Issue 5 by Vignette Magazine

INSPIRING INTERNATIONAL IMAGERY

ISSUE 5

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Editor_ Philip Searle Design _ Alec Jackson The Team

Twitter @vignettemag Find us on Facebook

Luke Archer Danny Griffin Rachel Sokal

Muta-Morphosis no117, Murat Germen page 12

Lou Taylor Iris Veysey

www.vignettemagazine.com Vignette is owned by Photographique. www.photographique.co.uk Postal address: Vignette, 31 Baldwin Street, Bristol, BS1 1RG

© All rights reserved. All material in Vignette may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written consent. All content in Vignette appears courtesy of the contributors and copyright remains with the contributor, where identified, and with Vignette where not. Vignette has made every effort to check the accuracy of the content of the magazine and all information was believed to be correct at the time of print.E & O E.

FOCUS This is the 5th issue of Vignette and marks the beginning of the second year of the magazine. This is a good a time as any to look back at what we have achieved so far and where we go from here. The first 4 issues have featured some big name photographers including Martin Parr, Vivian Maier, Ragnar Axelsson, Zed Nelson and many more. We have included the work of over 20 photographers, introducing some new names to you, our readers and have given you opportunities to get your images into Vignette via our competitions, portfolio review and Page 3 Portrait feature. We have also expanded our distribution effectiveness and now have copies of Vignette in over 20 Waterstones stores plus galleries and shops throughout the UK. The magazine is also available by subscription. Our website,

www.vignettemagazine.com, twitter and Facebook pages have expandedand are now stimulating and informative ports of call for photography enthusiasts worldwide.

In the next few months we will be working on a number of exciting projects including developing an app, an open submission exhibition with a London gallery, and continuing to expose you all to much more fantastic inspiring international imagery! This issue is our Alternative special and we have some really varied photography from international photographers working on projects using unconventional or traditional techniques. In addition, we were contacted by the agent of new name US photographer Eliot Lee Hazel and were so stunned by his photography that we decided to feature it in issue 5.

This issue also includes the programme for Bristol Festival of Photography. The festival is headlined by an exhibition of work from two Institute photographers and Vignette is sponsoring this show. Institute is a photo agency and represents a number of big name photographers including Simon Norfolk (issue 3) and Zed Nelson (issue 4). The Bristol exhibition will run from 3-31 May at the new Philadelphia Street Gallery and will showcase the work of Zed Nelson and Paolo Woods. (see programme for deatils) The festival also hosts the RGB Awards finalists exhibition and we will feature the winners’ photography in issue 6. It has been an exciting year for us at Vignette and it is great to be involved in something positive and get such great feedback along the way. We hope you enjoy issue 5.

Philip Searle

P3 PORTRAIT ‘Tehran at Night’ by Samin Ahmadzadeh Part of a longer series, Tehran at Night was taken in a very crowded shopping area in Tehran called Tajrish, using a Canon 5d without flash. A shop window illuminates a mother protectively holding her child.

‘My main aim was to make a theatrical scene from an everyday situation by capturing the gestures and facial expressions of people passing by. For me the main figures of this image can be interpreted as a pictorial representation of Madonna and child in Christianity.‘

www.my.opera.com/saminahmadzadeh

PAGE 3 PORTRAIT. For consideration please email one portrait photograph to contact@ vignettemagazine.com

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Film developing, photo printing and studio www.photographique.co.uk 31 Baldwin Street, Bristol, BS1 1RG 0117 930 0622

We Are Moving to 27 Clare Street, Bristol, BS1 1XA. New store opens 6th June 2012.

