The British Journal of Photography and Conceptual Art

The British Journal of Photography (BJP) appears to be by far the most widely read journal of practitioners of photographic art, OCA tutors and, indeed, OCA students in the UK. Having purchased the odd copy in 2013 and the first half of 2014 I finally decided to take the plunge and take out a year’s subscription in July 2014 (kindly paid for by my partner, as a birthday present). In this article I will give some early personal  impressions of the magazine and its content.

The magazine is aimed fairly and squarely at those who have a strong interest in and/or make a living from photographic art. Following the editorial comment, news and some notes on current or forthcoming exhibitions that would be of interest to its readership the magazine gives space to selected projects by (often) young, perhaps unknown photographers, allowing them to explain their work.  The bulk of the magazine then involves more detailed, lavishly illustrated articles about established photographers, usually featuring their new projects in exhibition and/or book form. This work has an international flavour, includes articles about photographic “collectives” and looks retrospectively on occasion, as well as crystal ball gazing into the future. The features often tie in with current exhibitions, in the UK or in Europe. Finally there is a short review section on new technology, with a few adverts right at the back.

There is a strong emphasis on portraiture (human, of course: wildlife doesn’t get a look in in this magazine) and social documentary in the BJP. Indeed, the November 2014 issue had a “contemporary portraiture” theme throughout and the two most recent issues (November 2014 and December 2014 / January 2015) have both featured portraits on their covers. Other “trending” areas have included photobooks and photographs taken from drones. In many ways the BJP reminds me of the music magazines (Melody Maker, NME) that I used to read in the early 1970s: latching on to fresh and exciting new ideas and talent (in musical terms, the artists’ first album), building the artists up then following their progress with interest (that “difficult” second album), but losing interest (or knocking them down, in the case of the music press) if the artists’ creativity lapses or they go “mainstream”. To be fair, the BJP does not review or pass judgement on the artists’ work as such, but simply sponsors their work by giving them space. However, it can pick and choose (we assume!) whose art to feature and whose art is not creative or original enough for the magazine. Damning reviews are not evident, although there were harsh words in the editorial of the November issue for the lack of originality of some of the work selected for display at the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize exhibition (with which I concur: see my own exhibition review).

The work featured in the BJP is very strongly concept driven, featuring portfolios rather than individual images (the exception being images taken by photographers in themed exhibitions, where work by different photographers relates to the same subject, place and/or period of time). I found it useful to study the concepts behind the projects. Many related to the personal interests (often socio-documentary) of the photographers, although a few were born of chance discoveries whilst working on an entirely different project. Since my own personal projects reflect these two sources of inspiration I was encouraged in the belief that my photographic output, whilst markedly different to that of the featured photographers, was driving me in the right direction.

Looking at the featured images gave me more of a problem. Some, such as Mayumi Hosokura’s individual images of nudes and neon-lit streets (BJP October 2014; pp20-21) are very attractive in their own right but don’t seem to work well together as a portfolio, whereas Travis Hodges’ portraits of “self-trackers” (BJP November 2014; pp18-19) are quite clearly linked and related to a common theme, but appear to be rather bland and uninspiring. Furthermore (and this is a problem that is very relevant to my own work), each of Hodges’ images needs text to explain its significance. Only rarely (such as in Otto Snoek’s photographs of the differences and similarities between the citizens of the European Nations: BJP November 2014; pp14-15) does a photographic Portfolio provide what, to my eyes at least, are interesting, appealing yet clearly linked images, even in the absence of text. Nevertheless, studying the project portfolios has given me a valuable insight into how to turn a concept into a project and subsequently into a portfolio of images.

Whilst the project work was most relevant to my own output the most interesting features were the retrospectives, such as Tom Seymour’s November 2014 report on the work of Danny Lyon, a New Yorker who captured some of the defining images of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement (based on Lyons’ recent memoirs, published as a book) or Seymour’s October 2014 look at the photographs of the paparazzi who recorded the glamour, politics and terror of Italy in the 1970s (featured as an exhibition at the 2014 Brighton Photo Biennial).

Somehow, the technology reviews at the back of the BJP seem out of context with the rest of the magazine; almost an anachronism. Are they a residue from the days before photography became recognized as an art form, when perhaps BJP occupied a niche not quite so distantly removed from magazines such as “Professional Photographer”? How many readers find the reviews to be of use? Not many, I suspect. Nowadays it is possible to buy bulky magazines completely dedicated to reviewing and comparing camera hardware, whilst BJP is extremely selective, sometimes reviewing just one piece of equipment in a given issue. Having said that, I did find the review of Nikon’s D810 full-frame DSLR of value: the positive review has, along with others, elevated this camera to the top of my list of hardware to buy……..when funds allow!

In summary, the BJP provides me with a useful glimpse into the world of conceptual photographic art and its practitioners. Whereas I must admit that many of the featured images and portfolios of images have, at best, limited aesthetic appeal to me the work on display is of value in providing an insight into how to develop a photographic idea, from its inception to the finished article. Furthermore, I am enjoying reading some of the historical features in the magazine. I will renew my subscription in 2015, even though I’ll have to pay for it myself!

Exhibition Visit: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 (Natural History Museum, London; visited 29 November 2014)

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPOTY) Competition is one of the biggest photographic competitions in the world, this year attracting over 41,000 entries from photographers in 96 different countries. The universal nature of the competition attracts the top professionals, although occasionally talented amateurs can win the big prizes. There are nearly 20 entry categories, ranging from the obvious “mammals” and “birds” to sections such as “natural design” and “the world in our hands”. There are three age group categories for young wildlife photographers, who produce some amazing entries although one always wonders how much influence their parents had on the conception and processing of their images: certainly some of the cameras that they use are well beyond the means of most young people! As always, the exhibition was held at the Natural History Museum, with the 100 winning entries on display. These included the three winners in a new time lapse photography award, each sequence of still images being played on a 45 to 60 second loop.

