Whilst out for my morning walk this morning, I was very aware that over the last few walks I had been thinking about video and to a degree taking photos as quick grab shots that were both dissatisfying and did an injustice to the hobby.
The epiphany (and really it was a realisation rather than a dramatic discovery) was that I was looking at things in a slightly different way. Looking at things like the bricks in the header picture. I took this picture for two reasons; I quite like the squared aspect, and I thought it might be interesting in black and white.
With this next picture, the textures of the path and the bricks appeal to me, and when connected with the slightly blurred background, which acts a slight distraction, all combine for to make for me a picture I like.
I think it’s worth talking briefly about my use of black and white; when I first started photography and started doing my own processing, it’s had to be B&W because of cost and complexity. Unlike the digital world where producing a B&W picture, is almost literally just down to flicking a switch.
This picture appeals to me because of the sweep of the curve, and it’s receding in to the distance. I think that in both this, and the two previous pictures are more suited to B&W mainly because the colour of their alternates would be a distraction, and would lose some of the texture.
I think the epiphany was to realise that I can photograph anything like this because I like it. You might not. This is a bit like my view on art; I think it has changed a lot. I’d even go back as far as Carl Andre’s Equivalent VIII – commonly known as the pile of bricks bought by the Tate in 1966. I can remember the fuss that purchase and the piece of art itself caused. When somebody now starts criticising art, my first response is pretty much to ask what is the story behind the art; what is the artist trying to say? Now, I might not understand it myself, and why should the artist provide an explanation? I would try to come up with my explanation. Which the chances are will be rubbish. Getting a bit deep here. Need to think about this.
Bills Posts 