Hot spots & Red-Letter Days ?

Every now and then I write a blog that I know is madness , this is one of those !

Looking through my photographic archive recently, I noticed a very strange phenomenon, I write this today to find out if anyone else has noticed this weird "coincidence" in their digital files.

Searching out a picture recently in my files I could roughly remember the month I had made the capture, but could not remember the year.  This led to my discovery that a number of my favorite captures were all made on the same date in different years !

I know this is hard to believe, but don't knock it until you've taken a look through your files,  this "Red Letter Day" theory is bad enough but my experience is that some locations appear to deliver more interesting visual events than others despite having no special features.

Here are a number of same location coincidences ?

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Following the hot spot realisation it was no surprise to me to discover that many of my favourite captures are made in June as this is probably when I am most active , however I was surprised that the 18th & 19th deliver most year in and year out ,  this is usually about the time of the summer solstice and is associated with all things magical and mystical , I'm not prepared to say here that I believe in all this mumbo jumbo magic solstice stuff but I do associate a level of spirituality with Street Photography.   I have no better explanation for the special mindset that tunes me into the unlikely alignment of natural and surreal elements before my lens on the good days .

Here are a few of the pix from my unexplained red-letter days in June !

 

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To be honest if this phenomenon is real or imagined matters very little, but I have to admit that I work with a greater level of confidence,  positivity  and expectation during my "lucky" days in June !

Do you believe in magic ?

Enjoy your long holiday weekend , keep it real ! 

There are no launderettes in space

 

These pictures were found deep inside my subconcious and reflect imagined 1960's childhood memories, aspirations and fears !

When I was five years old I wanted to be an astronaut and hoped that the aliens I encountered would be friendly , this was the era of Telstar, moon landings and optimism. 

I have no memory of this "old" faded family photo from 1969

I have no memory of this "old" faded family photo from 1969

I thought I would grow up in a brighter better new world,  childhood optimism  ?

When I look around me now I see a fractured decaying society and a breakdown of community values ,whatever happened to our future ?           

Did we buy washing machines when we should have been building launderettes ?   

                                                                                                                             

 

 

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Starting Street Photography IN The UK !

I've read a number of "Street Photography For Beginners" articles recently , they appear to promote little more than a generic idea of SP , a bit of history, think like an alien , the best camera, black & white or colour, book a workshop ? , bla, bla, bla !

Is it any surprise that Street Photography in the UK  is losing its appeal and integrity as new togs are feeling confused & frustrated , "British Street" is becoming formulaic , predictable and detached from the everyday lives that it allegedly represents. British Street Photography is becoming heavily influenced by the New York Street aesthetic , the way newcomers discover SP and engage with the medium in the early days is producing togs that work hard to emulate US visual values rather than innovate a British way of seeing,  Individuality based on a authentic original approach is becoming hard to find.  You could end up producing work like the self appointed experts if your not careful ,    don't allow others to corrupt your potential, unique ideas and social vision, you do not need to know the rules , as none exist. !

How difficult can street photography be ?   Very simple if you don't get bogged down by unnecessary technique and SP propaganda  !

New togs are confused and frustrated  !

New togs are confused and frustrated  !

My Very Quick Free Guide to Starting Street Photography In The UK .

 

1. Shoot your life and the subjects that interest you , shoot what you like and what you dislike , shoot with honesty and integrity.

2 Try to avoid engaging with the work of others initially , just find your own way , take some pictures , make some more and make even more. Edit, Edit and learn .

3. Try to create images that communicate life in 21st century Britain, don't be distracted by the superficial stylized efforts that pass for SP in the minds of those who have nothing to say and want to create "pretty" pictures,  traditional aesthetics & pictorial values should be exchanged for a more irreverent, personal, alternative view  !. ,  The World Is Not Beautiful  -  But its  there !  (John Myers ) .

4. Be influenced by the books you read and the music you enjoy, don't be influenced by the Street Photography websites & social media , including mine , value your independence and photographic ignorance, your lack of experience is a opportunity to do it your way , be curious and become the photographer you want to be, slowly ,... slowly ,.. one shot at a time .

One successful special capture each month is a attainable realistic target, if you invest enough time into Street Photography.

 

Enjoy the journey !

