In Canvas (the VLE) I posted on my beginnings in photography. I began by posting images of the rural environment I was to explore as a young child and to which I returned to in my photographic project work.

 

Fig WK4 Show and Tell – 1 to 4 Inspired by the Rural Landscape and Home Town Camera Obscura

I noted another influence by way of the camera obscura I visited taking in the experience   whilst viewing the busy riverside town, with tourists and a tidal river with mini waterfall. I contrasted this with the fact that early television if anyone had one was black and white.

Fig WK4 Show and Tell – 2 Inspired by Camera Obscura in Home Town

I then recounted the experience of having my work office operate as the camera club shop at lunchtimes and my fascination with the customers needs and apprehensions usually over a stuck film for which a solution could be found.

My interest in photography, remained largely theoretical as I’d only ever borrowed a basic camera and it was a while before I saved up for an SLR. camera which I still have and is currently loaded with film.

Fig WK4 Show and Tell – 5 Photographic Beginnings

My digital photographic work is very recent but my experience of digital technology is quite deep and longstanding from my career – I started out in the research laboratory of a computing firm. For me experimentation was to the fore as I started out with a few 3MP smartphone camera images. With these I learned to work creatively in post. I also learned to program images.

I dedicated myself to reawakening skills from the earlier age and I was more than ready for DSLR camera photography. Gaining an ability to express myself through stills has been the major thing for me and I love to create images I hope might be considered as a form of art.

Image reviews

My latest abstract work has been put out there as in order to seek early review of trauma abstracted. Many viewers like, colourful images within the sets.

Fig WK4 Show and Tell – 5 to 20 Current Abstract Practice

This is quite a cohesive and ever growing set. Within the MA Photography course I’ve not presented thus to date, preferring to explore as I find a voice.

Talking to the images is the main challenge due to discussing numerous strands – commemoration, history, family, genetics,  abstract art.

In review it was apparent that discussing my work prompted a bond between two members of the audience and myself. In separate reviews, age was a disengaging factor. Slightly younger reviewers do not associate well with the Great War. I’m likely the same over earlier events of the Boer War although I’m likely more tuned into ancient battles, Culloden being an example.

In the work of Chloe Dewe Mathews a project title has three words “Shot at Dawn”. Everything talked about relates directly back to the title as do the visuals. So a fine example of simplicity of concept, even if the commissioned work required travel and use of a larger format film camera and lots of research of records and map positions. So the work is substantive.

The work of painter Rachel Howard I often refer back to. This is because of a similarity of look and visual content between the paintings in the series Repetition is the Truth via Dolo Rosa. This work features repetition and places the viewer in the position of thinking each new image looks like the previous and may require examination to determine what is different. The theme of repetition is a success. The work is substantive due to the large scale nature of the paintings and the control necessary to maintain repetition.

I now relate my work to that of an abstract artist

Rapid mini project.

Coming soon a write up on a water droplet themed series of close-up (x15 magnified) images. Given the challenge of a breezy day and outdoor shooting at high magnification I did capture some quite sharp work but in post I decided to process the images with an oil paint filter and in doing so increased consistency when moving from one picture to the next. I’ll place the result in the Project development area of the blog.

Fig WK4 Show and Tell – 21 to 24 Microscopy Mini Project