Friday 31 December 2010

Week 81: 2010 was...

... a full year. It made me think of idols and morals. Some strong, some deep but most of all I taught myself how to ignore. I have had a problem with hearing what has been said and reacting to it in a way that would seem surprising to most. I've learnt to just take most things "on the chin" I guess.

I've never been into New Year's resolutions, most turn out to be aspirations rather than resolutions. If your resolution is to lose weight in 2011 then good for you, but it's an aspiration not a resolution. It is only a resolution if you complete the aspiration. I for one have decided to just take on board what I have learned from 2010 and to just think about how to utilise it. The next year of blogs will be filled with reviews of films and cinematography as there are some much awaited movies coming out from some promising directors.

Daniel.



The Salvation Army on Portobello Road, 35mm. This is a photograph that makes me smile. I've always had the opinion that photography is not only the study of light, but also the study of relationships.

Song listening to right now: Refuge - Matisyahu

Tuesday 28 December 2010

Week 80: Significance.

Eighty weeks is quite something, but then again so is a thousand. I constantly think about the significance of things. Just trivial things mainly, like if I leave the kettle boiling for that extra ten seconds, how much of a difference would it really make? And does it really make a difference if I put a sprinkle of salt into the pasta I am preparing? It is not whether they will be significant or not, it is the measurement of the difference they would make that interests me. It's constantly rolling through my brain.

Tah.
Dan.



This is but one of my many fashion images. It is a 35mm from my androgynous set, that I think shows the significance of the male indent on female fashion. Outfit designed by Claire Jones.

Song listening to right now: Louie, Louie - Toots & the Maytals

Thursday 23 December 2010

Week 79: Merry Christmas.

Well the subject for this week's post is obvious. I won't say much about my ideas or work as I am not thinking of my ideas or my work. All I can do this week really is to send out all my care and wishes to everyone that reads this blog. I sincerely hope everybody has a fantastic Christmas and New Year. You have all been great to me.

Very short this week.
Dan.



This is an old picture that shows the warmth of family relationships. There's nothing big and "conceptual" behind it. I just have an attention to detail when it comes to the relationships of certain characters whether they are fictional or imaginary. You may say that imaginary characters are fictional. Not necessarily. You may imagine the correct relationship between the two characters portrayed in a photograph and then therefore it is not quite fiction. If it was a fictional relationship then I guess they would have to be called actors.

Song listening to right now: Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen

Thursday 16 December 2010

Week 78: Desire?

I'm going to start this post off with a question that you may take as rhetorical if you wish, if you want to tell somebody the answer then go ahead and do it. If you want to tell me, then do not hesitate.

What do you find desirable? A particular man or woman? A copious amount of money? Preferably think of something you do not own. Then let that lead onto a sub question, what is it about that thing that you find desirable? These may sound like two very similar questions, and they are, but they will give two completely different answers if your thoughts are genuine. You can add as many sub questions as you would like, the more you pinpoint your answer the more you pinpoint what your true desire is. As long as you are wholly truthful, then ambition will be born. You are more likely to satisfy yourself if you know what you intend to specifically achieve.

Keep reading.
Daniel.



Shot on a SINAR 5x4, Ilford FP4 film. Desire can be triggered by many things, envy being a very large factor or maybe lust. No matter what drives you to want something it will always be effecting your method of living and no matter how much you fight it, you will always have a method to live by. Try and argue the case, but look deep into your reasoning. Believe me, I tried to fight having a life method but it's just not possible. Okay, so that might sound a bit vague; the term "life method." However, it is always down to the origin of what we desire most.

Song listening to right now: 54-56 Was My Number - Toots & The Maytals

Thursday 9 December 2010

Week 77: Primate.

This has been an intense collection of days. Every day has been pro active, it is satisfying but it is also a drain on my self esteem. I am too tired to appreciate myself or anything that is a product of my hard work. In a sense this cannot be mended, however it can be analysed and learnt from. If you work hard then you can look back on your striving to come up with an efficient way to balance work and confidence.

I know it may sound silly to be too tired to be self confident, but it's all completely true. Think about it next time you're eyelids won't let you focus in on the ground glass of a Sinar.

Too tired.
D.



This is also from the project I am still working on. It will keep unfold so keep you're eyes peeled whilst you still can.

Song listening to right now: Davidian - Machine Head

Thursday 2 December 2010

Week 76: Late II.

This has been the second time I have been late in seventy six weeks which I think is actually quite good going, considering the task I have set myself. Both the internet and the dissertation have been the main contributor to the lateness. However, this week has contained a lot of expanding. Expanding on ideas and expanding on my life style. I have changed, and I know it for sure. I have completely changed my view on things that may seem illusive to others. These things are completely crystal clear to myself, but on the other hand I believe I lack the ability to understand things that others are so easily used to. The week that follows will probably be the most stressful I have experienced in a while. I am not ready.

Dan.



This is part of my new idea, it will evolve, and you shall see it evolve. The images are not nudes for the sake of being nudes. The concept will reveal itself in time.

Song listening to right now: Weather With You - Crowded House

Friday 19 November 2010

Week 75: Feral.

I've never felt the need to be so experimental with my work, and now really is not the time for that feeling. I want to be wild and original, but instead I must conform to what will suffice for my exhibition. The past few days have been annoying more than anything, mainly because I've been at home suffering from a touch of acute Laryngitis. It seems to be disappearing though, which means only one thing. On your marks, get set, go write your dissertation.

Thank you.
Daniel.



I took this on Portabello Road, London. It plays on the idea of what is a picture, what is a frame, cropping and illusion. Once again I'm going to have to leave the rest to you. Take it as a gift, rather than a chore.

Song listening to right now: Dream - Priscilla Ahn

Saturday 13 November 2010

Week 74: Linear.