This exhibition continues to be very popular. When we visited, late on a Saturday afternoon, it was extremely difficult to get close enough to the printed images to see fine detail, because the room was so crowded. Despite entry being allowed using timed tickets there were hordes of people milling around in the room. Although ignored by the photographic art community (see my essay: Assignment 3) there is no doubt that the wildlife photography genre is hugely popular with the general public, large numbers of whom would have paid good money to access this exhibition. The youthfulness of the audience also hints at a bright future for the genre.

So what of the exhibits? Well, there was as usual a decent representation of big cats and primates, as well as some predictably stunning avian photographs, such as Jan van der Greef’s amazing portrait of an Ecuadorian sword-billed hummingbird, apparently about to stab a collared inca hummingbird (Image 1). He used a battery of flashlights and other equipment to capture this extraordinary result. The photograph emphasises one aspect of the wildlife photographer’s psyche, which is also common to sports photographers: to try to go one step further than everybody else, to capture the very best photograph, no matter how long it takes or at what cost.

Image 1 (Jan Van Der Greef)

Is there any evidence for concept-driven photography in the exhibition? Well, Bence Mate’s attempt to produce a nocturnal photograph of herons at a lake, with “The Plough” (part of the Ursa Major constellation) visible both in the sky and as a reflection in the lake, was produced only after spending 74 nights in a hide (whether he was carrying out other photographic projects as well during this extensive period is not made clear: one certainly hopes so)! His reward was to win the “Birds” category. Brent Stirton again won the Wildlife Photojournalist Award for his six image portfolio, which highlights some of the ways in which humans regard and utilize lions, with particular emphasis on “canned lion” hunting. Stirton’s stories never shirk on the gory details, but they are invariably beautifully composed: this is photo-journalism of the highest quality, but I would not necessarily call it concept driven; nor would I call it art.

My favourite photographs at the WPOTY exhibition invariably include abstracts and there were some very fine examples on display here. Herfried Marek’s print of three pond skaters in a forest pond (Image 2) is a beautiful example, as is Juan Jesus Gonzalez Ahumada’s elegant black and white composition of a spider on the skeleton of a prickly pear leaf (Image 3). However, my favourite abstract, by the same photographer, was of the warm light of a controlled fire seen through the cracks of an old agave leaf (Image 4). Now, why didn’t I think of producing that kind of image?

Image 2 (Herfried Marek)

Image 3 (Juan Ahumada)

Image 4 (Juan Ahumada)

The time lapse sequences proved very popular, with the three winning entries being displayed on screens at one end of the exhibition room. Of course it is not (yet!) possible to transfer these sequences to the printed page, so a visit to the exhibition is essential to appreciate their dynamism. I wonder how long it will be before video makes an appearance in the competition categories. Finally, in an exhibition which emphasizes the beauty of the natural world, Herfried Marek’s image of a birch tree, in the aftermath of an autumn snowstorm (Image 5), is a fitting emblem of the exhibition’s aims.

Image 5 (Herfried Marek)

Once again this competition provides awe-inspiring natural history photography of the very highest order. Whilst this type of photography has only limited relevance to my OCA course it is nevertheless inspirational, appealing to the soul rather than to the mind. In contrast to most of the exhibitions that I have visited and commented on in my logbook there is no underlying theme connecting the images; in most cases each photograph stands on its own as a “one off”, intended to have an emotional impact on the viewer.

The exhibition not only emphasizes the beauty of the natural world but also its fragility. My hope is that it will inspire some visitors to become the future guardians of this planet’s environment and inspire others to publicize the wonder of our natural surroundings through their photographic output.

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2014 (National Portrait Gallery, London)

(Visited 15 November 2014)

The annual Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize competition invites photographers from around the world to submit prints of contemporary portraits. In 2014 the jury examined over 4,000 images; down from the previous year’s total of 5,410. The event is, in some respects, the most important international competition for portrait photographers (not least because it offers a first prize of £12,000) and it attracts a mixture of professional and gifted amateur photographers. As has become standard practice for this event, the 60 portraits that were considered the most outstanding entries are exhibited in the gallery: from these, four were short-listed for the first prize which was ultimately won by David Titlow for a group portrait incorporating his baby son, Konrad, a dog and members of his family (Image 1).

Image 1 (David Titlow)

Review

Often my own personal taste in portraiture differs wildly from that of the judges but I have to say, on this occasion, that they chose a worthy winner in David Titlow’s family portrait (Image 1). The composition, with his baby son and a pet dog centre-stage, surrounded by family members, is reminiscent of that seen in Flemish “Old Master” paintings, a feature accentuated by the generally dark tones and the shaft of light coming in from top left, illuminating the child’s head. Only the lager cans in the foreground betray the modern setting.

Titlow’s photograph is original and convincing. Sadly, I was less convinced by many of the other prints on display in the exhibition. There was much formality and (as last year) few smiles from the sitters. When the photographers did manage to capture spontaneity, as well as happiness radiating from the informal portraits of their subjects (such as in Neil Raja’s joyful “Dolly & Co; Image 2) there appeared to be technical deficiencies (in this case the photograph is significantly over-exposed, with a messy background to boot). Of course the photographer is unlikely to have had any time to prepare, in order to “capture the moment”, but surely a little bit of work in the (digital?) darkroom could have improved this picture......or was this not allowed?

Image 2 (Neil Raja)

 The panel appears to have selected, either deliberately or by coincidence, several portraits of subjects who are in the public eye (including Silvio Berlusconi, Maria from “Pussy Riot”, Steve McQueen, David Cameron and family), most of whom pose formally in portraits that add very little to the genre. Are these portraits included in the final selection because the judges regard them as outstanding in their own right or might they possibly have been included for publicity value? The portrait of Berlusconi is interesting because it apparently shows him as he now is, rather than as how he would like to be seen, but otherwise this subset of portraits leaves me cold. Other popular areas continue, year on year, to include subjects in newsworthy war zones (Syria and Ukraine this year) and subjects with disabilities or unusual lifestyles (although I have to say that Nataly Angel Miranda, the Mexican subject for Viviana Peretti’s photograph: [Image 3] is the most convincing drag artist that I have seen and the photograph is beautifully composed).

