Is the new wave a river?

Posted on Monday, May 7, 2012 by

I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and I’ve tried writing about it properly but I really struggle with writing. I tend to knock out ideas fairly easily on flickr threads, but they’re easy as they’re like chatting. Somehow, I wish I could write like Joerg Colberg. Here’s an inspiring example in an article on Conscientious Extended, called Photography and Trust

Anyway, this thing I’ve been thinking about – it’s that I believe people are immersed in experiencing photography in a completely new way.

Flow is the new way of viewing pictures. When we look back in retrospect, we will be able to see clearly that we’ve been swept up in a new wave. A new wave in our experience of photography. The new wave is the river. It is a river of photos online, uploaded to social networks like flickr or tumblr.

On flickr there is a stat on the ‘photos’ page, which I viewed one day in March this year. It said:

“there were 7,512 uploads in the last minute.”

That could be 450,720 per hour, which could add up to a cool 10 million in one, single day.

Nick Turpin writes with a kind of horror about this phenomenon, in his response to a review of Erik Kessels installation ’24hrs of photos’

He seems to feel suffocated and experiences the mass of images, not as a liquid form, but as:

“a huge democratic ubiquitous cloud of digital imagery available to all continually expanding outwards, blocking out the sun, bigger and more stifling with each new day, no longer individually observable images with their own qualities but an amorphous unedited mass no longer thrusting upwards with power and energy and direction but spreading out, copying, replicating and engulfing everything.”

Turpin sees the mass of images as the negative aftermath of a century’s explosion of creativity. It’s all over and we are suffering the fallout.

However, I can’t help feeling hopeful and joyful about this mass of production, because to me it’s a liquid form. I think it might be a new beginning. The sharing and exchange, not just of pictures but of knowledge; the flow and the easy access. A plasma from which new life emerges.

I don’t get bored or overwhelmed with the river of images, because the river is like life. It rushes past, containing trillions of essential moments. It’s mesmerising and like a stream, I can watch it for a long time.

So it’s a completely different way of experiencing images. It’s not a few select pieces hung on a gallery wall, or edited into a book. There’s as much space as people want to publish as many pictures as they like. In some cases, that does mean an endless stream of detritus floating and lightweight. But after a while you learn how to tap into the richest veins. You discover the most amazing personal diaries, edited but constantly fresh and striving for meaning on a day-to-day basis. You can see individual photographers learning and growing and expressing. You can see the world through their eyes. It’s like the most amazing undersea world of images. You can just dive in at any time and swim and swim and beauty and wonder, just flowes past for you to see and understand.

But I’m not sure that everyone either realises this is happening or accepts that it’s happening, or really appreciates it, even when they are immersed in it. The other day I read a post on flickr by photographer Mike Aviña entitled cleaning house, burning out the brush and it began:

“I just went through my stream and deleted a ton of crap. It felt good. I was amazed at how images I thought had some merit, after six months, looked like shite. I hope that in another year, two years I go back and delete even more. As I just begin to learn to see I am satisfied with less and I purge more.”

I can understand that he is striving to improve his photography. But I think it’s a mistake to treat a flickr photostream as an edited presentation. It’s an alive stream – your life’s blood in a way. So many of the serious committed photographers just don’t see that. To the extent that some have even deleted all their photographs from flickr and left it completely. Drained their pools dry. They’ve experienced a disillusion with social media. More on that in another post.

Photography is moments in time. We used to steal them and frame them and put them on a wall or in shoe boxes, where they would fade and collect dust.

But really, moments aren’t stolen any more, because they’re free and they’re shared. The shared moments are pumped into the tributaries and streams and feed inexorably into a dirty great river and then into a sea.

http://www.flickriver.com/groups/onthestreet/pool/interesting/

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Paying for it

Posted on Sunday, March 11, 2012 by

I had one of those weeks this week, when I just had loads of drive and energy.

