Archive for 2012-04-15

Duncan Holley Photography

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanholley/


Todays artist that i want you all to have a look at is Duncan Holley, he has a fascinating collection of work on Flickr, varying from documenting the everyday to some very dramatic sprocket 35mm images.
Concentrating on working with film Duncan has been able to keep the revival of film alive with some beautiful images taken on Holga's, Medium format, pinhole's, you name it, he's done it. And this method of working gives his portfolio a very refreshing feel of innovative creativity.

My favourite set of images are the one's Duncan has produced by attending various scooter rallies. By absorbing himself in the event he has been able to produce some uniquely intimate images which perfectly depict these events. This method of documentation is exactly what i strive for and see as a great template to take inspiration from, documentation should involve immersing one's self in what they're photographing, not just becoming a passive voyeur.
I'm really excited by this body of work and hope to see some great things come out of these images, he has been able to get himself in a very unique position of trust and comfort with these people, something which should result in more fascinating documentation of these events.

To top that all off, he's a top bloke, so give his work a look and let me know what you think.

(All rights to these images are reserved and are the property of Duncan Holley)


(All images sourced from http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanholley/















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Professional Instagram Photographers


So yeah, i posted a huge rant a few days ago on why we should appreciate Instagram and not slate every person using it.
I've just watched this video on youtube, it was mildly funny, however this patronising man has thus heightened my argument as it reaffirms that it's none of our business to hate upon people who use Instagram, we're all photographers, EMBRACE IT!!

Just a little side note to keep the discussion rolling, if you haven't already read my article on Instagram, you can access it here http://galleriesandexhibitions.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/facebook-buys-instagram-and-why-we.html

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Wandering Bears



Fascinating blog from New York, Wandering Bears offers more of a platform to other practitioners, in a manor which is both interesting and fresh. Along side this are various different posts about current affairs in the photographic world, one of my favourites being a rant about the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011.

Wandering Bears - http://www.wanderingbears.co.uk/

NPG rant - http://www.wanderingbears.co.uk/2011/11/npg-taylor-wessing-review/


(All rights to these images are reserved and are the property of Petrina Hicks)


(All images sourced from http://www.wanderingbears.co.uk/)











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Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern





This wednesday I visited the Damien Hirst exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, this exhibition has had vast critical acclaim and promises to be his biggest and best exhibition to date, compiling of new and old work.
This exhibition has been four years worth of planning to perfectly present the world famous work Hirst has produced. Not only this, everything has been meticulously arranged to be exactly how he wants this work to be seen, it is truly perfection. 

Before diving into his work it's well worth taking the time to watch the Channel 4 programme Damien Hirst: The First Look. This is a fascinating, one of method of seeing and understanding his work in such an in depth and interesting manor. This programme is lead by the comedian Noel Fielding, who takes a walk around the exhibition with Hirst, quizzing him on the methodology in his work. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, this programme is a must watch for anyone and everyone. 



A Thousand Years 1990 (Image sourced from http://www.damienhirst.com/images/hirstimage/DHS1814_771_0.jpg)
One of my favourite pieces of work in the exhibition was A Thousand Years 1990. This piece of work stands for a real life god. In this box you are born and killed. 
Inside the box glass cabinet is a white box to the left, this holds maggots, which are born, then turn into flys, which end up eating on the severed cow's head and eventually die from flying into the fly trap.
When put simply it's a very gruesome and shocking piece of work, but once you start to objectively understand it you can see the relevance and the pure genius this piece of work is. 
This piece of work can not be avoided or ignored, it has everything. "The smell punches you in the face, the imagery punches you in the face" (Noel Fielding, Damien Hirst: The First Look, Channel 4, 17:01)
Life is portrayed as chance in this piece of art work, just as life itself. 
Overall it has an astonishing amount of presence, you have to take notice to this piece of work. And for that i see it as the greatest piece of art work i've ever seen. Never before have i seen a piece of work which universally astonished people and draws attention or a reaction out of everyone. This piece of work only has a certain shelf life, its only so long before all the fly's die. Because of this it has a refreshing sense on reality, something which helps everyone relate and understand too. Right in front of your eyes you can see fly's being born and dying. Never before or ever again do i think this will be as perfectly portrayed.



