- Photo|Frome programme announcement April 4, 2022
Today we are all photographers
We are very excited to announce the programme for the brand new, independent festival of photography for our community and ...
Read more... - Women of Frome March 8, 2022
Frome Heritage Museum is opening the ‘Celebrated Women of Frome‘ exhibition today, curated by historian and writer David Lassman. To quote David:
Such an incredible group ...
Read more... - The FSA & the Leica Manual January 3, 2022
The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was a New Deal agency created in 1937 by Roosevelt to combat rural poverty during the Great Depression in the ...
Read more... - Why Is The Photography Of Vivian Maier So Popular? January 2, 2022
Vivian Maier is an exceptionally popular photographer, but is this popularity because she is a good photographer or because of the myth surrounding her? Or ...
Read more... - Street and Travel Photography December 28, 2021
I came across a really interesting YouTube video from The Raw Society on Street and Travel photography.
Some of its is as you might expect – ...
Read more... - Closing down and Opening up exhibition September 2, 2021
During the early part of the summer, I ran a series of Zoom workshops on creating a ‘body of work’, as opposed to one-off images, ...
Read more... - 2020 Vision – Book by RPS Contemporary North July 21, 2021
I am pleased to have been invited to a book by the RPS Contemporary North group. The idea was to bring together personal, photographic approaches ...
Read more... - My Fellowship Journey April 29, 2021
I have just been honoured to receive the Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society (FRPS) for my Unfinished Stories work in the Contemporary Photography category. ...
Read more... - Ken Baird April 23, 2021
I have a set of the TimeLife Photography Yearbooks, for the period 1973-1983, which cover the latest news in photography – events, technology, books and ...
Read more... - Photographs and Words – immiscible? March 5, 2021
I do a lot of work combining photographs and words, as I discovered that a photograph can sometimes only contribute to the narrative, rather than ...
Read more... - Photobooks are Forever March 4, 2021
There is something about photobooks which is timeless. Exhibitions are fun, educational and inspirational. Social media can pique one’s interest. But a book is different. ...
Read more... - Stefan Lorant & Juxtapositions February 11, 2021
It is interesting how serendipity ‘happens’. I was asked by academia.edu to consider reviewing a paper by Simon Pierse, Faculty Member at Aberystwyth University, entitled ‘DOUBLES: synchronicity ...
Read more... - Urban Narratives January 29, 2021
This is an ‘Urban Narratives’ resource list, including many references that have influenced my work, for the University of Leeds COMM5801 Module.
The list includes historical, travel, ...
Read more... - Contemporary Documentary January 28, 2021
This is a ‘Contemporary Documentary’ resource list, including many references that have influenced my work, for the University of Leeds COMM5805 Module.
My project, ‘Unfinished Stories: From ...
Read more... - Women Photographers – Part One December 31, 2020
Here’s a short series on women photographers from early in the history of the medium.
1. Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952)
Frances was well-connected – she got her ...
Read more... - Vox Darkroom November 20, 2020
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
When Roger Fenton took the first war photographs during the Crimean War (1853-1856), did he fake the most ...
Read more... - Social Media Likes – Redux October 14, 2020
Well, broke my own record, again. I just finished scanning a series of Agfa CT 21 slides taken in Istanbul in January, 1977. They were ...
Read more... - Anatomy of Facebook Likes September 24, 2020
In a combination of interests, I have been creating a database of my Facebook ‘likes’ for quite some time, as a source of analytical understating, ...
Read more... - Fifty Years of Street Photography September 8, 2020
It is slightly ironic that when I started taking my photography almost as a full time job, about 6 / 7 years ago, I thought ...
Read more... - Daido Moriyama – Farewell Photography August 10, 2020
The Japanese photography of the Provoke era has always held fascination for me, as I love the directness and spontaneity. And Daido Moriyama is a ...
Read more... - Coronavirus UK Book August 4, 2020
Very pleased to announce the publication of Coronavirus UK, in a signed, limited edition.
The project combines an image taken daily during the Covid-19 crisis – ...
Read more... - Mark Sealy – Decolonising the Camera: Photography in Racial Time August 1, 2020
Notes from Sealy’s book:
‘Throughout this text I suggest that a photograph of a racialised subject must be both located in and then de-located from the ...
Read more... - An Ethics Framework for Photography (Part One) July 26, 2020
I have been researching the ethics of photography, as developed in earlier posts during the MA. My current ‘best approach’ is a Ten Point Framework.
