Art and Context

I don't see myself as an "artsy" photographer, as I'm more a fan of documentary-type shots rather than high concept work. I like photographs to be appealing on their own merits, rather than becaue they were taken by a particular photographer.

A lot of high concept art can be found in the Tate Modern gallery on London's South Bank. I'm not knocking it - it just isn't really to my taste, generally, as I find I simply don't understand much of what I see. In fact, the only thing that gives it meaning I find are the accompanying written panels and explanations.

This made me think when I was last in there, as I was looking at some tastefully-arranged cereal boxes - "I'm only looking at this as a piece of art because someone is telling me to." Were these cereal boxes anywhere other than in an art gallery, they would have been viewed as a pile of recycling. However, because they were in the Tate Modern, people were stroking their chins and poring over them, conceptualising and imagining. It made me think that context is of paramount importance.

I tried a little experiment. When nobody was around, I took a photo of the gent's toilets (sadly I don't have it to hand). It was an image of three egg-shaped urinals on a black tiled wall. I showed it to people and said, "I was at the Tate Modern the other day. I took this photo. Is it an artwork, or is it the gent's toilets?". Because of the reference to the Tate Modern, almost everybody viewed it as an artwork.

Now consider the same for photography. Are your images only artistic because you're telling people what they are outside of the images, or do they speak for themselves? When you hear a name like Ansel Adams or Cartier-Bresson, do you immediately change the way you're looking at an image?

Review - GRES Camera Repair

Not so long ago, I dropped my telephoto lens on the floor. It fell onto carpet, and nothing seemed damaged at the time. I thought I'd had a lucky escape. That night, I went down to watch an ice hockey match and take some photos. From where I was sitting, a telephoto lens was the only way I was going to get any decent shots, so I fixed it on and turned the barrel to zoom in...only to find that the barrel would turn, but the lens would not zoom. Clearly, I had not been so lucky after all.

I assumed that camera repair shops would be fairly common - especially at a time when we possess so many consumer electronics - so I decided to do some research on the internet to find my "local" camera repair shop. To my dismay, camera repair shops seemed to be few and far between. Worse still, the "London Camera Repair Shop" made it clear in their advertising that they were for profess>ionals, and that they did not undertake work on any camera "less" than a D300, except in special circumstances - and that even if I did manage to persuade them to fix my lens, it would go to the bottom of their priority list. I was put off straight away.

Then I found GRES Camera Repair in Epsom, Surrey, and thank god I did. GRES is run by Graham Rose, and he has been in the camera trade for over 40 years, having first worked for Nikon and then branched out on his own over 20 years ago. I gave him a call, and expected him to tell me that my £100 lens simply wasn't worth the effort to repair. On the contrary, Graham invited me to bring my lens round, and he would then be able to quote me once he had an idea what the problem was. By unlucky coincidence, I had also managed to break one of the legs on my father's antiquated Velbon tripod (the A-1, manufactured around 1970), so decided to see if he could repair this as well. Graham told me he could probably repair both the lens and the tripod together for under £100, and to leave it with him. However, parts would be difficult to come by - especially for the tripod.

It took around 6 weeks before I next heard from Graham to tell me that everything was fixed, and that the final bill was only £85. I raced round, and only then did I learn the extent of the repair job he had done. Graham had given my lens an entirely new barrel - I had managed to shatter some sort of internal drive piece, and he had taken the whole thing apart to find the problem. It worked - and looked - as good as new. Then came the tripod. That had been a problem, since Velbon stopped making parts for it about 30 years ago. As a solution, Graham had again taken the tripod apart and copied the internal parts in his workshop, made some moulds, and then manufactured bespoke new working parts from a strong composite plastic. The result was so good, I couldn't - and still can't - tell which leg it was that he repaired. This meant so much to me - and to do it all for under £100, I couldn't believe it.

GRES provided a first-class service, going far beyond what I would have expected from any repair shop. When a technician is so determined to fix your problem that he will even manufacture parts he can't get hold of, you can't help but feel special and valued. Graham was friendly and extremely knowledgable, and I can't recommend his services highly enough. He has customers from all over the country, and I'm not surprised. Five stars, thoroughly well deserved.

Exhibiting Work

I've just been reading a discussion forum over on PhotoSIG where the author of the topic talks about having a fear of showing his work to other people. This is perfectly understandable - artists from all backrounds and disciplines show an innate insecurity and desire for perfection, from the classic "stage fright" of actors, to the "never quite finished" attitude of a film director. However, there comes a point where this insecurity actually stops creativity altogether, as seems to have happened to this unfortunate person.