Crematorium 1996 (Image sourced from http://chloenelkin.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/ashtray.jpg
Another piece of work from Hirst that really had an impact upon me was Crematorium 1996, this piece is, when put simply, a giant ash-tray full of cigarettes. 
But in actually fact it has a very interesting deeper meaning to it, something which is evident in all of his work. This piece explains the absurd nature of smoking, how the contents of the ash-tray which is laid out before you ecumilate to the twice the weight of a cremated body. Coming to grips with how much crap is in cigarettes, along side with how many of them one may consume in a life time is fascinating. 
It hit me on a very personal level as well, as when i went to see the exhibition i was on day three of me quitting smoking, seeing this piece of art reminded me of how ludicrous it is to smoke. If anything, this piece of work has helped me have the drive to quit for good. 


Overall the entire exhibition has a strong motif of death, something which all of his pieces of work combat, something which has in the past given him the nickname of "Mr Death". However raising questions and the realisation of death, as perfectly as Damien Hirst has is the most fascinating manor ever.
In short, this is the biggest and best exhibition you will ever see, its a must for everyone. You won't regret it. 

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Facebook buys Instagram and why we should all appreciate its importance!

Well, here's a turn for the books, Facebook buying Instagram is a fascinating move for the social media phenomenon , this will hopefully bridge the gap between taking pictures and sharing pictures. It's leading the way in the revival of Polaroid, but in a digital way, not in film. Which is a fascinating concept, and something i wish them all the luck with.

For the full story on this revelation, please visit this http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/45215/facebook-buys-instagram-social-photos

However, this is not the main reason for my post today. I want to talk about Instagram as a medium and its relevance to us as photographers today. I've heard A LOT of moaning and groaning from fellow photographers about how it makes photography so accessible to every joe blogs in the street, to an extent where its become the new "Indie craze" something every teenager is taking part in. This has resulted in a lot of anger from Photographers my age who are striving for attention in the commercial world, but i don't see this as an excuse to slate it as a form of sharing images.
It is indisputable that Instagram offers an amazingly simple platform for young photographers, allowing them to train their eyes to see that decisive moment and to compose properly. Above all, it creates smiles :)
To be brutally honest, it infuriates me how us "photographers" get so naive and protentious when it comes to young people taking photos and wanting them to look cool. So be it if they want their images to be sepia toned, black and white, cross processed or whatever, let them carry on without this constant dark cloud of judgement, as one day, they might be the world known photographers of tomorrow...

I love photography, i breath photography, i consume photography, i appreciate photography. Don't all photographers LOVE photography do i hear you say? Well the simple answer is no.
Loving photography is reading books.
Loving photography is reading Magazines
Loving photography is going to exhibitions.
Loving photography is waking up at 5am to take pictures of the birds
Loving photography is carrying a camera with you every time you leave the house
Loving photography is is appreciating how spectacular moments all over the world like the Japanese Tsunami, the protests in Tahir Square and the 9/11 Bombings could not have been seen if it were not for people with their phone cameras.
Loving photography is laughing at the silly photographs that pop up all over Facebook of someone tripping on the curb.
Loving photography is nurturing young and old people into how amazing photography can be!


Not belittling the teenager taking photo's on his iPhone then putting them through Instagram, instead people who love photography encourage those people as they have just as much of a photographic voice as we do. Just because they're not shooting on the most expensive D-SLR does not make their images worthless. I've seen some spectacular images taken in Instagram.
And this is what warrants my anger, because this snobby approach to photography does nothing but reduce our personal stimulation of this beautiful art form which anyone can participate in, no matter how talented they are. If you give someone a camera, they will make something worth talking about, photography is a form of speech, everyone has something to say, you just need to let them be heard.



(Image sourced from http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5203/5234043713_7f31b88f31.jpg

(Image sourced from http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3564/5708187879_90cae2d3e0.jpg

(Image sourced from http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3655/5822334012_9776c5031c.jpg

(Image sourced from http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6638192213_a2f9b330d5.jpg

(Image sourced from http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6985989809_be96a833a6.jpg

(Image sourced from http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m040r7YSx01r4j2f0.jpg

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Harry Russell Photography



Harry Russel's work is a very interesting mix of advertising and commercial work, although his images aren't perfect he's expressing a passionate approach to portraying people in his ever expanding portrait portfolio.
His work for music artists has been the most acclaimed of his work and is in my opinion some of his best images.

Take a look and let me know what you think  :)

(All rights to these images are reserved and are the property of Harry Russell)


(All images sourced from http://www.flickr.com/photos/hazarussell/











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