Last summer I spent 2 months in Edinburgh and I spent most of my free time taking photos around the city. At the time I was just documenting whatever I found interesting at but as I looked back through I started to realise that a lot of my favourite images had a feeling as though they could have been taken any time in the last 50 years. I started to realise that timelessness is something I really like but often with subtle hints to the current period of time: people’s clothing, phones and the environment I’m hoping they’ll feel completely different in 30 years time.
I finally get to this and Notice the deadline is March 6...and I received it March 30th... Time is a funny thing...
I recently did a collage where the center was empty which reminded me of a photo that I've mentioned here before. In the photo I'm outlined in the beautiful colors of the stained class of a Norman church. I hadn't realized that I've taken many photos where I'm outlined or reflected somehow.
Self portraits, really, and I hadn't paid attention. Now I am and I wonder about the message to myself that it's taken time to see.
I don't know exactly when it happened, but I think I was tasked with writing or teaching around the subject of storytelling. Looking back at my photos and going through A Lot of them, I realised that no matter what I am shooting, I always capture both the big and the small. Wide views or vistas, but also details and smaller things. A landscape but then also the plants, even textures, and small insects. Those small things help tell the story of the big scene. If it's people, I capture them full body in an environment, but also closeups of not just their face, but hands that are maybe tying a shoe, and details of their clothes. Eventually I realised that part of my style is to capture the little moments in between. Being aware of it now, I do it even more. It was a nice realisation to have, and partly why I always try to stress that people write About their photos, because we learn a lot when we have to put words to it, explain or teach it.
About a year ago while looking through my work I realized how much I avoid modernity (cellphones mainly) often to the detriment of the moment and the photo. I think it's an effort to create photos that look like the greats of the past, but those photographers that I look up to were just documenting life as it was and I am attempting to come to terms with the "ugliness" and it's now a its own side project, to focus on those aspects (cellphones again mainly) in our lives that make me uncomfortable.
I have recently posted a newsletter about this exact subject. Turns out I was subconsciously photographing tables and chairs…and then a whole series of benches. I chalk it up to some underlying exhaustion? :)
I call them “accidental series” - themes that catch my eye again and again in my wanderings, resulting in many pictures of similar subjects, whether pathways or metro rides or bookstores and libraries.
Wesley, those are some amazing publications coming our way, congratulations and thanks for sharing.
So a theme has erupted from taking my EDC to work in order to get some "creative therapy" at breaks and lunch. here I live there are several railroad overpasses right through the downtown area, and although they seem at first sight as just a drab concrete overpass, the architects actually made a series of arches with a a slight art deco look that makes for a nice frame while looking across to the other side. I had stopped several time and snapped people walking through these "frames" freezing them in profile view while walking to their destinations. In other locations, local artists have graces the walls with amazing murals with a theme. I found that using the arches to frames certain aspects of their work made a smaller piece of art, with it's own context, nicely surrounded by the arch and standing on it's own merits. I plan continuing these shoots as they are as unique as the people and art contained in them.
For the past months I've been taking weekly pictures for my photography class, with different briefings (portrait, landscape series, etc.) in theory all working on different themes, but looking back I see they are all drawn to nature and have similar lighting schemes - I think it's because some classes ago my teacher showed us a picture from Gregory Halpern's "19 winters 7 springs" project of a teenager in nature and it kinda stuck with me. I guess unconsciously I was drawn to creating a project that made me feel like I felt seeing that picture, but I just hadn't realized it! The power of being inspired by others' work.
Seeing a theme after the fact actually JUST happened. I was working on a some photos between November and February hoping to make a new zine and I was struggling to find connective tissue or a hook to bring things together. I was really stretching it and went in some embarrassing directions. Then I had an epiphany - what happened here in the US in November? Anything unique politically? The fact that these images (a lot of portraits out in the woods during wintertime) were taken during the first 3 months of Trump pt. 2 is enough of a theme. In fact, it feels unconscionable to make work at this moment that DOESN’T reference it. It was there all along and I was in denial about it.
Last summer I spent 2 months in Edinburgh and I spent most of my free time taking photos around the city. At the time I was just documenting whatever I found interesting at but as I looked back through I started to realise that a lot of my favourite images had a feeling as though they could have been taken any time in the last 50 years. I started to realise that timelessness is something I really like but often with subtle hints to the current period of time: people’s clothing, phones and the environment I’m hoping they’ll feel completely different in 30 years time.