As a photographer, my aim has always been to capture images for enjoyment - both mine and others. Fortunately, my dad was also an amateur photographer, and I was able to show him my early efforts without fear. No doubt many of them were rubbish, but it encouraged me to keep going. I'm comfortable enough now with my skills to show lots of other people too - even though I know there are millions of photographers who have far better skills than I do. I get great enjoyment from developing my knowledge and putting it into practice, but I get even more in producing a final print and displaying it. I believe that if you're passionate about your image and you really enjoy it yourself, then you can convey that to others. If you're too afraid to show any of your images, then ask yourself - why is that? Do you not enjoy them? If not, why not?

It must surely be better to "get things out there" than to cover them up for fear of not being perfect.

Review - Kingsley Photographic

Based at 93 Tottenham Court Road, London, I have been a satisfied customer of Kingsley Photographic for many years - ever since I bought my first batch of Ilford Black & White film from them. Only a 2-minute walk from Warren St tube station, they are a specialist Nikon dealer, and have an outstanding range of products. I have never walked away empty-handed or had to order something because they didn't have it in stock. I have always found the staff helpful and knowledgable, and happy to take the time out to talk to me when I had questions. Sure, you can probably find certain items cheaper on the internet - but the difference here isn't as large as, say, at Gray's of Westminster, who tend to flood photography magazines with posh-looking adverts and some of the highest prices around for Nikon equipment. What you get at Kingsley Photographic is excellent service, quality advice and staff who actually care about what you buy. They also stock a variety of non-Nikon accessories, consumables and equipment. The only thing lacking is a second-hand selection. For service, stock and knowledge, I cannot recommend them highly enough.

The Photographer's Gallery

I have never been to the Photgraphers' Gallery on Ramilies St before, despite it being there for the last 38 years. It seems to be a mixture of gallery, education centre and bookshop, which seems like an excellent idea. I went somewhere similar when I was in Paris, the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie, which was a combination of several galleries, cafe, bookshop and auditorium. I'll make a trip sometime in the next few weeks to see what it's like and post back.

Review - Lowepro Mini Trekker AW

One of the many things I like to do with my girlfriend is to go for country walks. We're members of Walking World, so we're never stuck for somewhere to go whereever we are. I like to use it as an excuse for taking pictures, and have bought an excellent backpack for carrying all my kit in. I can't recommend the Lowepro Mini Trekker highly enough. I found the best price at Amazon (link below), followed by Warehouse Express. I got mine last year for £59.99, and it was one of the best investments I've made.

The Lowepro Mini Trekker AW is a multi-pocketed canvas backpack, designed purposely with the travelling photographer in mind.

The Mini Trekker has a roomy main compartment inside - enough for carrying an SLR camera with a lens attached, and several more besides. The main compartment is further divided into smaller compartments, made of interchangable velcro segments. They're surprisingly secure, so your kit won't rattle around. All in all, assuming you use all of the inner pieces, there are around 12 compartments, though you can have less if you want. You'll comfortably have room for about 5 - 6 lenses of varying sizes, which is more than enough for most people, along with flash units, filters and other gadgets. The inner compartments are very well padded, providing excellent protection against all sorts of knocks.

The Mini Trekker also has several external pockets for other pieces of kit. I use these for storing some of my less essential (certainly less breakable) equipment, since there's no real padding on the outside. There is enough room to fit in a few trekking supplies, but not enough to hold all your hiking equipment as well as your camera kit. There is an excellent tripod holder in the form of two bungee cords on the outside. This took me a bit of practice to learn to use properly, but now I've worked out the best way to secure my tripod to it, I find it indispensible on long hikes. However, this is also where the only design flaw in the Mini Trekker rears its head. While carrying a tripod, you cannot use the built-in waterproof cover for the pack. This hasn't been a problem for me so far, but if you were on a long hike and got caught in some heavy rain, you'd need to seek a workaround. There are also some links on the outside of the pack for some add-on pockets I believe you can buy from Lowepro if all the storage space isn't enough, but I haven't had any need for them.

The pack is comfortable to wear with generously wide shoulder straps, and two front-fastening straps to keep movement to a minimum. I have given mine some fairly rough handling and found that it more than stands up to the task. If you're going on a lengthy walk for several days and want to carry just one pack including all your camera kit, then you'll need a larger pack than this. However, if you're going just on a day trek or you've got someone else to carry your other kit, you'll struggle to do better than the Lowepro Mini Trekker. For your £60, you're getting quality materials that won't let your camera get damaged, and allow you to carry your kit comfortably from A to B. As the Ronseal man might say...it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Steps in the Woods

Steps in the Woods

Shot near Polesden Lacey in Surrey, I like challenging myself to taking photos from unusual angles. It's a really basic tip that I've learned to take on board, and I don't think anything has had such a dramatic effect on my photography. I'm a big fan of getting "in" to the subject, and in this photo, I particularly enjoy all the detail on the floor and the way that the steps lead the eye up to the bridge. I ended up covered in dust and dirt, but I got the shot I wanted. If you're shooting something at head height (as most subjects are usually shot), try having a go at shooting it from below - you don't need any extra equipment, just a willingness to get a little mucky! I'll upload some shots of some bluebells where I used this technique in a couple of days' time. Do make sure you have a look at the large shot to get the full impact, and let me know your thoughts.

