minimalism and simplicity

One of the themes I am constantly exploring (and trying to capture) is that of minimalism and simplicity. To elaborate, crafting a photograph of a person or scene to most simplistic composition available that still maintains the singular important essence of what you are trying to express. This doesn't necessarily mean stripping all complexity out of a scene, as long as they contain or reinforce the story (Martin Parr is particularly good at this).

Like all such objectives, it isn't easy. A recent trip to the coast of North Wales gave me multiple opportunities to attempt to capture these themes.

I am particularly interested in the idea of space (and not simply because my 10-20 lens is one of my absolute favourites) and distance, layering simple compositional elements to accentuate the image and the theme. In the case above I intentionally shot to crop to a cinematic 1:2.35 aspect ratio, breaking the image into three distinct but complementary elements - the beach, transitioning from stone to sand, the thin strip of sea and the deep blue of the sky with contrails adding a measure of geometry. In the distance stand several figures, adding scale.

Beach at Aberafon Campsite

The above shot is representative of about a hundred such shots that I took over the week, exploring the placement of the above two wooden supports in the scene. Here I have kept it is as simple as possible, taken at dusk to allow a slightly longer exposure, softening the already calm sea to offset the hardness of the wooden supports and to reflect the cloudy sky. This is a tighter more focussed image, breaking the compositional elements to three.

Beach at Aberafon Campsite

This is another exploration of the area around the two supports. The evening was truly gorgeous, and this scene, in a number of variations, lasted throughout the evening. Again shot to be cropped to the 1:2.35 aspect ratio, there is the added interest of the family in the lower right, their silhouettes leading to the shadow of the wave between the wooden supports and onwards to the area of bright reflection mid-image.

I shoot in RAW, to allow for the capture of the most detail as possible, and for the most control at the editing/production phase. The above image had minimal editing (cropping, minor exposure and contrast tweaks and sharpening), and, as ever, does not do the scene justice.

Lighthouse at South Stacks

My final image for this post is of the lighthouse at South Stacks (a rather painful descent and ascent but utterly worth it). I am a complete fan of the square format - I used to shoot occasionally on 6x6 film on an old Yashica TLR (which I still have) and Mamiya MF camera. I think the constraint of the format forces compositional creativity, and allows for more risk-taking with more success. In general I was not happy with the images I took of the lighthouse, the image above the only one to stand out, particularly in the 1:1 aspect ratio, and especially in the slightly 'heavy' black and white that I prefer.

In this image I have used the path to point towards the white lines of the walls leading to the white lighthouse tower at the slightly offset to centre of the image. There is a narrowing of the image to this point, with the quiet of the sky balancing out the busy heaviness of the lead-in elements, each emphasising the lighthouse as the subject, solitary in its environment, rooted to the land but surrounded by the sea.

videography - april 2017

One of the aspects of image making that has always fascinated me, and more so in the last few years, has been that of film making. This year, in amongst the other challenges I have set myself, has been that of making a film about Bristol, treating the city as a character and the film as a portrait.

Like all things of such nature, and with my barely fledgling skills, the challenge is a large one, beyond the bounds of my capabilities. But in such situations we learn.

The other day I bimbled out at 5.15am to catch sunrise over Bristol docks. It was cloudier than expected (or the sky above my flat had led me to believe) but I was still able to get some nice footage. I took a bunch of other video throughout the morning, experimenting with exposure, camera settings and composition, just trying to get a feel for it.

Today I spent some time playing with iMovie and audio, trying to build a narrative-free video of the morning (and sunset), just to see if I could put something together that communicates what I want. I am not entirely sure I have managed that, and I know I will look back on this with some horror in future months, but as of now I am content with it. Much learnt, and that is the important thing...

I am very much a beginner at this (as if you can't tell). Messing around with time-lapse, audio and iMovie, as well as trying to figure out the best settings on the cameras I was using. No narrative, just the results of my early morning jaunt to Bristol Harbour and that evening's time-lapse.

inspirations: vivian maier

How does one adequately encompass the story of Vivan Maier's photography and discovery thereof? A prodigious street photographer, Maier took something close to 100,000 images over the course of her life, documenting the streets of Chicago. In many ways Maier was the consummate street photographer, fearless, direct and broad in her subject matter. She documented life on the fringes of society, yet turned her attention equally to rich and glamorous as well, capturing humanity in all its aspects.

Her observational eye was keen, capturing expression and moment with an acuity many professionals struggle to attain even now. Her straightforwardness, her ability to maintain eye contact with her subjects lend an honesty and directness to her images that is both expressive and startling.

For me Maier captures all the key virtues of a street photographer, her approach and obsessive documenting of the world around her allowing no room for anything but the image.

Her images can be found here.

inspirations: steve mccurry

Steve McCurry has long been a subject of debate amongst photographic friends. His style, so distinctive and powerful, the breadth and weight of his colour photography, the sheer quantity of moments he has captured - all to be pondered and wondered upon.

McCurry has sense of place, his photographs defining and emoting an empathic response, whatever the scene. The huddled figures of Indian women in a sand storm, festival revellers daubed in colour, the serene moment of dawn arising over the desert; each photograph imbued with the human touch, capturing and detailing commonplace events so rare to the western eye.

McCurry inhabits the everyday moment, the simple and mundane made extraordinary through his art, through the juxtaposition between the recognisable and the exotic. Colour and texture are thick and heavy within his photographs, a richness that invites an inflection of story beyond the borders of the image.

To flick through a McCurry book is to be captured by a very real other-worldiness. The extent of his library of work is stunning in its content, breadth and influence. I have long loved his photography, his books adorn my bookshelves and his website is a place to dwell when a moment allows.

Steve McCurry's website can be found here and his books here.

whimsy

Tonight I watched La La Land, and I loved it. I loved the cinematography. I loved the choreography, the design, the sheer timelessness of it. Most of all I loved the sheer, unabashed whimsy of it.

It is a film about hope, love and dreams. And is beautifully filmed, beautifully made and Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling make it so much more than the sum of its parts.

Is there a point to this post, other than the my love of this film? Yes, I think so. No matter the theme, the style and subject, I believe there always needs to be a certain whimsy to our art, a breathless, brave and carefree honesty that should shine a light onto the story being told, whether in words, paint or photograph. A photograph is not just about the technique, the exquisite perfect representation of defined rules and distilled wisdom. A photograph should be a poem of light, resonating, evoking emotion and connection, implying a depth beyond the borders of the image, beyond the light and shadow, beyond the subject matter into the very stories that lie unearthed within us.

The very best photographs do that. They arrest us, hold us captive whilst they unfold all the complicated recognitions, stories and emotions. Being caught in the moment is not about the photograph, but about the viewer of the photograph.

Stories lie in whimsy, in the fanciful and the playful. And photographers should always try to tell a story, even if it isn't the one the viewer eventually sees.