Roger Ballen – Shadow Land

We visited Manchester Art Gallery recently to view the work of photographer Roger Ballen. Taken from the first paragraph of introduction ‘The photography of Roger Ballen compels, disturbs, repels, The images shift from an aesthetic of evacuated emptiness to a thickened reality that confronts the viewer with its uncanny abject elements, to something altogether bizarre’. The images taken in remote rural South Africa have similar qualities to nightmares, black comedy with everything from living to dead. They are very disturbing. It was a vast space though with many prints on display so you really got a feel for his style and what he was communicating.  

Foundation Fashion Shoot

I was asked by my friend Otis, a foundation fashion student, if I could conduct a photo shoot for his final major project final piece, the highlight being a tailored waistcoat. With a deadline looming and restricted studio space, we hired out a Canon camera and lighting kit and underwent the shoot in our university halls, within a bedroom. The opportunity to enhance my personal portfolio whilst working under tight restrictions and designer requirements, whilst continually problem solving, made for a fantastic experience.

I had to manage my model Brett to produce sophisticated, dynamic poses within this handmade suit, stood in front of a Union Jack. He took some encouragement but by the end of the shoot he was very responsive and confident with the process. Had to make the clothing a key feature at all times as it was to be presented in a large print at an exhibition and was the focal point, whilst balancing the making of engaging images. I learned some technical information such as not shooting on too high a shutter speed otherwise a small dark trail is left. I had a new challenge of taking on constant feedback from the designer during the shoot as well. I am exceptionally happy with the outcomes, I produced 20 finished and edited photographs that gave Otis choice for what he felt was most appropriate in displaying his clothing. I increased the size of my portfolio and received some positive feedback from peers. Overall a worthwhile experience.

Mark Power – Sound of Two Songs

Another visit to the Impressions gallery in Bradford saw us view an exhibition behind the 68 photographic series ‘Sound of Two Songs’ by Mark Power. The following paragraph is a paraphrase of his project introduction.

The project began because a Magnum commissioned to spend a month in one of the nations which had newly joined the European Union. He found one visit only ‘scraped the surface’ of a country he was fascinated. He subsequently made twenty visits travelling the length and breadth of the country. The series is a poetic, autobiographical response to a country he grew to love. Alongside a series of portraits of people he met along the way, the Polish landscape is typically viewed from a respectable distance. It is not a factual account of contemporary Poland instead viewed as historical document in a fascinating period in Poland’s History.

I was taken aback by the gallery viewing. Such incredibly powerful photographs. Very ambiguous and mysterious; created with moody light and weather patterns. A vacancy and loneliness is presented within the series, often scenes void of inhabitants. Was a great experience to see the images, there is something so much more poignant and significant seeing them in person as the photographer has presented them, as opposed to on a computer screen or library book. I found it very inspiring and made me realise that this process Power underwent may not be too far off for me if I work hard.

Mill Bridge Gallery

Mill Bridge gallery is situated in Skipton, a town nearby to my home. I visited very recently with my friend from my foundation course at Leeds College of Art, who is now a portrait painter, to view the current work exhibiting and enquire on the possibility of displaying work. The gallery is a particularly beautiful and intimate space. You’re presented with an incredible range of sculptural pieces, paintings and photography prints. I was exceptionally impressed with the quality of many of the pieces. It was also fantastic to see a friend from the foundation had already beaten us to it and had a print hanging on the wall.

When chatting to the owner Carina, she seemed very enthusiastic about us presenting work to her in the future and offered the opportunity to visit again with a portfolio of work, including prepared and framed prints, that if deemed good enough could go up there and then. I am looking at trying to create a series of images that will be appropriate as I think they will be more interesting to present and could be more valuable. I have planned to meet her first week of the summer. I think this is a fantastic opportunity for me.

Mini Brief - Fashion Editorial for a Brand Campaign

Brief:

Produce four images including close up, mid shot, long shot for a specific brand and publication.

‘Working in a team for a creative agency. Agency has been commissioned to produce a series of editorial photographs for a brand fashionable editorial. Will publish in a well known magazine across four pages.’

Worked with friends Sharley, Tom and Anna. We decided on ID magazine to base our style of photographs on. Often their images are black and white or contain bold provocative colours. Expressive confident stances from models. We chose American Apparel as our brand because our model Anna had lots of their clothes to use and be experimental with. Our agenda was to create a fashionable sportswear spread that attempted to make working out look sexy. We decided to base the shoot in Hyde Park with external flash to create a bold well defined figure amongst the landscape. We also asked Anna to replicate yoga positions as homage to ID’s style.

