“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer...

...you need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary."

(I think it was David Bailey but I don't like relying purely on the internet for such things!)

It has been a busy week inviting myself to London's places of work, and thanks maybe to Big Brother and it's ilk, no one has thought it the least bit strange that I would! It has definitely appealed to my innate curiosity and I have used the opportunity (whilst it's still my choice!) to approach people and places that I find pleasing. Well, that was the original plan...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had already visited a local tailor's (which despite his notoriety, in the 10 years I have been walking past I had never seen anyone in!) and later that same week by another fortunate coincidence I was able to photograph in the National Theatre's costume and props department. This was the complete opposite of the cramped back room at the tailors, it was a dream space, huge windows, a work bench that you could walk around and they worked slowly (... something I wished I had considered when I was seduced by the idea of getting a ride on a milkfloat!) The photograph that appears at the top of this post is of Reuben and Becky who work there, it makes me laugh. The only downside of this opportunity was that I felt the theatre workshop and the tailor's were too similar a job, so afterwards it was back to finding another place of work.

So far the ratio of situations I had managed to take pictures of was in favour of those that I had stumbled upon rather than the several I had pursued through official channels. I think I had expected this, but felt that both approaches are an important part of the first projects. Finally, a few days later, Dairy Crest had a milk round for me. Ray, a milkman for 24 years, was like a whippet, it has certainly been the most challenging one so far. Being outside framing was a nightmare as parked cars can be really ugly, and there was never anything around for me to stand on to get a better viewpoint. Still, it was all good learning. My manual focusing needed to be so much faster as I was aware Ray had a pace to keep and that when he remembered I was there it became a bit like a catalogue shoot. With hindsight, it wasn't quite as visually exciting as I had hoped it would be, but that added to the challenge and it gave me a lot of things to look out for in future. Plus, I learned a bit about being a milkman and the demise of the three-wheeled electric float!

On my way  home, as it was still early I decided to start on a personal collection of launderette signs, which was when I found Kama, my next employee. I know launderettes have been done to death, but they are so lovely, the fake wood, the strong shapes, the stream of interesting characters and the smell of warm soap. I couldn't resist. So, the next day, up with the lark, I set off to Balham to spend a wash day morning in Kama's beautiful launderette. I had a bit of a fluorescent/daylight clash problem (which was fine as it was going to end up black and white) but it was really interesting that it came up later that day in class. (As an aside, I really found that lecture helpful as being a new photographer I am very aware that I must not fall into the trap of letting the camera control me rather than the other way around.)

Still no word back from the other jobs I have pursued, it feels a lot like fishing, I have a three,  there's still time and it's always good to practice.

well...

Yesterday was my first tutorial, it was constructive, but I felt a bit sad too. I know I have so much to learn. In response to some of the comments about the West Bank pictures (probably childishly!) I have put a selection here of the more everyday things I saw. I suppose I just felt bad about the 'seen it all before' comments, people had asked me to specifically take those pictures as there are still many people who don't believe it is like that there. The fact that I was a pair of eyes that some of them knew made it finally become a real to them. But yes, I also agree, I have an enormous amount of room for improvement! (...and I will always photograph cafés)

Anyway, with this weighing a little heavy on my heart I went, somewhat ironically, to see Philip Jones Griffiths give a talk about his Vietnam photography. Weirdly, he was probably the best possible person I could have been going to see. I suppose I didn't really know what to expect, I knew some of his work, but I had no idea as to the reasons behind what he did or his motivations. I was fully expecting him to be of that exclusive school of photojournalism that has little tolerance for digital novices like me, but he was completely the opposite of this, in fact positively evangelical about it. It was such a massive encouragement.

Afterwards I was able to talk to him (by one of life's strange coincidences he had photographed my mum in the 60's and she had come along... it was like one of those comedy movie reunion moments!) Obviously I didn't want to say what I was studying, but I did say I liked taking pictures and he said the best thing that anyone could have said to me that day...

"That little box around your neck gives you an excuse to experience and learn things... Don't worry about being a professional photographer one day, just use it as an excuse to learn about the world"

He then went on to say that his last assistant had ended up becoming a human rights lawyer after the things he had seen. He is obviously a very ill man, but it was such a privilege to hear him talk with such passion about life, the world and photography.

tuesday again...

Maybe I should change the name of this blog to tuesday as this seems to be my natural catch up day. Thanks Antrim for the tip about that documentary, I will look out for it.

So, what since last week? I went to see The London College of Fashion's Photography MA show... my favourite pictures were by Pelle Crépin, I liked the way he played with light. There's only one image up on his site at the moment, but hopefully more will follow - and yes, I don't know where the fashion bit comes into it either!

Then there has been the first project. After a slow start, and a visit to a quarantine centre in Sussex where I didn't really get to see anyone working, but did meet two lovely dogs... I made a shaky start with a local tailor. Seems I had followed hot on the trail of another LCC student, which was a bit of a shame, but I remembered reading an interview in which Eugene Richards had said 

"What you don't want to do is copy the work of others. And what you don't want to do is dismiss the situation because it has been photographed before. Because if something isn't new doesn't mean that it's not important" 

So although I wouldn't say what I took was important, it was important for me to make a start on this project! I was using my new 50mm lens. I've learned I need space when using it... space tailors don't have!

tuesday

Incase anyone sees this post over the next few days and gets a chance, BBCFOUR (in the UK) has been running a series of documentaries marking the past 5 years of "foreign intervention" in Iraq. "A Doctor's Story" was shown last night, and is available to view through iPlayer for the next week. I guess I have posted it as it was made by an Iraqi doctor, who had no documentary making experience but was one of the only people able to record what was happening in and around the hospital - and it got me thinking about how stories get to be told and who are able to tell them.

what i had intended to say yesterday...

With the much appreciated help of Antrim and Mark, I think things are slowly starting to come together. So this post is just a bit of a catch up on my past week.

Along with many others, I was intrigued to see what would unfold during the American President's visit to Israel and Palestine - and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what did. Last spring I went visit several organisations working in and around the west bank area. One email I received commenting on the first press conference summed up their general feeling of this visit  "the only groundbreaking revelation I could register was the naiveté of President Bush, either real or a charade..." 

Later in the week my friend El Vez emailed me to tell me that Vampira  had died, which unleashed a whole web of confusion whereby I realized that I had inadvertently filed Elvira and Vampira in my brain as one in the same. An easy mistake to make, until of course you have to pass on the message to someone else. It all worked out in the end, and I learned that there was a third, Moona Lisa, so I feel that side of my education is now complete. (I only went into that meandering story as in the future I am hoping to do a project involving El Vez's election tour and so that was by way of introduction to him) 

The best other things of last week were my £1 book find... "Photography Made Simple" by Derek Bowskill (I am really new to actually controlling the pictures I take, and despite being over 30 years old, this book is really great - it explains everything!) AND FINALLY the latest group email from JR with some of his photos from LiBERiA. (that's how he types). You can see more plus his other stuff at http://JR-ART.NET When I get nervous and think what am I doing on this course, I look at his projects and I get excited again.

 

like a three toed sloth using chopsticks

...so I attempt the first rather clumsy entry to my blog. For someone who has spent the past 12 years trying to make paper pages look pleasing, this has been quite a distressing afternoon. Suffice it to say, this isn't quite what I want things to look like, still, there's nothing wrong in learning a little humility, and combining that with potentially learning an actual technical skill, well, what more could I ask for?