Lines Of Production

Thought I would share this collection of abstract images today, that follow in the footsteps of Rothko,Johns & Duchamp , these "ready Made" views belong to a industrial environment and were created by the erosion created by production activity and the necessity of space management with no aesthetic consideration  . They are part of a larger recently completed series .

These graphic compositions were captured on my mobile phone camera .

 

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Seeing it ,different !

 I have been test shooting various techniques recently that allow me to create abstractions of the urban environment and have settled on a simple multi-exposure in camera approach .

I have revisited a number of my favorite locations and searched out new interpretations, the scenes I have created so far are created by stacking a number of exposures on top of each other in camera.  A degree of visual pre-planning is required although the technique should not be so tight that it eliminates the little surprises that make this form of urban landscape photography so compelling.

Most of the attempted multi- exposures unsurprisingly end in failure but they are not a waste of time as these attempts leave clues to how improvements can be made for the next attempt.  Its a approach that adopts a continuous improvement ethos !

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All in all its great fun and worth a try if your digital camera has a multiple exposure facility. The files I make are treated the same way as my street photography ,   relying on  Levels , Contrast and Colour post processing enhancements only.

Give it a go !

Keep it surreal !

 

 

Portrait Of A Modern Poet, 2018

This portrait deliberately challenges conventional photographic portraiture, it should be seen as a protest and a warning !

This image was made by reshaping and reinterpreting existing digital media ,within a digital camera , the idea grew from the realization that modern celebrities and politicians are becoming increasingly isolated and dependent on TV screen representation, they value photographic portraiture less than ever before.

The collaboration between portrait photographer & subject appears to be breaking down in the digital age as time poor subjects with selfie sticks invest less of themselves into meaningful shoots. 

Is it possible to capture the soul of a person you have never met  ?

 

 

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Whats The Plan ?

As another year of Street Photography gets underway , its time to make plans for the months ahead, the flat lighting and lower temperatures might not be motivating you at the moment but its time to establish a few aims and objectives 

Review the past year , use the "WHY" question to analyse your successes, motivations and failures , establish in your mind what success is, success comes in different shapes and sizes and can only be measured on a personal level . The pictures and activities that make you happiest are the ones that you should consider to be the most successful, , my Street Photography is undertaken with a smile on my face , sometimes I actually laugh out loud at the things I see and shoot on the streets.  I hope this shows in my pictures.

Remember a bad days Street Photography is better than a good day at work !

Plan to shoot a few events this year or challenge yourself to shoot a few different cities . While on the subject of shooting cities, try to establish a street photography route in the city you shoot most , you'll be surprised by how much a established route changes once you start looking deeper on a regular basis, you will also become aware of how the light changes throughout the day, allowing you to predict and exploit the best light. 

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Plan to shoot different , try long exposures, blur, flash, high view points and low view points, embrace alternative techniques, this will help you to grow and learn as a photographer.

Decide what you want to achieve this year and take action to make it happen , if you fail to get "the" shot you want, return again and again until you get what you want , the picture below might look like a casual capture however it did not give itself up easily ! Eventually (3 Years later) I got it !

 

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I tried to shoot this scene in a rain storm without success, the bottom line is that all weather conditions can be the right conditions if you have a few ideas put aside, ready to be used on , dare I say it "a rainy day" !

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I hope this piece has inspired you to set aside a few dates in your diary, to do something different this year or even revisit a location that did not deliver for you last time. 

Although most of us embrace a spontaneous photographic approach on the streets this does not exclude us from being organised and making plans, setting time aside for your street photography will help you to achieve more, it will also give you something relaxing to plan around and look forward too  , 

Persperation or Inspiration ?

 

Keep it real !

 

Bye , Bye 2017 !

As this year draws to its end I thought I would review the year and some of the captures I made, this year started like any other , I had few expectations as is my default position, however 2017 delivered a few very welcome photographic surprises !

The year started with the acquisition of a large blue mirror from a charity shop, this was the beginning of The Blue Frames project , this project was full of visual surprises and was great fun to shoot, sadly I failed to maintain it for the full 52 weeks that I intended , I am quite proud of this set of pictures especially as one from this new series was to be selected for exhibition in a leading UK photo festival before the year was out.

 

Blue Frame No 2.

