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Professional Freelance Photographer
Thoughts On Focus On Imaging 2011
Focus on Imaging is the largest annual imaging show in Europe and is held at the beginning of March every year at the NEC in Birmingham. This is the eighth time that I’ve attended the show in the past ten years and it’s always a great opportunity to test out the latest photographic equipment, listen to inspiring talks and grab yourself a bargain or two.
The Idiosyncrasies Of Photographing Strangers #2
The Idiosyncrasies Of Photographing Strangers #2
Taken at 03:26pm. Thursday 24th February 2011.
You never have to wait long while walking the streets of Blackpool (camera-less or otherwise) until someone you don’t know starts talking to you. Although I prefer to shoot portraits in a more candid manner, I don’t really mind people approaching me to ask if I’d take their picture. This guy was sat next to his friend on the promenade and as I walked past they asked what I was photographing and whether I’d ever photographed the homeless. We had a short dialogue before one of them offered to pose for a photograph. He grabbed a can of beer and started drinking, waiting for me to shoot. I asked him to put the beer down and just look directly into the camera. I shot three photographs of him before asking his name and thanking him for his time. The whole encounter only lasted a matter of minutes, but it’s all great experience of how to deal with people and working in a quick and effective way.
The Idiosyncrasies Of Photographing Strangers #1
The Idiosyncrasies Of Photographing Strangers #1
Taken at 6:59am on Saturday 26th June 2010.
I made my way towards the seafront with my camera this morning to catch the first rays of sun over Blackpool beach. It was an early start to the day and by 5am I’d already encountered the last of the Friday night revellers attempting to find their way home. Two young men (both clearly intoxicated, but [thankfully] only the one of them exposed bare-chested) approached me near Blackpool Tower to ask why and what I was photographing. I explained that I’d photographed Blackpool for a number of years and that it was simply something that I love to do. They didn’t quite understand my explanation or motive for taking photographs at this early hour of the day, but nonetheless they asked me if I’d take a picture of the two of them together. I obliged and continued my journey towards the beach. I knew that the photographs I’d taken of them weren’t really to my liking, but it certainly wasn’t an act of futility. These encounters with strangers on the street are nothing new to my photographic practice (it comes with the territory of being a documentary photographer) and each time I’m faced with this situation I usually find that its for the best to smile, take the photographs and depart on good terms.
Ted Talks: Taryn Simon Photographs Secret Sites
Since my introduction into associate lecturing at UCLAN in November 2009 I have found that my desire and determination to learn as much as I can about the medium of photography has played an crucial role in how effectively I write assignments, plan critiques and deliver lectures. In order to teach others about contemporary photography in a fresh and imaginative way one should not only be a creative practitioner of the medium, but also have an innate interest and understanding of culture, history, social issues and technology (to name but only a few).
Passing Conversations
Taken at 03:11pm on Blackpool Promenade, Lancashire. UK. Thursday 17th December 2009.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon shooting on the wonderful camera that is the Canon 5D Mark II. It’s an absolute pleasure to shoot all my new work with this camera. The superb Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens combined with the 21.1 Megapixel Canon 5D body results in amazing image quality. I must have read countless reviews about this camera over the past year and couldn’t wait to use this camera for myself.
Inspired By 'On The Road'
Taken at 02:33pm in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. UK. Monday 9th February 2009.
The title and content of today’s blog post are inspired by one of my favourite literary works; Jack Kerouac’s largely autobiographical book On The Road. The book is based upon Kerouac’s own journeys across America with his friends in the late 1940’s and is written in a style he called ‘spontaneous prose’ (which is similar to the ‘stream of consciousness’ method of writing). Kerouac wrote On The Road in just three weeks during a creative literary explosion in April 1951 and is now widely acknowledged as an American Modern Classic.