Bonus photo
I was fortunate enough to meet up with well-known street photographer, Chuck Patch, who was visiting from the US. We did some vaguely tandem shooting, which went better than usual - a great afternoon.
You can follow the project blog here:
http://www.brightonphotoproject.blogspot.co.uk/
[screen shot of a few candidate shots for the Brighton project]
I will continue to blog about non-Brighton related activities here, and hopefully more frequently than recently!
What is it about the street that inspires you so much in your practice?
I’m just a city person. I find the endless array of protagonists, their situations and the myriad variables fascinating; the way you can walk down a street or onto a pier and there will never be that same assemblage of people in that space again. With people included, there will be scenes there you will never see or experience again. That flips my brain a little bit.
What is it that you are looking for whilst out on the street?
Interactions – either between people, or between people and their environment, or both.
How do you shoot? (e.g. from the hip, through viewfinder, what camera, etc.)
I shoot using the viewfinder, and firmly believe that anyone shooting from the hip should be shot. Since going digital, I’ve mainly used a big SLR, the Nikon D70 and then the D90. More recently I’ve been using a small compact, the FujiFilm X10. I just got tired of lugging a big camera around, plus last year I dropped my SLR in a lake (accidentally).
With an SLR, I find it easier to compose precisely but the physical size and conspicuousness of the beast means I’m less likely to raise the camera and take the shot than with a compact. When using a compact I take more shots, but get less keepers because of the difficulty in composing correctly. So, swings and roundabouts.
Do you believe that 'The Decisive Moment' is still relevant?
Yes, it certainly has its place. However I think that a series of pictures consisting of a stream of these becomes a bit much – it needs to be balanced with other types of shots, such as non-moments and shots that establish a sense of place, such as interesting non-peopled shots.
And do you believe that your photos are of a documentary nature? Or are they creating subjective narratives that you see?
My photos are taken quickly and not set up. But even then, a single image doesn’t tell you very much and can mislead, so it’s fun to see how people misinterpret my pictures. Of course, just putting a frame around something excludes everything outside the frame and can change the context.
On top of that, by putting two things together inside a frame you can imply a relationship that doesn’t really exist. So the narrative is definitely subjective. As Joel Sternfeld said, photos “have always been convincing lies”.
Do you associate yourself with the role of 'The Flaneur'?
Yes – even before I got into photography I used to go for long, solitary walks every day. Now, the idea of investigating the city through strolling and observation, Balzac’s “the gastronomy of the eye”, is a key part of my photography. As I understand it, the traditional flaneur found exploring the city a valuable experience in itself, and then maybe wrote about that experience. If you want to turn that into street photography, it’s important to take a camera!
What do you use to help navigate your way through the city? (e.g. The Derive, following a stranger, light, etc.)
I do identify with the idea of the derive – the aimless wander to immerse oneself in the language of the city. For me, it’s important that it really is aimless and that I have the whole day to myself with no plans and no need to look at my watch, apart from checking that I haven’t missed the last train. If I have just one appointment, it hangs over me all day.
I don’t stick in one promising spot waiting for something to happen – I get bored very quickly like that. I generally walk around quite slowly, which seems to make me see better than if I’m dashing around looking for exciting things. I don’t follow particular people (too much like stalking) or seek out good light.
I’ve also found that it’s a good idea to take a few turnings down unpromising streets so that you eventually discover different promising areas, otherwise you can end up in the same old places.
Whose work inspires you in your own?
The usual suspects: Frank’s book The Americans is the touchstone. I also like some Martin Parr, some Winogrand (although not as much as many people), Doisneau, Cartier-Bresson and my colleagues in the In-Public photo collective.
Click on photos for larger versions. All photos March 2013
All photos © Paul Russell 2013
A few direct quotes from the article:
"On my first visit I was struck by the visual interest of the election being played out against the backdrop of a fairly awkward time for the country."
"I became interested in photographing the influence of the media on the events - situations specifically set up for the benefit of the press. I noted how keen politicians seemed to be on getting their picture taken with anyone they could find in a wheelchair."
On using a small camera (the FujiFilm X10) rather than an SLR:
"I often found myself a few feet away from subjects, while the press photographers who arrived this week were further back. With the silent shutter, people usually forgot I was there, allowing me to get mostly naturalistic photos, rather than staged looking pictures."
