Photographic Exhibitions

Nottingham Trent University Degree Show, Bonington Gallery June 2014

I went along to the degree show at Nottingham Trent University because I was interested to look at how students presented final work - format, creativity, size, uniformity of images and how it flowed.

Some students exhibited photobooks. One which particularly appealed to me was Female Farmers by Rachael Foster. She had spent time observing her family who farmed sheep in various parts of the country and illustrated differences between lifestyle and working conditions. In my opinion the images told a story, supported a few words explaining something the image couldn't say. Another one which caught my attention was Following the Cromford Canal by Peter Lewer which took the viewer on a walk along the canal. This used several small images and illustrated restoration, decline, vandalism etc. 

Areum Lee looked at dressing a figure in a Korean national costume and placing a yellow box on the head of the image to question viewers' response to different skin colour and how people are or can be treated differently. She and a number of students presented pop up images. I am not used to viewing a scene created from flat images to make a 3D image so it was interesting to question my feelings around this idea of presentation. I can see that pop up books has a place in learning when teaching young children and so to relate the two ideas was not something I had previously considered.

I will try and attend this next year as it was useful to look at different ways of presenting photography.


All that is solid melts into air - Jeremy Deller, Nottingham Castle Museum, 15th March 2014 

All that is solid melts into air is a travelling exhibition from the Southbank Centre in London which included a couple of large images from John Davies photographer who I had been researching.

 "In All That Is Solid Melts Into Air Deller takes a personal look at the impact of the Industrial Revolution on British popular culture, and its persisting influence on our lives today.  The exhibition combines contemporary music, film and photography with a vast range of 19th century images and objects.  Deller approaches this wealth of material like a social cartographer, revealing neglected ley lines of cultural history[....]  Deller will explore how the trauma of the Industrial Revolution and chaotic urbanisation affected British society"
John Davis had two large photographs on display (Stockport Viaduct 1986 and Mersey Square Stockport 1986). It was great to be able to stand in front of such large monochrome photographs and pick out the detail of life frozen at the time of taking the image. I thought both photographs fitted into the context of the exhibition, because firstly it captured as it was, and secondly that life may be more modern and people think things have changed but there are similarities between life in 1986 and life in 2014. I thought the size of the prints on display enabled the interested viewer to absorb the details of the image and find more hidden detail. Being familiar with the image of Stockport Viaduct as I had looked at it carefully in relation to my project on bridges, I was able to see and think about differences between how I had taken the image of my train crossing a railway bridge and how Davies had captured his. I deliberately took mine of the train and bridge in focus; Davies had captured the train passing through the image and it carried motion blur. In my opinion, this lent itself to his image because it was as if the shutter had just been pressed at that moment. 
Photographs of Amazon were on display from Ben Roberts . It was interesting to see how the curator had linked these with working conditions of the industrial revolution. During my visit, I found this captured people's imagination more than the photographs of John Davies. Maybe this is because it is topical at the moment? The display featured a mannequins arm wearing a motorola bracelet similar to those worn by workers with an idea of messages that may be sent to the workers when production was unacceptable to the workers. This linked into Robert's images of Amazon workers in which he questioned whether there was any truth in the display he saw. I was interested to read Robert's article of his involvement with the exhibition.
Reference
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/hayward-gallery-and-visual-arts/hayward-touring/future/jeremy-deller-curates-all-that-is-solid-melts-into-air
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/oct/13/artist-industrial-revolution-popular-culture

The Photography Show, National Exhibition Centre Birmingham, 3rd March 2014

I attended this show once before I started with the OCA and enjoyed going although felt i didn't get as much out of it as I should have done. I decided this time to plan my day around planned seminars and use the time in between to visit the trade stands. I thought carefully about which sessions to attend, and opted for a mixture of creative and informative sessions. I came away feeling inspired with a new project to try, with a shiny tripod, two books and a free ebook on landscape Photography, and an understanding on how to make my macro lens take images greater than 1:1. All good for a days work!