I’ve been using a couple of street photography crit groups on Flickr recently, called Grit & Grain and a recent breakaway group Street Crit.

To participate, you do a five minute crit on each photo in the pool and then you submit a photo. Additionally, you mark each photo ‘ditch’ or ‘keep’. Once 10 ditches or keeps have accrued, the photo gets removed from the pool and a keeper ends up in a show pool. There’s usually up to ten pictures in the pool at any one time. Here’s an example of the system at work on one of my photos.

Funnily enough, the very first street photography group I was ever involved with on Flickr was the same format, but I quickly left it because people were very slow to add pictures and do their crits, which were rather short and pointless.

The same happened with the HCSP crit thread – the crits became ridiculously short. The thread is swamped with total beginners and everyone has to make a huge effort to take a deep breathe and say something constructive (kudos to the admins though, who’ve been keeping it going).

Well G&G and Street Crit are currently very lively groups. So if you post a photo, it soon gets a batch of reasonably well-considered crits (for the most part). Sometimes too many… If nine people like the photo and nine people dislike it, you can end up with eighteen crits mostly saying the same thing which is a bit overkill.

So they are good groups, but they have their problems. One is that the real expert photographers don’t take part (with one or two exceptions such as Justinsdisgustin). The really good photographers who take part in general Street Photography discussions on Flickr rarely ask for feedback on their work or give feedback on others work in public. It’s more the wannabes who want that feedback. The experts already have their own peers to get feedback from. On top of all this, some of the better photographers and the pros especially, are very frustrated with social networks right now. Because their photos get ‘stolen’ or misappropriated on other sites and just generally get consumed in an almost bulimic kind of way, with no structure in place for the photographer to be rewarded monetarily for their work.

This situation of disillusionment with social media and the way expert photographers have been leaving Flickr altogether – or withdrawing by deleting lots of their pictures – has been on my mind a lot lately. Not least because I miss listening to those guys points of view and I miss seeing their photos in my favourites. I’ve been trying to write an article about my experience of viewing pictures on Flickr for the past year – a positive experience – and how it contrasts with that disillusion which I’ve seen expressed in articles and discussions. It’s proving to be rather a large topic to grapple with. First installment coming soon though.

So I had seen two needs and I saw an opportunity to meet them both and bring them together. I’ve started my own group: Street Smart Marks Out of Ten. It hinges on peer-to-peer crits, but it has one key difference – periodically we’ll commission expert photographers to come and do crits for us (probably using a crowdfunding platform).

As well as that key aspect, I’ve tweaked the format a bit by having marks out of ten rather than ‘ditch’ and ‘keep’. This means that you never have more than ten crits on one picture; people don’t have to be confused or feel bad when their vote is borderline and the photographer can get a really accurate idea of how the picture is valued by someone. The group is invite only so we can avoid taking on people who’ve don’t really have any clue what street photography is yet.

In just a few days, the group has got going with 30 members and about six photos posted to the pool. On top of that, I have two expert photographers who have expressed interest and think it’s a good idea (though they’re a bit skeptical that people actually would pay for crits). I’m feeling really excited about it. I believe it’s really important for experienced photographers to be valued and for them to remain an active part of the Flickr community.

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Valentines

Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 by

Spotted a fluorescent light display on the King’s Road. In the window of a Calvin Klein underwear shop.

I took about 400 photos over six sessions and the final session was the best (yesterday – Valentines Day!) I have about six more to upload to flickr, but this is one of my favourites.

I really wanted to catch a clashing colours red coat* right in the centre of the heart display, and I just caught her coming in from the left. I’d been mostly following people coming from the right because I wanted to include more of the shop. In fact, some of the shots I took yesterday (Valentine’s day… well who needs candlelit dinners when you can lurk outside underwear shops with a camera?!) I prefer because they have more context. The poster right in the background pulls you in a bit.

*It would have been rather good if one of the Chelsea Pensioners had passed by.

