Thoughts on art, documentary, and projects.

I've always taken the view that if I have nothing to say I'll say nothing. Hence the tumbleweed here.What little I have had to say I've been posting on Talk Photography of late. Just little snippets of thoughts. Now I've got some thoughts that need more space to try to work out for myself. I wrote a rambling rant for this blog some months back but deleted it before posting. The subject, however, is part of what follows.

I have noticed in certain quarters of photographic cyberspace, and no doubt could find it in the real world, an elitist attitude that places photographs that aspire to the condition of art above those which have been made for more workmanlike purposes such as documentary or illustration. Given the fact that a photograph can be all of those things depending on where it is seen and how it is presented the attitude is plainly nonsensical.

Although I have long known this his was really brought home to me in an unexpected way. I first new of Fay Godwin's photographs as standalone pictures. Presented as one-off's, as art. Yet it seems that many of the well known ones were taken to serve as illustrations in walking guidebooks. It was when I bought The Drovers' Roads of Wales that this hit home for me. I'd made the purchase of a battered old copy while wandering down a droving rabbit hole for my Lonk sheep project. While looking through one photograph leapt out at me. One I'd seen discussed for its artistic merits in a video (here). A photograph that is an illustration and art. It's also documentary because no matter how little, the scene will have changed since the photograph was taken.

Just because you are taking photographs for a 'mundane' purpose doesn't mean you can't approach the process with the intention of making photographs that work as pictures, that can stand alone and be considered for their aesthetic properties in an art appreciation kind of way. Henri Cartier-Bresson talked about his photographs having 'geometry'. You could call it 'composition', or 'structure' or 'form', or anything else you fancy. It's what sets photographs that are pictures apart from casual snaps. Thought has gone into their taking, even if that has been a deliberate effort to make it look like it hasn't!

All this has been in my mind since my Lonk sheep project became more serious. Like all my projects it started out as a random accumulation of photographs of a subject that interested me for one reason or another. Usually what happens is that a project gets to a stage when there are enough pictures to pull out a number of them and arrange them into a book or booklet, a set of postcards, or a set of prints in an album. Only rarely have I found myself taking pre-planned photographs for these projects. The Lonk project started out like that, but has morphed into a book project. A book with a considerable amount of writing involved.

The book has slowly gained a structure. This means that it requires photographs of specific subjects to fit various sections of the book. It also needs illustrative photographs to either make the longer text section more visually appealing, or to show what something in that text looks like. When I started playing around with page and spread designs I also started to see gaps in the pictures I already have. All these factors have made me more focused on what I need to photograph. Which in turn has fueled my enthusiasm for the project. Which means I am more motivated to get out and use my camera, and more importantly to make efforts to get access to the subjects I want to photograph.

When it comes to photography projects access is critical. Without it there will be no photographs. I've also discovered the benefits of the aforementioned rabbit hole diving. It was another book about old tracks that led me to find a location of historical interest with relevance to Lonk sheep, that turned out to be worth a visit on two counts. Not only was there an industrial archeology aspect to the place, there was a modern land use too. The icing on the cake was the presence of Lonks.

Old lime workings, modern wind turbines, Lonks. All in one shot! It might not be great art (although I hope there is an element of design to it), but it is documentary, and in a book with a caption it becomes illustration.

Part of the text for the book deals with the history of the breed, and Knowlmere Manor in Bowland has a place in that. There is a public footpath through the grounds so I went for a look to see if there was a photograph to be had. There was, but the first time I went the weather was dull. A second trip was planned when the weather was forecast to be better. The forecast was wrong. Third time lucky and I got the light the way I hoped to. No sheep this time.

Even the runs out that didn't get me 'the' shot weren't fruitless as opportunist pictures were found. They might not end up in the book, but they are relevant to the project.

One thing that developing a layout for the book has thrown up is the need for more vertical/portrait oriented pictures. So I now take more of those than I used to. Often shooting a subject  horizontally and vertically. Another design driven requirement for some pictures has been more space to add text or inset pictures. The book won't be a simple collection of photographs.

Having the demands of a book to meet has changed the way I'm looking for pictures for the project. This helps keep me thinking and out of the rut of repetition. It's far more demanding that a project that is just 'pictures of a particular subject'. Although that as a motivator is a good one.

Having a requirement for pictures that show locations has also forced me to look at landscapes more critically than I have in the past. I've become more inclined to wait for the light, or even as in the case of Knowlmere, to have more than one try for a shot. Even a simple picture can be improved by just the right light. My timing as far as time of day was pure luck for the light in this picture of a sheepfold, but I hung around as the clouds moved over and waited until the fold came out of cloud-shadow before taking then photograph.

Every so often I drop lucky. This happened to me recently when I stopped off for a look at a flock of Lonks whose owner I know just as he and his son arrived with a trailerful of them. I got to hang around and take a series of pictures of the sheep being sorted, footbathed, and driven up the road to the lambing shed. I also got an invitation back fro when lambing is underway. Access is all important. Some of these pictures will make the book.

