Save Your Cash & Feed your Soul !

It never ceases to amaze me how much time and emotional energy some togs invest in looking at camera kit, not to mention their investment in hard earned cash to acquire this kit  !

The belief that certain kit will make you a better tog or that you will be perceived as a better tog by your peers because you've just blown a months wages on a piece of kit is madness !

It appears to me at least that the digital camera market is more or less where it needs to be and not many practical advantages are being offered to those who still hang on to a level of sanity.The analogue market or should I say used film camera market is great for buyers in terms of cost although you must factor in the on costs of film etc.

The point I wish to make is that most togs can afford to buy good kit for sensible money but what many fail to recognise is that sticking with familiar kit is a huge advantage as you will eradicate what I call the "fiddle" period of not being 100% certain of what buzzer or bell does what, Stick with what you know!  Don't let the kit get between you and the moment.   I would advise sticking with a fixed focal length lens as part of your familiarity regime.

Only change kit when it lets you down or you want a different look to your work !

Now that I have saved you all thousands of pounds over the next few years I want you to consider an alternative use for this cash. This investment will make you a better tog, a happier tog and might even pay out a dividend at the end if you get it right.

What is this investment I hear you ask ?  Books, books and more books is my answer but not technique books or "how to" books but art photography books, picture books if you like, invest your time and money in the work of photographers you admire, they don't have to be first editions, become familiar or even challenged by the work of other togs especially those who are being published now, not only will you learn a lot but many of these books will hold and often increase in value.

The other reason why we should all invest in books is that the more photo books we buy the more publishers will publish and the more togs that get published the stronger the street photography community becomes !

Most of the SP books on offer usually feature international or american photographers, I would ask that togs consider books that reflect the society they live in and that British togs make an effort to support UK artists especially those who are being published through small local publishers.

One day we might even be invited to exhibit in real galleries rather than on-line ones.

Keep it real ,  Buy a book !

PS: One of the first Art photography books I ever bought cost me five pounds from a bucket book shop on Oxford St, it now sells for more than £200 on Ebay( as it is out of print) the trouble is I love this book and will probably never sell it.

( Added on the 21/10/14 ) I have a confession to make to my readers, within 3 hours of completing this blog I ignored my own advice and purchased a Olympus XA 4, I had been on the lookout for a nice one for sometime, strange how it turned up the moment I had written  this  !

Inspired by Mondrian !

I was out on the street last weekend and managed a couple of successful shots, my favourite was the shot below.

I was attracted to the Mondrian like background that featured on one of the windows of a empty store in Gloucester, I knew that if I could capture an interesting moment against this clean abstract design that the picture had a chance of working well, the background was almost worth a shot as it was

The strong autumnal sunlight was coming from the left of my camera position and I knew that this light would either make or break my shot, at this stage i had no idea if my subject would enter the frame from the left or right, I crouched down behind a large street planter and awaited my unaware subjects, this was a stake out !

This picture was my second attempt, I did not try for a third once I had seen this result as not many people were out on the street and I thought it unlikely that a better moment would present itself.

This image was made by selecting a interesting background and investing a little time waiting for the "moment" to arrive, I could never have visualised the outcome.

Banksy Strikes Again !

Thought I would comment on the latest Banksy artwork that appeared in Clacton ahead of the local by-election which has now been removed.

The piece depicts a group of pigeons holding banners protesting against migration from Africa and features  a swallow as the target of the protest. I believe street togs can learn from art like this as it offers both humour and social comment.

I am not suggesting that photography on the streets can be used in the same way as Graffiti but I think opportunities to develop a personal agenda exist within SP , a consistent underlying message can be communicated  with a more selective approach.

The fact that this art work is no-more should also serve as a reminder that our right to create SP may not be forever in this nanny state, we should create what we can while we can !

Communications of all kinds are already monitored and Banksy has already "commented"  !

Its About The Moment !

I recently wrote a piece for another website (Street Shooters Uk) about depth in street photography or the lack of it, then I came across this image from my Gloucester carnival shoot and I can't decide if this is good fine art photography or a bad camera club effort. The subject does not help as it is so clichéd ! 

This image missed the cut in the first edit as I thought and still do think that the image does not meet my own personal manifesto, but I can't deny that its a great moment with good light. The girl in the picture appeared from nowhere and ran through the bubbles that were being made by a nearby street vendor right in front of me, it was all over in a few seconds and I did not have time to think about the image in any deep sense.

I believe this image might be a bit too AP, does it possess the ability to provoke deeper thought from a viewer ?   Sometimes as the "Stones" sang " You can't always get what you want " and you can't expect every image to sum up "life the universe and everything" !

 Sometimes you just have to roll with what comes your way.

I received some good news this week but sadly I am unable to share it here at the moment as I'm sworn to secrecy ! . Some of you reading this might of received the same news and you'll understand, leave a comment if you did.

Anyway here's the pic, having just read this back I have decided to title this image, Life the Universe and Everything in the hope that it will give the image more gravitas. 