Ten years is a long time... Philip Searle It is now 10 years since digital cameras became viable as a consumer product. Few would have predicted the massive changes that have happened to the photography market in since then. In 2002 I was managing a high street photography store at the height of the digital camera revolution and I remember selling masses of cameras like the Canon Poweshot A40 at the very affordable £279 to a market clamouring for the latest, coolest products. The A40 was a 2 mega pixel camera and ran on AA batteries, but in 2002 it, and cameras like it, were the ipad of 2012. We sold over 200 cameras in the week before Christmas 2002 with sales totally £100,000 - crazy times. This was the first time many could afford to invest in a digital camera and thus enter a new and exciting digital world where products get smaller, faster, better with every passing month. 10 years ago film cameras and traditional photographic processes were ditched in favour of the latest must-have digital cameras. Camera shops used equipment displays were stuffed full of Canon, Olympus, Pentax and Mamiya film cameras selling for as little as £9 each. Film was dead: replaced with new cheaper instant gratification digitalness. RIP film. But perhaps it was inevitable that film, like vinyl, would survive as an alternative or nostalgic form of photography, rediscovered by those who abandoned it in an attempt to relive their early experiences with film. However, few would have predicted what has actually happened in the last 4 or 5 years. As the children of the digital revolution reach adulthood they have discovered film for the first time. Film photography or “analogue photography” is on the rise and this is due, in part, to Lomography. Their plastic fun camera range has opened up film photography to a whole new generation; some of whom go on to develop a real passion for film and film cameras and learn to appreciate the distinctive qualities and disciplines of film photography. For me it is odd that 10 years after the insanity of digital camera sales in 2002, I own a photographic store specialising in film developing and printing. When I opened Photographique in 2008, I believed that the consensus opinion that film was dead was wrong and there was money in offering film services. I had not anticipated how much growth there would be in this market. In June this year we relocate to a bigger better site and will introduce a new range of film photography services in order to cater for the new coolest technology in photography - silver halide film! A friend recently told of how his young cousin asked if he’d seen this new camera film that was available: it was Ilford XP2! Long live film!

FP-100c

INSTANT KARMA Danny Griffin With Polaroid’s discontinuation of its iconic instant film lines in 2008, many photographers feared that an entire photographic medium, with its own unique styles and look, would disappear. Even with the instant feedback and gratification of digital photography, there is a tactile charm to instant film that is entirely unlike other methods. Luckily for its cult of advocates it soon became apparent that film manufacturers, both established and new, weren’t about to let the flame burn out. Out of the current crop, by far the most excitement has been devoted to The Impossible Project, a veritable labour of love by a group of Austrian Polaroid enthusiasts. They purchased much of the company’s defunct machinery and assets, and have started creating new films in modest quantities. Their newest ColourShade range of films is available for both SX70-type cameras, and the ubiquitous 600 format. Though not cheap-the cost per shot is over twice that of the competing Fujifilm Instax range- the film is aimed firmly at vintage gear fetishists, proudly displaying unpredictable but exciting variations in colour and exposure. Much like Lomography’s products, the results can be beautiful and evocative, but achieving any form of consistency is reliably impossible. Whilst the Impossible Project’s films have been grabbing attention with their retro charm, Fujifilm have also been quietly producing a fantastic range of instant films. Instax has

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great image quality and accurate colour rendition. Available in both Mini (62x46mm) and Wide (60x99mm) formats, it has been gaining popularity since Polaroid abandoned the market four years ago. The Wide film produces impressively large prints and provides an alternative to waiting with fingers crossed to see what shade of orange the final image will be. For those who have higher demands, Fujifilm have even continued production of FP-100c, their instant packfilm for medium and large format Polaroid backs. If cold stored, this film is capable of producing the vibrant high contrast look of reversal film. Primarily designed for checking exposure before committing to negative, they are a great option for photographers who want the transitory appeal of instant photographs without any of its technical drawbacks. Despite the resurgence in the instant film market it’s difficult to predict what the future holds for such a niche and cult product. Mind you, for those photographers who cherish these one of a kind artefacts, isn’t the transience part of the charm?

The Impossible Project PX 680 Color Shade FF

READ We all love our photo books, so Dan Lewis from Waterstones has picked out four of the best for you.