Something else I have found worthwhile with book projects, but not much to do with photography, is to get proofs of the layout printed. A tenner or so for a hard copy of maybe a cover and a few pages really does help you see how a layout/design is working far better than doing it all on-screen. The print size can be deceptive on a computer screen, and the the 'gutter' (the place where pages meet) is more obvious on a hard copy than on the always-flat view on screen. This is especially so if making a perfect bound book or booklet. You need to leave a lot more room than on a digital spread.

These are only draft layouts, and the photos may well change. But it's all helping me formulate where the project is going. To the extent that I now have a sort of shooting script to work to. As always, however, there's room for opportunist pictures and even diversions in different directions. Until the final publication is printed everything remains fluid.

So that's what I'm up to and my current way of thinking about taking photographs. I still have aimless wanders with a camera, and they still turn up the occasional picture, but shooting to a loose plan is making sense for me these days. Don't hold your breath for the next installment!

---

The end of a long hot summer and an apology.

First of all the apology. I've only just discovered that I had comments enabled on this blog, but not the notification for moderating them. That's why anyone who has commented hasn't had the comment posted or had an acknowledgement. All a bit irrelevant now as I think this may well be the last post I make here having run out of things to say that don't repeat myself. Anyway....

I've been to thirteen agricultural shows this summer, and failed to find another after getting terribly lost, with only one day of light rain and no muddy fields to get the car stuck in. In some ways the photographs have changed, mostly because I'm getting in closer than I used to. There is a more inclusive look to pictures taken up close with a 'standard' or moderately wide angle lens to those zoomed in from further away to give the same frame filling effect. As an example, the shot above was taken with a 28mm lens.

Even so it has proved increasingly difficult to find new pictures of the old subjects. One thing that has helped is getting a lower angle. Again, being at 'sheep's eye level' increases the connection between viewer and subject. Thsi has seen me using the flip out screen a lot more than in the past. Not only does this save my ageing knees, it also means I can get out of the way faster when sheep are heading my way!

Unfortunately my camera was slow to respond in liveview, and the focus point difficult to move around. I was missing a lot of potential shots. So I bit the bullet and upgraded to a camera with better performance in this department. For once an upgrade has made a difference to my success rate. So much so that I find I'm suing liveview at least half the time now, and not just for low down pictures, it's useful for other angles too.

Another thing that's changed for me is posting sheep pictures to Facebook. I'm still no fan of the platform, there's so much about it that annoys me, but it is the easiest way to let sheep people find the photos and get an idea what I'm up to. It's a way of giving something back to the unwitting participants in my pictures and also opens up more interaction with people at the shows. There are other side benefits such as the odd free entry to shows and the occasional picture sale too!

It is not without some downsides, or maybe diversions. There's no doubt that the sort of pictures which go down well on social media are different to the ones I take for myself. The boxes are pretty easy to tick, though, so it's not hard to take the crowd-pleasers while still looking for the Lumbypics.

One break from sheep photography was a day spent concentrating on cattle. I wasn't too sure how that would go when asked to go along, but having a fresh subject was good as everything was new to my eyes.

No matter what the subject the problem is always the same - looking for ways to frame pictures that, with a bit of luck, tell a story, or at least put the viewer 'there'.

As well as trying to get in close I've also been making an effort to take more 'messy' pictures. Ones in which there is a lot going on and/or make a sort of abstract composition. Sometimes they work, sometimes they almost work, mostly they fail!

It's that striving for the perfect picture (unobtainable) that keeps me interested when motivation starts to flag. Something else that has kept me interested is starting to dabble in video. The new camera is easier to use a video camera. I've only been practicing technique and getting to know how it works so far, but maybe I'll plan a short sheep video out sometime.

---

Pointless?

For whatever reason the urge to write (about anything) deserted me. Neither could I be bothered posting pictures here for the sake of it - although I have been taking plenty and posting them on Twitter. I've had a few subjects come to mind which could have been written about if only my general lethargy hadn't got in the way.

This is all a part of the confusion I have about where I, and my photographs, fit in the wide photography world. I think I've mentioned before that I don't want to be taking photographs which appeal to other photographers. That's falling into a similar trap as chasing 'likes' on social media. Or in another sphere taking photographs to win a camera club competition or a jumped up camera club competition like the RPS distinctions!

To quote Ed Smith (which I may have done before); "When you play cricket to please other people you have lost the point of playing cricket" Or words to that effect.

First and foremost I want to take my kind of photographs. Being wildly arrogant and self-important for a moment I reckon I have a pretty damned good idea of what makes a good photograph for me. And how to go about it from a technical stand point.

On that last factor I have come to realise that I'm out of step with not just the RPS and it's love of technical perfection, but also with a lot of the hobbyist photography world. It seems that whenever I give advice to beginners on the photography forum I frequent I get shot down by the resident experts.

 If you want to stop your pictures being blurred, then 99% of the time you'll need to use a faster shutter speed. I've seen it so often with photos taken by anglers I know that are blurred through camera and subject movement because a camera's (or phone's) automatic settings have selected a slow shutter speed. If the option is available (not on my phone it's not) the solution is to use shutter priority to lock in a faster shutter speed. That's why I think telling beginners to use aperture priority (which all too often sets a slow speed) is bad advice. But when I suggest it I get flamed because the experts are obsessed with controlling depth of focus. 