SURFACE ...
Read more... - A Question of Ethics July 24, 2020
A very interesting conversation occurred recently in the RPS Documentary group on photographic ethics. Copied here with permission of the participants.
Frankie McAllister
A general question on ...
Read more... - Everbody Street July 7, 2020
I recommend this movie. To me, it exemplifies the power of street work as social commentary and documentary. Time certainly changes how we view images, ...
Read more... - Boring Street Photography July 5, 2020
During Lockdown, I have given Zoom talks on street photography to both PhotoBath and to the East Sutherland Camera Club. Having updated and extended the presentation, ...
Read more... - Reflections on the Pandemic June 28, 2020
My photographic project on the pandemic and lockdown has also meant daily research and establishment of accurate medical facts, social statistics and news headlines. Today, ...
Read more... - Street Photography, the law and data collection February 27, 2020
This summarises my understanding of the UK legal and data collection frameworks as they apply to street photography. There is much confusion on the subject, ...
Read more... - The Ethics of Street Photography February 6, 2020
Fuji released a short promotional film for their new X100V camera, featuring acclaimed street photography Tatsuo Susuki. It led to a heated debate online about ...
Read more... - Dad’s Egypt Photos January 23, 2020
Dad was in Egypt just after the end of World War II, 1946 – 1947. Some of his photographs were in an album, and others ...
Read more... - Slide Restoration January 17, 2020
My Dad was also a photographer all of his life, and he kept meticulous records of every image – date, time, camera, lens, film and ...
Read more... - Life after the MA January 9, 2020
The initial MA results are out – I’ll wait to see confirmation and comments before saying more.
Suffice to say, I have been doing some thinking ...
Read more... - Philip Gefter: Photography After Frank March 8, 2019
My notes on Philip Gefter’s book, Photography After Frank, Kindle edition (hence the location reference rather than page number)
………………………….
Introduction
Location 84
The twentieth century art became, then, less ...
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- A Photographer, by Photographers December 18, 2019
One of the most humbling things that has happened during the BRLSI show has been the reception that my work has got from other photographers.
Perhaps ...
Read more... - Installation Photos December 9, 2019
I have taken a series of installation shots, which I hope to use in future ‘marketing’ to see if I can get further shows in ...
Read more... - Opening Night December 9, 2019
The main ‘private viewing’ was Friday, 6th December, from 6pm until 8:30 pm. I was very pleased to have between 70-75 guests, and in particular ...
Read more... - Reviews and Feedback November 9, 2019
I have asked several people for feedback and / or reviews of my work.
I know some but not all of these people personally, and it ...
Read more... - Photography and War – Pippa Oldfield October 31, 2019
Reaktion books have an excellent series on photographic issues and theme, Exposures. A recent edition is by Pippa Oldfield, on Photography and War.
The book is ...
Read more... - Week Sixteen Reflections October 27, 2019
Today is Deepavali / Diwali, the traditional festival of light, when there is victory over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance, and a most ...
Read more... - At the University of Leeds October 25, 2019
I was in Leeds this week, giving my first lecture to the MA Media and Communications students. I had been invited by Dr. Jim Brogden, Programme Leader ...
Read more... - War Primer – 1 & 2 October 19, 2019
The work of Broomberg & Chanarin has often featured in my critical reviews, alongside that of Sophie Ristelhueber, in the context of using traces to ...
Read more... - A Constructed Image October 16, 2019
As I am closing in on the final choices and hanging plan – and nearing the time that I need to write a Critical Review ...
Read more... - Week Fourteen Reflections – video and subtitles October 14, 2019
In the short video of Sarath narrating his story about going to meet his Mother, I use what is called the ‘UN Style’ of voiceover ...
Read more... - Quotes and Photographs October 13, 2019
On Friday, I gave a talk to the Frome Wessex Camera Club, entitled ‘Unfinished Stories – From Genocide to Hope’. I was gratified that it ...
Read more... - A research-led practice September 26, 2019
The MA is now in its 21st month. In that time I have flown almost exactly 50,000 miles to and from Cambodia. Looking at my ...
Read more... - Webinar with Wendy – Sept 25th September 25, 2019
Had a good webinar with Wendy today. I started by saying that I was quite pleased with how things had developed, and could now see ...
