Nineteen Eighty-Four

It's a great city to walk, to take in its sights, smells, sounds. It's a city that overloads your senses, even one's sense of taste, London's restaurants and fast food joints has much on offer to be sated in this bustling metropolis of London. Yet, here I am walking the Regents Park Canal walkway, and central London seems miles away. I could be in inner city London shooting backstreets, however, today I felt like walking and taking in all that it has to offer, and it was a good decision. I find a series of shots, not all yet edited or posted to this site because I like to savour what I have taken by walking away from them,  I often choose the medium of film to shoot, rather than digital. My camera choice is an old Pentax MX; its great I have two primes; a 28mm and a nifty fifty to boot, that's all I need to get by shooting and documenting the street. Get home count my rolls, then get 'em deve'd at home or at Lomo. It's great because you can scan them and see what you do have then, edit them down, this one, in particular, is reminiscent of a novel penned by George Orwell, that dark dystopian backdrop, then I suddenly remember why it was I chose to walk along the canal, to escape the dehumanising capital, and it's fervent politics, leading up to an insecure future in the form of #BREXIT, yes, even the very colloquial term has earned a place in digital society, and granted an official hashtag!

1984 © David Rothwell

However, it's the future that worries me, it disturbs me almost, as I realise I have many friends who are European, and Arabian some Islamic by default, others Christian. Okay, I admit I don't define religion nor do I define race, what does that mean exactly, is it a race to the very end to see which of the species can last or, has earned the right to this third rock from the sun? That's pointless, surely we're all in this together, the insects of this world are just as barbaric as humans, however, those insects work and live together cohesively for the benefit of their respective species. I revert back to my own species and recognise that this woman, though granted is Middle Eastern, she absolutely has every right to exist in a country where she feels that it will benefit herself and her family. This brings me back to George Orwell's dystopian novel Ninety Eighty-Four, incredible writing which makes one feel his imagination, whirring about inside your head, to envisage such a time and a place, here finally I get to use my other sense, that of touch and to be able to feel that dystopian time within the very frame, I have taken. 

A Tale of the City of a Hundred Names

Introduction

Collecting photographic monographs by default is somewhat of a biased choice, I've been collecting certain works of photographer’s simply because of the aesthetic within the photographer’s photographs, what emotional or provocative content they contain or indeed what the narrative may entail to capture my attention, for example, if the narrative is one of a particular time and place i.e. the ground zero of 9/11 or the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. So, I ask myself these questions in order to come to a decision about how I want to be influenced as a photographer myself, what do I want from my photography, what do I want to give back if anything and, how do I want to influence others in return for the knowledge gained / shared? These are just a few thoughts I have when purchasing a photographer’s monograph. 

My earlier purchases have always been based on the photographer and his reputation as a photographer, think Robert Doisneau or Andre Kértész, I have always thought that my perception of documenting life in the city or its suburbs was a reflection of how it was done in mainland Europe, pre and post-world war two. Many a photographer of that period used analogue cameras that were robust but lightweight, and not too intimidating to the subject they were photographing. They moved with ease with a 35mm camera, that could easily frame its subject and thus capture an interpretation of the human condition. After all, that is the reason I purchased said photographic essays, not because of the way they were bound but, because of the human interest, I have in society on the whole. Having moved on from that influence of the monochrome photographs but, still referring to them every now and again for that particular aesthetic, I have a penchant for monochrome film…I moved on to another form of artistic endeavour, no not digital not quite yet, anyway but, that of colour. 

Alex Webb is a prolific photographer whose use of colour is outstanding for obvious reasons to those in the know, but also how the use of colour in his works seemingly takes on not just the aesthetic of the work, but, in some cases the very narrative of the work. So whilst scouring the many books some bookstalls have in the way of photographers think Koenig Books, London. I happened upon one of Alex Webb’s books none other than the work Istanbul: City of a Hundred Names with an essay by Orhan Pamuk, a recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature. I skimmed a few paragraphs and thought yeah, this is interesting I’ll get this for my collection.  Once I opened up said book in the confines of my apartment, the sunlight peering in through the partially opened blinds and throwing up some sort of hazy atmospheric warmth within the space I was occupying, I settled down with a damn good mug of coffee and set about immersing myself within the context of Alex Webb and his tale of his adventures in Istanbul: The City of a Hundred Names. 

© Alex Webb

The Influence of Alex Webb

Istanbul a major city in Turkey that straddles both the Asian and European continents across the Bosphorus Strait, an old city which has embraced many empires and cultures throughout it's turbulent but diverse and culturally influential history. Perhaps this is what attracted Alex Webb to Istanbul, although he does speak of his influence in his work being that of borders and this is what is significant in his work, he is not just a colourist but, someone who utilises the same thematic throughout his work and, that being a country and its borders. Borders have long been of interest to a documentary photographer, the fractious nature of the subject a naturally occurring construct of division and of indifference towards your neighbouring country, or ‘other’. Ideally, a border is a point were subtle nuances of culture and sub-culture emerge and coexist in some pseudo-Utopian manner. Here then, is the very narrative that Webb strives to collate some form of integration between differing cultures at the very locale of the border. as they come together. Turkey is noted for its secular republic though Islam may have a majority, it is a country which has embraced both ancient and modern influences in its daily way of life. 

This is what I perceive as the appealing side of his documentary approach to his work, as we view the daily lives of the plethora of diversity in Istanbul from its Grand Bazaar hosting a labyrinth of glittering delights with beckoning sellers peddling anything that is both vibrant as it is colourful, from jewellery to spices to textiles and souvenirs. Much to see much to do, though if you’re here to shop you may miss a scene, so it is best to stay focused on those that are doing the bartering and shopping so that you can do the photographing of what is happening in this vibrant city. This is what Webb captures the mundane everyday existence of life in an incredible city, albeit he captures and represents its inhabitants and visitors with a hint of geometry, when I view the photographs, I can see the influence of one Henri Cartier-Bresson, it’s the structure of the photograph and how it is composed that makes me think this way, the sudden gesture of a man holding his hand to his chin as though stroking his beard or a woman carrying a child whilst the gaze of the child is transfixed with some other nonchalantly smoking a cigarette. 

