Inspiration IV Doing it for real
26/02/12 15:08
Often as not when we look at photographs we see all we need to see in the image.
The clever juxtaposition of light and shadow, the tantalising glimpse of a piece of a story yet to be told.
A fleeting moment captured , we stop, we look and we move on.
But what about the story teller? How important is it that we know the Photographer?
Sebastião Salgado (for me at least) is a different kind of photographer
His images look like they have been taken in an alternative universe. There is the air of Communist Russian poster of the 1930’s extolling the virtue of the “common man”
But it’s more complicated than that. Through these images we glimpse a harsh reality of a world that is foreign to us in the West. It’s like looking back in time only to be jolted back to the present day when we realise that this world exists, and exists largely for our benefit .
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The clever juxtaposition of light and shadow, the tantalising glimpse of a piece of a story yet to be told.
A fleeting moment captured , we stop, we look and we move on.
But what about the story teller? How important is it that we know the Photographer?
Sebastião Salgado (for me at least) is a different kind of photographer
His images look like they have been taken in an alternative universe. There is the air of Communist Russian poster of the 1930’s extolling the virtue of the “common man”
But it’s more complicated than that. Through these images we glimpse a harsh reality of a world that is foreign to us in the West. It’s like looking back in time only to be jolted back to the present day when we realise that this world exists, and exists largely for our benefit .
I don’t believe a person has a style. What people have is a way of photographing what is inside them. What is there comes out. - Sebastião Salgado
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Inspiration III A thing about Dogs
30/01/12 09:41
Coming back to my ongoing theme of Influential Photographers
You know what I mean. Occasionally an image stops you in your tracks, makes a strong connection.
By now if you have been following this blog you may have noticed a theme.
For me photography is all about observation. It seems self evident but not everyone sees the World in the same way..
It's about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception. You can find pictures anywhere. It's simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what's around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy.
Elliott Erwitt
His skill in being there at the decisive moment but being invisible at the same time is what I admire most. Anyone can point a camera at someone but only a few can take a powerful portrait.
Well some of the photographs Elliott is most famous for are his wonderful portraits of dogs..
I don’t think there is a wedding photographer in the world who at some point has not copied Ewritt’s style
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Elliott’s site
You know what I mean. Occasionally an image stops you in your tracks, makes a strong connection.
By now if you have been following this blog you may have noticed a theme.
For me photography is all about observation. It seems self evident but not everyone sees the World in the same way..
It's about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception. You can find pictures anywhere. It's simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what's around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy.
Elliott ErwittHis skill in being there at the decisive moment but being invisible at the same time is what I admire most. Anyone can point a camera at someone but only a few can take a powerful portrait.
So where do the dogs come in?
Well some of the photographs Elliott is most famous for are his wonderful portraits of dogs..
and of course it’s not just dogs..
I don’t think there is a wedding photographer in the world who at some point has not copied Ewritt’s style
Elliott’s site
Inspiration II Les Deux Magots
05/01/12 11:12
A part of an ongoing series I’m talking about photographers that have produced images that have made me stop and think.
The second photographer is Saul Leiter 1923-
It was his colour photography in Paris (this one taken the year I was born!!) that made such an impact on me. It was so different from anything I had seen before. The wonderful painting quality, the simple style.
I found out later that he was, and still is a painter and he often used out of date film to achieve this lovely effect. A true artist...
Using out of date film is never an exact science. One never knows what to expect, which of course is its appeal. Today of course we can shoot digital and produce the same effect in post production .
The elegant simplicity of Les Deux Magots in Paris 1959 © Saul Leiter/ Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery
As an Habituée of New York, working for the big magazines like Vogue and Elle he is more famous for the work he did in New York.
© Saul Leiter/ Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery
But for me It’s the stuff he did in Paris that had the most profound effect.
Also I would like to thank the Howard Greenberg Gallery allowing me the use of Saul’s images for this blog,,
Les Deux Magots Still open for business
Howard GreenBerg Gallery
Saul Leiter on Facebook
a Link to an Interview More reading
plus informations En Francais