If At First You Fail !

September 24, 2020

I am used to taking failure on the chin as part and parcel of my personal creative photographic process !

Taking visual and creative risks often leads to poor outcomes, this is not a bad thing and should not be confused with complete failure, as the learning that accompanies these disappointments often feeds my next creative adventure.

It’s easy to blame bad luck , bad light or a world that is not supplying the serendipitous elements or “Moments” that street photography demands but the truth is that Street Photography, like life itself relies heavily on perspiration rather than inspiration.

A re-working of failures can often pay-off if lessons have been learned from previous efforts and fresh eyes engaged !

In my shrinking world of limited travel in Covid-land I have been revisiting locations that I have shot before , with mixed results !

Some of the locations have evolved and become much more significant in recent times , not because they have changed but because the way I see them has ?

This monochromatic interpretation from a recent shoot has really taken me by surprise !

They say you should never look back ?

Re-visiting old locations with fresh eyes can deliver surprises . All rights David Barrett

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 .

Keep it real and stay safe …

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett

“Unbelievable” !

September 21, 2020

No sooner was the digital ink dry on last weeks “BELIEVE” blog and I was testing my own beliefs, out on the streets !

A long winter lockdown is looking likely here in the UK, so this tog thought it might be a good idea to enjoy Saturdays autumnal sun and any “Normality” that might exist out there in Covid-Land, before the anticipated lockdown begins ?

Normality might not be the best word to describe the alternative reality I discovered last weekend, it certainly took me by surprise !

Some of the captures I’m still finding during the edit continue to surprise me and make me smile , proof if proof were needed, that I really do believe !

It’s great when blind optimism is rewarded and the world conspires to align just for you , long may it continue !

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 .

“Photography can be a mirror and reflect life as it is, but I also think that perhaps it is possible to walk like Alice, through a looking-glass, observe the puzzles in one’s head and find another kind of world with the camera.” Tony Ray Jones

Stay safe and keep it surreal if you can …

Believe ?

September 17, 2020

What are you looking at , or should that be what are you looking for ?

The real question is do you believe , or not ?

Do you believe that a camera can help to reveal a reality within the everyday that the eye alone is unable to see ?

Despite 2020 being a shit show, Street Photographers still need to “Believe” that the world will reveal something significant each time they hit the streets !

Faith , hope & optimism might be a big ask during these difficult times but a positive mindset has to be found in order to see this alternative alignment of life. .

Drum Roll, Please , 2020 . a one frame grab !

I know for certain that sitting on the sofa watching Everybody Street or flipping through social media is not going to grow my Street portfolio , the only way to do that is to get off my ass and go out there with hope, curiosity and expectation , Belief !

The more you look the more you see, admittedly the world looks especially different now !

Density of population and footfall have always been significant factors for Street Photographers , operating discretely within the crowd has become a distant memory for most of us who respect safe space . New ways of working need to be adopted , physically, mentally and aesthetically !

Happiness, positivity and belief will always help you to find and see the light during what are dark days, regardless of the luminance !

Reading this back this Street Photography approach appears to be evolving into a religious photographic evangelism .

Strangely , those who don’t believe in this elusive reality may never get to see it !

Believe , Alleluia ?

Stay safe …

This blog was inspired by Joel Meyerowitz , Everybody Street .

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 .....

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

He is based in the South West of England .

“Just because I burned my bible baby
It don't mean I'm too sick to pray”

Alabama 3

Through The Looking Glass .

September 11, 2020

I’m running out of words so I thought I would share a couple of quotes and a recent pic today …

The world is going to pieces and people like Adams and Weston are photographing rocks! - Henri Cartier-Bresson - during the 1930's

photoquotes.com

"Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." John Milton

Paradise lost.

Stay safe.

Testing Times , No 157 , 2020 , Copyright David Barrett, The Testing Times Project.

Its A Funny Fish ?

August 4, 2020

The elusive uncertainty of “Good” photography is a funny fish !

If only the recipe for a successful capture was exactly that a recipe, masterpieces would be significantly simpler to create, identify and appreciate , they would also become predictable and less interesting .

Formulaic solutions are for scientists not creatives , extracting the mystery of any artwork is to remove the teeth from the piece, ambiguity should be embraced, not eliminated by forensic levels of understanding and interpretation !

Trust your soul ! (No pun intended)

I’m writing this blog as a general observation but it has been inspired by a recent capture that on first inspection & maybe your last inspection does not add up to very much, that said, this image possesses a deep significance for me but I don’t really understand why ?

Why does this lifeless deadpan view resonate with me so much during these times of Covid-19 , is it the rainbow on the horizon , is it the empty beach or is it the significance of the location ?

I know for certain that this view would have been of no significance to me in times before 2020, context for want of a better word appears to be able to transform a quiet mundane moment from nothing into everything !

Like I said , “It’s a funny fish “ this photography thing !

Stay safe ….

Where troubles melt like lemon drops , 2020

Foto-Fatigue ?

July 4, 2020

The isolation & nothingness finally got to me !

My photographic intentions were to carry on regardless during the pandemic crisis , easier said than done !

I’m not complaining too loudly as I have made a capture every day of this year for 177 consecutive days , created a personal photographic journal of the pandemic crisis and produced a few unusual captures for the Whoooosh project , Maybe I did more than I should … ?

The positivity , optimism and enthusiasm I normally bring to my work has became harder for me to find & maintain recently, the lethargy and limitations of a rural lockdown continue to challenge. .

The “Moments & Surprises” are much harder to find but still turn up ! Frame 71 from my pandemic project 2020.