This seminar was aimed at creative and confident thinking for weddings. I was interested to see how the research and wedding photography for a friends wedding I did previously fitted in with what the panel were saying and how viable it was for me as a career option.
  • Tell the story which the Bride and Groom want told (listen and consult with them)
  • Be able to meet their expectations and if you can't, pass on to someone who can
  • Network with other photographers and build contacts
  • Define your style and set expectations of what you want to achieve / learn during the year (almost a personal development plan) Know your limitations
  • Qualifications are necessary
  • Back up with extra equipment
  • Have to be jack of all trades - sales, marketing, advertising, photographer, after sales, graphic designer
  • Need an understanding of graphic design and colour management for making your photos stand out from all the other photos that are taken at the wedding
  • Would need to attend course to learn how to put photo book together
  • Represent yourself and your brand, personality is important
  • Phone insurers as soon as things start to go wrong
This gave me plenty of food for thought. I had seen court cases recently  in America via social media sites where the photographer was being sued so it made me question whether the communication had been there in the beginning and if that's where it all went wrong.  It questioned my personality and how other people see me, and whether I would enjoy doing this.


I was keen to visit this seminar as portraits will be in the next course I study with the OCA. I enjoy taking portraits but know I need to be more creative and be able to instruct my model better. This practical demonstration held some useful techniques to consider.
  • The original image with no flash (where artificial light will be used) should be underexposed. 
  • The printed image has less F stops than when displayed on a monitor.
  • Split lighting means half the face
  • The model posing had dark skin. With portraiture on dark skin it was explained that you can't throw a shadow, it has to be highlighted. This is interesting as I work with several colleagues who have dark skin and now I am keen to try this out.
  • The demonstrators technique to ask the model to move her face was to cup his hands and then move them slightly to the left, right, up etc. The camera was mounted on a tripod so his hands were free to do this.
  • To achieve an image with no compression, position the camera level with the mouth for a head shot, the bust for a head and shoulders shot. Can elongate legs by crouching down and looking upwards at the model.
  • Try using 35mm or equivalent focal length.
This seminar did more for me than I expected it to. I thought my husband would enjoy this seminar as he owns a dedicated macro lens which I just borrow from time to time and do not use to its full potential. I took some insect pictures when I first had it, but did not like looking at them at this scale. I tried it for close ups  of bikes etc which works well and because of the shallow depth of field it blurs the background sufficiently to not have to worry about a cluttered garage. I also tried it for flowers and although I achieved the shot I was after, it was not because I used a dedicated macro lens. I left this session with an understanding of how to get a good depth of field, sharp images and a scale larger than 1:1, ideas for creative flower shots and a shopping list!
  • The difference between macro and close up
  • If using a macro lens for portraits, switch the slider to the furthest away distance to save the lens hunting through the foreground (and don't forget to reset after use)
  • Understanding of kit available to make images 1:1 or larger and how well it works
  • Use diffused sunlight for indoor shots where possible. Flash will illuminate the subject but not the background so not using flash gives a more natural appearance to the subject
  • Tip not mentioned but spotted through an image - use pegs instead of tape to secure backing paper / cloth
  • Tip - buy an LED lighting strip from Maplins
  • To achieve a sharp image with such a small depth of field, take several images at different focus points and stack in Photoshop. Demonstrated through a pile of coins image. Even subjects such as orchids which I struggled to get sharp will appear sharp using this method. The question is about how much manipulation to do and whether it is acceptable.
  • Creative ideas to try for more abstract flower images - pressed flowers (can dry in microwave flower press for speed), iced flowers and use macro. Pansies and primulas work well - good shapes and colours.

Realise your potential Catherine Connor

Catherine Connor has so much drive and enthusiasm it is infectious. She delivers her message positively and with humour, and i was not surprised to see one chap walk out of the seminar after I witnessed a conversation with a photographer last weekend.

The message was simple - you have to keep re-evaluating what you are doing, and never rest thinking you have done enough. Real examples from the show such as which companies had good business cards, marketing etc

  • You are your brand, does it work for you? Who has your business cards?
  • Web design - look at fonts, images, design, what does it say about you? Make it work hard (All useful info for looking at setting up a website) does it sell you? Look at the language you use
  • be sociable - network - twitter, facebook, blog, pinterest, "become a destination", network and collaborate with like-minded people, tell stories 
  • keep asking yourself what marketing means to your business.
  • What sells currently (answer - nostalgia, sentiment, stories)
  • Create "raving fans" (in business remember them with anniversaries, birthdays etc)
  • Feedback- ask clients to tweet or drop a message on facebook wall
  • Look at getting involved with Brownies photography badge (potential client base)
  • Follow up with postcards (look at moo) - looked at their site which has good ideas on it and also an article on what you need from a web host.
  •  Database
Thinking about what was said, there were a few small stands I had on my list to visit which I did not find. Perhaps they were not eye-catching enough. Big brands were involved with advertising pre-show, had information to take away, had knowledgeable, approachable sales people on stands and one gave a free ebook with registration details post show.