A preview of the entire book can be seen here.
I'd suggest hitting the full-screen button at the bottom right of the preview window, next to the "info" button (and then buying the book, of course!)
So in the absence of Conservatives and Labour, I'm left with 12 illustrious candidates. Get voting!
Wessex Regionalist, Colin Bex
Elvis Loves Pets, David Bishop
Peace, Jim Duggan
Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party, Ray Hall
Monster Raving Loony, Howling Laud Hope
UKIP, Diane James
National Health Action, Iain Maclennan
Christian, Kevin Milburn
TUSC, Daz Procter
Independent, Danny Stupple
English Democrats, Michael Walters
Liberal Democrat, Mike Thornton
Updated to include Ray Hall, who was spotted on polling day, 28 February.
Here's some more photos. Again, click on the photos for bigger versions.
Monster Raving Loony party's Howling Laud Hope meets a casually dressed Michael Fabricant, Tory MP and election
strategist. UKIP's headquarters is in the centre of town on a busy corner, and hence appears in many of the Eastleigh
election shots. Cunning free publicity for UKIP!
Colin Bex, Wessex Regionalist candidate.
The UKIP campaign office.
A town not entirely gripped by election fever.
More heavyweight political encounters. David Bishop of the Elvis Loves Pets Party and Nigel Farage, UKIP. With obligatory UKIP background.
MORE of my election photos in slideshow form here.
The voting takes place on Thursday 28 February. I will be back to get Labour's John O'Farrell and the Tory candidate, Maria Hutchings.
Here's a few photos. Larger versions can be seen by clicking on the photos.
Liberal Democrat candidate Mike Thornton checks out his receipt
Lib Dem signs
UKIP were the most visible party in the town centre. Pun unintentional
Health Action's Dr Iain Maclennan, a candidate battling privatisation and commercialisation of the NHS
An NHS building today in Eastleigh
LOCAL COLOUR
Lib Dem fruit?
Strong lager
Click on photos for bigger versions.
All photos © Paul Russell 2013
My usual price for a print of any picture at this size is a modest £100 but I am offering these for £25. (Due to a mix-up with a gallery they have been sitting here wrapped in tissue paper for a while.)
The image has been exhibited at venues in London, New York, Berlin, Warsaw, Cardiff, Derby (Format Festival), Tel Aviv and (currently) Bangkok, and published widely. So, don’t miss this rare opportunity!
Details
Paper size: 15 by 10 inches (image with small white borders). Digital c-type print, printed on gloss Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper.
These unmounted prints are despatched in sturdy poster tubes.
Price is £25 plus p&p @
UK/Europe (£4)
Rest of World (£6)
Please contact me to express an interest or for payment details on paul.russell99@btinternet.com
The exhibition runs from 5 February to 24 March 2013 and features photos from all 21 members of In-Public, including latest recruits Mark Alor Powell and Jiri Makovec.
In-Public movers and shakers David Gibson and Richard Bram will be giving a talk on Tuesday 5th February at the TCDC auditorium to launch the exhibition. They will also be in Bangkok to lead a 3-day street photography workshop on the 1st-3rd February.
This manifestation of photographic loveliness is promoted by TCDC and the British Council.
"Final":
Contact sheet:
Yes, I mean you.
Currently in bookshops is Simon & Schusters’ Embracing the Ordinary by Michael Foley, author of the bestselling The Age of Absurdity. The cover of Foley’s latest book features one of my photos from the Beside the Sea series, and is my first book front cover.
As I remember it, I got the impression that the man next to the supermarket trolley was a foreign tourist who just had to touch the trolley to confirm it was real. Maybe he was thinking “Who would leave a shopping trolley on a sandy beach? Surely it can’t be real. Crazy English.”
Embracing the Ordinary is a witty celebration the quotidian and seemingly mundane, and considers what insights philosophers (particularly James Joyce and Proust), anthropologists, psychologists and neuroscientists have given us. The parallels between the subject matter and street photography, which is often described along the lines of “finding the unusual in the everyday”, is clear.
My photo has a thematic link with the cover photo from Foley’s previous book, The Age of Absurdity - a photo by The Caravan Gallery
"I hope that it is okay that I am emailing you, as I am in my final year of a BA Hons in Fine Art and have been producing work very similar to what you explore in your photographs."