So there is an argument about causation and destiny. The latter suggests that time is set for us in a linear fashion and that there is a preconceived beginning and an end to all things. However what if causation was part of that line. The line would then curve round into a circle and would suggest that everything is happening right now. The future and the past are happening right now. Everything we do will effect what happens in the future and therefore we are effecting the future right now. These theories are not set in stone, they are more like a Ven diagram, causation will effect destiny but destiny is being decided constantly. Yes, photography is the study of light, however they are a part of a symbiont mutualism. If light did not exist then time would not have any use in photography (which would be obsolete anyway). If time did not exist then light would not travel and therefore it would be non existent.

This has been my main trail of thought this week and needs to be expanded a little, I just had to write it down.

Thanks for reading this week.
Dan.



This is a visual representation of something that is of interest to me; perceiving time. It was taken in San Remo, Italy on 35mm. It is a slight illusion in itself, so I will leave it open to your own visual interpretation.

Song listening to right now: Boiled Frogs - Alexisonfire

Monday 1 November 2010

Week 73: Economaclypse.

I have been thinking about culture and representation. After watching "Mugabe and the White African" I was inspired to look back over my archive of images. There were points in this documentary film that made me question the definition of a culture. In Africa, the white farmers are being forced out of their lifestyles by militia and Mugabe's associates so that their business can be taken over by non-qualified violent groups. They do not necessarily have the skill to run the farms they take over, but because they are black then Mugabe is happy for them to kill and drive out the white farmers who have built up an efficient agricultural business and lifestyle that actually benefits Mugabe himself.

Okay, so for example if you ask someone "Can you be truly be white and be Australian?" most people would answer "Yes, of course. Everyone in Australia is white." What if we asked the question "Can you be black and be British?" again the majority of people would answer "Yes, of course. I know a lot of people who are black and are British. Are you asking me if I'm a racist?" However, if you were to ask Mugabe "Can you be White and be African?" they answer would simply be "No. They (referring to the white people) make us (referring to the black) feel like an extension of the British Empire. Remember apartheid."

Mugabe himself is a hypocrite, this idea is just as disgusting as the apartheid. It is in itself an ethnic cleanse. He is not doing it for the benefit of Africa either, believe me, they could do with these experienced farmers. He is doing it as a dictator, for control, intimidation and fear. I would seriously recommend people to watch "Mugabe and the White African." It provoked so many thoughts and comparisons. Even if you do not know much about this conflict it is a brilliant piece of filming.

The point is that this week, I have been looking at why certain areas of the world have turned out the way they have due to political choices. This goes hand in hand with the recession and economic status.

Thanks.
Dan.



I'm starting to feel the economic climate right now. It hadn't hit me at first, it felt like a myth or something that was very far off. I still feel that some people are still over spending on luxuries and living past their needs, however I feel that I am insignificant in helping this situation. I would like to say that lack of money isn't a problem, but if I am to completely route most of my problems back to one single thing it would be money. I remember a quote from Tim Burton's 2005 version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

"Grandpa George: There's plenty of money out there. They print more every day."

Perhaps there is a truth behind what Grandpa George was saying, but it is being held back by opportunity. If I want to see any of that Green, Orange or Purple then I have to seize as many opportunities as possible. I do realise that his point was that money is essentially a superfluous and trivial material. On the other hand, not a lot of people realise this and in most cases that has crafted social status. These people are mainly politicians, who have now technically become dictators. They control money. Just look at the budget cuts.

I know a lot of what I have spoken about this week is very global and I am insignificant compared to these issues. I realise I can do nothing to change the world, I am merely expressing my interest in it. In a sense, the subjects of every post in this blog is what I constantly think about. I am constantly in fear of the world collapsing, but I have hope in revolution which I shall never discuss on here.

Song listening to right now: Prayer - Disturbed

Sunday 24 October 2010

Week 72: End of The Junction.

So after a week of very negative influence and inspiration I've decided to stop posting pictures from this project. This is the last week I will show one for a while, as I need time to work on how this will evolve and may need to keep my mind away from it for a short amount of time. This will be challenging as I have a lot of things "on my mind" at the moment. Such a funny idiom, I feel it should be swapped around. My mind is on a lot of things, it is on track but not quite on the right one I think.

Daniel.




So this is the end of The Junction for now. I am interested in this local topography of portraits, to evoke a sense of reason. A reason to why Cemetery Junction has stayed the same (in business) for the past ten to twenty years. I will carry this on, but I'm afraid you guys will have to be shut behind the curtain for a little whilst I figure my intentions out.

Song listening to right now: El Condor Pasa - Simon and Garfunkel

Sunday 17 October 2010

Week 71: Interested?

I've been having some trouble thinking about what I should do for my exhibition. I've been hit with a major dilemma. People tell me to stick to what I'm good at and do something I'm interested in. What happens if I'm not interested in what I'm good at or if I'm not good at what I'm interested in? I also don't know if I should risk doing my new idea, as I have no idea whether I would be good at it. I'm pretty sure most people who are reading this blog ran relate to me, as you are likely to have a creative mind. If you're good at everything and interested in everything then you probably don't exist.

Dan.



This is an image from one of the Junction shoots. A photograph of the third friend "The Italian" and he had a pretty sad story behind him that I feel would be exploitative to post in this blog and I may save for something else. We hung out for a good hour or so, he seemed really down to earth. However I shall leave you to make your own assumptions about him.

Song listening to right now: Whole lotta Rosie - AC/DC

Monday 11 October 2010

Week 70: The last step II.

So this year is my last step to improve my skills to a pinnacle that will please both myself and the demographic I'm working for. These images over the past three weeks are something I may move away from for a while because I will need to use a combination of my creative mind and my practical skills to actually make it to that peak. The most recent photographs are much more photo journalistic than they first appear. They are part of a story I am creating through documenting certain individuals. People that give me ambition. Inspiration and aspiration.

Dan.



This is also part of the Leanne narrative. I have some more negatives to scan (120s) these have all mean 35mm. I have managed to acquire a darkroom again now. However, this is probably the last of the Leanne series I will show on my blog. This year will be intense darkroom work as I am looking into the science of Photography. The physical and the chemical so expect some pretty interesting projects.