Dreamcatcher Project Jen Brook


Having looked up Jen's project,  I liked her images and was intrigued. How did one go about setting up conceptual  art and what did it mean? It would be interesting to see her talk through creating an image live on stage.


Jen was from a modelling background so as she told her story, it was interesting to hear from the other side and how she worked with photographers to get what she wanted too. I am interested to watch this project unfold.



Jen talked though the position of the eyes of the model being so important with this type of photography. She also mentioned one of her heroes being Miss Aniela (Natalie Dybisz) whose book I had read in the past. 

Her image will be posted on her blog so I will update at that point.


Extracts - Helen Platt Hawkins, Rufford Country Park, Nottinghamshire, 7th February 2014

Having read the advert for this exhibition on the "what's on" website, I thought it would be interesting to look at what I was expecting to be photographs of Rufford Country Park. I visit this park with its ruined abbey, sculpture garden and parkland regularly and am always interested to see how other people record the same subject as me .

As I entered the exhibition, I picked up a sheet of paper written by the artist detailing what she had been commissioned to do and it seemed I had misunderstood the advert. This was an exhibition to "create a body of work over the summer months which reflected the diversity of crafts on offer to children, teen and adults; from glass making to ceramics, stone carving to silver jewellery." Platt Hawkins (2014) 

Helen Platt Hawkins had travelled overseas and on display were photographic images of contrasting and similar colours, and materials with different properties such as plants, metal, wood and glass. I was able to appreciate her Extracts images as I found her display was like revisiting The Art of Photography. I found that her style for this exhibition was like teaching aids for inspiring craft sessions such as jewellery or glass making.  She had a small wall showing craft sessions taking place at Rufford and I felt the presentation of this (small photos stuck on a wall) was more of a record than an exhibition.

I came away from the exhibition feeling that I would have liked to see more about the people attending the craft workshops using the artists work  - almost a journey from her having taken the work, to it being used, designs and finished products, and so telling a story. 

Photography Exhibition by Clay Cross Photographic Society, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire 8th September 2013

I went along to this exhibition to look at the work submitted by members of the photographic society. On entry, I was asked to choose my favourite photograph and let the members know as I left. I found this a difficult challenge because there were a wide range of categories; portrait, landscape, wildlife, monochrome, transport. Most images were the same size which helped and all were fairly well grouped together. There was a notice instructing people that some work had been submitted by novices.

I had seen some of the images previously at the NEMPH exhibition in Mansfield. I was interested in the landscape images because having read two landscape photography books recently, I would like to spend some time looking at this area.

Having walked around the exhibition a few times, I finally settled on two - one of the Skye Bridge through a thick window and a moonlit image of a owl thinking how difficult it was to choose. I think the owl photograph was a popular choice. What I liked about it was the stillness of the scene and the lighting. The owl added movement and conflict to it.
I watched other people who eventually settled on holiday destinations. My children chose scenes which meant something to them such as a train on a viaduct reminding them of Harry Potter. I was reminded of the last exhibition I visited and thought that people associate with certain images.

Exhibition of Landscape Photography, Southwell Minster, Nottinghamshire, August 2013

I visited this exhibition two years ago at the very beginning of studying photography with the OCA. This show runs biannually and some of the exhibitors exhibited last time. I was keen to see how two years of study would affect the way I looked at the images and what I could take away with me to learn from and apply to my own work.

This year the exhibitors were:


I was initially struck by how similar the “feel” of the exhibition was to my last visit. The majority of the display was of landscape, monochrome and colour images which were mounted on partition walls. Having spent time considering how to display my final images for submission at the end of my last course, I took an interest in effects achieved with different types of paper, whether a single or double mount was more pleasing to my eye, types and amount of images photographers displayed together on a wall.


I thought textured paper on some landscapes gave the image a painted feel, and appreciate that the photographer sets out with a vision in mind when taking that particular photograph. In my mind it worked for the photographer, although I don’t know if I would choose the effect at the moment. I was glad to have the opportunity to consider it. I decided that mounts and sizes worked well mattered if they were the same type/size. The amount of photos on a wall made a difference to what I saw. Less was more and made me take time to spot the hidden detail or look at certain areas I am studying at the moment such as noise and highlights in more detail.