Read more... - Book files sent to Printers September 23, 2019
Well. it is done. The Indesign and PDF ‘ready to print’ files have all been sent to pour printers in Phnom Penh. We are missing ...
Read more... - Changing the Story September 20, 2019
Frank Finlay, Dean of Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures at the University of Leeds put me in touch with Paul Cooke. Paul is Professor ...
Read more... - Week Twelve Reflections … ish September 2, 2019
The wedding went well. it was a lovely, relaxed affair at a very pretty church – the oldest in Bath by all accounts. Simon and ...
Read more... - Wedding Photography August 30, 2019
I am photographing a wedding today. I have done this before, although it is not my normal activity (nor, necessarily, my favourite thing to do). ...
Read more... - BRLSI – Venue August 26, 2019
I have booked the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI) for two weeks, from Wednesday, December 4th. Installation day will be on the 4th ...
Read more... - Socially Engaged Photography August 24, 2019
In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Farm Security Administration (FSA) to aid American farmworkers during the Great Depression. Its photographers aimed to document what ...
Read more... - Multi-media August 20, 2019
I finally got around to working through some ‘road trip’ photography from my last Cambodia visit. When Simeth and I were driving north, I decided ...
Read more... - Portfolios of Stories August 19, 2019
I have started thinking about Wendy’s challenge – to create mini-portfolios of the Unfinished Stories – to help the creative juices flow, look at ways ...
Read more... - Place and Placelessness August 18, 2019
As I have been finalising the book edit, I have increasingly been drawn to maps to help tell the story – both the Khmer Rouge ...
Read more... - Photographs with Text August 14, 2019
In my teens, I started painting and writing. Pop Art, Op Art, and the beginnings of Conceptual Art were everywhere. Psychedelia either added or confused ...
Read more... - Bending the Frame – Fred Ritchen August 14, 2019
Notes from Ritchin’s 2013 book:
Chapter 1: The Useful Photograph
Sets stage for profusion of images, loss of professional monopoly, power of tech and the web.
Citizen journalists ...
Read more... - Week Ten Reflections August 13, 2019
It is the ‘final’ push on the Book at the moment – Vicky is hoping to get the file updated this weekend.
I am still awaiting ...
Read more... - Let Us Now Praise Words August 13, 2019
During the Depression, Fortune sent writer James Agee and photographer Walker Evans document the lives of cotton sharecroppers in Alabama. It was meant to be ...
Read more... - Stereotypes and Navajo August 9, 2019
Photography’s Other Histories, edited by Christopher Pinney and Nicolas Peterson, is a well-researched work covering a lot of ground on two broad issues – the ...
Read more... - Week Nine Reflections – Frome Festival August 5, 2019
Small wins – but I noted before how much I enjoyed shooting the Frome Festival events. It is a little late, but I wanted to ...
Read more... - RPS Contemporary Group August 2, 2019
I had noted in May that the RPS Contemporary Group planned to publish some of my work. Well, on returning from Rencontres d’Arles and vacation, ...
Read more... - Week Eight Reflections July 28, 2019
This was our first visit to Rencontres d’Arles, and it will not be the last. A terrific experience. The venues and presentation puts Paris Photo, ...
Read more... - Angkor Chum July 18, 2019
One story that will not feature in the book is one that concerns our family. It also is an exercise in rephotography, in the sense ...
Read more... - FMP Proposal feedback from Wendy July 17, 2019
Had a good conversation with Wendy of my proposal for FMP. Feedback was good, and I think the proposal (and project) was well received. Wendy ...
Read more... - First Book Spreads July 16, 2019
The content of the book is coming along, and Vicky has been doing some design layouts, which look great.
This evening, she created a series of ...
Read more... - James Tyner – The Killing of Cambodia – Notes July 12, 2019
Book Notes
Chapter 1: Imaging Genocide
Can we define Genocide?
Mick Q: Am I structuralist or post-structuralist?
Mick Q: Role of power/knowledge nexus in ethical framework
‘Given that knowledge is ...
Read more... - What I Love To Do … Part 2 July 10, 2019
Music gigs. As I noted in the weekend reflections, I am doing some work right now, reporting on the Frome Festival.
The Coral are still quite ...
Read more... - Week Five Reflections – What I Love to Do July 7, 2019
Events, getting mixed in with people, getting close, trying to capture the atmosphere. That is my reflection this week.
The local camera group have been asked ...