Image 3 (Viviana Peretti)

Another familiar theme is to pose the sitter in somebody else’s clothes Hayley Benoit’s photograph “Jamila as her mum, Olivia” (Image 4) works for me because of the combination of colours and the contrast between the subject and the expansive, muted background. However, Sami Parkkinen’s photograph of his son, Arvi, wearing his father’s coat looks faintly ridiculous.

Image 4 (Hayley Benoit)

Jon Tonks’ portrait of a meteorologist, holding a hydrogen-filled weather balloon on St. Helena Island (Image 5), is undoubtedly different from the standard portrait. However, whilst this may work well as a component of Tonks’ series “Empire”, I struggle to see its value as a photographic portrait.

Image 5 (Jon Tonks)

I left this exhibition feeling somewhat disappointed. Beyond the technical prowess and attention to detail that was shown in many of the standard, formal images there was, in too many cases, little connection between either the subject and the sitter or the subject and their environment. New ideas were hard to find and the overall content was predictable and lacking in dynamism. Of course I don’t know what the standard of the rejected images was like, but if this is the best that the 2014 entrants can produce then I fear that this competition may be rapidly losing some of its gloss and appeal.

Major Project Update: November 2014

I’m now well into the fourth course assignment (major project parts 3 and 4) and I’m finally waking up to how difficult a task I’ve set myself for the major project. Essentially, the problem is how to produce a series of linked, high quality, aesthetically pleasing images that address the question: “why do we feed wild birds in the UK?” I should also be using the project to develop a consistent, personal style.

For some time I had planned to incorporate my images into a picture story (perfectly acceptable, according to the brief), which dealt with environmental issues such as habitat destruction and change of land use, as well as giving a short overview of the reasons why we have fed birds in the past, before concentrating on images of birds and people that are designed to answer my highlighted question. However, I was simply unable to find a smooth link between the different sections of the story and, in addition, was finding it difficult to produce images that were self-explanatory: in other words, that did not need captions to explain their significance. Finally, the images that I had produced or was planning to produce were straying into the genres of landscape photography and photo-journalism, when I had been advised by my tutor to concentrate on wildlife and documentary photography. As a consequence, I have decided to concentrate on the interactions between people and birds, and their consequences, for the major project and to incorporate some of my other work into a bigger, personal project that could, eventually, be turned into an exhibition with the general theme of “Feeding the Birds” (see later).  I have been given extra time by my tutor to develop my plans, with a revised submission date for Assignment 4 of late January 2015.

Modification of the Story Board

My new plan for the story board is that it will consist of a series of images that deal with what I believe to be the main reasons why we feed wild birds, namely: (a) examples of feeding birds to produce food for ourselves, (b) altruism, (c) commercial benefits, (d) conservation of species, (e) introducing young people to nature, (f) taming and “controlling” nature, (g) bird and wildlife photography and (h) companionship with birds.

A major subset of images will show people of varying ages (from the very young to the very old) feeding and interacting with birds (from very small to very large) in various ways, whilst other images (particularly those relating to item (g) above) will just show the behaviour of the “fed” birds themselves.

Whilst this change should allow me to produce a more consistent set of images it still introduces problems. How, for example, to represent item (a) above in one or more single images? A photograph of a game bird feeding doesn’t tell the story: should I (a) produce a “split screen” double image of a game bird feeding on grain provided for it and a bird hanging up in a butcher’s shop window or perhaps (b) produce a “triptych” of these images, together with a photograph of people shooting? I could use two or more of these images separately, but this would not fit in comfortably with the general theme that I am trying to develop. Alternatively, I could just ignore item (a) and concentrate on the other reasons for why we feed wild birds. I am currently wrestling with this and several similar problems. Sooner or later I’ll have to come up with solutions!

Production of a Story Book and Supplementary Work

Irrespective of what is included in the final set of images that comprise my major project submission I will produce a photo book that contains images which deal with environmental issues, in addition to looking at current practices of feeding birds. I will also incorporate text here that explains the significance of the images. The photo book will be submitted for assessment and may include 30 or more images, some of which could be derived from the “spin-off” projects described below. I still intend to include one or more video presentations, most likely featuring the activities of birds feeding from the hand or at feeding stations, in the final submission.

“Spin-off” Projects

Whilst trying to produce images of suitable quality for my major project work I am developing a couple of “spin-off” photographic projects relating to feeding wild birds. Whereas these may produce images for submission as part of the major project work they are also developing my personal interest, both in the process of feeding wild birds and in bird behaviour. These could be incorporated into an exhibition on the general theme of “Feeding Wild Birds in the UK”.

1.       Birds at my Feeding Station, Royston

I have set up a feeding station in my back garden in Royston. Using a black background (I intend to repeat the process with a white background) I have photographed interactions between birds (mainly goldfinches) using the feeders, in addition to logging visits from squirrels, etc. The results can be presented as a single image (e.g. Image 1) or as a composite of two or more images (e.g. Image 2, which is actually a composite of two images). In this way I can highlight bird behaviour, choose images that demonstrate the potential of feeding stations to produce aesthetically pleasing and possibly commercial photographs of birds [Item (g) above], demonstrate the “pecking order” that occurs at bird feeders or link several images together to produce a “fun” panorama of life at the bird feeder.

Image 1

Image 2

1.       Birds Feeding from the Hand

The birds in London’s parks are particularly keen to take food from the hand: indeed, some have become almost completely dependent on us for food. Recently I fed and photographed eight different species from my hand, ranging in size from a great tit (Image 3) to a mute swan (Image 4), in a day. I could incorporate an image of this type into the major project portfolio (although I would prefer to feature birds being fed from the hand by others, which is currently a work in progress: see below), but I have also set myself the task of photographing myself feeding as many different species of bird as possible from the hand. I will then present the work as a collage or a themed series of images. Whilst this work may fulfill some of the criteria for a major project portfolio it does little to answer the question: “why feed the birds”, so I’m just regarding it as a “fun” project at present. This work may also be suitable for a video.