Looking at Chris Upton’s photograph of Santorini (which I think was similar to the last Masters of Vision exhibition), it looked different to how I remembered it. I think this year I was able to see more in it because I have a greater understanding of lighting. Comparing the natural (sunset) and artificial lighting (street lights) made me think about the exercise recently completed with regards to colour temperature. Upton had an image of two camels at sunset which were positioned off centre. One camel had a group of people underneath. By looking at the image as a collection of shapes, I thought the balance worked well. It reminded me of some of the earlier exercises in The Art of Photography 1 looking at balance, and I think composition helps create a good image. I thought Upton’s collection of monochrome images were very simplistic which made them stand out and demand attention from viewers.



Mark Gould presented three types of image in his display. His blurb described the concept behind his photography which I found easy to relate to. He takes 3 types of photographs – mobile photos, landscapes with time and effort where he is able to return when the image before him is not quite right, and foreign travel which is not practical to return to again so he improvises. Looking at his UK images, Stanage Edge in Derbyshire interested me, especially because it had areas of dark such as the crevices between the rocks and patches of vegetation which was very bright. From the exercises I have completed about how my camera sees, (Part 2 Digital Photographic Practice( DPP)) I was interested to see how much “noise” was visible; I could not see any, and observe the highlights in more detail of a photograph of exhibition quality. It made me think about correct exposure, and how much can be rescued in Photoshop.


Jonathon Horrocks had grouped his photographs together into landscape, seascape and monochrome. I spent time looking at his monochrome images in preparation for the next chapter of DPP. I like his lighting and subject choice. The images included shapes such as 1010 and reminded me to look more creatively at a subject.


I really enjoyed the selection of images from Dav Thomas. I related to his blurb about not particularly chasing the early morning or late afternoon sun. However, the misty, grey backgrounds he used seemed to come through to me and add atmosphere to the images. I enjoyed his use of colour and shapes. I took time to peruse his photobook which was also on display. His photograph of orange and lemon leaves reminded me of a photograph I had seen by Frye (2009)  demonstrating how he visualised an image of aspen trees which were much more colour saturated and warmer in his mind than in real life, and how by shooting in RAW, he could process the image so it looked like what he saw.


Whilst on the subject of trees, I found David Barker’s tree images to be varied and yet all worked together for me. I think that trees make good architectural structures and the seasons enhance different trees. Jo Cornish had exhibited photographs of trees growing inside caves, on rocky hills and taken from different perspectives such as looking upwards from the bottom of a rocky crag.  I had thought about exploring my local forest with my camera as I spend time observing the changes brought by the seasons. This exhibition inspired me to investigate my idea and develop it  into something workable.


As I wandered around the exhibition, I was aware of about twenty visitors who had also come to look round the exhibition. Following overheard  comments and engaging in a little people watching, I questioned what makes a landscape photograph worthy of someone spending time viewing it? It seemed to me that something had to spark a memory or intrigue for it to be investigated further. For some, it was reminiscent of holidays or  places longed to be visited (Bamburgh Castle and Hadrian’s Wall – Jonathon Horrocks) and for others, places like Canyonlands USA (Mark Gould) with images where the lighting was spectacular e.g. red sunlight inside a cave. Eliot Porter (as cited in Frye (2009))wrote “The essential quality of a photograph is the emotional impact that it carries, which is a measure of the author’s success in translating into photographic terms his own emotional response to the subject.” Frye goes on to explain that “It is not enough for a landscape photograph to be pretty. The best photographs evoke a response, a feeling in the viewer.” I agree with this statement and feel it is one of the areas to be conscious of when taking landscape and outdoor photography.

References
Frye Michael, (2009)Digital Landscape Photography In the footsteps of Ansel Adams and the great masters, Ilex press, Lewes, UK p12

Frye Michael, (2009)Digital Landscape Photography In the footsteps of Ansel Adams and the great masters, Ilex press, Lewes, UK p9

(all websites accessed 27/11/13)

Bibliography
Frye Michael, (2009)Digital Landscape Photography In the footsteps of Ansel Adams and the great masters, Ilex press, Lewes, UK p9

http://mastersofvision.co.uk/ accessed 7/8/13
Williams, Val (2012) What makes great photography 80 masterpieces explained, Apple Press, UK



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