Song listening to right now: Dynamo Hum - Frank Zappa

Saturday 9 October 2010

Week 69: The last step.

This weeks post is a little late as I have moved and need to settle in before I could think logically. The last post is obviously now a completely incorrect statement. It's no longer the next step it was the last step, and the next post is concerning that. This is another picture from something very similar as I am still pondering on what to do next. Something will tick soon guys, just bear with me on this.

Daniel.



From the same shoot, just following Leanne around the town.

Song listening to right now: Silky Silky Love Song - Windy City.

Wednesday 29 September 2010

Week 68: The next step.

By the end of this week I will be returning to normal life for a while. So I've spent the past week preparing ideas and concepts for the year ahead of me. I feel this will be a pretty important year for promoting my ideas to the audience so a head start is a pretty good idea. I have started to think about identity and how society has it's own little ways to place you in the order of things. This has spawned from the past few weeks where I have been talking about priorities and order.

Thanks,
Dan.



This is a 35mm from my new project, there's not much to say about it right now as I'm still thinking of ways to progress the concept. There is a link here between photographer and model that makes it seem quite androgynous and curious. This is a little obvious to people who know me. However, for first time viewers it is extremely subtle. I like to play with familiarity whenever I get the chance. Make up artist was Juhi Choudhury.

The next few weeks I will be evolving this project, the posts will contain 35mm and 120 photographs from the past couple of shoots
, I will attach ideas and improvements that have been whizzing around my mind recently.

Song listening to right now: Highwayman - The Highwaymen.

Friday 24 September 2010

Week 67: Discover III.

When thinking about priorities and how to order them, I must first place myself in that order. Once I am sorted I can then sort out everything that is linked to me. These things include, money, career, friends, family and responsibilities. However, I am frequently searching for something that will set my priorities in stone. At the moment they are whizzing around in my mind like a whirlwind. This is where the improvisation that I spoke of recently comes into play.

Daniel.



Searching and improvising each day are the talents that these guys bear. The interviews with Mark, Chewie and the Italian were some of the greatest conversations I've had in years and forced me to discover how to interact with my subject matter in a way that I could only perceive as conventional.

Song listening to right now: Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money

Thursday 16 September 2010

Week 66: Discover II.

My thoughts have changed this week due to certain events. However, I will carry on expressing the same views and opinions (on photography) I started with last week.

Dan.



This man was a friend of Mark's (see below). He seemed highly intoxicated with some Mozambique marijuana, which came in a branded plastic bag, labelled much like a crisp packet. He didn't say much and his friends couldn't understand him when he did so they named him Chewbacca. Now Chewie was friendly in the way that he danced at on coming traffic when coming out of his trance, but every now and again he would slap the air as though someone was attacking him. Quite frightening really.

Song listening to right now: What's this? - Danny Elfman

Monday 6 September 2010

Week 65: Discover.

This post is all about my photographic priorities and how I think when out on location. You can discover some fantastic moments to capture if you wait all day for that decisive moment (Cartier-Bresson), or if you plan these moments from scratch (Crewsdon). However, sometimes when you are planning or setting up for that beautiful shot, you can accidentally stumble across something that has much more beauty. It takes perseverance to pull away from the original thing you obssessed over.

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."
- Andre Guide

Please read on.
Dan.




This is Old Man Cemetery (Mark). This is not the photograph that was intended for this post. This week I was determined to go to a certain location to capture a photograph that I had noticed a few months back. Everyday I kept saying to myself, let's go there and just take it. The photograph had to be taken between six and seven o'clock (golden hour). This was how I had imagined the light to fall and I like to plan ahead. The photograph I originally intended to take was actually an architectural image that links back to Brutalism. However, my reactions took the better of me when I arrived on location. As a photographer you have to think economically, and judge your outcome by both your surroundings and subject matter.

I got to the location and set up the Hasselblad. It just so happened to turn out that I had timed my walk wrong and arrived just as golden hour was ending so I literally only had about 10 minutes to set up, meter and shoot. That's when something caught my eye. Even though I only had a short time before the sun went down behind the buildings of Reading town centre, I had to check this out. It was all a little bit of a blur. At first I noticed an old man dancing to cars as they went past, at least I think it was dancing, I can't quite remember now. Just around the corner from him were two other men sitting on a wall singing and wailing. I had never seen such a diverse group of friends.

I had to make a quick decision, was I going to ignore them and carry on with this photograph I had been planning for months? Hell no. Spontaneity, quick thinking and perseverance are also traits that come with being a photographer. To be completely honest, I had the perfect preconceived image on the ground glass viewfinder but it didn't seem quite as perfect as this group of homeless friends. I had to prioritise my subject matter in a very short amount of time. I though to myself, next time there is a pristine gold sunset the building will still be there. So I walked over to them and handed them a bit of shrapnel in exchange for a few photographs. They told me if I bought them a pack of cigarettes they'd let me hangout with them all evening. So I did.

Song listening to right now: Wicked World - Black Sabbath

Tuesday 31 August 2010

Week 64: How to compliment II.

This is obviously the second instalment of my complimenting experiment. Two forms of lighting, and a similar set up. Photography is studying light. However a photograph is on the periphery of seeing real light. It stands back and let's you decide how to view the light that is captured by what Berger would call "a mechanical eye."

D.



Much like a previous project involving the doorway being an analogy for the shutter of a camera, I have been assessing the frame that is created by light. In staged and constructed images you have complete control over what the audience will see and what the audience will miss out on. Christian Metz speaks about this kind of "off-framing" in his essay "Photography and Fetish" where he compares the moving image (Film) with the still (photography).

"The filmic off-frame space is étoffe, let us say "substantial," whereas the photographic off-frame space is "subtle." In film there is a plurality of successive frames, of camera movements, and character movements, so that a person or an object which is off-frame in a given moment may appear inside the frame the moment after, then disappear again, and so on, according to the principle (I purposely exaggerate) of the turnstile."