Blue Frame No 2.

I was delighted to have 3 of my Durham Miners Gala pictures included in the Reclaim Photography Exhibition ,which is a free event hosted in the West Midlands annually. This show is open to all photographers, I was fortunate enough to view the 2017 festival in the company of my friends Peter Barton and Stephen Curry, it was a memorable day.     

The 2018 Reclaim Photography Festival Exhibition is open for entries now , the theme is "Reclaiming The Future" , the show welcomes entries in all styles including "Street " !

 

Durham Miners Gala, part of the 2017 Reclaim Exhibition.

Durham Miners Gala, part of the 2017 Reclaim Exhibition.

As the year progressed I picked up a few shots for The State Of Britain project although I became aware that I had not really managed anything that gave me the "Buzz" that feeds my search for Street Photography. That was until June 19th when the elements aligned and conspired to confront me with a very unusual  view of a young woman carrying a head under her arm, this image went on to become a finalist in the Lensculture Street Photography awards and was exhibited in San Francisco .

 

While All Around Are Losing Theirs, 2017

While All Around Are Losing Theirs, 2017

One of the Blue Frames series was selected for exhibition as part of the PhotoOxford festival open call . This selection process was done via Photo Crowd , which is the strangest photo community I have ever been part of , I won't go into how it works here, but will never forget or repeat the "experience" !

This Blue Frame made it to the Oxford photo festival..

This Blue Frame made it to the Oxford photo festival..

 

My involvement in the Oxford festival earned me a invitation to Martin Parrs, Oxford opening night exhibition , sadly I was unable to attend due to other commitments, apologies to Mr Parr !

Looking back, this year has been very kind to me .I have already shot my set of images for the Reclaim Festival entitled, There Are No Launderettes In Outer Space , which could be the craziest set of pix I've ever made and have discovered a set of pix that I had created over time that appear to live well alongside each other , they were never intended to be a series  (Tomorrow Was Created Yesterday).

The take away point of all this for me is that you never know when or where your best images are going to turn up or how these pictures will be received by others , the secret is to stay optimistic and have fun with your photography, create for yourself with few expectations, this creates a win  win mentality and enhances your feelings of independence and creative freedom. 

I hope you create loads of happy memories and great pictures during the next year , best wishes for the remainder of 2017 and the new year ahead..

Keep it real in 2018 !

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas

When the turkeys in the oven & the Christmas presents are bought and Santa's in his module he's an American Astronaut..  Words, Alan Hull

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TOMORROW was created yesterday

                                                                                                                                        

This is the story of how a building site helped me discover a new way of seeing how times past relate to life today and how our present shapes our future, literally !

On first inspection this photographic series might appear to be the product of digital jiggery- pokery , however ,  the collisions of time & coincidence seen here are created by a unlikely serendipitous visual reality, which is a bi-product of numerous mundane parking, security and public safety requirements !

All of the views here are as found and captured without my intervention.

These simple photographs show how a unremarkable demolition / construction site became the subject of my photographic attentions for more than a year due to the way a historically themed fence appeared to evolve and juxtapose with life today.    The more I looked at the historic photographic representations on this perimeter fence the more I noticed the surprising visual insights and contrasts that existed between modernity and this nostalgic backdrop.  

 The story starts in November 2016 when I capture a image of a modern hi-tech jogger running past what was then a demolition site, at first glance the runner appears to be in a a 100 year old street scene.   This image was the first image that suggested a form of visual time travel to me that was worthy of further investigation !

Following this capture I revisited the site over the following year, at first I thought these images were a bit of fun, but eventually it dawned  on me that these images were offering interesting elements of wit and social comment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

I adopted  this location as part of my Street Photography route            but did not plan for these individual captures to be seen as a  series  , I just thought that this location could throw up some interesting interactions.  I  got drawn into how the saturated high visibility of the 21st century looked displaced against the nostalgic monochromatic streets of earlier times. . 

This unique perspective shows how a small part of a evolving British city can reveal a unexpected narrative of how the scenes from the past maintain a surprising connection with life today !

These pictures document how our ever changing urban environments will always be unfinished work's in progress. They reveal how the past , present and future can conspire to create a reoccurring  elusive reality,...

The past featured here was once someone’s future ! 

 

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