Blame The Lumberjacks !

I could not resist this Monty Python-esque headline to make a serious point , Smashie and Nicey don’t get a mention in this blog but perhaps they should, they did so much for ch-aaa-rrrrrr-i-ttt—y !

Serious creative folk need to stop embracing the “Work For Free “ culture that has grown in 2020 !

Check this out !

The Charity Photo Book Supply Chain

Celebrity Photographer

Royal Person

Forester

Lumberjack

Truck Driver

Timber Salesman

Paper Mill Worker

Van Driver

Printer

Publisher

TV Advertising Dept

Designer ( Also Vulnerable )

Crowd Funding Company

Independent Book Seller

Amazon Corporation

Taxman

Senior Charity Employee

Copywriter

Photographer *

PR Agency

Who is the odd one out in the “New” charitable photo book publishing supply chain and why ?

I can’t find the “Lumberjacks for Covid” project or the “Pandemic Printers” initiative , if your reading this photography blog , you are probably the answer , in fact , you will probably have to buy the same book you created the content for without payment !

Everyone on this list gets paid except the photographer , this is not okay , this cynical model targets photographers as consumers of their own content , working without payment is becoming cultural in the UK photo sector and it must stop !

The exposure is not that useful either as most TV viewers or readers will only remember one name from the recent TV Covid photo call and it will not be yours , your name got lost in the heavy branding and promotion of one photographer !

Let me be clear I am not suggesting that the solution here is to persuade more workers or businesses on this list to go unpaid , I am saying that if your work is good enough to reproduce and resell you should receive payment !

Working for free erodes the real value and perceived value of you and your work , in this case it de-values photography and photographers !

Support charities with cash directly, at the very least go into these schemes with both eyes open , organisers are exploiting your kindness and desire to contribute to a historic archive !

Congratulations if your picture was used in any of the recent schemes , the work is fantastic ! A lot of folk will benefit from your generosity, some charities will benefit too.

Some folk can’t afford to work for free , photographers have bills too , they have to ensure they don’t become homeless or have to rely on foodbanks !

Alternative models of funding for these important documentary projects could pay photographers from book sale income, and then give the remaining profits to ch-aaa-rrrrrr-i-ttt—y !

At the very least give the successful participants the book they created or does that effect sales ?

Free photography is worth nothing , it will not solve poverty , covid or anything else !

It does not have to be like this , I blame those militant lumberjacks, they insist on being paid ….

This scam will appear , re-appear and mutate in many shapes and forms over the years , it will always de-value you and your photography in the name of a “good cause” , what is your work really worth ?

Art photography relies on “Percieved Value” , do not expect to give it away one day and receive gallery rates the next , free photography is worth nothing …

Strange how the writers always get paid …

PS . I spoke to the author of a “Best” photographers book and asked why Killip did not make the cut , the answer was that the publishers budget was not big enough to license the pics , most of the work featured was supplied for free by photographers who were vain enough to believe they were “Best” , wake up people , wake up ………….

Just saying …..

No lumberjack pics in the file despite living in a forest , the lumberjacks won’t pose without payment ? Here’s a tree instead , what do you expect for nowt ?

David Barrett is a former community photography project leader , commercial photographer and former Senior Shop Stewart with Unite The Union.

He is currently shooting the pandemic crisis from a personal perspective with the Testing Times project .    

The unpublished State Of Britain series is now complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....

My next project is called “Track & Trace” it wont be very good but I expect it to receive substantial government funding !

He is based in the South West of England .

"NOBODY BUILDS WALLS BETTER THAN ME "

Every picture has its day , only one story monopolising the news channels this morning as I write this , US Election , US Election and US Election !

I could not decide on a headline for this blog so I pulled out this Trump quote , it represents his legacy, physically and symbolically !

Make no mistake what happens in this election effects us all , one way or another , I’m sure truth and integrity will win out eventually , once the hullabaloo , legal appeals and recounts are exhausted !

I had almost forgotten these State Of Britain pictures, like Trump himself they have become history very quickly !

Lets hope this US Election result inspires a new era of unity and decency on both sides of the Atlantic . My thoughts are with my American friends .

The UK needs to learn from the latest chapter of American political chaos , British working people need to be offered a more effective political home if US style chaos is to be avoided on this side of the pond !

Many feel unrepresented by current models of democracy , a political system that listens and responds is essential !

As the votes are counted in the US we have just started lockdown here in the UK , I am sharing some work from my ongoing Testing Times project to “celebrate” ?

Check out the rest of the UK Street Photography site , lots of new content added recently .

Enjoy your weekend , Stay safe…

Trump managed to make a cameo appearance in my State Of Britain series shoot , he will probably be edited out of the final sequence !

David Barrett is currently shooting the pandemic crisis from a personal perspective with the Testing Times project .    

The unpublished State Of Britain series is now complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....                                                  

He is based in the South West of England .

Time changes Everything !

Forgive me for stating the obvious , especially during a time when everything is changing !

I made a couple of captures this week that appear to belong to another time although only one of these pictures reflects the here and now !