He explains that the plurality of film allows the director to have more leeway with what he can or can't show. With photography it is final, whatever is cut out of the image is none existent to the audience, they can assume, but apart from assumptions everything outside the frame is frame-dead. However, I've decided there is a number of flaws to his point. Lighting that is outside the image can easily be figured out by a keen eye. Also, reflections of what is cropped out are visually existent but are not physically existent within the crop. For example, the catch-light in the eye of a studio model.

This photograph is showing the relationship between perception and light. Specifically constructed light situations are given to compliment in different manners. My advice (and that's all it is) to anyone that wants to experiment with light is simple. Time has to be taken, slow it down, move the lighting until the ambience is perfect, be picky, for God's sake meter it and note the reading down. The image is similar but the ambience is completely different. In this photograph, you can really make out the skeletal construction of the corset. The softness of the face contrasts really well with the simple harshness of the outfit. I genuinely believe that "photographers" need to understand how light actually works because that is literally what you are studying. The bare physics of it. I'm learning stuff everyday that surprises me, it's nothing abstract at all. The mood and emotional perception of a photograph is dependent on the physics of light, there are equations for these concepts.

Song listening to right now: Mother - Pink Floyd

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Week 63: How to compliment.

For a while now I've been thinking of different ways models are complimented in fashion. I think the best way to compliment a model is through light. So I did a little visual research through certain magazines and decided to experiment.

Dan.



Again shot on the Hasselblad. So this week and next week I am going to post a similar image, but with different light situations. You (as the audience) can decide which is more complimenting. The dress is from Cape Town, SA. It has an almost exoskeleton like corset that encompasses a fitted slim dress. This post is almost a cliffhanger for you guys, wait and see what the image looks like with a different lighting arrangement.

Song listening to right now: Desperado - Eagles

Tuesday 17 August 2010

Week 62: JD and smokes.

This blog has a role, it acts as an archive. This archive will eventually tell a long story of my progression through professional photography. I have always been told to keep reading, keep reading stories that nobody else is reading. Why? Because a narrative is much more than a progressive tale.

A narrative can be a singular image. A narrative tells a story, whilst a portrait reveals an individual. If a photographer can reveal the story of an individual through a portrait we can simultaneously produce a narrative. So is it right to conform to a linear progressive tale? Or can it be done simultaneously? This argument of the line and the circle has been mentioned before when talking about time/fate. The difference is, that both are possible in photography.

Daniel.



Shot on my Hasselblad 553, Kodak Tri-X 120 film.

Song listening to right now: Lithium - Nirvana

Thursday 12 August 2010

Week 61: Forward.

So after spending some time assisting Dan Tobin Smith, I have realised that a lot of great opportunities have been coming my way and I haven't hesitated to snatch them. So this week I have had a few thoughts on future life.

Futurology is obviously the specialised study of foresight and how things will turn out. It's probably one of the most interesting topics you can debate about once you really sink your teeth into it. In 1932 H.G Wells requested there to be "Departments and Professors of Foresight", which eventually influenced a lot of sci-fi writers and consequently inspired inventors. Inventions are the spawn of minds that are naturally riddled with futurology. Looking into what is needed is actually looking into what will be needed. So what is forward? Is it a misconception of the ever-moving present? Probably not, since there isn't really such thing as the present, as soon as we think of a moment it's already in the past. To compare this to my medium, a photograph is instantaneous but whether it's a century or the smallest decimal of a second, it will always take time to capture light. However in real life as soon as we think we are living in the present it becomes the past in an instant. As we try to trap the present with the shutter of the camera, that little box of time will have elements of the past as it opens and shuts. So the present is either ever moving or non existent.

I've been trying to apply some of this to my life and foreseeing how it will pan out. If I can estimate where I am going to be, (as a result of past events and experience) then I will try every route possible to get there.

Thank you if you read this part.
Dan.



The description of this photograph is similar to the previous week, as it was the same shoot. However, the photograph is placed in this week's post to show something that is an indicator of how things will turn out for me in the future. This was a job that got me noticed. I also met a lot of contacts that day which helps me to mould my future schedule.

Song listening to right now: Wild Side - Mötley Crüe

Tuesday 3 August 2010

Week 60: Pure Zandra.

This week I headed down to Pure and met up with a couple of the guys from placement. It was a fantastic day.

Dan.



So I ended up meeting Zandra Rhodes, a forceful face of fashion and a lovely conversationist at that. I photographed some of the stunning models she decorated with her effervescent new collection of dresses.

Song listening to right now: '81 - Joanna Newsom

Friday 30 July 2010

Week 59: Tribute.

I've been feeling pretty playful with my photographic inspirations over the past week, and so I wish to post a playful blog entry.



This photograph is an obvious homage to "Milk". I'd like to think that my attention to detail is a product of studying Wall's work.

Song listening to right now: This Town ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us - The Sparks

Friday 23 July 2010

Week 58: Lucid.

Just as I (and the rest of the movie loving world) predicted, Inception was the best thing to come out of modern cinema for a number of years. The only thing that annoyed me about the film was myself. For years I have been thinking about metacognition (ironic). The state of thinking about thinking; realization of chain thoughts. I have been conjuring up ideas to show my thought development through essays and photography. Then late last year I thought to myself "What if I was doing this...whilst dreaming?" However, nothing came of it. So whilst watching Inception I could relate to everything. The film was literally a projection of my ideas on thought, dreaming, imagination and how layers/levels of brain signals build up. So it has become a re-inspiration to rekindle my concepts on cognative activity being connected to images.

Thanks.
Dan.



I took this photograph earlier this year. I have stated many descriptions of this image to people before but never told anyone what it specifically meant. It was actually a reinterpretation of a lucid dream I had. As most of you know, I have an attuned attention to detail within my photographs. Most objects in the photograph will be placed for a reason.