I love this, like time travel!
I finally get to this and Notice the deadline is March 6...and I received it March 30th... Time is a funny thing...
I recently did a collage where the center was empty which reminded me of a photo that I've mentioned here before. In the photo I'm outlined in the beautiful colors of the stained class of a Norman church. I hadn't realized that I've taken many photos where I'm outlined or reflected somehow.
Self portraits, really, and I hadn't paid attention. Now I am and I wonder about the message to myself that it's taken time to see.
haha oops that was for sure a date mistake! Thank you for sharing your thoughts here too Corinne!
I don't know exactly when it happened, but I think I was tasked with writing or teaching around the subject of storytelling. Looking back at my photos and going through A Lot of them, I realised that no matter what I am shooting, I always capture both the big and the small. Wide views or vistas, but also details and smaller things. A landscape but then also the plants, even textures, and small insects. Those small things help tell the story of the big scene. If it's people, I capture them full body in an environment, but also closeups of not just their face, but hands that are maybe tying a shoe, and details of their clothes. Eventually I realised that part of my style is to capture the little moments in between. Being aware of it now, I do it even more. It was a nice realisation to have, and partly why I always try to stress that people write About their photos, because we learn a lot when we have to put words to it, explain or teach it.
ooh this is such a fun hidden theme!
I agree!
About a year ago while looking through my work I realized how much I avoid modernity (cellphones mainly) often to the detriment of the moment and the photo. I think it's an effort to create photos that look like the greats of the past, but those photographers that I look up to were just documenting life as it was and I am attempting to come to terms with the "ugliness" and it's now a its own side project, to focus on those aspects (cellphones again mainly) in our lives that make me uncomfortable.
love this Michael! I find myself avoiding certain city photos in old cities because there's cars everywhere, so I relate!
I have recently posted a newsletter about this exact subject. Turns out I was subconsciously photographing tables and chairs…and then a whole series of benches. I chalk it up to some underlying exhaustion? :)
haha I love the explanation!
I call them “accidental series” - themes that catch my eye again and again in my wanderings, resulting in many pictures of similar subjects, whether pathways or metro rides or bookstores and libraries.
the best accidents :)
Wesley, those are some amazing publications coming our way, congratulations and thanks for sharing.
So a theme has erupted from taking my EDC to work in order to get some "creative therapy" at breaks and lunch. here I live there are several railroad overpasses right through the downtown area, and although they seem at first sight as just a drab concrete overpass, the architects actually made a series of arches with a a slight art deco look that makes for a nice frame while looking across to the other side. I had stopped several time and snapped people walking through these "frames" freezing them in profile view while walking to their destinations. In other locations, local artists have graces the walls with amazing murals with a theme. I found that using the arches to frames certain aspects of their work made a smaller piece of art, with it's own context, nicely surrounded by the arch and standing on it's own merits. I plan continuing these shoots as they are as unique as the people and art contained in them.
thanks for the kind word Paul! And for sharing that, like this arches idea!
For the past months I've been taking weekly pictures for my photography class, with different briefings (portrait, landscape series, etc.) in theory all working on different themes, but looking back I see they are all drawn to nature and have similar lighting schemes - I think it's because some classes ago my teacher showed us a picture from Gregory Halpern's "19 winters 7 springs" project of a teenager in nature and it kinda stuck with me. I guess unconsciously I was drawn to creating a project that made me feel like I felt seeing that picture, but I just hadn't realized it! The power of being inspired by others' work.
That's a great project to be inspired by Lucia!
Seeing a theme after the fact actually JUST happened. I was working on a some photos between November and February hoping to make a new zine and I was struggling to find connective tissue or a hook to bring things together. I was really stretching it and went in some embarrassing directions. Then I had an epiphany - what happened here in the US in November? Anything unique politically? The fact that these images (a lot of portraits out in the woods during wintertime) were taken during the first 3 months of Trump pt. 2 is enough of a theme. In fact, it feels unconscionable to make work at this moment that DOESN’T reference it. It was there all along and I was in denial about it.
wow i love that realization!