For years my only camera was my Pentax ME, which was aperture priority only. Yet I used it as a shutter priority camera. When I turned the aperture ring on the lens I had no idea what it was set to because I was concerned with keeping the shutter speed displayed in the viewfinder high enough to stop camera shake! If you aren't using a tripod I think this is the best approach. Especially given how high you can let ISO go in modern cameras.

I guess it's because what I think makes a good photograph is what's in the picture - the facts. For example, to me a good portrait is primarily about gesture and expression, light and depth of focus are secondary. If the gesture and expression are saying nothing great light and creamy bokeh won't save it.

 
I don't fit in the art world of photography either. My photos aren't what's deemed acceptable but mostly I can't be doing with taking it as seriously as seems to be necessary. I certainly can't be arsed taking myself as seriously as some po-faced photographers do. They're far too earnest for me. Pomposity has to be punctured when I see it! When it comes to documentary photography I'm out on a limb there too because I don't have the drive to push my photos to get seen by anyone who could get them out to a wider audience.

So that leaves me floundering around in my own little world, occasionally venturing into the worlds of poultry fanciers, sheep breeders, and sheep dog trialers. Which is why I've taken to posting more pics on social media after avoiding it for ever. At least that way the people in the photos get to see them. Which I think is important. Whether they like my more 'off the wall' pictures I don't know. I'm certainly not trying to make the kind of pictures of the subjects which journalists or other professionals might take. Some of my framings are still 'odd' with chopped off heads and intruding limbs. Traditional subjects shot in a different way.

Which brings me to a comment I saw reported about some photos submitted for review for an RPS 'panel'. They were deemed to be 'record shots'. Aren't all photographs 'record shots'? Can't a 'record shot' also be a good picture? What a crock of the proverbial!

I want my photographs to be records, and I want them to work as pictures. That's what keeps me taking more pictures. Striving to make pictures which work as pictures and which provide a record of what was happening. It's bloody difficult though. But if it was easy it really would be pointless!

Some more random pictures from the last few months. Kicking off with a phone snap, now I have a phone with a reasonable camera in it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the bleak midwinter

I've never been one for making plans, so no New Year resolutions for me! It's a case of carry on doing what I do and hoping something interesting shows up. not that much did during December. Dog trials were either non existent or the weather was rubbish. This coming weekend is looking equally grim in that department. It's been a case of local wanders in search of something to photograph in order to keep my eye in.

That's pretty much what I'm doing when I go for a wander. Try to make sense of what I see within the frame. If what I come home with can add to any project it's a bonus. maybe one day there will be enough to choose from to make a collection of local pictures that stands up on its own merits?

As usual my 'landscapes' always contain some element of human intervention. A rare misty morning dragged me out to the moss. While I was out there the mist was just a bit too much and wasn't for burning off. As soon as I got close to home, however... I don't know if I'm just unlucky with atmospheric conditions or I don't have the patience to wait for them to change!

There have been a few sunny afternoons to tempt me out but they rarely seem to provide me with much. When I wait for them to turn into glorious sunsets they usually do the opposite and clouds form on the horizon and it all goes to pot.

One sunny afternoon I was driving around looking for inspiration and failing to find it when I did what I often do when that happens. Go somewhere I have been lots of times before. In this case I wanted somewhere out of the wind and went to have a look at the sheep barn. It's in an even worse state now than my last visit.

Being a bit featureless it's a difficult structure to photograph, and the dark to light contrast of inside and out makes exposures tricky. It's a challenge, which is possibly why I keep going back.

Something made me think about why few hobbyist/amateur photographers do documentary type of work. It's not something that gets seen much on a photography forum I belong to. Most people take single images which fit one of the popular genres - wildlife, macro, landscape etc.

As I've always thought that wherever you live can be documented photographically it would be the obvious thing for people who take photos in their spare time to do. No need to travel hundreds of miles in the hope of the right weather conditions for a location, for example. Either pick your days, or hours, and pop out. Although given my track record of doing that maybe I'm being optimistic? That said, as with fishing, if you 'pop out' often enough you'll get lucky once in a while.

Then it dawned on me. The reason more people don't adopt a documentary approach is that it does actually take a lot of time. Not everyone can drop everything, any day of the week, and go take photographs for a few hours. I expect people with more ordered lives than mine find it easier to plan ahead to set a day aside for their photography. Even so that could still work for documenting the place you live. But all to often I see people say that where they live is boring to photograph, and familiarity breeds contempt. Maybe I just have a different way of looking at the world? I do think anything can become a subject for a photograph. It only needs putting into a context.

There also has to be a deal of commitment to carry on in the face of failure, a high degree of perseverance, to engage in documentary. Not qualities I'd ever associated myself with until someone on the forum said they admired my perseverance. I've always thought of it more as being a lack of fresh ideas. I stick with something because I can't come up with a better alternative, so my projects carry on!

---