Monday, 8 October 2012

A Sense of Ending

From time to time, we as photographers stumble across people less fortunate than ourselves, whether it be when photographing in war torn places of conflict or here in the streets, of where you live. While am out I come across many a homeless person, whilst photographing the streets.

One day I came whilst walking past another photographer capturing some happy couples wedding day, I spotted a man who could be younger than myself. I have seen the man before near St Luke's (bombed out church) Liverpool.

I have enjoyed shooting the streets, its great to photograph and you can harness your technique when panning or zooming into your subject. Recently in our lectures we have focused on certain photographers, one who has certainly moved me is the work of the Russian photographer, Aleksander Rodchenko; his work is simply way ahead of it's time.

I will try to put that into context, when viewing the work of our European cousins Bresson, Brassai, Doisneau we instinctly know they photographed their subjects mainly on the streets of Paris, France. The work was fairly composed in the case of Bresson, but you have to wander in awe at Rodchenko and his stunning linear composition.

He was clearly a master of his craft, he emerged after the Russian Revolution and his work covered many mediums artist, sculpture, graphic designer and photographer. Rodchenko had encapsulated the art movement Constructivism into his photography, he would manipulate the perspective in such a way of 'catching out' or holding the viewers attention, you would be drawn to the work and be totally moved by its form.

I certainly was on first gazing this particular image, in a way these 'angels' can never be touched because they are caged, also hinting that these women are also birds, yet we are the ones who are caged because we cannot engage with the subject matter in a physical sense.

Very inspiring work, they're is also a major minor aspect to the image and a sense of freedom. In the upper left corner the linear lines make way for a space, like a skylight window and the enticing subjects are completely juxtaposed against the free space. Intriguing work, but it really works. These monochrome shots, truly are remarkable, early phototgraphers did not have colour to distract the viewer, instead monochrome has certainly been mastered in such a significant way as to educate and inspire emotion in people, as to reproduce said influence in works today.

The work of Rodchenko has captivated many artists over the years, one in particular was his wife and artist Varvara Fyodorovna Stepanova. She came from peasant origins but was fortunate enough to get an education at Kazan School of Art, Odessa. Which brings me to my point of a post today, our origins and what shapes us?

This is a shot of a homeless man, I took a little while ago. It was a sunny afternoon the suns rays shining down on his legs, he was warming himself up for the night. his colleague was sat around the corner, but looking at this you could assume he was either whacked out on some drug or another form of abuse alcohol.
 
I look at this and always say to myself, what a civilised society we live in, we have not evolved to help our fellow human, we would rather them be on the street or worse dead than to simply cancel debt and put a hand to help those in need. I can't help but think, this was in a sense an ending...

Thursday, 4 October 2012

"Poppy" Framed Prints by stonemonki | Redbubble

"Poppy" Framed Prints by stonemonki | Redbubble: Now available for full framed prints with optional colour frames and a variety of matte backs too. They're more pieces of my art work available too, just click the link.

Sunday, 30 September 2012

"Food For Fuel" Framed Prints by stonemonki | Redbubble

"Food For Fuel" Framed Prints by stonemonki | Redbubble: This is just a reminder that you can purchase my work on redbubble.com as well as my own site.

www.davidrothwellphotography.co.uk If your looking for a photographer for a particular thematic shoot, just contact myself via the link.

Le site Web a lancé. ..finally

So it has finally arrived! Yes after months of hard work, I have finally launched my website. About time too, this means you can view my images more intimately. You can look at the varying styles I have so far to my repertoire.

I will keeping my online blog going as well, I like it here its a place where I can let off steam, and also find myself again.

I've noticed people are reading my blog but no one comments, I would like feed back or interaction with another blogger perhaps?

This week I also managed to get in the darkroom, and develop some prints, great at least when the other students were not present, I could just get down to the nitty gritty.

I love the darkroom, I have now realised its importance in photography, I know they're are digital toggers out there who have probably never laid their hands on an analogue SLR, let alone a negative. Well let me tell you it is a different world, and one that admittedly I find very intriguing and also so very satisfying, viewing your finished print. You get a realisation, that you have now immersed yourself in a world of past photographers, great names like Edward Steichen; Fox Talbot and the like who performed that very process themselves to produce an image!