Image 3

Image 4

Recent Work and Images

Images 5-7 provide a few examples (from many) of my investigation into the interactions between people and birds, which attempt to highlight some of the reasons why we feed wild birds. Images 5 and 6 show the very young as well as mature individuals feeding (or, in the case of Image 5, helping to feed) wild birds. Image 7 is a poor photograph but important as an image concept: an elderly lady watches from a hide as birds are fed outside.

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Future Work

In the immediate future I will continue to investigate the interactions between people and birds, both in London’s parks and at reserves, such as WWT Welney, where wild birds are regularly fed for commercial and/or conservation reasons. I will attempt to photograph from angles and positions that result in aesthetically pleasing results, although the acts of feeding are usually spontaneous and unpredictable, so it is often impossible to shoot in a controlled manner without eliciting help from my subjects. For this reason I may have to elicit support from friends and family……or is that cheating? The resultant images will be aimed at illuminating reasons (b) to (h) for why we feed wild birds (see above), although I will not abandon the hope that I can find one or more images to illustrate reason (a).

I will be anti-social in hoping for a hard winter with snow (no evidence so far!) in order to encourage more birds to feeding stations, including my own, where I can photograph their behaviour more easily. I am also considering trying some time exposure experiments to produce abstract, blurred images of birds flying around (my) feeders: I’ve no idea what the result will be, but it will be interesting to find out!

Finally, the environmental impact of man in reducing available food for some bird species (mainly by habitat destruction) whilst providing extra food for other, more adaptable species, has not been forgotten. I will continue to try to find images that, individually or collectively, tell this story. However, it is very possible that they will no longer form part of my major project print portfolio.

Film Review: "Ida" (UK General Release October 2014; Director Pawel Pawilkowski; Polish film with sub-titles)

Every now and again a film appears that raises the standard of cinematography to such an extent that it becomes an invaluable source of inspiration for both stills and film photographers. “Vertigo” (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock) is a classic case. Now “Ida”, a recently released film set in Poland in the early 1960s, is set to become another fine example.

The film opens in a convent, where Anna, a teenage novice, is about to take her vows. As the nuns perform their daily rituals, outdoors in a bleak, snow-covered landscape and indoors, in the hushed and spare interiors of the convent, the sense of atmosphere engendered by the camera immediately transports us into their lives. Often the camera pauses, and when it does our eyes rest on a beautifully constructed still frame that would be worthy of its place in any photographic exhibition.

As the story progresses the Mother Superior instructs Anna to visit her one remaining relative, the hard-drinking, chain-smoking Aunt Wanda, before taking her vows. Together, the pair investigate the past (see Image 1) and uncover what happened to Anna’s family during the war. At the same time that Anna is discovering that she is Jewish, that she was christened “Ida” and how Jews in Poland were treated during the war she starts to learn about life outside the convent: for me, this awakening played the more important part in defining the narrative.

Image 1

Whilst an air of austere sadness and tragedy pervades the film I found the scenes where Anna/Ida is discovering herself and growing into a woman (see Image 2) quite uplifting. The acting, particularly by Agata Kulesza as the world-weary Wanda, is outstanding and the film is compact: no scene is wasted. The final twist in the story brings the film to what, for me, was a very satisfying conclusion.

Image 2

However good the film is (and I can certainly recommend it) it is the cinematography that really sets it apart. The images shown here don’t do it full justice: the story could easily be told in a photo-book or slide show of perhaps 500 “Stills”, shown in order (indeed, I wonder whether anybody has produced a book of “Stills” from a single film for commercial reasons). Each still frame would be a classic monochrome image in its own right. The lighting, the positioning of the subject matter in the frame and the sublime use of monochrome produce the all-pervasive atmosphere of sadness, pain and discovery which defines this film.

When the DVD for “Ida” arrives I will purchase it, play it and freeze-frame it at random moments. I will then study the resultant images and try to learn from them how to produce an outstanding monochrome image – over and over again.

Exhibition Visit: "Dennis Hopper; The Lost Album" (Royal Academy, London, 11 October 2014)

Dennis Hopper is best known as an actor in films such as “Apocalypse Now” and “Easy Rider”. However, during the period of 1961-67, when he was effectively black-listed by Hollywood, he turned his hand to photography. Although he claimed later that: “I never made a cent from these photos. They cost me money but kept me alive” and he subsequently never picked up a camera again, in 1970 he was encouraged to exhibit over 400 (from around 18.000) of his photographic prints at Fort Worth Art Center in Texas. The prints were subsequently put away and forgotten about until after his death in 2010. Almost all the original prints (a few were lost) are now being exhibited at the Royal Academy.

Two things struck me when I visited the exhibition. Firstly, I was impressed by the quality of his portrait work. Friends and fellow actors, as well as complete strangers, are posed candidly and naturally against interesting backgrounds, with advertising hoardings being particularly popular (see, for example, the portrait of James Rosenquist; Image 1).

Image 1; James Rosenquist (1964)

Hopper was, of course, a celebrity. With his reputation of also being a bit of a “hell-raiser” his social circle naturally included other lively celebrities and, in particular, fellow actors and artists. Many of the photographs, such as that of a group including Andy Warhol and David Hockney, appear to have been taken at informal gatherings although some, such as the print of Roy Lichtenstein in his studio, were carefully posed. Either way, the portraits in the exhibition demonstrate a natural gift for composition and for bringing out the personalities of his sitters.

Secondly, his prints reveal a real sense of period during some of the most vivid, exciting and revolutionary years of the 20th century. Hopper followed Martin Luther King’s Selma (Alabama) to Montgomery civil rights march in 1965 (Image 2) and was present at “love-ins” and festivals in the San Francisco area during the “flower power” hippie summer of 1967.