So from what I remember, in this dream I appeared to be in my kitchen, hungover and missing a leg. There was someone doing the washing up, but I couldn't tell who it was and they just wouldn't turn round. I started to shout at him and tried to make him indentify himself but it just wasn't working. I tried to get up but lost my balance due to being "hungover" and only having one leg. So I continued to shout and shout until my head started to hurt. This was the point of realization. I knew I was dreaming except... nothing happened. I thought I would wake up or the dream would drastically change. I knew I was dreaming and I now had complete control over myself, I could do anything. I grabbed the pole of a tall lampshade (may not have actually been a lampshade, a bit hazy on that one) to pull myself up. I then manuevered myself around the kitchen to the figure at the sink and forced him to turn around.

That's all I can remember I think. Straight after I woke up, I jotted it all down because I had never experienced such a control over my mind before. Such a short instant of time within my dream would have been even shorter in real time. Since this was such a short moment, an instant. I thought the best way to express this to people would be in a photograph. However it didn't matter how long I had control for, the main thing was that I actually managed to keep under control.

Realization is to make something real, and this photograph was the moment I realized that I was dreaming. My concious infected my subconcsious and overrided it.

Song listening to right now: Patience - Guns N' Roses

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Week 57: Residence.

This week has been full of changes. Changes that mainly reside in my mind. However, soon I am going to change where I reside myself.

D.



This photograph was part of a narrative involving ideas surrounding the frame. Thinking about it I feel that by residence in Nottingham was a frame in itself, it held me in and pictured me as a photographer.


Song listening to right now: Leper Messiah - Metallica

Wednesday 7 July 2010

Week 56: Advice.

An interesting week, something to think about. I've been looking purely at people's masks. Different masks. Make-up, ego, money, clothes and even phatic communication. It's the norm to wear a mask so don't worry about a thing.

Apart from trivial aspects of life, matters of peace and war have also had me thinking. I recently listened to a show on Radio 2 at around midday, which included an interview with 80 year old ex-Labour MP Tony Benn. Concerning my political views I've never been that public on which way I actually swing. However, this interview concerned his view on the youth and after hearing Benn talk about it, I really felt he had the correct view on my generation. So I'm going to do something that is very unorthadox of me and post an excerpt from the radio show:

"What interests me the most about the younger generation, is that they are the first generation in human history that have the technical power to destory the human race with chemical, nuclear and biological weapons. BUT they are also the first generation in human history that have the technology and the know-how and the money to solve the problems of the human race. And what choice will they take? And I think people of my age have to be very respectful when they talk to the young because I can't say that my generation made a big success of the world through which we lived, you know we had two world wars, 105 million people killed, dropped an atomic bomb and so on, so I think you have to address young people in a way that shows you recognise that they can do a better job than we did."

Also another quote that made me laugh with understandable joy:

"I think of myself as a geriatric juvenile"

You can listen to the show here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/jeremy-vine/

I think the show was probably the wisest advice I have heard in a long time from somebody I don't know. Check out his book as well (which I admit I haven't read yet) "Letters to My Grandchildren" because I'm sure that there is some rationality in it that affects everyone. There's also a lot in the interview about hard work and putting on faces. Also advice with love, friends and family that really hit home. I would seriously recommend listening to it, even if it's just on in the background. The interview starts about 30 minutes in.

Thank you.
D.



This is a photograph I took a few years ago of a girl from my generation, a friend, putting on a mask for nobody else apart from me, the photographer.

Song listening to right now: Lord of this World - Black Sabbath

Thursday 1 July 2010

Week 55: Colonialism II.

This week I noticed the importance of vibrant colours and different seasons of fashion. It made me feel more observant towards people's personalities. People enjoy summer weather and they enjoy the playfulness of fashion and styling.

Daniel.



This photograph was a studio shot from a collection of styling photos. It really shows the playfulness of such vibrant colours that can be fashionably linked to styles of time periods and cultural tradition.

Song listening to right now: Runaway - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Monday 21 June 2010

Week 54: Industry.

This week has involved a bit of stress and organization, but it's over with and it's now time to relax. For the next week or so I will be enjoying big open spaces. These spaces may be big and open but they are also quite claustrophobic. Built by man, with only a small number of purposes; to enjoy and to adrenalate. I can't wait.

D.



This photograph was part of a shoot for another fashion designer, Emma Manning. She was focusing on the idea of industry. I thought one of the best places to do shoot this would be the biggest open car park in Nottingham; The Forest. This was for a number of reasons; the first being, at night it would be a large open space that was originally man made. The other reason was that a car park is a symbol of industry. Although at first seeming trivial, during the day it is filled to the brim with the cars that belong to the working people of Nottingham. Hundreds of workers fight to find a space so they can be on time to work and then finally add to the well greased machine that is running the economy. The gigantic floodlights also added to an entirely epic feel to this industrial landscape.

So to go there at night was strange, this was exactly what we wanted. It felt both agoraphobic and effervescent (the light adding to this). Since both the designer and myself were happy with the links between concept and aesthetic, this added to the final outcome. When shooting fashion I think it's great to relate to the designer. If both the photographer and the designer are simultaneously content, then you have succeeded.

Song listening to right now: Strong Arm of The Law - Saxon

Tuesday 15 June 2010

Week 53: Androgyny NY.

So as New York approaches, I thought I'd dedicate this one to a good friend of mine, Katy Wood. She's been through a lot this year and I will thoroughly miss her. The past two years spent with Katy have been an absolute blast. Most people would say "we've had our ups and downs" with close friends, but we have certainly only had ups.

D.



This is from a set of fashion images. It shows garments that fit the style of Androgyny, designed by Claire Jones. In this photograph Katy has had her make up done and her eyebrows thickened to enhance the male/female cross-over that has been on the periphery of fashion for decades. Androgynous images pop up every now and again, but when they do they are completely centered around fashion. Consequently, I think that Claire has designed and produced an outfit that has made us question the prejudices of fashion and simultaneously made the outfit look attractive. This is why I believe she is a designer with a fantastic frame of mind.

Song listening to right now: Dual of Fates - John Williams

Tuesday 8 June 2010

Week 52: Anniversary.