Keep  it real !

Down Time !

Anyone who invests a reasonable amount of time searching out Street photographs will be familiar with the frustration of not being able to see anything worthy of a couple of frames.  That does not mean that its time to pack up and head home, sometimes a change of approach is needed.

Many of us walk around with a unfulfilled wish list of scenarios we would like to come across when we go out to make Street photographs, certain events make us swing into action as we believe the moment before us is significant ! 

But what happens when your chosen location does not play ball, you could change location or you can start looking at what's around in a different way, my default position is to start thinking in a more abstract way. I look harder at what is available rather than worry about what is not.

Many of these "down time" pictures are usually reflections or designs based around shadows. I sometimes explore primary colours, anything to try and maintain my photographic concentration will suffice as this keeps me engaged and ready, should a better photo subject head my way.

The picture below is a down time picture,it is a single exposure reflection. I don't know if the "Street Photography" police would call it SP but I care not one jot ! 

Is Less More ?

It is no secret that I'm not that thrilled with the, state of modern Street Photography, this is an instinctive thing based on immediate reaction to much of the "admired" work and I wonder  where it will all end.

Let me make it clear that I include some of my own efforts in the "suspect street photography" category, at the time of capture these images are perceived to be  great, then at the time of editing I still believe the image to be good but after a couple of months my belief in the image starts to weaken until I become so familiar with the work that I actually start to dislike it. Only a small number of images I capture and view appear to get better with the passage of time as my understanding of them increases my admiration often decreases.

The images that seem to hold my attention are quite often pictures that contain more than 5 people, more importantly they depict how people react to each other rather than the individual quirky candid portrait shots that seem to be a SP staple at the moment. The close up graphic style details are also beginning to look tired to me.

Style appears to be more important than content with many togs, what they fail to realise is that no matter how many sequins you sew on your anorak you are unlikely to look cool. 

Thankfully a successful 100% guaranteed recipe for great street pictures does not exist but if it did I suspect large quantities of hard work and failure mixed with a liberal scattering of luck would feature.

I made this image last weekend, I'm  not sure if its a keeper yet !

Plastic disaster !

Finally got back on the street over the weekend but the plastic lens comeback was rudely interrupted, I decided to take both 100 & 400 asa films as the weather looked a bit unpredictable. I made my film choice and found a quiet spot to load the 120 film, as soon as I opened the back I realised that the take up spool was missing, Gutted ! 

I thought about stripping out an unexposed film to acquire the take up spool but decided against wasting a brand new roll of XP2, instead I reluctantly decided to use my digital back up camera that lives in my car and make the best of the situation, at least I would start taking pictures again.

I took the image below on Saturday, perhaps the break from SP did me good ?

Get Your Head Right !

I am currently going through a Street Photography low, I have not taken a street pic for a couple of weeks, sometimes its good to stop and recharge the creative juices. I hope my mojo returns soon.

I must admit that I quite like not taking pictures although I still see images while going about my day to day business and enjoy the luxury of not having to capture them. I find that in order to create good work my mind needs to go into a certain mode, a street photography mind set if you like, if I can not reach this place I know I'm wasting my time !

The first step to combating this photographic block is to just start firing the shutter again and relearning what I already know. I believe a fresh approach will also help me raise my game so I have decided to go back to basics and recreate the photographic conditions I enjoyed as a 14 year old and put the fun back into my photography, yes 120 film, plastic lenses and a low tech approach are being embraced, I'll publish one of my efforts on here although it may take a while as the analogue workflow and British postal system will see to that.

I already have a smile on my face at the thought of using my naff cameras and leaving the digital kit at home, street photography does not have to be a serious business. 

My rehabilitation starts here.

Print Sales

Many thanks to those of you who have recently purchased one of my limited edition prints.

I have released 10 images from my "Another Day Off" series, they are offered in editions of 250 and are being sold by ARTFINDER.com.

The monochrome editions are giclee prints on 16" x 12" paper and are signed and numbered on the back.

The funds raised from print sales will go towards completing the final leg of the "Another day Off" project.

Thanks again for your support. 

PS : Thanks to the folks at Inspired Eye for including my work in the current issue.

The Ones that got Away !

Rule 1 (I hate rules) Always carry a camera !

You've heard this advice a million times and yet we all get caught out from time to time, I was reminded of this rule on Friday morning while having the morning from hell. I was standing at Gloucester railway station and from nowhere a wizard appears in the style of Gandolf walks up to the cash point and withdraws cash before vanishing into the station. I so wish I had been able to shoot this scene, if only to prove to others that it happened at 9.30am with no carnival or parade planned for that day.

The image is etched on my mind and sadly that is where it will stay, the best pictures are always the ones that get away. I have others that still haunt me from years ago, its amazing how clearly these "pix" appear in my memory.

Note to self ! Always carry a camera because its amazing what you see when you're not carrying a catapult !

Keep it real or should that be surreal !