I can only say wow, it is a fantastic feeling, you should try it!
The website  mentioned has a few images of my film work, I have shot in Kodak colour 200, but mostly shooting in good old black and white.

A black and white image for me reproduces the photographers emotive feeling at the time very well, I find it transcends into the work simultaneously. The thing with shooting in monochrome is this, no colour distraction to confuse the message unless of course, colour is needed to sell the message or to tell the story, then you must shoot in black and white, it simplifies what you are saying...Diane Arbus was famously quoted saying "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know."


This statement for me has certainly some truth to it, if viewing a photograph you certainly want to know more about it, about the photographer; about the scene captured and the message it is conveying. A little while ago I spoke of metaphors in photography, and how they can sell an image, particularly in the advertising or commercial photography industry but how about those who photograph purely for the sake of art? They're a lot of photographers who do just that, even documentary photographers try an alternative thought process.

One photographer who epitomises this style of photography known as Photojournalism is American photographer Dorothea Lange.

Dorothea Lange (May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA).

This exceptional insight into America during the Great Depression shows how early thought provoking images were being taken and documented, this image says we are poor, we are hungry, we are stressed, we are worried, the children turn in towards the mother for support, and she is captured showing her vulnerable side and very open too.

It means so much more than words here, try putting yourself in that woman's shoes, and you will find great hardship but the not only that, you will found a woman who is strong.

The mother does look worried but am sure, she was very loving to those children, she loved them and she was strong for them.

I would love to capture images like this, the closest I have come is the odd homeless person on the streets of Manchester, Liverpool or London. The one thing I have learnt is this, they're beggars out there who; actually have a roof over their head. Yes it is appalling to know that..I found out that some of them are actually practising their art of acting too!

Anyways I digress, the one thing I was meant to be talking about and sharing with you is my website please take a look and if you can give constructive feedback please do so.

Saturday, 22 September 2012

Street Photography

The very term conjures up images, some of the very streets them selves some of the people who habitually own them. We see many people who are drunk, drugged and or homeless. Today though whilst out in a Northern city centre, actually Manchester I happened to meet a very talented artist whose name is Akieh, I have his work from today and am very pleased with his interpretation of a portrait of myself!

I was ecstatic with the result seen below, his style was quite 'lively' as my brother Colin put it (himself an artist). I found it very encouraging and inspiring too, okay I purchased the image for £20 but to me, it was priceless. He has encapsulated what I am all about in this charcoal style portraiture.

I had to change my roll of film too, which was slightly annoying but he raised a smile as I took his picture, I will develop the negs and post them on here of the artist. I liked his style, he had so many images of his day finished in pastel. They're were exceptional images, I wish I could of spent more time with him, but a woman came up to me begging, and I really didn't want to offend, so I moved on.

The day had been very good, during my day I had also taken a shot of a cake seller, he offered a variety of cup cakes, temptation drew on my mind and I parted with some more cash, for these lovely artistic delicious looking coffee time snacks.

I have them in my fridge, they look so inviting but alas I will wait. I listened to Elton John's Rocket Man, whilst snapping away, from the album Best Of British an outstanding album, and personally something of which am going to put my neck out and say, we really are a talented bunch!

I get inspired and into the mood whem am listening to music, I love listening to music when am shooting. Just adds another dimension to my thought process, very enlightening.

Friday, 21 September 2012

Assignment

Well, it's been a while since I posted anything that warrants your attention! I have an assignment to work on in a reportage style, I have a whole host of ideas to which are written down, scrawled on postits' or noted on my iPhone 4S. Yes mine is the 4S but news on the grapevine is that 4G iPhone 5, is looming rather large on many an iPhone user Christmas wish list perhaps?

I know one thing am certainly impressed with apple, I remember not being a fan of the earlier editions. However, that was then and this is now, after my run-in with samsung (you may remember my post about their lack of customer service), I cannot say that I would rush to purchase anything from them in a hurry.

I will be staying with apple and in particular iPhone, the latest addition is the iPhone 5 Wi-Fi is faster too, yay! That is all I need especially when your on the move, downloading the latest news to your iphone or uploading some key notes for a webinar...going forward with Apple is certainly a step in the right direction.

