Would , could , should a photographers approach change when creating reflections of their own life , some pictures can betray the trust and privacy of friends & family , is it worth the risk …
Is it okay to photograph people not living their best lives in the name of ART ?
Seeing the work of Graham Smith in the spotlight again has reminded me of the conflicts I felt years ago , I always admired Smiths work but became conflicted ( rightly or wrongly ) when I began to understand how close he was to the people and places in the best of his pictures , I was never happy with some of the captions that accompanied the work either , I never really resolved my thoughts on this at the time and I still fail to resolve them now , I am no stranger to the hard drinking culture of the NE and have memories of scenes like those from The Commercial from my life and local pubs , I never considered this part of my life with any seriousness as a photographic subject , I saw the potential but some of my local pubs were dangerous places to drink in , let alone photograph !
I won’t repeat the “plasma on draught” gag , or the “bandages on the legs of the furniture” observation …
Drunkenness , cameras and hard men create a potentially menacing , unpredictable cocktail !
“The truth might be that my camera was just an extension of my drinking arm” !
Graham Smith
Almost all of the work I saw on the walls of Side Gallery including Smiths looked as if it belonged there , this was a serious local gallery that possessed a level of empathy , integrity and unity with its audience , these were locally based photographers telling the stories of local communities with more than a small amount of understanding and talent , this felt like the right work , in the right place at the right time , Side went on to build a international reputation .
My photographic world at this pre-internet time consisted of life in the east end of Newcastle , Bath Lane college , Side Gallery and a few influential photo mags , beyond this , my photography world was flat , I knew nothing of what existed beyond my geographical photographic limitations , until …
Until I experienced a little bit of success myself , my recognition within the Benson and Hedges Gold Awards showed me another side of Photoland , one that I had never really considered , one that I thought had nowt to do with me , the awards ceremony for the B & H awards was to be held at Hamiltons Gallery, Mayfair , London , accompanied by drinks and canapé , which was all very well but WTF is / are canapé …
I mention this not to brag but to help readers understand a lesson I learned from Hamilitons , this place might of been dripping with prestige , famous faces and paparazzi but it did not feel like the “RIGHT” place for Doc photography or pictures with sincere compassion , this was 1980’s excess , I couldn’t see how my “Stuff” , Side stuff or serious Doc stuff could live in places like this or how photo audiences like this could relate ?
This was a chalk and cheese comparison or should that be chalk & canapé ?
I managed the canapé , the bucks fizz and too many free fags but I could not square how poverty themed pictures , middle class voyeurs and posh galleries could inhabit the same space , I still struggle with this , lesson learned , all galleries are different …
The takeaway point from this post is for socially aware serious photographers to consider carefully , where does the work you make really belong , good pictures can and do take on a uncontrollable life of their own and can / do metamorphosise into something else without changing at all , I can’t believe that Graham Smith ever imagined his pictures from The Commercial would end up at MOMA or that he could have considered the problems that would follow the local media “Boozers & Losers” criticism …
“I received a threat of violence from two distant drinking friends prominent in my photographs. Their message, sent by word of mouth, was also on behalf of others who were enraged by what they had read in the papers.
Graham Smith
It’s a fickle world , Side Gallery okay but MOMA appeared to be a step too far for some ….
Reminds me of the old gag , What do London based editorial photographers call people from Wallsend , Walker or Byker ?
Answer : The subject …
It’s fair to say that all any of us can do is try to make pictures with integrity of now for now with one eye beyond , a wider more considered awareness of how pictures can be interpreted might prove to be essential in todays critical culture , social media can be a elephant trap for photographers , beware …
On reading this back I was reminded of the Smith / Killip , Another Country show at Serpentine Gallery, 1985 , the answer to my question of how poverty themed pictures inhabit posh galleries in this case is , with great difficulty ! Apparently the framed pics for the Serpentine show were too big to go through the doors of the Gallery , following much head scratching & door removal , the large framed prints were eventually squeezed in …
The symbolism of this pushing & pulling of oversize framed prints is not wasted on me , I’m unsure if these poverty themed pictures were being pushed , pulled , shoved and shoe horned into todays Artworld , or if the Artworld was trying its best to keep poverty themed Doc Photography out ?
Answers on a postcard …
Either way I’m convinced that socially aware pictures need to be shared in the “Best” places for the “Best” of reasons , social media feels too frivolous to me for meaningful work , serious photography deserves more than a “Like” or a “Share” , as the Stones said “you cant always get what you want but if you try , sometimes , you get what you need “ …
Our early intentions appear to get lost somewhere along the way , I’m still conflicted by my purist values but these are hard times , what would I do … ???
Most of the photographers making socially important work do not worry me , however I possess serious concerns about the integrity of the new scrolling audiences for poverty pictures and the togs that grow within this voyeuristic culture …
Context is / was everything , MOMA is a long way from Side Gallery , in fact it’s another world / country …
Great to see Graham Smith back in Photoland …
Genuinely interested to hear considered views below …
… some of my local pubs were dangerous places to drink in , let alone photograph , the eagle eyed among you might recognise this pub as the local of the fictitious Viz character Sid The Sexist …
“I started photographing Middlesbrough and with a life time support from my wife Joyce, was guided well away from what otherwise may have been a wasted future”.
Graham Smith
MORE…
If your blessed with a bit more time feel free to visit highlights from Limboland , my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series or The Testing Times pictures , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life…
Forty of my Foto What I Took Blogs are still available too …