Art Of iPhoneography: A Guide to Mobile Creativity The best camera is one that’s always with you, and today you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t carry a mobile phone. Apple’s iPhone is not only one of the most popular phones in the world, but the most popular camera on photosharing website Flickr. The hardware of the camera itself has been through a number of revisions over the years that have seen its output go from grainy to gorgeous as a result. The Art of iPhoneography looks at the phenomenon of iPhone photography and offers tips, tricks and challenges to help you improve your photos, whatever your skill level. Starting out, you’ll find a list of paid and free apps which offer not just the ability to upload and share images but to manipulate them with filters, or emulate antique cameras and classic film stock with subtle effects. No, it’s not the real thing – but it’s a great digital nod to the analogue ancestry. There’s the opportunity to push yourself with special missions, training exercises which ask you to try something new with your photography, and also masterclasses with iPhone community photographers, sharing the techniques they used to produce particular images showcased alongside. If you’ve got an iPhone and have ever wanted to get more from its camera, look no further.

Stephanie C. Roberts ILEX 9781907579172 RRP £9.99

Practical HDR High Dynamic Range or HDR photography appears to be very much en vogue currently. What started out as a way of getting around the limitations of digital camera sensors has now been adopted as a way to create vivid and distinct images. David Nightingale’s book, now in a new edition, includes much for the intermediate digital photographer looking to discover HDR. There’s some enlightening, and very much welcome, explanation of the technique itself, relating to both the taking of HDR images in the first place as well as digital darkroom techniques for getting the very best from your photographs. The beauty of HDR is often the shocking colour and crispness it can provide, and there’s plenty of example photos that display how it can be used to truly stunning effect. These range from intricately detailed images which show HDR’s capability to enhance textures and contrast, through to almost hyper-real images packed with a depth of colour that’s at times hard to comprehend. A great beginners guide to the process of the moment. David Nightingale Thames & Hudson 9781907579783 RRP £14.99

Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age Robert Hirsch’s work is diverse but always intricately researched, deeply informed, highly authoritative and crucially immensely readable. From Seizing the Light: A Social History of Photography right through to his more practical, theory based books such as Photographic Possibilities (both also published by Focal Press and in their second and third editions respectively), he consistently produces writing that is at the forefront of any about the medium. And he’s also a pretty good photographer himself! Light and Lens, now in its second edition, approaches digital photography with a traditional film photographer’s eye. Basics such as composition are dealt with from first principles, but never in such a way that feels patronising to those in the know. In fact, Hirsch manages to get under the skin of what a photograph really is through a series of exercises which encourage the reader to think deeply about all aspects of the process. There’s much to learn here for all but the most advanced digital photographers, but what you’ll really come away with is as sense of passion and possibility for the things that digital processes can allow you to achieve when you just think a little more about how to use them.

The Polaroid Book We’re living in a digital age. Working with film is more expensive than it’s ever been and with one of the last stalwarts, Kodak, filing for bankruptcy protection after failing to make the leap to digital effectively, it seems the photography of the past may struggle to survive. However, as shown by the popularity of iPhone camera apps such as Hipstamatic, there’s a renaissance in appeal for the humble Polaroid. The company may no longer produce the film needed for these classic cameras (you’ll have to hunt around or look to The Impossible Project for that these days) but there’s a great deal to admire about the way they changed the world and, long before digital cameras, made “instant” an artform. This new book from Taschen showcases hundreds of images from The Polaroid Corporation’s private collection in a celebration of the possibilities their cameras inspired in photographers the world over. After a fascinating history of the company, you’ll find photos from artists such as David Hockney and Robert Rauschenberg alongside snaps by fashion photographers like Helmut Newton and Jeanloup Sieff. A great book to escape into, that is so packed with a sense of discovery and inspiration it will have you rushing out in search of moments to capture, with whatever camera is filling your Polaroid-void.

Robert Hirsch Focal Press 9780240818276 RRP £32.99

Barbara Hitchcock, Steve Crist Taschen 9783836501897 RRP £8.99

Text - Dan Lewis

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Orien and Angie with Argosy Streamliner Brooklyn, New York.

