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The ‘Contrast the City’ exhibition I have been working on with artist Caroline Underwood, is now open for the next two weeks. Anyone in the vicinity of London Bridge please drop by (Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm). It’s at … Continue reading
On Friday I hung 10 photographs in one of the galleries at Fulham Palace as part of a small exhibition which will run until early summer. The colour images are from a series which was inspired by fabric designs on a garment called a Mantón de Manila, or Manila shawl, which is worn by Spanish women. For more information see www.pauldebois.com. The black and white images are abstract flower studies from a series called Light and Line.
Manton de Manila series 5
Manton de Manila series 1
Manton de Manila series 2
Manton de Manila series 3
Manton de Manila series 7
Manton de Manila series 9
Tulip petals
Echinops ritro
Tulip petals
Miscanthus sinensis
It’s strange. In picture terms, people’s perception of reality is often hampered by a literal interpretation. A camera never lies. I suppose this is debatable – the choices a photographer makes when creating an image can distort perspective in a particular scene. But this is usually intended to create interest rather than to misinform. Most of the time.
In 2009 I had a print exhibited in the Association of Photographers Open exhibition. A moody shot of St Paul’s Cathedral – unusual, but not controversial. Or so I thought.
View towards St Paul's Cathedral from Tate Modern - Canon 5D MKII
“It must have taken ages to ‘Photoshop in’ the trees,” is the usual comment. It happened again yesterday.
“No, it’s one shot”.
“But there aren’t any trees next to St Paul’s Cathedral”.
“Look from The Tate Modern,” I reply. It sometimes takes a bit of explaining, and it isn’t always believed. Computer trickery is always assumed.
So this is how I did it.
view towards St Paul's Cathedral taken from Tate Modern, a few metres to the right of the original camera position. Camera - iPhone.
Technique – 50mm lens, Canon 5D MKII. I stood with my back to the coffee cart at the Millennium Bridge entrance of the Tate. Click. Simple!
As noted in the post on 30th August, Kodachrome processing finally ceases on 30th December 2010. To celebrate the end of an era, the Association of Photographers are staging an exhibition of work by AOP members taken on this classic film. I heard this week that two of my images have been selected.
BMW 5 Series, shot on Kodachrome 64 for Car Magazine in 1990
One of my last Kodachrome images from 1990 - Austin Healey badge taken for the book, The Original Austin Healey, by Bay View Books.
The exhibition runs from 18th January to 10th February 2011. More information, along with travel details, will be available on the AOP website, though as I write, the announcement has not been published.
There are two new exhibitions where I have photographs on display, both in London. The first, Shades of Winter, is a joint exhibition at Fulham Palace, with photographer Caroline Ames. I have 10 of the Pinhole Impressions series on display (see previous postings) and Caroline has 10 photographs of Fulham Palace, taken last winter. A large version of 43 Gardeners’ Hands is also on display. This runs from 24th November 2010 to 27th February 2011. For more information and travel details, see the Fulham Palace website.
Pinhole Impressions 6 - Fagus Sylvatica Pendula
The second exhibition is the Red Dot charity auction at the Association of Photographers Gallery, where I have two images on display. This is an annual event where silent bidding starts at £40 for all prints. All profits from print sales will be donated to the charity Photovoice, a multi-award winning charity based in London. Its mission is to bring about positive social change for marginalised communities, providing them with photographic training with which they can advocate, express themselves and generate income. You can view all images online, or see the images on display at the AOP gallery from 1st December 2010 to 13th January 2011 – Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm. Visit the website for travel details.
Reflections, Grand Union Canal, on display at the Red Dot exhibition.
Cape Trafalgar, Spain, on display at the Red Dot exhibition.
Around 12 images from this set will be exhibited at Los Balcones del Califa, in the hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz. The gallery is situated only a few kilometres from the beautiful Cape Trafalgar and the town of Conil, where the photographs were taken. There will also be a limited edition book produced to illustrate the exhibition. This will be available from the 19th February.
Los Balcones is part of La Casa del Califa hotel and the exhibition runs from 19th February 2010, with a private view and will carry through until after Easter. The exhibition is being curated by James Stuart, MD of Grupo Califa.
Location: La Califa, Plaza de España, 16, Vejer de la Frontera, 11150 Cádiz. tel: 956 447 730
Pinhole Impressions 24 - Cala Puntalejo, Conil, in the south of Spain
Pinhole Impressions 42 - Cala Puntalejo, Conil, in the south of Spain
Pinhole Impressions 25 - Cala Puntalejo, Conil, in the south of Spain
Pinhole Impressions 27 - Cala Puntalejo, Conil, in the south of Spain
Pinhole Impressions 26 - sunset at Puerto de Conil, in the south of Spain
Pinhole Impressions 50 - Cala Puntalejo, Conil, in the south of Spain
In November 2007 I started experimenting with film again, after a break of several years. More specifically, I was testing a pinhole camera. Digital had become very much the norm for commercial work and I just had a hunch about the effects that I could achieve using really simple equipment.
The black and white photographs I took at RHS Wisley through the winter of 2007 and 2008 evolved into a project I called ‘Pinhole Impressions’. They illustrate trees and the effect of wind as the leaves begin to fall. This series of images has just gone on show at Will’s Art Warehouse, London, as part of an exhibition called Vistas and Views. The work has been included with that of five other artists, who produce landscape work in various media – Nick Andrew – Nicole Etienne – Elaine Jones – Jonathan Pocock – Amanda Ralfe and Sarah Ross Thompson.
The two Tilia Tomentosa or Lime trees were the first taken in the series and have always been my favourites. I have been asked several times how difficult it was to blur the clouds in Photoshop. The answer is always met with disappointment when I say the images were shot in camera with no trickery – it was a genuinely windy day! The only enhancement is good old fashioned dodge and burn – but on my computer, not in the darkroom!
The Pinhole Impressions series, numbers One to Six, were previously exhibited in the International Garden Photographer of the year Exhibition at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in 2008 and at Wakehurst Place in 2009.
Will’s Art Warehouse – 180 Lower Richmond Road, Putney, London SW15 1LY England t: +44 (0)20 8246 4840
Pinhole Impressions 2, Tilia Tomentosa at RHS Wisley
Pinhole Impressions 4, Acer Henryi at RHS Wisley
Pinhole Impressions 3, Tilia Tomentosa at RHS Wisley
Pinhole Impressions 6 - Fagus Sylvatica Pendula at RHS Wisley
Pinhole Impressions 5, Poplar at RHS Wisley
Pinhole Impressions 1, Poplar at RHS Wisley