The threads holding up the heart work quite well, just catching the light.

There’s a socket in the wall which connects up her ear plugs and makes her look as though she’s plugged in.

Apart from last week when it felt like -10˚ in the shade, it was much easier on the Kings Road at 6pm than Oxford Street. One person every few seconds compared to hundreds every few seconds meant less clutter, less overlaps and less stress. In fact it was quite relaxing which was a relief.

I wonder if I shouldn’t have uploaded all my favourite shots onto flickr out of that 400 as it ruins the mystique a bit. But on the other hand, it shows more of what I’m trying to do with this which is more than just make eye candy.

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Fever of flu fluorescents

Posted on Sunday, January 15, 2012 by

Yeah, I was spelling it wrong for a long time. Florescent, flourescent. I stand corrected.

So I’m currently concentrating on about four projects and one of them is looking at fluorescent displays. It actually started in February last year at the Harvey Nichols store in Knightsbridge. I’d just started using flash and I saw some examples of work with a slow shutter speed that I liked. Especially Charalampos Kydonakis AKA Dirty Harry and Charlie Kirk AKA Two Cute Dogs . So I thought I’d try it and mix it up with shop windows.

This is the first picture that got me really interested. I liked the environment appearing to slice into reality.

Flash photography with slow shutter speed.

Loved the vivid colours and fine detail revealed by the flash.

There were some fluorescent sculptures on show at the Saatchi Gallery, so I decided to hang around there for a while and see if I could get anything decent. It was a bit more difficult to catch people in front of the work because they assume you’re taking a picture of the sculpture and hang back. Or they realise they’re likely to be in the picture and duck out. But I did manage a couple of interesting ones.

I like the pale colours in this. In post processing it seemed to work best with a slightly green tint left in it – perhaps because of her red hair. And I like the floating necklace and trailing wiring on the floor.

Woman blending with fluorescent lights at Saatchi Gallery

Man in front of coloured fluorescent lights at Saatchi Gallery.

I was hoping that fluorescents would feature in some shop window display somewhere in London this Christmas and I struck lucky: Selfridges. I consider their displays to be the best in London and it was good to be back where I started with this whole photography fever, a year before.

I went out for about nine sessions each lasting between two and four hours. I have to say I found it hard because of the sheer volumes. It’s the most crowded place in London and the crowds were sweeping around me, running over my feet. And very noisy. Almost to the point of culture shock. Rickshaw bells ringing, sirens, shouting, megaphones, Hare Krishna songs. You name it.

There was also this second level of street life going on that I quickly started to notice. Beggars (one woman with a baby in wooden swaddling clothes) and the classic street gamblers with little silver cups and a ball hidden underneath – they really drew a crowd.

Street gamblers outside Selfridges, Christmas 2011

The results of these sessions were quite exciting but also frustrating. This is one of my favourites. If only the guy had an expression as interesting as the girl.

Couple in front of fluorescent lights at Selfridges 2011

And the shop window clawing in a new victim. Or crowning him. It’s a bit unbalanced. I faded out the object on his nose, but it still intrudes too much…

Man blends with shop window Selfridges 2011

Girl blending into lights

Here is a link to the whole fluorescents set as it stand so far. Hopefully there will be more to come.

Last week on Tuesday night I shared a viewing of these at the Shoreditch satellite of the London Independent Photography group and people were quite excited by them. So that was encouraging. And also a big thanks to Gerard Nicolas who expressed his enthusiasm on flickr (especially appreciated as I really admire his work) and the Grit and Grain group for their thoughtful comments at the start.

Note: I’m going to try and write more frequent posts – perhaps shorter. I often have conversations in my head for the blog but they seem to be really long and complicated. So I will try to jot down thoughts in a more fluid way.