Read more... - Sarath – Earliest Photographs July 3, 2019
Sarath and his family destroyed any photographs they had during the Khmer Rouge years, for fear of being interrogated about their past. He has been ...
Read more... - Roland Neveu July 1, 2019
Roland Neveu, a journalist born in Brittany, and now living in Bangkok, took many iconic photographs of the Khmer Rouge takeover of Phnom Penh, in ...
Read more... - DC-Cam Archives June 30, 2019
As part of the FMP Installation, I intend to have a section on the history of the Khmer Rouge. The Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam), ...
Read more... - Anthony Luvera & Collaboration June 29, 2019
I enjoyed this week’s lecture by Anthony Luvera.
He has a socially-engaged practice, usually involving some form of community photography. As such, he has a lot of ...
Read more... - Feedback on Journalistic Ethics June 27, 2019
Feedback on my Journalistic Ethics post from Paul Clements and Gary McLeod.
Paul:
Such a coincidence that only last week I was talking about Joan Diddion’s book ...
Read more... - FMP Project Proposal June 22, 2019
Submitted the Proposal, timeline and Risk assessment
Downloadable here:
FMP Final Project Proposal & Risk Assessment
…………………..
Header: Mick Yates. 2001. Ta Prohm, Angkor.
Read more... - Cambodia Project Ethics June 17, 2019
There are several layers in any ethical discussion of photographs. I am researching new ways to address these issues, with global relevance. This includes research ...
Read more... - Week Two Reflections June 16, 2019
I have separately written on the Lewis Bush Storytelling Workshop, which was really helpful, so I’ll just note a couple of other reflections on a ...
Read more... - Lewis Bush – Storytelling Workshop June 16, 2019
I attending a workshop this weekend with Lewis Bush, on Storytelling. A little while ago I had written on ‘Narrative versus Story‘, which included some ...
Read more... - Lewis Bush – Storytelling Workshop Notes June 16, 2019
Section One: Story versus narrative
One story (event) can produce multiple narratives. Narratives are all about choices and decisions. Narrative directs audiences.
From my earlier post on Narrative
© Beemgee ...
Read more... - Looking is Necessary June 4, 2019
Gian Butturini (1935-2006) was an Italian graphic designer who travelled to London most likely in 1969. He took photographs of what was happening in the ...
Read more... - My Practice and Slide Film June 2, 2019
In the FMP, I will be re-looking at my photographic and other archives.
Pretty much from the start of my photography, I used 35mm slide film. ...
Read more... - What is ‘Truth’? May 23, 2019
When we talk of a picture being ‘accurate’, we are using a variety of the concept of ‘truth’. Its meaning depends on the context that ...
Read more... - Narrative versus Story May 3, 2019
I bought a copy of Lewis Bush’s Metropole at Paris Photo, intrigued by his use of semi-abstracted or manipulated images to tell the story of ...
Read more... - The Triangle of Photography May 1, 2019
Malick Sidibé (1936-2016) was a Malian photographer, who gained an international reputation. He documented Malian culture as the country transitioned to independence.
Sidibé photographed on the ...
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- Informing Contexts – Grades – Where To, Now? May 31, 2019
I have just received the grades for Informing Contexts – 69% overall, pretty much in line with Sustainable Prospects, Surfaces & Strategies and Positions and ...
Read more... - Todd Heisler – Final Salute April 25, 2019
I was reading Hariman and Lucaites The Public Image, and came across a picture by Todd Heisler, in the header.
Heisler won the 2006 Pulitzer Prizes ...
Read more... - Informing Contexts – Assignments April 24, 2019
All submitted, this morning.
Mick Yates. 2018. Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields).
The opening statement from my Critical Review:
I am documenting the personal stories of people that ...
Read more... - Allan Sekula – Fish Story, and Critical Realism April 22, 2019
Allan Sekula was one of the most influential documentarians working in the late 20th Century. An incisive critic, he also was part of the re-imagining ...
Read more... - Realism and Imagination April 20, 2019
This week has been focused on completing the Critical Review. The recent Oral Presentation was well received, although I knew that for the CR, I ...
Read more... - Jungle Guard April 19, 2019
Jungle Guard, directed by Makara Ouch, in his work with the Cambodian Sleuk Rith Institute (founded by Youk Chhang, of DC-Cam), will be released in ...