Homeland Robyn Hasty’s Homeland project is a huge achievement: a crowd-sourced, wet-plate American road trip.

Hasty used Kickstarter to fund most of the project. The website gives people the chance to donate money in exchange for certain tiers of reward: pledge £500 for a wet plate portrait session with Hasty, accreditation as a benefactor and her ‘unending and exuberant personal gratitude’. Crowd sourcing is a fast alternative to the slow and ever competitive world of funding, allowing Hasty to get on the road as quickly as possible. The road trip is a huge part of recent photographic history and many of the medium’s seminal works have taken this format, such as Robert Franks’ The Americans and Stephen Shore’s American Surfaces. In a sea of imitators Homeland stands out. According to Hasty the road trip is at the heart of the American psyche. She states: ‘In our culture, the individual goes out on a journey of discovery across a vast amount of space, alone in the car, to carve a niche for himself in the world.’ Wet plate has all the complexities of large format photography as well as its own additional challenges. Plates must be carefully prepared on location in Plates must be carefully prepared on location in a portable darkroom, and need to exposed and processed within

fifteen minutes. They have a low sensitivity to light, requiring long exposures and patient, motionless sitters. Although an antiquated process, wet plate still has practitioners worldwide, however many seem restricted by its limitations. There is an obsession with the ‘vintage look’ equating the format’s stillness with death. Hasty attributes this to nostalgia.

‘ The process is considered obsolete, and that gives people an opportunity to dwell on the tragedy of things passing, and triggers a compulsion to revive what has been lost.’ Hasty’s own use of the process is refreshingly focused on the modern and living:

‘ I don’t think the process is obsolete, or dead…it has been freed from industry to be used for purely formal reasons - because of its material beauty, its nuances, its tone, its sharpness, its imperfections. I think that attitude has allowed me to approach modern subjects with a fresh eye and perspective.’

Many current photography projects tackle the worldwide economic crisis. Most focus on the derelict and the desperation, few address it with as much hope as Homeland. Hasty, like others, has been attracted to the ruins of Detroit, but her images document the fight back as lead by grass roots communities and co-ops. The faces that look out at us appear defiant and optimistic, determined to fend for themselves, with the spirit required in a country with no welfare state and increasing unemployment. Hasty is still adding to Homeland, already an extensive body of work. A book describing the individual stories of her subjects is planned; no doubt Kickstarter will play a part in its creation. The book is set to be a fascinating insight into the ‘off grid’ subculture showing the resilience of human nature in most challenging of times. Coming soon to our website: more images from Homeland and the full interview with Robyn.

www.robynhasty.org

Transformazium Braddock, Pennsylvania.

Abandoned Projects Detroit, Michigan.

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Ben Wolf, Neighborhood Sculptor, Detroit, Michigan

Bicycle Mechanic, The LA Eco-Village, Los Angeles, California

Teradactyl, Tree House at the Art House New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ashira in the Garden at Aglago Collective House Los Angeles, California.

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Murat Germen

Automation has always been a controversial subject amongst photographers. With each new innovation, from autoexposure in the 60â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to autofocus in the 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s there are howls of objection from those who have devoted years to mastering its manual equivalent. However, since the advent of digital photography, such arguments have taken on a whole new dimension.

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Is it possible to harness these abilities creatively, whilst still retaining absolute control of the image? Is leaving elements of image creation to a mathematical program akin to the happy accidents of analogue and chemical processes? These are the questions that Istanbul based photographer Murat Germen asks with his Muta-Morphosis series. Vignette talked with him about the images and their creation.