They’re all there for us to see, and to imagine how the scene played out or what preceded the ‘event’ as it is, Alex Webb has most certainly built on what has gone before (see Hot Light Half-Made Worlds, The Suffering of Light among many others. There is also the homage to Turkish history and culture itself with several of his works containing some element of Istanbul’s heritage, all in all, I find his work fascinating, informative and definitely collectible. If this is what you’re seeking to influence your own photography or you’re looking to expand your collection of photographic essays then this is a worthy choice, of course a connoisseur would also perhaps have something which is even more obscure to many, for example, I have a copy of The Women of Molise by Frank Monaco, a photographer who visited his mother’s homeland of Molise, Italy to document his own heritage. It is by all accounts a wonderful photographic document which somehow relates to Alex Webb’s own experience of visiting Istanbul with his parents and falling in love with a country whose culture was different to his own. 

Conclusion

It is then an influential collection of photographs that depict a sense of familiarity in the style of the presentation and perhaps the emotional content and provocative manner in which the subjects present themselves, Webb focuses a lot as I mentioned earlier on juxtaposing his subjects with certain shapes or geometry, and pays homage to a host of colourists who has gone before, with just a subtle hint of subdued colour in low light, which I find very warming. If you have not seen the work of Alex Webb then this is a great place to start, however, I am prompted to inform you of Memory City which is a collaboration between him and his wife Rebecca Norris Webb, and is a study of Eastman Kodak and its uncertain future as a medium and is reflected in Rochester, New York, go seek it out.

http://www.hewhotellsastory.co.uk/he-who-tells-a-story

We The People

Welcome to a very positive day; today my second book We The People was published through Blurb the book is going to be a resounding success, it certainly is a culmination of the styles I have picked up through comical captures, metaphors and juxtaposition. 

Am happy it is finally finished and to be honest it has been a bit of a learning curve putting this together, unlike Work, Rest and Play this is probably a lot more besides.

After having a conversation with another photographer, we discussed my style of photojournalism and the approach is certainly artistic in execution, I am though just learning though admittedly I am developing a style. 

When you click on the link to my latest work you will be greeted with colour! I decided on going for full bleed images on some pages throughout the book, and have also opted for photo-spread layouts for the landscape perspective which are also showing fantastic contrast with the paper used which is ProLine Coated Pearl; I just like this paper and the cover itself is an oatmeal linen with standard mid grey end sheets and finished off with a high gloss hardcover dust jacket. 

The paper gives a superb look, a high dynamic range for great colour, rich blacks and superb contrast. 

A majority of the photos I shot during the scotia-pride event in Edinburgh were featuring people were rich vibrant coloured clothes, and this paper really shows how professional a look the photographs give. 

 

Moving on to the other locations, Chester offered a few surprises as did Blackpool, a fight took place and you can clearly see the public reaction, everyone honed into the area of interest, as though they were watching a scuffle in a school playground. It made for a very interesting shot I shot it with a zoom lens though; I prefer to get in closer with a 28mm F/2 Soligor or an F/1.8 MK II 50mm Canon. 

Prime lenses are ideal for street photography especially at night you can if using digital open the aperture up and adjust the ISO to 3200. You can get great results, I have tried using flash but straight away people will see that someone is taking photographs and you have lost the element of surprise. 

So it is much better using a higher ISO rating and the shots still have a great clarity about them, not so much noise. So if you like the look of the book please share the link, leave a comment or just give me some honest feedback would you have done something different, and if so what? 

One pattern I noticed that started to appear was the subject matter wherever I went people were asleep, day dreaming or was it the heat of the day and too much drink?

It truly is remarkable when you start viewing this and it then twigs in the mind this can be another book, and so that is exactly what I have started to work on, and why not after all the narrative is their I just have to go hunting. 

In fact the other day when I was itching to shoot something, I went for a stroll along the sea-front to see what subject matter was readily available, and I stumbled on a few ideas as I always do when am out walking. 

Model Shoot

During September I am going to be working on a new project with a friend who is an MUA (Make-Up Artist) 

Were going to be working on a few ideas mainly involving models so first up will be a shoot of one of Mita's  friends namely a transgender named Isis. We will be shooting a few fashion stills which sounds really exciting, am going to do this with a unique style that will hopefully incorporate some of the lighting skills, I have learned from reading the Strobist 101 blog if not read his invaluable source of lighting information, and his vast knowledge of lighting outdoors or indoors, I suggest you do. It's a great place to start. 

So the shoot will involve to some degree strobist lighting techniques, I will also be using my Canon EOS 1D MK II , for the simple reason it actually shoots at a maximum of 8.3 fps (frames per second) so it is marginally quicker than my EOS 60D. 

Which shoots at 5.3 fps (frames per second). Not just that but my pro camera is just that its designed for these type of shoots. It may have only 8.2 million megapixels but it is still a revered pro-camera. So with that one firmly penciled in the book, the other shoot is a bit more controversial in the offing, it certainly will raise a few eyebrows, so watch this space for information, what I will say is this the work has been inspired a number of elements one of those elements is Paula Rego the painter.

Exciting stuff indeed the Lisbon born painter has a very interesting style, it's very evocative, and I want that to really shine through in my photography, so for those who do not know of her work, seek her out, you will be amazed at her art!

As for me am going to admire my latest work, if your interested in purchasing a copy please do, you will be very pleased with the work.