Read more... - Afterwards April 16, 2019
I thought that I had posted about Afterwards before, but somehow it got missed. It was one of the first books that I bought, early ...
Read more... - Notre Dame Fire April 16, 2019
Most of us will have got the news about the terrible fire via video. On Twitter, my usual source for breaking news, citizen journalist pictures ...
Read more... - Infrared in Colour April 15, 2019
I am finally getting around to looking at the colour versions of the images I took on my the last Cambodia trip.
In an earlier post, ...
Read more... - Coleridge, Imagination and Fancy April 11, 2019
In thinking through the upcoming critical review, I realise that I have been working in two parallel directions.
First, my photography has become increasingly abstract, traces of what ...
Read more... - Susan Sontag – Quotes from ‘On Photography’ April 10, 2019
Quite frankly, I am not a fan of Susan Sontag. I find her work lacking in academic rigour, and very prone to deeply personal judgment ...
Read more... - Informing Contexts – Oral Presentation – Feedback April 9, 2019
From Pierre:
Well done video Mick.
Good to see your journey from where it began to where it is now. The painterly influence never goes away, it ...
Read more... - Informing Contexts – Oral Presentation April 7, 2019
Partly because of some misguided feedback at the Falmouth F2F, and partly because I felt a need to ‘go back the beginning’ to explain my ...
Read more... - Don McCullin April 5, 2019
Ingrid and I have seen a lot of exhibitions over the years, but the current Don McCullin show at Tate Britain really rates as one ...
Read more... - Week Nine Reflections – The Two Headed Monster March 31, 2019
There has always been at least two Micks.
There is the artist, the poet, the dreamer. And there is the logician, the business-person, the practical problem solver.
Where ...
Read more... - Interview with Mak Remissa March 31, 2019
Mak Remissa is arguably the most successful and important photographer working in Cambodia today. He is a working photojournalist, and is heavily involved in the ...
Read more... - Feeling a little frustrated March 28, 2019
There is some kind of irony in the fact that, just as I (and others) feel that I am making some real breakthroughs in the ...
Read more... - The University of Leeds March 21, 2019
I have been a Visiting Professor at Leeds, my Alma Mater, for the last 8 years, working with the Leeds University Business School (LUBS) and ...
Read more... - Sebastião Salgado March 19, 2019
A couple of years ago, the PhotoBath collective, of which I am a member, mounted a successful exhibition of Sebastião Salgado’s work. It featured 8 ...
Read more... - Pictures and Words March 17, 2019
Robert Frank said, ‘Above all, life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference, and it is important to see what is invisible to others’. (cited ...
Read more... - Book Design March 17, 2019
From the beginning of this project, I have been planned a book capturing the ‘Unfinished Stories’ of Sarath and family. Whether this is actually my ...
Read more... - Responses & Responsibilities March 16, 2019
James Elkins, in What Photography Is (2011), analyses photographs from 1905 of Lingqi, the Chinese ‘death by a thousand cuts’. (chapter 6, pg 177-220). I ...
Read more... - And When I am Formulated, Sprawling on a Pin March 14, 2019
And I have known the eyes already, known them all,
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a ...
Read more... - Week Six Reflections March 12, 2019
The Face-to-Face was, of course, both the highlight and the majority of the week.
I really enjoyed the event – ‘The Living Image‘ content, group critiques, ...
Read more... - Webinar February 22, 2019
It was an interesting webinar yesterday with Michelle. Clive, Vincent and Peng were in the group.
I shared two (early) sets of work from this trip. ...
Read more... - Week Three Reflections February 17, 2019
As I write this, I am on Day 3 of a two week Cambodia trip, so most of my thought processes are focused on the ...
Read more... - Photographing the Holocaust – Janina Struk February 16, 2019
I have just finished Janina Struk’s Photographing The Holocaust. Michelle Caswell’s Archiving the Unspeakable was ‘book of the year’ for me last year, Struk’s might ...
Read more... - Olympus Infrared Experiments February 7, 2019
I have just received the converted Olympus OM-D 10, converted to 720nm, as previously noted. Here is a reference set of images.
First, a straight colour ...
Read more... - Photography, Photographies February 3, 2019
This week’s task: Post a brief commentary below that identifies the inherent characteristics and contexts of the ‘photographic’ nature of your own practice.
Specifically refer to ...
Read more... - IC Week One Reflections February 2, 2019
It has been a good start to the new module, with a good range of intellectual content, and helpful first online discussions with Michelle and ...