Are we guilty of taking our “Everyday” for granted ? We don’t really engage with many of the familiar things that surround us, preferring to passively see rather than actively look at what IS in front of us !

“Actively Looking” is what should set photographers apart from others , objective evaluation combined with a genuine curiosity of all things is surely the basis of the “Photographer” job description ?

A interest of how things change over time should be a prerequisite ?

My relationship with the past changes with each day, my archive of pictures becomes more significant as the work slowly transforms , what I once thought of as Art Photography becomes Documentary Photography by default of age, interestingly this metamorphosis also occurs in reverse when solid Documentary Photography starts to become seen as Art ?

I’m not quite sure who polices or drives this unusual metamorphosis but it appears to occur on a significant scale ?

Where this leaves Street Photography with a foot in each camp is anyone’s guess ?

A “Nostalgic” picture from last Tuesday , 2020

This blog was inspired by the picture below, it is just a street scene during the Covid crisis but it possesses a historic sense of what has gone before, the light, location and passerby all appear to belong to these times and earlier times simultaneously !

I like the simplicity and honesty of this capture , it is quite ordinary , nothing special but it is richer for it !

Many words will be written by many writers about the Covid crisis and every word will be filtered by the writers to reflect their opinions or the views of those who whistle the tune , independent photographers must show how things really looked and what happened here , only the grammar of the history writers should be believed in our post-truth future !

These dark days expose the fragility our our personal realities, lives and work , nothing remains the same , let us not misrepresent these times !

Keep it real …

Stay safe and lookout for each other …

A picture from last Tuesday that belongs to my Testing Times project , 2020

A48 , a road trip to Wales.

It’s not hard to see where the inspiration for this project comes from !

I have always admired Paul Grahams’ , Great North Road, A1 project and fancied exploring and documenting the A48 road myself , never really thinking that I would actually get around to doing it !

The shrinking opportunities of Covid-Land and my need to live a socially distant lifestyle mean that I need to adopt a different approach to my photography if I am to maintain a “Safe” level of photographic engagement during the months ahead !

I worry about putting my camera down during this pandemic and never picking it up again , it would be easy to lose focus during these dark days, shooting a uncommissioned project in reality must be better than NOT shooting a dream commission in La La land !

Don’t hang about , Commission yourself !

Even though the socially distant queue of commissioning publishers and Galleries appears to have vanished , you’ve got to keep moving !

Staying engaged is a important part of getting through the emptiness of these times !

The A48 is a trunk road in Great Britain running from the A40 at Highnam, 3 miles west of Gloucester, England, to the A40 at Carmarthen, Wales. Before the Severn Bridge opened on 8 September 1966, it was a major route between England and South Wales. For most of its route, it runs almost parallel to the M4 motorway. Wikipedia

I’ve been shooting this project for a few weeks now and have been surprised by what has turned up so far, the star of the show at the moment is definitely the quality of the autumnal sunlight, the zebra striped piano that appeared last week was a nice surprise too ?

This project occupies the ambiguous space in my mind that lives somewhere between Documentary Photography and Art Photography, truth be told I’m less worried about the label and more concerned about the look of the pictures themselves . This objective “Road Photography” approach has led me to more than fifty captures so far and is helping me to stay positive and maintain my smile !.

I wonder what lies ahead , stay safe and keep it real …

David Barrett is also following the pandemic crisis from a personal perspective with the Testing Times project .    

The State Of Britain series is now complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....                                                  

He is based in the South West of England .

Square-eyes ?

I’ve always known that the camera I use dramatically effects how my pictures look !

I had almost forgotten this simple basic observation due to my almost exclusive use of APS-c sized sensors , I shot 6 x 6 cm format from a early age and used 6x6 and 5x4 cameras for most of my working life .I don’t miss the costs of running either of these camera systems but I do miss the purity of the 1:1 square format that TLR’s and “Blads” enabled .

I crop to square shapes all the time but that’s not the same as seeing & shooting square, using my square eye’s !

I was admiring the work of Peter Mitchell recently , the centralised composition and simplicity of approach he adopts really took me back to how I and many others used to work , somewhere along the way I shook off this simple pure approach !

I’m not sure that the all singing and dancing clever clogs compositional techniques we adopt are any better than this very simple stripped back way of working ?

It’s easy to forget how simple this photography thing can be , sometimes the subject does not need any help , it can speak for itself, given enough space !

This simple objective approach is a fun way to shoot but care should be taken to select suitable subjects and ensure the lens is square to the subject in order to maintain straight horizontal & vertical lines .

The dynamic strength of the square aspect ratio should not be underestimated , the square shape forces the eye to move around the surface of the pic in a circular way rather than the side to side view of the landscape format . The compositional rule of thirds also becomes more effective within the square shape .

A shot from my A48 project.

The digital camera or phone you already have might offer a 1:1 aspect ratio , its worth checking the menu to see !

Shooting the whole frame and cropping it later will certainly work but remember that this square approach enables you to use the sweetest part of your lens, which I’m sure is part of the square eyed appeal !

That’s it, I managed to get through this blog without saying less is more , …oop’s !