Image 2: Martin Luther King addresses an Open Air Meeting (1965)

The prints, in their original form and size, are presented in long, horizontal lines around the walls of three rooms. It was necessary to stand close to them in order to appreciate the detail, but with so many to see it was not too difficult to be able to appreciate them all close up, even in a crowded gallery.  Not surprisingly, some contain imperfections whilst the subject matter of others (such as the numerous prints of bullfighting scenes in Mexico) will not appeal to all. However, his abstracts and images of torn posters and found objects might easily have been taken in modern times. These provide an interesting counterpoint to the documentary and portrait work, revealing Hopper’s versatility as a photographer.

Every now and again I found a print that really caught my attention. My favourite was a perfectly composed image of a street scene (Image 3), in which Hopper uses the driver’s mirror to great effect.

Image 3

This exhibition has received much critical acclaim: I can see why. Hopper’s prints not only offer a unique and privileged view into a most exciting period of modern history, but also show him to be a talented and versatile photographer. If his acting (and directing) career had not "got in the way" he might well have been able to develop a very successful career as a professional photographer.

Exhibition Visit: "Constructing Worlds; Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age" (Barbican Art Gallery, London; 4 October 2014)

Architecture has, from the very earliest days of photography, proved to be a rich source of subject matter. Buildings were popular subjects for nineteenth century photographers for the simple reason that they did not move, so there was no blurring due to the long exposure times needed then. As technology improved the genre became less popular and took something of a back seat, being used mainly as a tool to document the changes in our surroundings. However, as the twentieth century progressed, photographers started to use architectural photography to explore changes in society and ideology, the differences between public and private space and the interaction between the buildings and the landscape that surrounds them and/or the people who use them. This exhibition brings together the work of eighteen photographers, active from the 1930s onwards, who have made some of the more important contributions to modern architectural photography.

This major exhibition was well laid out on two floors of the Barbican Art Gallery. Berenice Abbott’s beautiful 1930s monochrome images of Manhattan’s transition into a skyscraper city provided a very positive start. Abbott’s spectacular views of gleaming modernity (see for example Image 1) were in sharp contrast to Walker Evans’ photographs of poor workers and their run-down, architecturally mundane homes and town buildings, taken during the great depression. Mundanity was a key feature of the concept-driven work of the “New Topographics” photographers from the 1970s, so it is a little surprising to see Bernd and Hilda Becher as the only representatives of this movement, with their (now familiar) series of water towers.

Image 1: Manhattan (Berenice Abbott)

Other photographers whose work is represented and with whom I was familiar included Ed Ruscha (parking lots photographed from above), Andreas Gursky (his famous photograph of the giant Montparnasse tower block in Paris) and Nadav Kander, whose atmospheric views of architecture and people along the Yangtse River in China combine the genres of architecture, social documentary and landscape photography to good effect. Simon Norfolk, whose documentation of the war-torn ruins left by the war in Afghanistan highlight another aspect of architectural photography, was the sole UK representative in the exhibition.

A couple of the galleries showed work by photographers, who collaborated with architects during the design and construction of their buildings. Luigi Ghirri’s collaboration with architect Aldo Rossi produced some imaginative work, which was showcased here. However, I was even more impressed by the atmospheric monochrome prints, produced by Helene Binet (e.g. Image 2), of Liebeskind’s Jewish Museum in Berlin. Was this because the museum itself (which I have visited) has a dramatic design (to reflect the bleak nature of the story that its exhibits tell) or because Binet has done an excellent job of bringing out the character of the building? I suppose that the answer is “a bit of both”. I would have liked to have seen more than the handful of prints of her work on display here.

Image 2: Liebeskind’s Jewish Museum, Berlin (Helene Binet)

I had previously rather scorned Hiroshi Sugimoto’s deliberately blurred images of iconic buildings, such as the World Trade Centre, pre- “9-11”. However, I have to admit that his large prints on display at the exhibition, which reduce their subject matter to its most basic, abstract form, eliminating their surroundings, do have a much more powerful impact when seen on this scale.

The exhibition demonstrates that the relationship between photography and architecture is rather more complex than I had first imagined. A very broad range of subject matter is on display and the curators have tried to cover as many different areas as they could, within the genre of architectural photography (too many to mention in this review!). Inevitably, viewers will enjoy and take inspiration from the work of some contributors and find less to intrigue them from others' work. Whilst the broad range of themes show-cases the genre of architectural photography, it inevitably leads to a somewhat “bitty” feel to the exhibition as a whole. On the other hand, I can’t think of another photographic genre that could be reviewed in a single exhibition without (at least) similar compromises having to be made.

Book Review; "The Polaroid Book" (Taschen, 2012)

Although I have used Polaroid film cameras before, I have never owned one. The beauty of a Polaroid camera is that once you’ve taken a photograph with it you only have to wait for a few seconds in order to get a printout, which gradually appears as if by magic. If the print is not what you want then there is nothing to stop you taking the photograph again. The disadvantage (at least for the casual user) is that, because there is no intermediate darkroom stage, the photograph cannot be modified.

The “heyday” of the Polaroid camera probably occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, when many of the world’s foremost artists and photographers took up the camera in order to create instant art. Edwin Land, the inventor of the camera, encouraged keen young amateur and professional photographers to go out and be creative, using Polaroid cameras. The work that they brought back was sorted and the best material was archived. Working with, amongst others, Ansel Adams Land established an archive of thousands of high quality Polaroid photographs, from various sources, in Waltham, Massachusetts. This book features a varied and interesting cross section of some 250 reproductions of prints from the archive.

I did not have to study the book for long in order to realise that many of the featured prints were not mere snapshots, but carefully designed works of art. Take Peter Beard’s print, “Iman” (Image 1) for example. This appears to be a double, triple or multiple exposure which has been cleverly collated to produce a work of art that asks far more questions than it answers. A darkroom expert or digital photographer skilled in the use of “Photoshop” techniques would struggle to produce an image such as this (assuming, of course, that Beard has not simply used his Polaroid to photograph the completed work!).

