The Circus..

Although I have stepped away from the gallery scene for a bit it was nice to be asked to be part of the show as advertised below.
The image used for the show invite (not in the show but still available of course) is one of delight, but not without memories of fear and a near end of life experience.
This 'Teletubbies Landscape,' made late at night in one of London's many Urban golf courses, was one of the first images I made with the mighty 10/8" view camera monster which soon became known as 'The Circus ' because it was like carrying a television on a broomstick and I often felt like I was performing in some strong man show minus the leotard and curly mushtache.
Making a one hour exposure on a 10/8 camera in wind and rain is not easy feat, It requires patience, skill, and a brolly which must be directed into the wind to avoid any flapping of the bellows. So there I was fighting the elements on a scene with very little direct light, but a beautiful red sky due to the cities light pollution (the wetter it is, the more red the clouds). I was pretty sure I had the shot after an hour and headed back to the car. As I made my way precariously down a bunker slope I stepped on what I thought was a patch of sand. But my friends of the dark cloth, this was not sand. Before I knew it I was up to my arm pits in water. The weight of 'the Circus' pushing me deeper into the silty underfoot of the now realised Golf Course Pond. As I had never asked permission to enter the land of lovely grass I was not about to call for help, and so, for some unknown reason I will never know the answer to I managed to turn around, place the camera on the side of the mini lake and then swam like a puppy in a garden pond about twenty meters until I was knee deep and able to step out in to the cold night air.
Wet, miserable and on the verge of hypothermia I took my soggy ass (and The Circus) and made my way back to the car only to realise I had been locked into the golf car park.
But at least my image was sharp....

Painting with Light - a spotlight on contemporary photography for Frieze week

Private View, Tuesday 12th October 2010, 6 – 8 pm

12 October – December 2010

Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill
30 Portman Square, London W1H 7BH
RSVP info@candlestar.co.uk

An exploration of the boundaries between photography and painting.
Candlestar and Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill, the official hotel partner for the Frieze Art Fair, are proud to present Painting with Light, an exploration of
the boundaries between photography and painting, through the work of five artists - Susan Derges, Marcus Doyle, Brian Griffin, Tom Hunter and Yvonne de Rosa.
Each of these artists makes photographs that are painterly both in execution and technique, and very often carry echoes and allusions to paintings of the past, be it
those of the Renaissance or the Dutch ‘Golden Age’.
The word ‘photography’ derives from Greek, literally meaning ‘drawing with light’. In the hands of these five artists light itself becomes the ultimate creative tool.

Marcus Doyle. Night Golf. London 2008. C Type 100x60cm

FABIO.....

Image Fabio Barile.

I was intrigued by Fabio Barile's 'Among' project. But there's not enough of it and the title is what we used to called people when I was young idiot. Beautiful series though.

I am always interested to see what other photographers are up to especially when it relates to my own projects in some way or another. I particularly like this series as its been approached with thought and rather nice long exposure techniques to calm those stormy waters and rest the eyes..

Nice one Fabio.

One of them iphone thingys..

I hate cameras on phones. In fact I hate gimmicks of any kind. But that's not to say I don't use them.

THIS LOOKS COOL..

BY COASTAL BORDERS.

Red Cone 2010
Little Man Doyle by the sea 1978

Seeing photographs of family outings by the sea, even ones where I am stood precariously on a cliff edge in strong winds, reminds me that most of us have at sometime or another ventured to the 'brink' somewhere in the British Isles. A holiday at Butlins, a B&B in Margate, or a day-trip to Blackpool, most of us have at least heard a crashing wave at some point in our lives and perhaps rolled up our pants for a dip of a fat toe. After all we do live on an Island (I refer to the British inhabitance) , something which can be quite hard to imagine if you live in North London, like me.

This Coastal Project of mine is coming on nicely and fast becoming my biggest undertaking. Its a bit of a monster, especially now that I have decided to include the borders of each country within the British Isles. Basically I'm 'Outlining The U.K,' or at least the interesting parts..

Onward and upward....



Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.
~Benjamin Disraeli

AAAAHHHHHHHHHGGGGGRRRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHH..

Juergen Nefzger. from Fluffy Clouds.

The one thing I admire the most in any photographer is dedication. Commitment to a project-be it big or small-in photography has to come from deep within. Some photographers can say exactly why they are driven to do such wonderful things, where as others maybe not so sure and just have an overwhelming desire to get on with it as scenes take hold.
Three of my all time favourite photographers cannot answer the question of why they 'take pictures'. Joel Meyerowitz, Stephen Shore and Joel Sternfeld. At least thats what they say when they're interviewd for the TV programmes I have seen and talks I have heard. They have no sure fire answer, and neither do I. In fact I usually tell people to mind their own business.

The best photography projects are the most simple and need very little explaining. Sure there are whole stories underneath the service, but what the viewer sees first is usually what the photographer seen first.

I first came across the work of Juergen Nefzger a few years back with his Nocturnes series (now a book), but found images cluttered and of no real interest. I thought of them as just images taken at night and nothing else. But then his book Fluffy Clouds came along and I was bowled over by the simplicity and consistency of the images. Its amazing where a single theme can take you and this really is a perfect example of how the simple ideas are usually the best.

I have never been one of those envious photographers. If somebodies work is good, its good, and I will enjoy it. But when a photographer has a good 'project' idea, the dedication to see it through, and the skills to go with it, well that's a little different.
AAAAHHHHHHHHHGGGGGRRRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHH..

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