The greatest aspect for me is I can download the British Journal of Photography, and keep up to date with new releases such as Canon's new digital full frame EOS 6D 20.2 megapixel DSLR boasting an expandable ISO range to 102,400 that is incredible!

Though let's be honest why you need that high a range is beyond me, so let's delve deeper and find out why it's a great crossover to a bigger CMOS full frame. The 6D is able to produce multiple exposure on a single frame, this is great for those who have creative genius, I use layers in Photoshop to create special effects and am intrigued to find out what new software will be released by Canon for such a camera, will it rival Photoshop for tethered in-studio shooting techniques?

I have to say my mouth is salivating at the prospect, 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting. Powerful DiG!c 5+ processing, my, my that is 17 X faster than DiG!c 4.

Canon EOS Remote 

At the heart of the 6D. Together these deliver images that are packed with detail and clarity. Colours are reproduced accurately whilst tonal gradation is subtle and natural. I recently upgraded to an EOS 1D  And so far so good, I will be posting some images soon. Which is what this post was meant to be the focal point of discussion, today am going out armed with a couple of rolls of film for this current assignment.

Fast and responsive, the EOS 1D is ideal for professional field photography

 
So watch this space.

 

Monday, 17 September 2012


History


During our first lecture we discussed a number of photographers to focus – Fox Talbot; Eugène Atget; George Brassaï and those born in the 20Th century such as August Sander; Henri Cartier-Bresson; (A personal favourite and influence) and Robert Doisneau are of course those photographers who were a new breed of artist who documented the lives of those people who inhabited America, Britain, France and areas of interest, particularly those who were in a current state of conflict or undergoing radical change.

Certainly in the early part of the nineteenth century, the whole known world was experiencing a revolution of some sorts, indeed the ‘Paris Commune’ as it is known or Fourth French Revolution was considered to be an early important form of Photojournalism.

Most notably photographer Auguste Bruno Braquehais photographed the participants and the toppling

of the Vendôme Column. Braquehais was born in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, in 1823. Deaf from a young age, he attended the Institut royal des sourds et muets (Royal Institute of the Deaf and Mute) in Paris. He worked as a lithographer in Caen until 1850, when he met photographer Alexis Gouin (ca. 1790s–1855), and moved to Paris to work in Gouin's studio. Gouin specialized in colored daguerreotypes (French: daguerréotype) was the first commercially successful photographic process. (They were colored by his stepdaughter, Laure) and stereoscopic plates.

Fast forward and nothing much has changed certainly the images of the tyrannical Saddam Hussein statue being toppled in April 2003 echo those events in revolutionary France. Throughout human history we have had a fascination of documenting our lives in some form or other, the earliest being the cave paintings of prehistoric origin in El Castillo cave in Cantabria, Spain.


 

August Sander




Sander was born in Herdorf, the son of a carpenter working in the mining industry. While working at a local mine, Sander first learned about photography by assisting a photographer who was working for a mining company. With financial support from his uncle, he bought photographic equipment and set up his own darkroom.

Sander has been described as the most important German portrait photographer of the early twentieth century; his first book “Face of our Time” (Antlitz der Zeit)was published in 1929. It contained a selection of sixty portraits from his series People of the 20Th Century.

Unfortunately for Sander under the Nazi regime, his work and personal life were greatly constrained. Sander's book Face of our Time was seized in 1936 and the photographic plates destroyed. Around 1942, during World War II, he left Cologne and moved to a rural area, allowing him to save most of his negatives. His studio was destroyed in a 1944 bombing raid. Sander died in Cologne in 1964.

 
 
 
His work includes landscape, nature, architecture, and street photography, but he is best known for his portraits, as exemplified by his series People of the 20th Century. In this series, he aims to show a cross-section of society during the Weimar Republic. The series is divided into seven sections: The Farmer, The Skilled Tradesman, Woman, Classes and Professions, The Artists, The City, and The Last People (homeless persons, veterans, etc.). By 1945, Sander's archive included over 40,000 images.
In 2002, the August Sander Archive and scholar Susanne Lange published a seven-volume collection comprising some 650 of Sander's photographs, August Sander: People of the 20th Century. In 2008, the Mercury crater Sander was named after him