Week six
The forum task of Happy accident and good fortune.
The biggest takeaway I have from this forum is that I'm not connected my photo library. Recent switch from light room to capture one has meant that my old images (ostensibly my LR catalogue) is not part of my daily/weekly workflow this is something I will have to rectify.
I emotionally drew a line under my photography of the past five years. Disillusioned with how it wasn't progressing. I thought by starting the MA I could start afresh. These forum tasks as stopping me from running away from what I was. Which is a good, and sometimes uncomfortable, thing.
It has also reminded me of the fact that I rarely take photographs in low-pressure situations. The topic of faux pas and happy accident highlights this abundantly clearly. I have fun when I have a camera in my hands because invariably helps me to see. Wanna think of some of the faux pas and compare/contrast them with those on the forum, the best ones come from when I was not trying to do anything was opened all (and any) possibilities.
This self-portrait taken on a stag do in Sevilla in 2005, whilst running down a dark alley. Would have been the entry that I would've submitted to the forum. The white balance is set poorly, which was taken on a point-and-shoot camera. And somehow a very low shutter speed this makes the image standout. It would've been very easy for me to try to correct this in postproduction but it was so striking as an accident I had to leave it.
Here are the monkeys playing doctors and nurses!?! This was more of a faux pas that have the accident, as I waited for the most impactful moments I could find before they all run away. At one point the activity became better the longer awaited.
I really need to be able to find my images quicker. This level of organisation will be required but will also require an organisational rethink.
The photograph that resonates with me is the photograph of 9/11 taken by Thomas Hoepker
This was a photo, which feels to me like a 'lifestyle' shot, of a picnic as the actual subject, has the Twin Towers tragedy as the backdrop. This was not intentional and indeed not fully noticed until the negative was developed. It shows how 'out of the blue' the attack was.
Also, on my website I wanted to put a gallery of imperfections linked to the accidents that occurred during film developing and scanning (Maybe I still should).
Photography chance and serendipity
I see chance as and intermittently important part of photography. And as a street photographer I cannot ignore good fortune but I would prefer to think that my readiness and preparation awe of greater importance. Good fortune and open-minded important in not only capturing images but in the cure should and editing them to. As the vernacular photographer chance is key, less so when working in sports or fashion where chance may be seen as owned through preparation. That chance in the way that translates to meaning.
I am currently not very good at bracing opportunities. Or even chasing or creating him them. My greatest fear/weakness in my practice is what I call the back end. I'm extremely reticent to communicate with people/Market my product will seize opportunities. I fail unlocked! Especially when focusing on me or my practice that anything. I am a lucky charm with other people, which is why I cannot afford to embrace chance.
Currently I am suffering from not being able to take in photographs of people. This lockdown is really preventing me from being able to work collaboratively with anybody in this country. I have plans to photograph people with skin conditions or scores or tatties or piercings however as I currently cannot be in a room with them unless they are a member of my family or you're outside in a social circle photographing them is almost impossible, or released in the way that I visualised my research project. I do wish to empower and I do wish to create an environment of trust however with all the studios in Singapore shut I do not believe that this is currently possible.
The next module fast approaching and this is a major concern to me.