Competition Time - Black and White Photographer of the Year 2012

It's that time of year again - Black and White Photography Magazine's Photographer of the Year 2012 Competition.

I struggled this time - due to all sorts of emotional complications that 2012 will forever be remembered for - and only just managed to create a set of images and submit them in time for the final deadline. I wasn't sure what to create and for at least two days nothing seemed to work. Then these just happened. I don't know quite where they came from, but I like them. I think I just needed to switch off and let whatever it is that helps you out in these moments (creativity? inspiration?) take over.

I've managed to get through to the next round and the prints should be with them by now. Fingers crossed.

I'm on a bit of a mission to win a major competition within my lifetime.

The first three photograms (hand, crickets and damselfly were entered into the Black and White Photographer of the Year category). The final picture of the tomato plant was entered into the Living World category.

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Competitions

I like to enter photographic competitions from time to time - I haven't won any yet, but that doesn't stop me trying. I think it's good to have a go, put your work out there in front of other people in the industry. It often provides a chance to try things out and who knows, one day I might win. It is due, in part, to an earlier competition with the magazine below that I took a leap of faith, quit the day job and started to be a photographer full time. So they can even change your life!


I recently entered into the Black and White Photographer of the Year 2011 competition run through Black and White Photography Magazine and was notified that I had been shortlisted and put through to the next round. I didn't manage to win (this time), but they very kindly put a selection of shortlisted entries into their December 2011 issue and each of the selected images has been given a whole page to itself!  I just can't get over how cool that is.

I wanted to try something different with my photograms. I created new images by joining several together. They are abstract in nature due to the random gathering of found objects, but I wanted to keep the aesthetic quality and suggest that these items could have existed together and worked together. There are all sorts of ingredients in these: dead insects found on windowsills, a plastic bracelet lying in a gutter, an old bottle discovered in the verge on a dog walk, broken rulers...

I've been watcing the films and stop motion animation of The Brothers Quay (pronounced Kway) recently and their work simply blows you away, it is incredibly poetic and visually amazing. (I recommend Street of Crocodiles and Institute Benjamenta as starting points).They appear to live and work in a world where everything that can be overlooked and ignored becomes important and is given life: dust, grime, seeds, screws, the broken and discarded...

 

 

Something simple

I've always admired the work of Man Ray and I've always enjoyed dabbling in experimental imaging and creating contemporary photograms.
I spent some quality time getting the spare room (studio) looking tidy again and re-discovered a load of 'stuff'.
I love working with layers and textures to build an image upwards like a painting, spending hours or even days getting it just how I want it, but sometimes, just sometimes, it's nice to have a change and enjoy the simple the bold and the graphic.

Broken

I found the heart lying in the gutter. It wasn't the first, or the last. It had been broken at some stage - not a great crack down the middle type of break, but a chink in the edges sort. I'm not an expert, but I guess you could fix this little fella if the missing parts could be found or replaced, and you had one of those really strong glues.
For now it rests, with the others, in a box near the fireplace...