Masters of Photography

I like looking back at historical photographs - particularly those that depict some element of life in past times. One of my favourite collections of old images is at http://www.masters-of-photography.com/ (see the link in the bar on the right). There are images from the earliest photographers, such as Fox Talbot, right up to comparatively modern works. Whenever I see a name in a magazine - "See works by Lee Friedlander", for example, you can go to the site and 9 times out of 10, they have a selection of images by that particular master. It's a great way in to a basic understanding of master works.

Open Door - William Fox Talbot (1844)

With the early masters, I find it fascinating how artistically proficient some of the photos are. Not only were they technical pioneers, they established guidelines and "rules" for future photographers. The image above wouldn't look out of place in a modern amateur photography magazine - so it is all the more remarkable that it was taken 165 years ago.

Taylor Wessing Prize 2009

Not so long ago, I went to see the entrants for the Taylor Wessing Prize up at the National Portrait Gallery. I was a first-time visitor, and decided to pop along after seeing an advert in Practical Photography. I'm not usually one for these sorts of things, but I thought that I might learn something from the best entrants. A selection of photos is available online:

http://www.npg.org.uk:8080/photoprize/site09/index.php

You can also view the top four entries at http://www.npg.org.uk:8080/photoprize/site/exhibition_winners.php

The winning entry, "Quints", I find technically sound - but ultimately, it's not my thing. I find it trying hard to be artistic, and when I think that about a photo, it turns me off. I like art to be a little more subtle, generally. The second place entry was "Bag" (the woman with the carrier bag on her head) which I have to say does absolutely nothing for me. I don't get it. However, the third-place entry, "Ines connected to Anna" I think is excellent - the two teenage girls, intimately close to each other and phycially connected via their laptop and iPod, yet completely distant and remote from each other says an awful lot about modern communication. I remember seeing the life-size version of this and staring at it for ages. I think it's a classic. The fourth prize went to "Murdoch Reflects", a clever portrait of Rupert Murdoch in a thoughtful mood, perfectly reflected physically into the table below. I like the simplicity of the shot, and the clever way the physical reflection apes the subject's mood.

Murdoch Reflects - Tom Stoddart

My favourite of the whole exhibition was "Five Girls" by David Stewart - a bleak shot of five teenage girls in a fast-food restaurant, all with mobiles in front of them, yet nobody actually talking to each other or even acknowledging each others' presence. I think it says a lot about modern teenagers and our drive for communication through technology, and a corresponding decline in social skills.

Five Girls - David A. Stewart

The exhibition is still on and it's completely free. I don't make much of a habit of going to these sort of things and, to be honest, I didn't really get excited by a lot of what I saw. However, I thought that the few images that really caught my imagination made the trip thoroughly worthwhile - so if you're afraid of galleries and exhibitions (like me), this is a great place to start. Officially, the exhibition was closed on 15th February, but to my knowledge it's still going - and very soon the displays for the 2009 prize will be going up.

Example Work

Boat Moored on the Seine

This was a shot I took on a recent holiday to Paris. Trying to take a unique photo of something as well-photographed as the Eiffel Tower is very difficult to do, in my opinion, though I've seen some very creative shots in the past. This isn't among the best, but I enjoy it. I like the way that it's a shot of a boat on a river - except that you can instantly place the river and the city by the tower in the background.

Welcome to the very first post of Photo Plod. This is the start of my personal photography blog, charting some of my work and my growth as an amateur photographer. It will contain some images of my own and others, and I invite critique and opinion. This is an "open house", so to speak.

By trade, I am a police officer in London. I live with my girlfriend of 3.5 years, and our two cats. My photography kit is simple - I don't earn enough to afford lots of high-end kit! I now use a Nikon D80, having upgraded from an old Nikon F65, which I still keep for Black and White film images. I have only three lenses - a telephoto, a wide-angle zoom (standard kit lens) and a fixed 50mm prime. My tripod was inherited from my father, and dates back to around 1970.

On the technical side, I'm lucky enough to own a copy of Adobe Lightroom (which I use for most of my image editing) and do all my work on my laptop. I also own an old copy of Photoshop.

I hope you find this blog interesting as I write.