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Ask Bruce Gilden the collective noun for Street Photographers

Posted on Monday, December 19, 2011 by

Bruce Gilden, the infamous Magnum street photographer from New York was shooting at the South Exit of Oxford Street tube station last week. So I suddenly came face-to-face with him on Monday as I turned out of the exit. Not surprisingly, a lot of street photographers love Oxford Street, so lots of people saw him and one or two chatted with him. I did say hello and I asked to shake his hand. I got the finger! I mean he put his hand in my direction, but it was firmly wrapped around the camera, and the flash in the other hand, so I rather embarrassingly shook one finger. It was silly but brilliant to see him. I was wearing a kind of photogenic hat, and I swear I saw his eyes frame me up for a split second – he was in shoot mode. Tweets flew around from @twocutedogs @sbuckton and @shuttertrip about him being there. I imagined him swamped by a gang of street photographers or whatever is the collective noun for them (us).

Here is a lovely film about Gilden:

The parts where he bosses the public around are very funny. He seems to have this uncanny knack of making people feel like he’s doing them the favour.

Zdenek Lesovsky (who works using a similar method to Gilden) was there last week and posted a set of photos afterwards that he made showing Gilden at work. My favourite is this one (sharing switched off so I can’t post it here) http://www.flickr.com/photos/zdenek_lesovsky/6527392851/in/set-72157628465312945 It’s not a portrait of Gilden, but I like the portrayal of his way of shooting. It seems to show the buzz of the moment and to a certain extent it’s a bit of a thrill for people to be photographed as though they were famous for a moment. They are just as important as celebrities to a street photographer. It also conveys (perhaps a bit more successfully than the film) how you can blend into the street when you’re taking pictures. Even when dodging around like Gilden with a flash. However, his style is undeniably confrontational.

All in all, it was a serendipitous week for me. I ‘met’ Bruce Gilden, won a tenner on the lottery and then I was looking through Nils Jorgensen’s photostream and I saw my own brother in one of his pictures! In a whole year of looking at thousands and thousands of street photos, it’s the first time I’ve recognised someone I know. Anyway it was extra good as Nils kindly offered to send my brother a complimentary print.

By the way, what should the collective noun for street photographers be?

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Nick Turpin street photography workshop – review

Posted on Sunday, September 25, 2011 by

There was a discussion on HCSP a few weeks ago about the merits of street photography workshops.

Nick Turpin

Nick Turpin with one of the workshop participants

Is there any point in doing them? Are they worth the money?

Marja one of the curators of the HCSP pool, wrote:

“Even if flickr and internet exist, you cant really compare anything online to the possibility of meet up with people in person.
To discuss, or listen to someone skilled and insightful will do something real for your photography.
There has been a lot of workshops around this summer, many organised by photographers well known by regulars here in the group and in my opinion people interested in this would take huge advantage of participating.
Discussing work in person is a must and cant be replaced by internet-forums.( Not even close.)”
 
I’m very independent so I tend to just go out and tackle things on my own. But after a year of that, and inspired by Marja’s words, I thought it would be a good idea to talk to someone, in person, who really knows what they’re doing.

Nick Turpin was hosting a street photography workshop at the School of Life, so I booked up. It was actually a lot cheaper (less than half the price per day) than the 6 day Guardian Masterclass that kicked off the discussion on HCSP.

Nick manages to be pretty focussed but easy going at the same time, which is a good mixture for getting along with a group of 20 different people. He’s also very articulate so he’s able to convey clearly his ideas and thoughts. I felt he was very generous with his time over the weekend workshop, as both evenings we finished late, what with the dinner on Saturday and heading for the pub on Sunday evening. The School of Life make a big effort to make their events sociable so they serve a tasty dinner at their headquarters (a shop on Marchmont Street near Russell Square).

In fact, they pepper the weekend with tasty treats like vodka cocktails and fresh coffee and muffins on Columbia Road market. Which you can’t complain about!

