Diptych

Continuing on with the theme of showcasing imperfect images, Bicycle Diptych brings together two out-of-date Instax prints.


In just a couple of hours the print on the left started to degrade (see bottom and top left corners). Although I like this added, or rather lost, detail, the death of this image is, sadly, a reality.

Chris

The Pursuit of Sharpness

There goes an old rumour in photography that it's possible for a photograph to be blurry and / or out of focus, and yet still be a success. The problem with rumours is that they can spring from anywhere, without warning and without any real grounding.

A photograph that is not sharp can be a great image. This rumour is particularly worrying as it is very nasty, in fact it is one of the worst types of rumours possible. It is a truth. It is the truth.

Too often we strive for perfection, we attempt to freeze time, we want only clarity. Cameras, I believe, should not have a 'delete' button, at least then we would think about what we are taking. Tomorrow's generation of photographers will perhaps never truly appreciate what it is to take just one photograph, to stick with whatever it is that was captured first time. Even if ultimately the shot was missed.


The beauty of digital photography is that there is always a camera poised to capture a moment, providing you've remembered to charge the battery and empty the memory card. This image was captured using a mobile phone. It should be a sin. Still, better a photo taken with a low resolution camera and kept, than one that is take with a high resolution camera and is condemned to the recycling bin.
Maybe there's hope for me yet...

Chris