Read more... - David Goldblatt February 2, 2019
‘I suppose at best, I had hoped we might see ourselves revealed, as it were, by a mirror held up to ourselves’
David Goldblatt, 2017.
I was ...
Read more... - Soviet Holocaust Photography January 29, 2019
I have just been reading a paper written by David Shneer, in the Humanity Journal, 2014, University of Pennsylvania. Shneer discusses the approach taken by ...
Read more... - Reflections on my Photographic Practice January 22, 2019
Robert Frank said, “Above all, life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference”.
I provided a reasonably thorough review of my photography in my ...
Read more... - Provoke January 22, 2019
The Japanese photo magazine ‘Provoke’ only published three issues, in 1968 and 1969. It was a rejection of many of the then-prevailing ‘global’ photographic norms. ...
Read more... - Cultural Context January 13, 2019
Almost all of this MA program to date uses a European / American ‘gaze’, in its choice of reading and referenced photographers – even the ...
Read more... - What is Street Photography? January 2, 2019
I have an ongoing project to digitise my film archives, which has been a bit interrupted by the MA. So a 2019 resolution is to ...
Read more... - Ain’t no Shame in my Game December 29, 2018
I used to do a lot of street photography, although most recently I have been a little bored by it – in the sense that ...
Read more... - Dorothea Lange December 19, 2018
A while back I was asked to make a short presentation to the PhotoBath group on an image that has always inspired me (September, 2016). It ...
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- Surfaces & Strategies Reflections – Grades – Where To, Now? September 20, 2018
Just got the Surfaces & Strategies results – and although the overall result (70.6%) is remarkably consistent with Positions & Practice (70.8%), the internals are ...
Read more... - RPS Presentation August 31, 2018
I have been invited to give a talk to the Western Region of the Royal Photographic Society, next Sunday (September 9th).
They have advertised it to ...
Read more... - Week Eleven & Twelve Reflections August 20, 2018
Bill Jay, in Occam’s Razor, 1992, wrote:
‘… all good photographers have a deep commitment to, and involvement with, their subjects, and through photography they are ...
Read more... - Book Dummy August 20, 2018
Now that I have completed selection of images for the Work in Progress portfolio, and finished Landings, it seemed right to update the book dummy.
I ...
Read more... - Surfaces & Strategies Oral Presentation August 19, 2018
I am exploring the long-term impact of the Khmer Rouge Genocide, and especially its impact on education. This includes revisiting our family history with that ...
Read more... - Work in Progress – I missed my Mother August 18, 2018
I have completed the S&S WIP selection.
Posts have already been written which explain my rational on intimacy, landscape and negative traces.
Some of my fellow students ...
Read more... - Intimacy August 16, 2018
‘… all good photographers have a deep commitment to, and involvement with, their subjects, and through photography they are communicating their understanding and passion to ...
Read more... - Street Portrait Workshop – August 19th August 11, 2018
As I already noted, I am conducting a ‘Street Portrait’ workshop in Bath next weekend. So far 12 people have signed up.
Workshop background is here.
In ...
Read more... - WIP – Telling Sarath’s Story in the Jungle August 9, 2018
Part of this project is to tell the personal stories of the people who survived the Genocide. I am using video, and will include segments ...
Read more... - Negative Traces August 5, 2018
The impact of the Genocide of 1975-1979 is still, in many ways, hidden. It is visible only in traces, both physical and psychological.
My project is ...
Read more... - This week’s ‘to do’ August 5, 2018
Well, where to start ..
1. WIP: Go through the images from the past two weeks trip to Cambodia. Sort into themes, and start the process ...
Read more... - Week Nine reflections – Cambodian Narrative August 4, 2018
It was a very busy but productive time in Cambodia.
My reflections this week (partly whilst sitting on the plane home) are about clarifying the narrative. ...
Read more... - Webinar with Gary, July 31st July 31, 2018
Notes from today’s webinar with Gary, not necessarily in order of importance, and referring my last weekly reflections – Week 7 and Week 8.
Noting that ...
Read more... - Week Eight Reflections – Cambodia – My Practice July 29, 2018
Another intense week.
I left London on Saturday morning, having completed a 4 day, full-on shoot with Andrew Mlangeni. I arrived in Phnom Penh on Sunday ...