Check out the work of Peter Mitchell and give this square survey approach a try , you might surprise yourself !

Stay safe and keep it real / square …

A Very Sad Loss

It is with great sadness that I report the death of Chris Killip today , a great photographer and a inspiration .

He opened my eyes …

Rest In Peace , Chris Killip , 1946 - 2020

Familiar Views !

Why do some familiar views demand to be photographed all of a sudden ?

When I saw this today I was reminded of The Red Ceiling, 1973 by William Eggleston, this is a familiar view but I have resisted the need to photograph it, until today ?

Something is changing , it could be the light , hopefully its me …..

Stay safe & keep it real …

The White Room With Red Curtains, 2020

A picture for our times ?

This is more than a coincidence !

Way back in March , 2018 I published a blog “Hot-Spots And Red Letter Days” that identified that certain everyday places delivered “Better” one-off pictures for me than chance alone would / should deliver ?

I know this is madness but it is true for me ?

Six years ago I made one of my most popular pictures outside a supermarket , it was a one frame spontaneous capture that delivered much more than I realised at the time , this very ordinary location delivered again this week ?

Testing Times , No 183 , 2020 . This capture was made this week on exactly the same spot as the “Superman” picture from 2014

The capture above is a one frame walk by capture that just appeared , no stake out, no pre-visualisation , this shot happened so quickly that I did not appreciate the significance of this frame until later !

One of the driving forces behind my personal photography is the search for meaningful imagery that reflects my life and times , thankfully , every now and then a picture finds me that represents much more than the same old , same old !

Sometimes you make the capture and discover the significance later !

A picture of our times , for our times ?

Stay safe and keep it real …

Self Portrait Of A Stranger , Another Day Off series , 2014

I have reposted a link to the “Red letter Day” blog from 2018 on Twitter !

The eagle eyed among you may have noticed a new section on this site “Three From” , take a look !

David Barrett is now following the pandemic crisis from a personal perspective with the Testing Times project .    

The State Of Britain series is now complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....                                                  

He is based in the South West of England .

It was all yellow , with a bit of black !

Street Photographer takes Street Photograph shock !

Perhaps that should be Documentary photographer is gifted serendipitous capture ?

Anyway which ever way you look at it a couple of decent moments found me today, this autumnal frame made a very dull day better !

Should this capture live in my Testing Times project or my “Street” portfolio ?

Stay safe …

And it was called yellow , with a green and grey anorak ! , October 2020

David Barrett is now following the pandemic crisis from a personal perspective with the Testing Times project .    

The State Of Britain series is now complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....                                                  

He is based in the South West of England .

The Dreaded "blackdog" !

Good photographers are inquisitive , curious folk who try to reflect and connect to their everyday in positive ways !

This positive mindset is becoming harder to find for most nowadays and searching for it everyday can become a heavy load !

The current climate of fear , uncertainty and social restrictions is effecting the mood of us all , one way or another , as each empty day passes its getting harder to find motivation , I feel best out in rural open spaces these days rather than empty city streets , big skies and local woodland has a special appeal to me now .

Strangely I enjoy the luxury of NOT photographing my favorite places these days , I want to enjoy these places first hand rather than filter the experience through a lens !

Separating myself from my inner photographer helps me to relax and enjoy just being !

I wonder if the committed relentless visual engagement with our everyday makes photographers especially vulnerable to the dark mists of depression ?

When times are good its good , but on the other hand …

It’s our job to look deeper and visually interpret the effects of the times we live in , social sensibilities can increase our vulnerability, finding a calm mental and physical space is important to staying in good shape !

I’m still managing to make pictures but its getting harder to find the positivity I have maintained for most of this year , these sinkhole pictures have become my visual metaphor for 2020 , holes appearing everywhere while being careful not to fall in !

I came across this blog by Alaister Campell this week and thought I would share it here , worth a read !

TWENTY TIPS FOR GUARDING AGAINST DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN THE ERA OF SELF-ISOLATION AlastairCampbell.org

Most of you reading this will be familiar with a form of creative block and may have developed solutions that help overcome the insecurity and challenges of hitting the buffers , my solution is to go out and make pictures in the belief that bad captures are better than the disengagement of no captures at all !

A determination to keep tripping the shutter will eventually kick start the flow of positive creative juices and thoughts which in turn will initiate the first steps of recovery from the dreaded photographic “Blackdog” !

Sometimes the mental activity of looking and seeking is more important than the pictures themselves , good pictures will turn up sooner or later !

I’m pleased to report that many of the perceived dangers and threats of this crisis can be reduced with support ,consideration and care , a realistic sense of perspective and risk is important to avoid becoming overwhelmed !

Seek help and talk to someone if your struggling !

Take care & stay safe …

Keep on , keeping on and don’t fall down the hole , do what’s best for you …

David Barrett is now following the pandemic crisis from a personal perspective with the Testing Times project .    

The State Of Britain series is now complete, it explores everyday life during the Brexit era and gives visual insights into British identity, aspirations and post-truth uncertainty .....                                                  

He is based in the South West of England .