Anyway I intend to take things a little easier for the next few weeks , I won’t stop altogether , I just need to gather my thoughts …

Good luck to the folk who are still making a new picture each day during 2020.

Maybe I just need a haircut to rediscover my mojo ?

Take care , stay safe and keep it real …

Whoooosh !

May 25, 2020

Is it Street Photography , Landscape or Art Photography ?

Maybe it’s all three , all I know is, that this new project puts a big smile on my face during these dark days .

I’m still shooting my pandemic project and finding balance with this upbeat, fun to shoot project .

Life is a tough gig right now !

The ongoing Whoooosh project can be seen by clicking the “Whoooosh” button above . Enjoy !

Whoooosh , moving a world that has stopped !

Stay safe …

Truth Or Dare ?

May 20, 2020

The truth is that 50% of all my Street captures are rubbish !

I wish the above statement was true but it is not , my Street Photography hit rate is much, much , much lower !

Another truth is that at least 50% of all your Street captures are rubbish too ….

The problem I have with this 50% thing is , if we accept that half of our captures are rubbish, how do we know which half to delete ?

One persons poison is another persons successful photograph ?

Does anyone really know what a good photograph looks like ?

What is your criteria for a successful capture ? Is it the same as it was five or ten years ago ?

What is the function of your photography ?

Has Street Photography become the cultural equivalent of painting by numbers ?

I make no apologies for asking so many questions , questions can be much more valuable than answers, especially when definitive answers do not exist . The answers you give to the questions above might be different to to mine , that does not make them wrong , its about owning your thoughts and beliefs and understanding your personal creative motivations ?

Why ?

What is your truth ?

Headless Dog With Decapitated Owner , 2020

The picture above leads me to question everything I ever thought I knew about photography ,I can’t decide if this is the best picture I have ever made or the worst ?

I love the fact that this image genuinely wrong foots me , I love that the technique used here is a common error , a anti-technique if you like, this picture is “WRONG” and is much better for it !

Long before lockdown Street Photography was in the doldrums , images that reflect uniqueness , surprises and innovation were increasingly hard to find , few photographers are daring to take risks and break out from the SP cabal which unintentionally appears to create uniformity by default due to increased connectivity !

No point in whinging about it , I’m trying to pursue new lines of inquiry , what are you doing ?

Don’t ask the same questions, if you know the answers

Dare to be different !

The lockdown pause is a good time to re-think what you thought you knew.

Stay busy and stay safe ….

There is no truth in the post-truth era …..

The Invisibility Of Familiarity !

May 10, 2020

Invisibility is a great trick for street photographers to learn , the photo benefits are obvious but it requires a bit more than a black hoody or ex-army camouflage trousers to achieve the look !

The covid restrictions have locked me down into a very small English village , to be honest I have not really engaged with this place photographically until now ! This place has become the backdrop for my picture each day project , my photo world shrinks as each week in lockdown passes .

My daily exercise session involves a photo-walk around the local roads most days, I also venture into the rural landscape now and then in search of a photograph or two.

The side effect of my regular increased visibility is that people are becoming much more tolerant & trusting of my camera and myself !

Local folk understand the importance of creating a photographic record of these dark days .

This picture failed to make my 365 project or my pandemic themed series .

Truth be told this global pause has given me the time and the opportunity to discover my everyday surroundings, I might have achieved a level of invisibility locally but the real surprise for me is that my day to day has become much clearer, I see the visual depth of this place now , I notice the subtle changes in familiar scenarios . Time reveals everything, eventually .

The limitations of empty streets and lives on hold have forced me to work harder to create surprising elements within my work , a abundance of nothingness has proved to be a great inspiration and motivation to create something !

This stuff might not be “Street” but I am seeking and pursuing new visual destinations, despite the familiarity of my locations !

As a photographer I recognise that it is time to adapt and explore new avenues and representations of the mundane reality of my life during these challenging times , not only does this loose approach improve my mood and make me smile , it also helps me to realise that subject is only part of the picture !

Invisibility is great when you have a camera in your hand, its less appealing if your work conceals you ?

You have to ensure that your influence is not invisible, make sure that your presence appears in your pictures too !

Stay safe…

Photographing Lockdown !

April 16, 2020

My world is a different place during lockdown , I’m sure yours is too !

People have almost vanished from the streets , smiles are few and the emptiness of the everyday is everywhere .

Life feels hollow & slower now , moments have been replaced with a visual lethargy where a abundance of time and space exist , there is nothing decisive about the moments in front of me these days !

The chaos of the front-line is being photographed like other global catastrophes , but the day to day of this crisis is different , this is not a famine or a war , when they say “there is nothing to see here” its almost true !

The silence of our cities is louder than ever, as the secrets of this invisible, lethal threat are maintained !

How should serious photographers photograph these times, while respecting the passing of so many and observing the restrictions of lockdown ?

Is a visual rethink necessary ?

Nothingness is a difficult subject to shoot , I’m not sure what it looks like but I’m looking ?

Space and emptiness reflect the feel of these times to me, still photography should be the most suitable medium to reflect this enforced pause.

Being alive right now is not much fun ,……….. the alternative is worse !

Inactivity, is still and quiet , could quiet be the best word to describe the developing visual aesthetic of these times, is this silence the inevitable calm before the economic storm ?

Time will tell !

I think the current crisis requires a different approach, mindset and aesthetic !

If your pictures aren’t good enough , your probably not far enough away ?

Take care if your photographing these uncertain times, make best use of space and the respectful visual silence,

Stay safe !