Read more... - Week Seven Reflections – My Practice July 21, 2018
This week my reflections are about my practice, after a multi day event/documentary gig in London.
Whilst I have shot events before, this week’s project was ...
Read more... - My Friend’s Mother Passed Away – I Missed My Mother July 15, 2018
The first fully-translated ‘story’ from Sarath. Warning: gruesome reading in parts.
……………………………..
It was possibly in 1977, I do not know for sure, but it was a ...
Read more... - Conversation with Lukas Birk July 13, 2018
Following an introduction from Cemre, had a terrific conversation today with Lukas Birk.
I explained a little of my background, motivations and the Cambodia project itself.
These ...
Read more... - The Public Image July 13, 2018
Notes on Robert Hariman & John Louis Lucaites, 2016, Chicago: Univ Chicago Press
‘Photography is a small language about vernacular life in a public world. Each ...
Read more... - Negatives July 12, 2018
Interesting webinar with Cemre, Sarah, Danny & Ant. We were sharing our exhibition thinking, including Landings. Amongst other things, I shared the experimental ‘negatives’ work ...
Read more... - PhotoBath Exhibition & Book July 12, 2018
PhotoBath, the local photography collective, are running their third annual show, in September, at the 44AD ArtSpace Gallery in Bath. They are also creating the ...
Read more... - Preciousness July 11, 2018
Two things happened in the last 24 hours, which I would like to connect.
First, I saw Sian Davey‘s guest lecture. Second, I had a conversation ...
Read more... - Cambodian Photography – Part 1 July 5, 2018
Arguably, Dith Pran (1942 – 2008) is the most famous of Cambodian photographers. His story, working with foreign journalists, before the Khmer Rouge takeover, and subsequent ...
Read more... - Windows on the Hidden June 30, 2018
I have found the last couple of weeks most enjoyable, exploring new kinds of imagery, both to learn new techniques and to consider ways of ...
Read more... - Documentary & Art June 29, 2018
Had a very good webinar today with Cemre and Yas. Just want to jot my thoughts down here, not in any particular order.
Cemre asked about ...
Read more... - Postcards June 25, 2018
In Week Three Reflections, I noted some thoughts about how I might bring alive an installation / exhibition of the Cambodia project.
That, pause being pushed ...
Read more... - Week Three Reflections June 25, 2018
For this week’s reflections, a little late, a few questions stood out.
How could your subjects be influencing you and your approach? Well, unfortunately that has been ...
Read more... - Pop June 21, 2018
I have been experimenting with some of the ‘traces’ work, not least as a couple of the images have been chosen for the PhotoBath exhibition ...
Read more... - Trailer June 19, 2018
One of the tasks for Week 2 was to create a 2 minute trailer for our projects.
A little late, but here it is.
Soundtrack: The Industrialism ...
Read more... - Rephotography June 13, 2018
In preparation for the next Cambodia trip, taking Cemre’s advice, I’ll be looking at the implications of this project for our family.
As noted elsewhere, our ...
Read more... - S&S Week One Reflections June 10, 2018
I consider my photography is about storytelling (when I get things right, that is). And I call this ‘Unfinished Stories‘, because the best that any ...
Read more... - It’s Not All About Genocide June 8, 2018
It has always been my intent to go back and re-imagine the journey that we took with Sarath, though I have, to now, seen that ...
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- Sustainable Prospects – Grades – Where To, Now? January 14, 2019
I have just received the grades for Sustainable Prospects – 70% overall, Distinction level, I assume, which is pretty much in line with Surfaces & ...
Read more... - Reflections at Year End December 11, 2018
On Monday, 10th December, I did a presentation at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, noted here.
It was entitled Cambodia – Unfinished Stories, A ...
Read more... - Week Twelve Reflections – Street Photography, my evolution December 9, 2018
About 5 years ago, I decided to take street photography a bit more seriously. I got involved with various groups (such as the Leica Meet), ...
Read more... - BRLSI Presentation December 9, 2018
The presentation to the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Society is tomorrow evening, and I am putting the finishing touches to the materials.
I have created ...
Read more... - Documentary Photography – Quotes December 7, 2018
In preparation for my Oral Presentation, I posted some quotes that I have found inspiring over the years.
After writing about my practice, I thought I would ...
Read more... - Week Eleven Reflections – Professional Location of Practice December 6, 2018
For this week’s reflections, I want to discuss my Practice, and where it is going.