So it's been a whole year since I started this life project, and it's been going well, I've only left it late twice and that was because of having no internet. It has been interesting and long but I feel satisfied in the knowledge that it will serve as a great archive and diary for when I am much older. I will look back on events that have long left my memory and link them to the photographs I have made over the years. I adore nostalgia. Only 18.1653649 years left.

Many sincere thanks to everyone who has been reading over the past year, and I hope you carry on for the next 18.1653649 years.

Dan.



This week has been stressful, but I am now basking in freedom and relaxing in reality. This project was essentially a project on realism. Realism is in accordance with secular empirical rules, it is a third person objective state without embellishment or interpretation. This implies that it is ontologically independent of man's conceptual schemes, linguistic practices and beliefs, and thus knowable to the artist who can, in turn, represent this reality faithfully. During the 1850s the realists positioned themselves against romanticism. This can still be seen in Photography and film.

In the world of Photography, Martin Parr aims to construct snapshots of everyday objective reality whereas Crewsdon is more romantic, and will add makeup, lighting and make the sets look very "Hollywood."

Film has started to lean towards realism recently, it connects with today's demographic in a much more personal way. For example if we compare "Saving Private Ryan" with a film such as "Hurt Locker", SPR is completely embellished and emphasized with a dramatic music score and personal relations. The same goes for Sci-Fi, with Independence Day and District 9. If aliens where to land, they wouldn't necessarily always end up in New York or Washington. The clever thing about D9 is that the directors decided to relate it to real life events, in this case, the apartheid. District 9 is also shot in a documentary-esque style (much like Hurt Locker) so it connects with reality tenfold. You can see from this, that the more recent films lend themselves to Realism's traditions.

Song listening to right now: War - Edwin Starr

Monday 31 May 2010

Week 51: Constructing the image III.

Still focusing on the same concept of construction, I have explored different events including different members of society. The environment of these subjects has to suit otherwise the relation between audience, photograph and subject would be invalid. This week has lead to a development in the project where I have been traveling to people's comfortable settings and analyzing relationships between individuals.

This construction of images lends itself to my scientific argument that I have so recently written an essay about. Relationships between people and objects are key to understanding and interpreting the photograph.

Human emotions, memory and imagination are as real as the books right in front of me. However, they are illusive and trick your brain into thinking they don’t physically exist, but in fact they are reacting to this text and traveling around your body right now. They can be both physically and chemically suppressed or encouraged. There is no magical phenomenon behind it. There is a fine-tuned chemical reaction within our hormones that makes us aesthetically attracted to another human being (it is built up of years of selection and rejection), just as there is one for when we are aesthetically attracted to a photograph. This is the aesthetic relationship between art and science.

Thank you for reading this week.
Dan.



I would like to thank Penny for letting me borrow her family and home for an afternoon last week. It was an inspiring shoot and put my faith back into the idea of family. It took a while before I could decide what situation the snapshot would include, I first intended to have a photograph of the boy (Sam) on the horse. Fate stepped in and bucked him off, so that was obviously a bad omen. I'm slightly frustrated at myself for not snapping the moment he was flung into the air, but I would have felt bad had he been seriously hurt. I then took a 5x4 of Sam washing one of the ponies to correlate with a photograph of my Father washing his motorcycle in the 1970s. However, this didn't work quite as well as the simple snapshot of just him, the horse and the house. It was simple and looked just like any other snapshot you would see in a family album, working well with the picnic photographs featured before. I am still keeping the irony of the snapshot behind these photographs. Of course, they are still being shot on large format to give that hint of construction within them.

Song listening to right now: Hey Good Lookin' - Hank Williams

Monday 24 May 2010

Week 50: Constructing the image II.

In the wake of last week, I have determined the route I want my current photographs to travel down. I asked myself, what constitutes a snapshot? Spontaneity? Nostalgia? These two things are related to the snapshot but I hadn't thought about it properly. The production of the snapshot is instant but the result is consequently Nostalgic. Human mannerisms come and go, but they are what keep familiarity within portraits.

Thankyou.
D.



This is the first time I have posted a variation of the previous week and it probably won't be the last. I think that I prefer this photograph to the last photograph. It is a reminder of the true image, and truth provokes thought. The cognitive reception of my photographs is the most important part of constructing them in the first place.

Song listening to right now: Onions - John Lee Hooker

Monday 17 May 2010

Week 49: Constructing the image.

This week has been full of images that I will remember for the rest of my life. Moment's I feel that I should record within my mind. They are snapshots of nostalgia that I hope will stick in my memory for as long as possible. In photography, a snapshot is a spontaneous image that is used to capture an instantaneous moment. Coincidentally this comes into relevance with the project I am now working on.

Thank you for your interest.
Dan.



I have been analysing categories of snapshots from different situations, events and general socialising. It has come to my attention that there isn't a specific type of snapshot. People feel the need to photograph their friends and family in completely different positions and poses. Gazes stray and stare. Attention to the camera is sometimes inappropriate but other times it is paramount to the candid bite. The set of images in this project are completely constructed to look like snapshot photographs. Everything in the photograph is placed and positioned. The picture aims to be subtley ironic. Although it appears to be a happy shot at a picnic, it is completely superficial. The snapshot does not exist.

This was taken on 5x4 colour neg with a field Wista so the sheet of film is precious. It takes a lot more time and precision to take a photograph than digital photography, so once again; the snapshot does not exist. To add to the pragmatics of the image, I intended to keep a subtle indication of the 5x4 camera, and include slight movements of the bellows. In whole, my aim is create images through realism and it's aesthetic values.


Song listening to right now: You Really Got Me - The Kinks

Tuesday 11 May 2010

Week 48: Flesh.