Image 1: Peter Beard; “Iman” (1987)

Featured Polaroid artists include Ansel Adams, Harry Callahan, Chuck Close, Elliott Erwitt, Robert Frank, David Hockney (for a collage of Polaroid prints), Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton and Andy Warhol. The range of subject matter and styles is huge, taking in virtually every genre although, not surprisingly, portraits and self-portraits form the biggest set. Within this set, however, the photographers have used imagination and skill to produce some stunning results, such as Arno Minkkinen’s “selfie” (Image 2).

Image 2: Arno Rafael Minkkinen; “Self Portrait, Foster’s Pond” (1989)

Whilst Minkkinen’s photograph has been carefully set up, many other images “capture the instant” rather well, which is what Polaroid photography was (is?) all about. However, my enjoyment of this collection came from trawling the images for ideas for my own work and admiring the skill and creativity that went into their production, in all parts of the world. Karen Kommer’s night-time images of pavement shadows and reflections (for example Image 3) score on both counts, whilst Ferdinando Dolfo’s daytime street scene (Image 4) also holds my eye.

Image 3: Karen Kammer; “Fantastiche Verteilingen" (1980)

Image 4: Ferdinando Dolfo: “A Philosophical Walk” (1983)

This collection (which was edited by Barbara Hitchcock, the director of cultural affairs for the Polaroid Corporation) demonstrates how photographers from all walks of life can take to and develop a new medium (in this case the Polaroid camera) in order to produce works of great creativity and originality. Developments in Polaroid photography over the 40 or so years since the technique was invented have encouraged devotees to use far more sophisticated photographic techniques than simple “point and shoot” and the results are, in some cases, stunning. The onset of digital photography, with its instant readout on the back of the camera, has to some extent overshadowed Polaroid photography in recent years. Nevertheless there is still a place for the Polaroid camera today and it has many devotees: the images in this collection demonstrate why.

·      Action Point: inspired by Images 1-4, I should aim in the next year to produce a layered photo-collage, an original self-portrait, an atmospheric night-time shot and an image where a road sign plays an important role in the composition. To increase motivation I should try to have a purpose for producing the images – perhaps incorporating them into OCA project work and/or photographic competition entries.

Costa Rica: A Photographer's View

In August 2014 I spent a fortnight in Costa Rica with my partner Helen, as part of a group on an organised “Exodus” trip. Costa Rica is very much a place to visit for tourists interested in its incredibly rich and diverse wildlife and environment, although it also offers excellent surfing and sun-soaked Pacific beaches. However, as befits a country with tropical rainforests the weather can be extremely wet! Whilst I was strictly on holiday I did, of course, record (where possible) the wildlife that we saw and, in the light of the “why feed the birds” subject of my major project, I was particularly interested in recording the Costa Ricans’ use of bird feeders to attract (mainly, but not exclusively) hummingbirds. During our fortnight I took 3300 photographs, ultimately keeping around 1000 as a photographic record of our visit. The following is a very brief commentary on our adventures.

Red-eyed Tree Frog, Manuel Antonio NP

The People

I’ve never been to an “exotic” country before where the people treated me as “part of the scenery”. They are not rude (quite the opposite), but they are presumably so used to seeing tourists that we don’t register as being unusual in any way. This was quite a revelation on the holiday. I also felt completely safe everywhere I went, although there is a small amount of petty crime at some of the major destinations. The Costa Ricans are clearly peace-loving people (they don’t have an army and have largely escaped the [civil] wars, which have recently affected some of their neighbours, unscathed).

The Landscape

Costa Rica has volcanoes and mountains reaching almost 4000 metres. But it also borders both the Caribbean and the Pacific oceans. The high rainfall (particularly in the east and in the mountain regions) produces lush vegetation (no deserts here!), which carpets large tracts of land and virtually all the mountain regions. As a consequence the landscape can start to look rather “samey” after a while: there are few exposed rocks or lone trees. This is not ideal habitat for landscape photographers! Upland areas are often hidden in a layer of cloud or mist, which can produce some atmospheric effects if you are happy to put up with a visibility of 10 – 50 metres. The limited numbers of landscape scenes that I photographed whilst in Costa Rica were mainly produced as representative images of what it was like to be there, rather than for their artistic or aesthetic qualities.

The Wildlife

Now you’re talking! Costa Rica has an incredibly rich, diverse and (importantly) colourful wildlife. It is possible to get close to monkeys, sloths, birds, snakes, frogs, spiders, crabs, butterflies and dragonflies. Not to mention all the orchids and other plant life. You name it, Costa Rica has it! With the exception of its secretive “big cats” (Puma, Ocelot and Jaguar), it is possible to find and take decent photographs of pretty much anything. The diversity of species reflects the diversity of habitats, so animals that are common at sea level may not occur up in the mountains and vice-versa.

Male Resplendent Quetzel

So is Costa Rica the wildlife photographer’s dream? Well, not completely. For a start it rains heavily throughout the year and particularly in the summer and early autumn months (i.e. when we visited!). This causes problems with water getting into the camera lens (as happened to me on more than one occasion) and steaming up: good waterproofing of your equipment is strongly recommended! Also, much of the wildlife is found in and around forested areas, which are shady at the best of times and particularly when the weather is overcast and/or wet. Consequently you have to rely on the subject being static or, if it is moving, using a high to very high ISO setting (say 1000+) to capture the action without blurring. I mainly used my Nikon D7000 camera in these conditions. The camera has many qualities, but does exhibit some graininess at higher ISO settings. My images would not print up well if taken under these circumstances.

A second problem was evident when we made a nocturnal visit to watch green turtles laying eggs on a Caribbean beach at Tortuguero. Strictly no photography! This rule is essential, because taking photographs may disturb the endangered turtles and cause them to abort laying, but watching the huge female turtles emerging from the sea, digging holes, laying eggs and then covering them with sand was an amazing “once in a lifetime” experience, which would have produced a dream photographic sequence….