Following on from the ‘Let’s Talk Business‘ and ‘Back to the Beginning ...
Read more... - Sustainable Prospects Oral Presentation December 4, 2018
Robert Frank said, “Above all, life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference”.
Whilst I expressed the same thoughts in my first Oral Presentation, ...
Read more... - A Prayer from Hell – BRLSI talk December 4, 2018
I am giving a presentation next week to the Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institute, entitled ‘Unfinished Stories from Cambodia’.
The subtitle is ‘A Prayer from ...
Read more... - Week Ten Reflections December 2, 2018
With all the focus on the Oral Presentation and the Work in Progress, it would be easy to not step back and reflect. Also, there ...
Read more... - Daido Moriyama – Record December 2, 2018
Daido Moriyama, when history is written, will be noted as one of the greatest photographers of his generation.
Japanese photography has always interested me, even before ...
Read more... - Working on Oral Presentation – Quotes November 24, 2018
I made a presentation last year to PhotoBath on Iconic Images, with Richard Young.
Some of the quotes seem even more appropriate now, as I consider where I want ...
Read more... - Week Eight Reflections – Work in Progress Reviews November 17, 2018
This summarises feedback from Jesse, Wendy and Krishna on my WIP portfolio, and my project in general.
Paris (10th Nov)
As background, I introduced the project like ...
Read more... - Unfinished Stories from Cambodia – A Prayer from Hell November 16, 2018
I have been asked to do a talk at the Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institute, on December 10th. I was approached to do this ...
Read more... - Tell a Story November 15, 2018
This week’s exercise is ‘tell a newspaper story in 5-7 images’.
As I have just come back from Cambodia, trying to do something very similar, here ...
Read more... - Week Six Reflections – Part Two November 5, 2018
I sometimes try to separate the photographic focus of the MA, and my personal role as a ‘Cambodian Educator’, of almost twenty years standing, as ...
Read more... - Week Six Reflections – Part One November 5, 2018
These are some thoughts on week two of my Cambodia trip.
As noted last week, the main purpose is to see how much progress I can make ...
Read more... - Week Five Reflections – Cambodia October 27, 2018
The focus of the week was Cambodia. I arrived on Wednesday, from London via Singapore. From our home to the hotel takes about 22 hours. ...
Read more... - Hondros October 23, 2018
Following a recommendation from Krishna, I watched the documentary on conflict photojournalist Chris Hondros, who died in Libya.
It is a brilliant movie, and hugely thought ...
Read more... - Discordia – Moises Saman October 21, 2018
Moises Saman is an American / Spanish photojournalist, and a member of Magnum. I just got a copy of his 2016 book, Discordia. It is perhaps the ...
Read more... - Mango Flowers and Fruits – Sarath October 16, 2018
The second fully-translated ‘story’ from Sarath.
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This is a story about the time just before being liberated from the Khmer Rouge (in 1979). The lives of ...
Read more... - Begin at the Beginning – My Photographic DNA October 13, 2018
Review your earliest work and reflect: What do you see in it?
I have to really start at the beginning here. I was a painter (and ...
Read more... - The Photograph as Contemporary Art October 13, 2018
I have been looking again at The Photograph as Contemporary Art, by Charlotte Cotton, 2014 3rd edition, and decided this time to write a few ...
Read more... - Seven Day Challenge September 28, 2018
This week’s activity is from Michael Christopher Brown, an American photographer represented by Magnum Photos. He has gained an international reputation, especially for his documentation ...
Read more... - PhotoBath September 27, 2018
PhotoBath is a Bath-based collective, with interests in Documentary and Fine Art photography.
This week the third annual exhibition was staged, ‘Unfinished’. That idea was, I ...
Read more... - Looking Back September 23, 2018
I am exploring the long-term impact of the Khmer Rouge Genocide, and especially its impact on education. This includes revisiting our family history which goes ...
Read more... - David Hurn – A Life in Pictures September 23, 2018
Just finally catching up with the excellent documentary on David Hurn from the BBC. It only has a few hours left to be available – ...
Read more... - Dominic Grieve & Event Photography September 23, 2018
As mentioned elsewhere, I do quite a lot of event photography in the local area. It is essentially reportage work, for use in local news ...
Read more... - RPS Presentation August 31, 2018
I have been invited to give a talk to the Western Region of the Royal Photographic Society, next Sunday (September 9th).
They have advertised it to ...
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