A picture I took at the British Museum location

The basic structure of the workshop was slides and talks plus six ‘shoot on the street’ assignments. We went to some photo friendly (I guess touristy) locations where it’s common for people to be carrying cameras and you don’t stand out. I think really, the workshop was aimed at people who want to give street photography a go for the first time. At least, it assumes newbies will be there. It may well have said that in the course description, but for some reason I jumped to the conclusion that everyone would be the same as me… In other words I assumed that it would be a workshop for street photographers rather than a ‘try street photography’ workshop.

I wonder if he got up in the morning and thought 'I'll dress like a fountain today'.

I can safely say it was well worth the money but I think perhaps a workshop that focussed on editing and on existing work might have been more useful for me. I’ve done 38 of the Street Photography Now Project assignments, so another six that were much the same thing, and effectively involved just going out there and tackling it on your own (sort of but Nick was on hand) weren’t just what I needed. However, I did shoot at a different focal length the whole weekend and I started using continuous shooting and those two things alone were a departure and have led to some pictures I was pleased with. But yes, editing and getting feedback on existing pictures would have been really useful for me.

On the second day, Nick invited a colleague, Sean McDonnell to show us his work. I loved it: very beautiful and dramatic. Even though I generally prefer colour. It was very colourful black and white!

So I would recommend that particular workshop if you want to try street photography. And I’d conclude that workshops are worth doing, as connecting with people face-to-face is somehow very important. It’s hard to explain but I suppose it’s the way you can pick up on the feeling of inspiration from people who really care about what they do.

On the way to the Covent Garden location I stopped at Neals Yard.

It’s in my nature to just do it by myself and find my own way most of the time. And I think with creative work that’s deeply important. But sometimes input from someone experienced just makes a difference.

Here’s one or two more pictures. They’re all from the first day. I think I was just too knackered on the second day.

Not sure if there are places left, but Nick’s next workshop in association with the World Photography Organisation is (glamourously) in New York

And, Nick continues in his mission to promote street photography with the release of in-sight, a new 38 minute short film this week via Distrify ‘a pioneering way to allow independent film makers to charge a small fee per viewing of their film’.

It’s good (especially the Gus Powell interview) and it only costs a couple of quid to watch.

[Edit Tuesday 27 September]
If you’re interested in photography workshops AND travel, check out the trips offered by Maciej Dakowicz. I expect most people reading this will know Maciej’s work, but if you don’t it’s fantastic. Very fresh, ‘spontaneous’ and above all, compassionate. It so often it appears that he’s greatest friends with the people he photographs.

 

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#riotcleanup

Posted on Tuesday, August 9, 2011 by

Feeling tired. Spent a lot of the day discussing the riots with colleagues and friends. It really triggers ‘fight or flight’ feelings and thoughts.

Police advised shops and businesses to shut down after 2pm today. About 4pm I was on a conference call and loads of people from upstairs went whizzing past me on their way out. The business had decided to close down but they hadn’t told my team! There’d been rumours of a couple of gangs moving in our direction. Anyway, I’m not sure if  the rumoured gang materialised because I headed home. No reports of any trouble in London so far and I can’t hear any sirens. It seemed to work asking the shops to shut early and everyone going home.

Pissed off though. I felt why should I be under curfew?! Missed going to my first London Independent Photography meeting on Hoxton Street. Back home I went out for a drink with my neighbours. By a twist of fate about 20 years ago, I live in the middle of one of the most affluent areas of London. Saw about eight shops with smashed windows outside my place.

Anyway, all is quiet tonight. But I think if this carries on every person fit enough should go out in the street and just stand together in long rows down the streets. It’s like it has to be everyone out or everyone in to keep things calm.

If needed I’ll go on Friday to help with the #riotcleanup movement.

p.s I can’t actually believe it’s been two months since my last post. In the meantime I’ve been to the Spanish Pyrenees, organised (with others) and exhibited in a group show in a tattoo parlour in Brixton, taken lots of pictures and dropped my camera. I have a strange perverse or maybe inverse relationship with time…

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