After seeing Rineke Dijkstra, August Sander and Thomas Streuth's work in the flesh, I was drawn into a sense of direction concerning my work. Viewing a digital image is a completely different visual activity compared to seeing the actual print. I didn't really think about it whilst I was there but the after affect was brilliant. To see Dijkstra's prints of the Mother's after childbirth with so much detail was truly awesome, there was so much that I hadn't noticed before. For example, two out of three of the women were wearing wedding rings. This was quite a significant indicator since during labour the wedding ring is normally removed and kept off for at least a few hours after. So the middle photograph [http://www.heyhotshot.com/blog/blogimages/qa_with_hot_shot_cara_phillips/dijkstra.jpg] made me think; was she single? Or was it directly after the birth (you can see the trickle of blood, without any padding or aftermath pants like the first mother) [http://www.hildebrand.me/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Dijkstra_New_Mothers.jpg]. There are many other possibilities that aren't indicated through a picture, but it is an action of viewing the original print that triggers our imagination the most.



Once again, this is a filmic self portrait, very much inspired by Sherman. It is a constructed piece that contains signifiers that your eyes may just pass over at first glance. However, now that I have mentioned this, you will seek to notice. This is where text can be paramount to seeing the actual print. 5x4 transparancy also helps by expanding the amount of light that hits the film and enhancing details.

Song listening to right now: Do It All Over - Cocoa Tea

Thursday 6 May 2010

Week 47: Direction

I haven't really looked at architectural photography for a few years now, it's not what I enjoy. However, over the past few days I have been thinking about maybe changing my direction in the industry or at least expanding it a bit more. I may have to give up what I enjoy to make it in the industry. I am determined to get to where I want to and I'm not afraid to work hard at it. I will strive through difficult, frustrating and mundane tasks for years to actually get somewhere in the end.

Thanks for reading.
Daniel.



This was captured in Nice back in 2008. So it's not a recent photograph but it has a very relevant point. I have been waiting for something to come into view, to change the direction of my lifestyle and it has finally started to look up. The photograph does it's best to represent it.

Song listening to right now: Lies - The Junglists

Saturday 1 May 2010

Week 46: Replacement.

I have become pretty jealous of my parent's lifestyle during the years before I was born. To travel the world and earn a living whilst doing it would be ideal for my mindset. Images are a reflection on times that may or may not have been better. Nostalgia is therefore a powerful tool when you are wielding a camera. This week I have been looking at the representation and the reinterpretation of images.

Thanks again.
Dan.



I fully intended to keep the situation the same, but the mannerisms had to be my own. These photographs weren't posed as such, just so I could just handle the situation in my own way. Everything else in the photograph had to be constructed to replicate the situation my Father was in.

Recently, we had a guest lecture with Tom Hunter which, at first, I was a bit skeptical about. Turns out, I really enjoy his images now. I knew that they were modernized versions of some of my favourite paintings, and at first I thought he had done a terrible job of it. What I did not realize was that they were concerning stories that were local to him and he had a personal connection to his art. However, I do not wish to remake an image in my own style, I intend to replace the individual but keep the situation the same.

Song listening to right now: Seasons of Man - Yes

Sunday 25 April 2010

Week 45: Engagement II.

I like making eye contact now, I don't tend to make eye contact with people I am speaking to usually. But now I feel it is relevant and engaging. Conversation flows so much smoother and you can relate with the opposite party.

D.



This photograph is of Leanne's cat; Socks. There was no real reason why I took this, but it is an engaging stare and if you notice it is looking straight at the camera. Point a camera at a cat and it will normally just look YOU straight in the eye.

Song listening to right now: Strutter - Kiss

Sunday 18 April 2010

Week 44: Bribery, Blackmail and Blasphemy.

A fine is a rich man's bribe. Getting to where you want has never been so dependent on social status or family background. It frustrates me to the point where I fail to see the reason in it. Sometimes, bribery can help a third party more than the two mitigating parties that are primarily involved. I will try to demonstrate in visual form, but first I must explain my reasons behind this week's post. A few negative things have hit me this week, that a few of my peers are aware of, that involve blackmail and situations of quick thinking. I also have a recent photograph of mine that coincidentally suits the happenings of the past week.

Thanks.
D.



Whilst traveling through Portabello Market my Father was approached by a begger asking to give him a ten pound note (or something ridiculous). My father offered him a small amount of money if he would let me take a photograph of them both. He agreed. I noticed a small wink from my Dad, as if to tell me that I should not be phototgraphing the both of them. So I adjusted the camera position and focus subtley; thus cropping the picture to highlight the begger. My father's bribary did not benifit him or the begger, but instead it benefited me photographically. This is a point that must be remembered when looking for the right path to get what you want. Social status and economic backgrounds are both factors that play a huge role too.

Song listening to right now: Absolute Sweet Marie - George Harrison

Friday 9 April 2010

Week 43: Curiosity.

People have always said that I have had an Achilles heel. I seem to give in to curiosity every single time it crops up. There are certain sayings and idioms which state that curiosity ends up with negative consequences. "Ignorance is bliss" and "Curiosity killed that cat" are constantly nagging at the back of my brain, nibbling at the fleshy nerve endings that satisfy my acquisition of knowledge. Anyway, enough of the fancy embellishments and ridiculous analogies. My argument is against ignorance being bliss, and that curiosity is a good thing.

This past week's experience has led me down a lane where I have been finding out things that are involved in my personal life, things that some people would normally wish that they never knew. Yes there is, at first, a temporary sting and rush of blood that makes me slightly angry, but I learn to put that in the past very quickly. Have you ever seen that scene in Disney's The Lion King? Where Rafiki is talking to Simba about learning from events and then putting them in the past.

He smacks Simba on the head with his staff and then there is this bit of dialogue:

Simba: "Ow! Jeez. What was that for?"
Rafiki: "It doesn't matter! It's in the past."
Simba: "Yeah but it still hurts."
Rafiki: "Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it."

This is one of my favourite moments in film history; Rafiki then takes another swing at Simba, and consequently he adapts quickly and dodges it. The point I'm trying to get across goes with the saying "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Personally I have always found that my curiosity acts as a trigger to gain knowledge and educate myself. It is not a bad thing to satisfy your curiosity. Yes, there may be pain that could stay with you for just a few seconds or for the rest of your life, but you will need to adapt and evolve your reactions sooner or later. Curiosity ends up with positive consequences and as human beings we learn from what we find out.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks post.