The Hummingbirds

During the first part of the holiday hummingbirds were in short supply. However, we had the opportunity in Monteverde National Park to visit a “hummingbird garden”, equipped with sugar feeders, where several species of hummingbird were zooming around, sometimes within a few inches of our faces. What an amazing experience, and definitely one of the highlights of the trip! However, we only had limited time and the light was very poor (overcast with light rain in a forest clearing), so I had to settle for some static images of various species, taken at high ISO values. Fortunately the final lodge we visited, in Savegre National Park, had several (mainly hummingbird) feeders and attracted good numbers of three main montane species (we were situated at 2200 metres altitude). The staff had gone to some lengths to provide natural perches for them and I was finally able, on the penultimate day of the holiday, to get some decent photographs of the hummingbirds at rest. The commonest (and most photogenic) species was the Green Violet-ear: I took over 100 photographs of this bird, one of which is shown below.

Green Violet-ear, Savegre NP

Photographing the hummingbirds hovering and feeding on nectar proved challenging, even though they kept their bodies still during the process. My favourite portraits were all of static birds.

Do the hummingbird feeding stations in Costa Rica provide any insights for my project work? The feeders are easy to set up and common throughout the Americas, obviously benefit the birds and provide pleasure for tourists and locals alike. Monitoring birds coming to feeders provides useful information for conservationists and there is commercial gain for the manufacturers and lodge/hotel owners (the latter would attract fewer visitors if they did not provide feeders in areas where hummingbirds can be attracted). The provision of “natural” perching posts close to the feeders encourages wildlife photographers. Unfortunately we don’t have hummingbirds in the UK, but many of the reasons for feeding the birds in Costa Rica are equivalent to our own. Perhaps the biggest gain of all would be the personal pleasure gained by the private home owner or tenant, in the UK or overseas, who can get close to the birds and enjoy watching their activity by providing them with the food that they need.

Exhibition Visit and Walking Reading Group Review: "Dalston Anatomy"

(Photographers' Gallery and Ramillies Street to Ridley Road Market, Dalston: 30 August 2014)

The Exhibition

“Dalston Anatomy” is a colourful, varied celebration of Dalston’s Ridley Road market, created and produced by London based Italian artist and photographer Lorenzo Vitturi. Over several years Vitturi integrated himself within the vibrant Ridley Road community market scene, photographing local characters, collecting discarded fruit and vegetables and buying materials such as paints, dyes and chalk which, together, he would use to create makeshift sculptures and installations. These would then be photographed. The photographs were incorporated into a photo-book, “Dalston Anatomy”, published in 2013 to critical acclaim.

The exhibition incorporates many of these photographs together with sculptures and installations which, in a departure from “normal” photographic exhibitions, cover much of the floor space in the top gallery.

The Walk

The “Walking Reading Group” is an experimental group, set up by London-based Artists Lydia Ashman, Ania Bas and Simone Mair. The group meets on an irregular basis (booking required, to ensure things don’t get out of hand) to discuss themes arising from exhibitions and related texts, which are emailed to participants beforehand.

Exhibition Review

Two things struck me when I walked into the exhibition room. Firstly, the floor space was used to incorporate colourful installations, including some of Vitturi’s sculptures and a prominent poem by Sam Berkson, formed of fragments of conversation overheard at the market, which is written in large print on a mat on the floor (Image 1).

Image 1: Exhibition Layout

Secondly, bright and vibrant colours are everywhere. Countless varieties of bright fruit and vegetables (we didn’t recognise them all) form components of the photographic prints and sculptures (the latter use artificial replacements for the organic items). The prints (thinly) populate the walls, but can also be found on and around the central installation. Complementary colours in some prints mix with rainbow effects in others. Only one print (showing five artistically arranged bananas) is partially drained of colour, for reasons best known to the artist. Somehow, the subtlety of this print attracted me to take a closer examination: perhaps the image represents the peace that falls on the market at night, following the vibrancy of the day’s activities.

The artist is quoted as saying that “I wanted to capture Ridley Road market’s edgy dynamic”. Many photographers would have contented themselves with taking portraits of stall holders and purchasers, discarded food, transactions taking place, the setting up and the aftermath. Vitturi’s novel use of found objects as well as items bought at the market in order to create and then photograph art represents a new approach to celebrating his subject. However, does it take us too far from the market’s roots? A few street scenes are represented, but they seem incongruous, even out of place amongst his fruit and vegetable sculptures. Focusing on the latter means that we are now a further step away from the market and I found it difficult to visualise or warm to an event that was actually occurring as I toured the gallery. Which brings us to the walk….

Walk Review

Armed with material to use during the walk (well, at least a tour of the exhibition and a half hour browse of the varied texts) I joined up with around 20 other individuals and the walk leaders for a 4.5 mile walk from the Photographers' Gallery to (of course) Ridley Road market. After introducing themselves the walk leaders asked us to think up and write down some “key words” relating to the exhibition and texts on sheets of paper. We were then asked to pair up with someone whom we did not know, whose key words related in some ways to our own. After the initial chaos we set off on the walk, chatting with our new companions about the exhibition, the texts and pretty much anything else that came to mind. Roughly every 20 minutes we swapped partners, so that by the end of the walk (yes, we all reached the market) we had walked with five different people. During the middle section of the walk we were asked to walk silently, which meant that I learnt little from my third partner (and vice versa), although at least my throat got a “breather”. After discussing the exhibition (others had similar views to my own), my gambit of mentioning how much I disagreed with the author of one of the texts who stated (in so many words) that pioneering photographers such as Walker Evans, who photographed poor families in the depression era, exploited their subjects, started to wear thin. In the end the discussions veered more towards finding out about my new companions and rather less towards criticising the exhibition and texts. After spending over four hours at the Photographers’ Gallery and on the walk, my partner and I said our farewells and left most of the group to continue their conversation at a Ridley Road hostelry.

Conclusions

Exhibitions inevitably reveal some of the personality of the artist. Whether the viewer buys into the subject matter of the exhibition will depend to some extent on how well their personality is matched to that of the artist. In this case I struggled to find a reason why this exhibition might be greater than or even equal to the sum of its parts. Yes, I enjoyed the vibrancy of the colours. I also appreciated that the artist was trying to do something different, as was the Photographers’ Gallery in allowing photographs and other art to be portrayed as an installation. However, the lack of a clear theme and the lack of empathy that I felt with the market itself as a result of looking at these photographs did not align me with the artist’s aims. This feeling was shared by some of my walking companions.

