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Continuing on with the theme of showcasing imperfect images, Bicycle Diptych brings together two out-of-date Instax prints.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

A Philosophical Dilemma

In an article entitled Monkey Business (Professional Photographer, October 2011, Pg.62-63) Peter Stevenson raises an interesting problem, albeit in a humorous tone.

The question goes as follows: "...has anybody asked whether a million monkeys with a million digital cameras would eventually shoot the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson?"

After some thought I am able to provide an answer which resolves this philosophical dilemma almost as soon as it has been asked. Quite simply the solution lies in the wording of the question. These monkeys will never succeed.

It is not an issue of skill, timing, or even composition. It is the equipment of choice which will inevitably be their downfall, "...a million digital cameras...". Beyond any reasonable doubt the works of Cartier-Bresson cannot be replicated to a sufficient level through the use of digital photography.

I am not a film snob, in fact I often choose digital over film for pure ease, but the monkeys need to take a long hard look at who sold them their equipment.

Chris

To the Corner Shop and back...

500 Days

Having reached Day 500 of the Izzy Photo A Day Project, I used the End of Year Exhibition at University to showcase all of the images in miniature. Displayed in 35mm slide mounts, the photographs were displayed as one large block (16 by 32).

Before you start questioning your maths, you are right - that is 512. The final twelve slots were used to title the piece. It took around fifteen hours spread over a week to prep all of the images, seven hours over two days to hang them and just two to take them down again at the end of the Exhibition.

I hope you got a chance to see it 'in person', but if not then these images will help you to envisage it. Here's to the next 500 days!
Chris

Blog Quote of the Month

A list that will be updated monthly with the latest Quote of the Month featured in the header of this Blog.

February 2011:
"I want my photography to be special. I don't want you to have a free ride thinking it's anything to do with art..."
Don McCullin

March 2011:
"...so take the photographs and still frames in your mind."
GreenDay - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

April 2011:
"You don't take a photograph, you make it."
Ansel Adams

May 2011:
"I hope to stay unemployed as a war photographer till the end of my life..."
Robert Capa

June 2011:
"Be original or die!"
Madame Yevonde

July 2011:
"An artist never really finishes his work; he merely abandons it."
Paul Valéry

August 2011:
"In nature, light creates the colour. In the picture, colour creates the light."
Hans Hofmann

September 2011:
"There's no retirement for an artist, it's your way of living so there's no end to it."
Henry Moore

October 2011:
"...whether a million monkeys with a million digital cameras would eventually shoot the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson?"
Peter Stevenson

November 2011:
"The holy grail is to spend less time making the picture than it takes people to look at it."
Banksy

I hope these quotes provide as much inspiration for you as they do for me. Check back in due course for the latest one.

Chris

Aperture 3

Today I took, and thankfully passed, the Apple Certified Pro (level one) exam for Aperture 3. A little bit of self-congratulation and immodest boasting never hurt anyone, so 'well done me'. My University course at CCCU kindly picked up the tab, so let's call it a double win.

Chris

In Search of Hockney

The finished article for Documenting the Real.

It didn't quite work out as planned, but ok nonetheless.

Chris

Price On Application

Potentially the final ten shots for the Price On Application project.

Chris

Washoe and his friends

Another day, another shoot. Three more possible Psychologists and their most famous Studies for the "...At Age 2." Project.

This was more challenging than the previous shoots, as my model was not in a particuarly helpful mood. They say Naomi Campbell is bad, but they've obviously never had to deal with two year olds! The above Joiner doesn't even feature my model, as she had decided to walk off mid-shoot. With another shoot on Friday, I'm not sure that this was the best idea for a Project with a finite deadline that is looming large.

Chris

A lot of nothing...

Days like today cause me to stop, pause and ponder. I begin to question whether I have made the right choices, I wonder if it will all work out ok in the end.

Today was not an especially different day, moreover it was somewhat dull and ordinary. Three hours spent in the University's darkroom this lunchtime, followed by a couple of hours on the computer in Photoshop and what do I have for all my efforts? A lot of nothing really.

I just hope the three rolls of film (two 120 and one 35mm) I developed this morning have the necessary shots on them for my Analogue assignment. Time is quickly running out, so I don't know what I will do if they haven't worked out ok.

As for the time spent on the computer today, it went towards creating this digitally shot 'joiner' from the same shoot as the aforementioned negatives.

Did I choose the right modules to study next year? I'm not even sure I chose the right ones for this year, let alone next. Time will tell...

Chris

The Photographer's Studio

Having spent the best part of this morning in the University's studio, I thought it only fair to share the experience...

Chris

The Street

If you get the chance, have a look at my recent project on Street photography:
http://www.christopher-seaton.co.uk/thestreet.html

These images were taken in London, Canterbury and Broadstairs.

Chris

Joiners

Today I had my first look at the book Hockney On Photography; Conversations with Paul Joyce. AF kindly lent this to me for a few days to peruse, explore and gain inspiration. There is something about Joiners which just strike a chord with me. I appreciate they are not to everyone's taste, but they are to mine and as such this coming weekend sees my Documenting the Real shoot, which relates to Hockney. It's a bit of a secret at the moment, so no more hints from me just yet.