Daniel.




This photograph was taken about a year ago, I will let you try and spot why it is related to the subject of "Curiosity". It's quite a broad and open photograph, although it can be seen as referencing social status (which you would be right to assume) but there are many more aspects to it. Curiosity is certainly one of them.

Song listening to right now: Age of Revolution - The Duckworth Lewis Method

Friday 2 April 2010

Week 42: Late.

So this one is a few days late due to unforeseen circumstances. Have you ever seen the film Changeling? Around eighty percent of the most stunning stills are executed by using the doorway technique I have concentrated on recently. They sincerely frame the individual and subject well. Everything that is seemingly important is placed within the door frame and everything outside is nothing more than trivial. This illusion shows persuasion from the cinematographer to the audience and sways the viewer into believing what is important and what is unimportant.



This photograph was taken on 5x4 transparency and cross processed as colour neg. It highlights what is important to the way I think.

I ingest and inhale an absence; and so I digest and exhale a presence.

Song listening to right now: Out of the Tiles - Led Zeppelin

Monday 22 March 2010

Week 41: A private moment in a public space III.

So the exhibition is over and I have had a relaxing past few days after taking everything down and knowing it was such a big success. I have gained a lot out of it and has been quite a prominent life lesson. Next week I will move on from this.

Thanks
Daniel.



Reflecting and contemplating helps with a lot of things, but also suspends our lives.

Song listening to right now: Orion - Metallica

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Week 40: A private moment in a public space II.

Our private viewing was a great success, everyone had done a fantastic job setting it up. Thank you to everyone who came, there was a lot of money and effort put in by everyone. So this week has got me thinking about the future and how I should present myself and my work.

Dan.



This is a representation of a state of confusion in the way we should present ourselves; another image from the exhibition.

Song listening to right now: The Psychic - Crash Test Dummies

Sunday 7 March 2010

Week 39: A private moment in a public space.

The exhibition is approaching, and so I will post photographs relevant to this public showing over the next few weeks...

Do you ever get the feeling that if you had not been so inspired by a single person, then you would not have inspired others? Well, I'm never going to say that I have achieved that goal, and I'm not sure I ever will. In fact, I mean not to (and that is not just modesty speaking). However, when you exhibit a piece of work you can never be sure who has seen it, and their feelings towards it. So if, one day, I inspire somebody through my work, I would never put the credit down to me. I would put it solely down to the most modest individual I know, who just so happens to be related to me.

My father has led a fantastic life; he has travelled the world, been educated by different cultures, worked in beautiful countries and earned a brilliant living for his family. I myself am substantially jealous, not only of the memories he possesses, but also that he is content in not exhibiting his great accomplishments. This is the drive behind my work, and consequently why I motivate my mind into making images.

Thanks to everybody who has read this.
Daniel.



By using light as a frame I have come to a broad conclusion that the door frame is comparable to the shutter on a camera. A room is a private box until the door is opened, and so the contents is exposed (sic); exposed to light and exposed to the viewer. Pools of light flood in, and these pools are only existent because of the action of the door frame (whether they are coming out of the room or flooding into the room). As I have said before, Photography is a science; it is a mechanical process followed by a chemical process and subsequently a biological process. Our emotions, memories, thoughts and ideas are not quite as abstract as we might think; they are electrical signals from nerve to brain and pulses that effect our interpretation of images. Fear and Imagination are the closest feelings to being abstract, these are exaggerated tenfold by the anonymity of the dark.

The set that you will see hung at the exhibition were all shot on transparency film, and then deliberately cross processed as C-41 to enhance the shadows and highlights.

Each image is personally attached to me
, but the irony is in the setting. The photographs have a personal setting and atmosphere to them, but they will all be exhibited and exposed in a public space, which can be seen as contrary to my Father.

Song listening to right now: Call Me - Blondie

Sunday 28 February 2010

Week 38: Colonialism.

This week I did a fashion shoot in the style of Dazed and Confused, for some second year Fashion students. I am in adoration of fashion design students as they excel in professionalism and effort.

D.



The style was quite obviously Native American/Tribal, and they did a brilliant job of achieving the precise look they set out to create; keeping to that style with vibrant colours and also a modern spin on the placement of the garments that you wouldn't be surprised to see in today's top magazines. I applaud them for letting me be free with aesthetic ideas and poses, I feel we really connected throughout the entire shoot. So I guess this is a completely different post from whatever you have read previously, but I went back to keeping an open mind about photography and enjoyed fashion. So I thought if I enjoy a different type of photography I may as well enjoy writing in a different style also.

Song listening to right now: Shake That - Eminem

Sunday 21 February 2010

Week 37: Appropriation.

We understand photography as taking something from time, you "take a picture" and do what you want with it, it has then become the Photographer's possession. Humans do exactly the same (sic) with memories. Ere the invention of cameras, the only way to prove to yourself that something was real, was to root through the weaving web of electrical signals that have now become slightly numb, and seldom did this prevail.

After trying to deal with some issues I have been facing with memory this week, I would like to see this blog as being an archive similar to a substitute brain. Each post is, in turn, a photograph (even if it does not include a graphic representation, which it will), a week long exposure of my thoughts that will serve well as a memory; something I can fish out of the garbage bin that is my brain in years to come.

Thanks for your time.
Dan.



This photograph has no aesthetic power really, but is a reminder of memory to me personally. I see this image every time I walk to university. Not a lot of people will recognize it, but that is probably because they do not notice their routine. This photograph is a representation of my memory, both semiotic and aesthetic. Let's just say, there are a few grey-areas dotted around both my cognative state and the city I live in.

‘We shall take language, discourse, speech etc., to mean any significant unit or synthesis, whether verbal or visual: a photograph will be a kind of speech for us in the same way as a newspaper article, even objects will become speech, if they mean something.’
- Roland Barthes

Song listening to right now: Go your own way - Fleetwood Mac