Joel Meyerowitz Documentary - Filmed in 1981

A documentary film from 1981 which was never made public.It's a long one.

You need to click HERE  to see it.   Via

Ken

London Street Photography Festival

Well It's not looking good for me making format, but when one shutter closes another one opens. I know you're having this Ken and so am I. It's our third year wedding anniversary on the second of July so we're going to spend three days in London from around the 7th.

I'll be there Smithy...What say you?

Listen up and I'll tell a story

"Some would try for fame and glory..."





"Others just like to watch the world..."

When it's done right

"The contemplation of things as they are, without error or confusion, without substitution or imposture, is in itself a nobler thing than a whole harvest of invention" Francis Bacon

The above quote was taped to the wall of Dorothea Lange's darkroom.

I hope this is fair use...gulp

In other words

Thank's Amanda Baggs for unintenionally reminding me what great photographers have that average photogrpahers don't and that if you don't like roses there are other things to stop and smell









Via

Unatural light

So it looks like I've missed format... Diane had a crash with a lorry carrying a JCB and the car's in storage waiting for repair. Diane lived to tell the tale, she's got whiplash but she's on he road to recovery and should be back in work next week. I had today off so I persuaded her to take a walk in the park.


Anyway, I took this shot of her. Brought light stand and shot through the umbrella to soften the light. Always classed myself as an available light shooter took pride in it actually, never shot with zooms,
 never used flesh yada yada. This isn't a street shot (obviously) but I used the same tools for portraits basically  a prime lens and the light I had to work with.

This was shot with a zoom,  a light stand , a brolly,  a flash & some pocket wizards. I've had them a while now but I'm no used to using them, it's still a learning curve for me. It's not a memorable photo, just me finding my feet while Dee gets back on hers.

I was going to harp on about colour managemnet but I can't be arsed. All's I'll say is if it looks quite red on your monitor it's your monitor

Beautiful buildings that I don't shoot

John Rylands Libary is one of the most important libraries in the country if not the world. It's a stunning building, the most beautiful library I've ever been in. On April 3rd they're giving photographers a chance to take pictures in parts that you don't normally have access to. I should go really but when ever I go in there I'm looking for shots of people using the beautiful space.

The space, well... Who's going to top these





Sean

Luke Kelly - Raglan Road

For Sean & Diane (again)

Thanks again Ken.

Us Irish are scattered across the four corners of the earth.
There's an inherent melancholy in us, part of that is due to a feeling of displacement, one that's passed down. Singing has always been a big part of Irish culture. I've seen many a tough Irish man & woman express feelings through song that you would never get out of them in conversation.

The tune that can be heard in Raglan Road is from a beautiful old Rebellion song (ooooh politics)

The Maiden Is Ire, The Dawning Of The Day is when she's free

That song was written along time ago. I've heard it many times, I've had sang to me countless times, it was a different time. The new generation of young Irish people leaving Ire for economic reasons will have that feeling of displacement. I wonder what Songs they'll have to pass down

Better not be the fecking script!

The Pond - John Gossage

Just got this second edition. I was a little reluctant to buy it but thankfully I did. It's one of my favourite books of all time. You hear all the hype and all that stuff, well this lives beyond the hype.

It is a journey . . . . a very subtle journey, and I love it.

Enjoy.

Ken

Chardonnay Night

Today I mark Spring for me. A personal time line and something I want to include in the blog. Chill out in the garden with a beer, wine or whatever.  Been doing this for years and I just think it's a time for a party!

 

 Spring

Trail

 

Fire

 

 Troll

Ken

Oh the humanity

I did one for Kes when I was ten


(Not really)


Sean

Waiting for the Tide

Tide coming in fast. Big Moon. Be careful,

where you step.

Mr. Jonathan Saunders

I forget when I came across Jonathan's blog. I was impressed with his photography and story telling. Follow his photography and his stories.

Dive in to Saunders. A Top Man by far.

 Copyright Jonathan Saunders

"i like to tell stories"

Todd Hido

I really liked the video for Nick Caves Love Letter that I posted the other day. You think of William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Alec Soth and others. Photography with a quiet voice


Flicking around today and came across Todd Hido




I'm Pretty sure I've seen his work before*  but I could be wrong





Anyway, I like it.


*Maybe in someone else's

I met my love . . .

For Sean & Diane

Way Down in the Hole

This series of shots is so fascinating to me and they hit a nerve.  See here

They're from Ivo Rafailov.

 

Via

Dave - 2007

The real thing

Thank Jesus H Christ for Photographers that raise the bar

The Distance Between Us from Christopher Capozziello on Vimeo.

Via

Number 3


Erm...

Love em

The Daily Bile's at it again

Every time I think I've seen it all from the Daily Mail, they go and raise. That shitting stock photographer needs introducing to the real thing down a dark ally

http://www.david-campbell.org/2011/03/06/thinking-images-v-12-fake-bad-girls/

Are the lives of Daily Mail readers so mind numbingly dull that they concern themselves with social issues that rarely have an impact on them. The fear and and contempt they have of the working class is undeniable, it's reprehensible.

Erm...

Fuck em

A ride on the Ghost Train

Today was an annual thing, a trip to re visit The Crooked House, re visit the kid in us all. It's a trip to let free from yourself.

Turned out it was closed and a guarantee of magic will happen on it's return. I doubt it. It's just another fine memory of a place being erased (gray squirrels).

So . . . . on the Ghost Train, it was. Some of us became kids again. It was magic.
 

Two years on

Angie

Where red squirrels store their nuts

Diane & Rosie ( a red squirrel )

Red Squirrel

The Red Squirrel is Ben, Ancoats is his natural habitat. It was mine when I was a boy. A population of grey squirrels have been introduced to Ancoats and they don't mix well with red squirrels.


"History is written by the victors"
Winston Churchill


Ancoats is considered to be the first industrial suburb in the world. I didn't know that growing up, I would not have cared. I do know that red squirrels have been there for a long time. Surviving in a tough environment and enduring things like a lower life expectancy, a poor education, a lack of social mobility. The lack of social mobility tends to mean that red squirrels don't migrate that much. They live and die close to where they were born.

Gentrification is seldom a good thing for red squirrels. It's an interesting social experiment but it's not driven by a social concerns,
it's driven by finance. Red squirrels have no money, you've got to attract grey squirrels. How do you make a tough environment attractive? How do you sell it? You reinvent it, you destroy many of the homes of red squirrels. You make new one's that only grey squirrels could hope to live in. You gate them off from the natives, you tell them it's a new town.


Saw sign a couple of years back that said "Buy to live". In the distance I could see the old council block where I had my first flat after leaving home. Twelve floors of derelict flats that the council had just abandoned,
homes for at least 60 red squirrels

That's a high price to pay

Page No ll

"If there was a nice apartment and I have a decent job, and you felt happy and thought there could be a nice history together, would you come home?"






For Ken and Ange

Keep the pages turning

Don McCullin speaks

Been two years this weekend since Dad died.

I have no idea why I'm brought back to Don McCullin's Radio 4 interview tonight, in two parts. Just great.

Part 1

 

Part 2