Chris

A Year in the Life of Canterbury

Kent Creative Arts are doing a Photo a Day project for 2011, entitled A Year in the Life of Canterbury.

http://www.kentcreativearts.co.uk/a-year-in-the-life-of-canterbury/

This is a project that I would like to take part in, the challenge is finding the time to visit Canterbury with a camera. Since I'm not in University on Wednesdays, I took the opportunity today to travel over and see what there was. It was a little cold, especially when the wind was blowing, but here is my submission for today:

I just hope no-one takes a better photograph today!

Chris

Price On Application

It has dawned on me that I need to start taking the photographs for my Price On Application project. Anyone near Broadstairs or Portsmouth currently selling their house and would not mind having it photographed at night?

This is roughly what I am looking to create... Just need to find some volunteers now. Fingers crossed!

Chris

Margate Beach Cross

The British Beach Cross Championships came to Margate this past weekend, so I took the opportunity to nab a few shots. Despite using my somewhat dated 55-200mm lens, with it's less-than-speedy focussing and it's ability to create soft images, I stole a couple of half-decent photographs.

Judge for yourselves.

Chris

Yesterday's Problems Today

A visit to, and tour around, the printspace (http://www.theprintspace.co.uk/) in Shoreditch should have been a day without any problems. The trouble is, this is London in 2011.

Wandering the streets looking for photo opportunities, I stumbled upon a police car parked on double red lines whilst two officers were stood on the pavement questioning a cyclist. Nothing particularly interesting there, so without breaking stride I snatched a couple of shots from the waist.

Needless to say, upon a quick review I noted that they were technically poor (blurred, out of focus and poorly framed). That said, I never delete an image until I have seen it on a larger screen than the 3inch on my dSLR, so they remained for the time being.

Around 400 yards down the road, whilst waiting for some traffic lights to change to allow me to cross the road, I was approached from behind by two slightly out of breath police officers. And so it began... Questioning the very nature of my actions, they asked numerous questions and requested, at first politely but later in a more aggressive manner, to see my images.

One such question was: "Our colleagues informed us that you were taking photographs of us in a serendipitous manner, why was this?" I politely responded that I was simply a photography student undertaking a Street project and that if I raised the camera to my eye that it would draw attention to the action of taking the image, and thus those photographed would begin to react to the camera.

Thankfully, after a quick glance between themselves and review of my photographs, they seemed satisfied with the explanation and duly walked back from whence they came. Amusingly, one of the other images they saw was of a woman walking in front of some politically motivated graffitti. It's just a shame that I was caught.

After recalling the event to KS in the foyer of the printspace, she pointed out that I should have questioned the use of the word 'serendipitous' when 'surreptitious' was more appropriate. The infamous lyric, "I fought the law and the law won", takes on a whole new meaning. Whilst she was right that I should have pulled them up on their English, I'm not sure that irking them further was the way to handle the situation. Perhaps I will try it if I ever get stopped again...

The wariness to the camera, and the assumption of guilt that duly follows, is something every photographer in the UK is certainly aware of. So much for the promise to stop the unfair treatment of photographers. As for the printspace itself, well it was certainly a worthwhile experience, just a shame it was somewhat overshadowed.

Chris

1MAG1NE

It is a strange concept, or at least that is what I think. No, not the actual name that has been chosen, but to be thinking about the end of year Exhibition before I have even submitted most of my assignments.

Thankfully I can leave it on the metaphorical back burner for the time being, concentrating instead on actually meeting all of my deadlines. As for those in the Exhibiting and Exhibitions module, well good luck!

Here's something to start you off...

I like the idea of rambling on and on for no good reason, which I am guessing you knew having read my blog.

Chris

Why? A Requiem to Barthes

Despite having been tragically killed after being hit by a laundry van in 1980, Roland Barthes has an enduring effect on photography even today. This is a short tribute to the author, created for the International Student Film and Photo Competition between the Department of Media at Canterbury Christ Church University, Eotvos Lorand University and Jonkoping University. Through Camera Lucida, Barthes left his mark on photography in the form of two simple words which form two complex terms: Studium and Punctum.

Chris

Heaven's Light Our Guide

With so many University assignments due, I thought it only appropriate tonight to continue in my best efforts at putting off actually doing any of it. Since most people often 'take the Michael' out of my hometown of Portsmouth, I decided to do a little research on various historical matters relating to the city.

I won't go into lots of detail, but let's just say that everyone owes a great deal to the best seaside location in the South of England. From famous births of people such as Charles Dickens and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the alleged goalkeeping exploits of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, various other historical figures such as Horatio Nelson, Richard The Lionheart, Henry VII, Robert Blake, and John Pounds have all had close links with the city over the years, and it is important not to forget the more recent temperamental (millenium) Spinnaker Tower.

I think all that Portsmouth is missing is a famous photographer... Any suggestions?

Chris