I have to admit that I was dragged along rather reluctantly by my partner to the walk. However, I was pleasantly surprised: I found it uplifting to chat with people, often half my age or younger, with whom I had something in common, even if at the end of the walk I hadn’t gained a great insight into the works of the artists and writers that had been studied. Seeing issues from a different point of view was refreshing: I can imagine something similar (without the walking) working well at parties and I’m sure that friendships will be struck up by people who have attended these events. At the time of writing it is not clear whether Walking Reading Group events will continue. If not, it was certainly a worthwhile experiment.

Assignment 3: Critical Essay. Tutor Feedback and Final Comments

In the critical essay I commented on the role of the genre of wildlife photography (current, past and possibly future) and attempted to answer the following questions:

•         What are its values?
•      What is its current status?
•          Why is it largely ignored by the photographic art establishment?
•          In contrast, why is the genre of landscape photography (with which it has much in common) greeted by the photographic art establishment with far greater critical appreciation?
•          Is it possible to bridge the perceived gap between wildlife photography and photographic art in the future?
•          What benefits can the traditional “figurative” values of the genre bring?

By the time I had finished the essay I was satisfied that I had at least had a go at answering these questions and had painted an objective (although admittedly broad brush) picture of the genre of wildlife photography and its links with other genres, as well as looking at some possible future directions for the genre.

My tutor was not so happy, feeling in particular that the title of the essay (“Understanding the genre of wildlife photography: what are its values and is it art?”) was too broad (in retrospect I agree with this) and didn’t allow me to get to the heart of the topic. He noted that the document “has a good deal of interest relative to your study area” and that “you have made a good effort in the review and to develop your knowledge and understanding for the major project work”. However, “there is a limited amount of knowledge gained from this research piece in terms of how you can move your own work forward”. In his response he highlighted two areas that might, in their own right, have provided narrower subject areas for an essay. These are highlighted in points 1 and 2 below:

1.       “How does aesthetic appeal grow into pleasurable feeling for a viewer? Why or how can a documentary photograph evoke ethos, empathy or sympathy – considered or emotional reactions?” and:

2.       “What do wildlife artists add to their work that photographers may not understand and/or use?” Comparing and contrasting the work of a number of wildlife artists with known photographers of similar subjects would have allowed me to “categorise the elements involved” (in looking at the artists’ work as art) and perhaps identify a way forward for photographers who also wish their work to be considered as art.

Both areas are, as my tutor pointed out, pertinent and very relevant to my major project work and will be of value to me in plotting a way forward. They could have made good subjects for a separate essay. Nevertheless, the subject matter for the critical review had been agreed with my tutor beforehand and there is no way that I could have incorporated the issues raised by these points (assuming that I had thought of them!) into the planned essay without expanding it well beyond 3000 words.

In the essay I reviewed the work of Daniel Beltrá, a photojournalist who carries out assignment work for Greenpeace, within the context of showing that photojournalism can, in the right hands, amalgamate the genres of wildlife and documentary photography. My tutor commented that “you review his work well” but: “He is a photojournalist. He isn’t a wildlife photographer”. I disagree with this statement. Beltrá is both a photojournalist (by profession) and a wildlife photographer. More importantly, he cares for the environment and publicises the way that we are destroying the environment by the use of abstract, “artistic” images that have great aesthetic appeal and therefore attract a wide audience, publicity and a public reaction that just may bring to the fore environmentalists of the future. These, in turn, might even prevent the loss of all our wildlife. I removed a number of strong and/or controversial statements from the final draft of the essay but left one in. Referring to the (potential) influence of wildlife photographers it reads as follows: “…. and they need to be influential, because the damage we are causing to the environment may ultimately lead to the genre of wildlife photography disappearing altogether, as there will be no wildlife left to photograph”. This statement ties in strongly with the first and last questions posed in my introduction, above. The use of photojournalism to bind wildlife and documentary photography together, the use of the image of oiled pelicans (is this not a wildlife photograph?) and the popularity of images of threatened species (“take a look at this portrait of a tiger in the wild, because you will have to go to a zoo to see them in the future”) point to current and future values for wildlife photography, both “figurative” and “artistic”.

My tutor made the points that I did not provide names when talking about the world of photographic art (this was quite deliberate and also applied to my discussion of the world of the wildlife photographer) and that I provided no statistics in the review (the example he quoted was that when Kodak made film only 5% of the output was provided for the professional market [I’m surprised that the figure wasn’t lower!]). Point taken, but I didn’t feel it was necessary to quote statistics to make my points. Perhaps I was wrong.

When talking about landscape photography and the “New Topographical” conceptual examination of existence, rather than the figurative value of this work, my tutor comments that “the work and its derivatives have intrinsic aesthetic values. Those you should have examined, identified and discussed”. This is a good point and relates back to point 1 above. My research led me in some interesting directions and I used “New Topographics” to highlight how new concepts and ideas within the boundaries of the landscape photography genre led to its acceptance as photographic art. I bought the book of the original “New Topographics” exhibition and studied the photographs, but was unable to understand why the featured work was held in such high regard; only that it represented an important breakaway from the purely figurative values of previous work and that it was acclaimed by the artistic community. To understand the aesthetic appeal of this work will be to understand the general appeal of photographic art and its underlying conceptual approach. My tutor warned me that this might take me several years: I’m not there yet.

In conclusion, to fully answer the questions raised in the title and introductory pages of my essay I would have had to have written a far longer essay: perhaps one or more chapters in a book! Nevertheless I feel that I have raised most of the key issues and have done so objectively. Whilst admitting to being a wildlife photographer I have not “taken sides” on any of the issues. As a consequence my conclusions are unsurprising and, although I have been able to find little common ground between the world of photographic art and the world of the wildlife photographer, I believe that I have put forward a strong case for wildlife photography being regarded as an important and influential genre, both now and in the future.