Overall I am so pleased with the results; we completely fulfilled brief requirements again and created some wonderful images that would not look out of place in an edition of ID. We worked exceptionally well as a team, taking it in turns to photograph, constantly providing advice or input to the shoot. I very much want continue to conduct similar shoots in the future, it was such an enjoyable process. I feel very motivated to explore this style of photography, something I probably would not have said before the brief.



Visiting Speaker - Andy Peers

A very interesting lecture that got us to consider our values and ethics. It raised the questions 'who am I?' and 'what do I stand for'. His principle being 'It's not hard to make your decisions when you know what your values are'. I found his teachings and the points he raised to be very poignant, I would like to think it will have a positive impact on my future as a photographer/business man when I have important choices or moral dilemmas.

Red Saunders Exhibition

We visited photographer Red Saunders exhibition in late October at the Impressions Gallery Bradford. The series concerned stories that were not told. Stories from before cameras were invented. The prints were on an epically large scale and the contents had an agenda. They are staged; every detail manipulated to meet his expressive vision.

In flesh they do look very much like paintings, which effectively communicates the language of the time. The space was staged to recreate spaces containing similar styled ‘paintings’. The large prints were placed onto red walls as opposed to white, within a moody, atmospheric low lit space. History is very much subjective. The story teller decides what is said; their interpretations of events. Same principle with photography embodied in this collection.

Gallery On The Green - Settle

Whilst out and about in my home town Settle on a shoot, gathering photographs for a module, I stumbled upon a red telephone box on a village green. It was very well kept from the outside with a vivid red exterior. I went closer to expect before noticing a television monitor inside displaying photographs that were strangely familiar. I opened the door to be welcomed by a sign stating ‘Gallery on the Green’ underneath with an exhibition title ‘Mobile Phone Culture’ by Martin Parr. I was left shocked; one of my favourite and internationally acclaimed photographers had chosen to present his work in a gallery in my home town, in a gallery I never knew existed. I got great satisfaction from it and found myself standing there for over an hour watching the photographs change on the screen.

The exhibition itself was fantastic, I love the way he creates such intimate photographs with his brave and aggressive approach. It is such a varied collection of photos with a cohesive theme running through.

Park Plaza Photographic Competition

We were briefed by our tutor Adrian on the 3^rd of October for a competition for the Leeds’ Park Plaza hotel. It required us to enter three square format photographs into three separate categories. The winning entries would be displayed within various parts of the hotel and a free weekend abroad was to be given away. Below are the categories and my photographic entries:

Yorkshire Hospitality – people of Leeds

 

Icons of Leeds – history, heritage and architecture of Leeds

Wild Yorkshire

I’m very proud of my entries, I felt like they fulfilled the required specifications. They were engaging photographs that creatively explored the themes. All three were chosen to feature within the top hundred by a judging panel and they progressed to a vote on the social networking site Facebook. This is where I became frustrated. Instead of the final photographs winning on merit, it instead was awarded to the people that had the most friends on Facebook and was prepared to plug it the most effectively. Very intelligently you had to sign up to advertising from the Plaza to vote. It all became a bit of a farce. I made a big attempt to secure votes but didn’t believe it was right to keep pestering people or that it was a credible system, so I stopped. Some photographs were deserving in my opinon, others not so much. It was an interesting experience regardless and I relished the opportunity to work under constraints.

Liza Dracup 'Lister's - A Topograpical View'

This series of images, being displayed in Ways of Looking festival, is created by photographer Liza Dracup. Liza is part of a photography group named the Bradford Grid whose objective is to document the City of Bradford, as well as the surrounding towns and countryside. Lister's Mill chimney framed within a topographical viewpoint has been the focus of her collection. Having that as a constraint helps tie all the images together but also gives her room to experiment with various photographic techniques. Location changes dramatically within the series, from rural areas to very industrial urbanized settings. It provides a nice contrast and fits perfectly with the Bradford Grid brief. There is a very vacant and empty feeling communicated with little sign of life within each image. Maybe referring to the decline of the city since the prominent industrial movement that came and went. I really admire the concept and the way she has delivered it.