The impact of automation upon image capture is no longer the subject of debate, instead it is automation in post-production that is called into question. A prime example of this is the new ‘content-aware’ features added to the latest editions of Photoshop. These features make independent decisions about which elements should be deleted, retained or duplicated when an image is cropped or resized. The images are shot panoramically with 70-300 and 100-400 mm tele-zoom lenses (manually or using a tripod) and they are stitched using AutoPano Pro software. Then they are opened in Photoshop, sometimes as very heavy files of 1 GB or more for further processing. I use Photoshop’s built-in command called ‘content aware scaling’ in order to scale and compress images. This is not your typical compression where things get thinner and thinner as they compress. This algorithm keeps some shapes intact with their original proportions, gets rid of some details and finally intertwines parts of the neighbouring components. Some panoramas have excessive 1:20 short-long side proportions and can easily be called hyper-panoramas.

Can you give us a basic description of how the Mutamorphosis images were shot and processed?

Though I do multiple passes which require a lot of time, planning, choice, patience, prediction and computer processing power, I am not 100% in control of image creation. So, there is certainly an element of controlled serendipity to it. I am also an academician and wrote an article on this process titled ‘Aesthetics of serendipity: Muta-morphosis’ A link Germens essay will be available on www.vignette.com.

How much control do you have over the software’s role in the image creation? Is there an element of controlled serendipity to it?

When I first discovered what I could do with this tool, I applied it to some panoramas that I already had. The results were satisfying, but then I started to take panoramas specifically for this purpose. Now I am more ‘muta-morphosis aware’, I can foresee what kind of a result I will have at the end. I compose the shot, position myself correspondingly and I leave out urban details that I suppose will yield bad results. Even then, probably more than half of my shoots fail to produce decent results. As far as content planning goes, I try to include many different urban components that otherwise cannot be seen at once with the naked eye. One can say I create collages out of cities using documentary photography without adding, deleting, copying, pasting anything at all.

As you know the image dimensions will be distorted, how do you consider this when composing the shot?

Oh yes, indeed. Istanbul is an amazing amalgam of cultures, people, food, architecture and walks of life. I am lucky to be an Istanbul-based photographer, there are an amazing amount of topics one can concentrate on, providing ground for both classical and contemporary projects. The urban collaging worked best in Istanbul, since this megalopolis is already a unique collage city. Though the city is settled on hills it essentially has a horizontal growth, which is naturally very compatible with panoramic photography. The advantage of many hills is that wherever you go up on the roofs of high buildings, you usually see a breathtaking view which will never be the same as any other you saw before. This city never stops surprising you…

Many of the images were shot in your hometown of Istanbul. Has the city provided any inspiration for the project?

Some people consider having a technical background as a disadvantage in artistic creation. I can see why, as technical minds can sometimes get excessively dull and limited by rules. I hope and suppose I took advantage of my technical background, forming an ever-present discipline in what I am trying to do, which is something that you don’t always see in artists. Discipline, of course, is not solely enough for creativity; but it helps to sustain inspiration, motivation and resourcefulness (which are things needed to stay creative). Though I do not consider myself a techfreak, I like following technical advances as they may help you to find new ways of expressing yourself.

You have a very technical background in Architecture and Town Planning, has this influenced your practice?

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www.muratgermen.com

Murat Germen will be exhibiting as part of ‘The Solo Project’, running June 13th-17th alongside the Art Basel Fair in Basel, Switzerland.

RACHEL SOK AL When I go for a walk in the country, I don’t see hills and trees and hedges. I see canvases. When I have my hands deep in soil in my garden, I’m not growing flowers and fruit. All I’m really interested in are the leaves.

For the past two years you could say I’ve been experiencing a mild form of chlorophilia.

Chloro; derived from chlorophyll, the green coloured structures in plants where photosynthesis occurs. Philia; Ancient Greek, ‘dispassionate affection for’. The result is a series of ephemeral chlorophyll prints; photos printed onto leaves using only sunlight. No, it’s not a religious miracle or a Photoshop job. These are real leaves with photos printed into their cellular structures. By placing a photo printed onto clear acetate on top of a leaf, then leaving it out in the sun for several days, the leaf itself takes the place of photographic paper. No chemicals or electric lights are needed this time though, just the sun. Where the acetate image cast a protective shadow over areas of the leaf, it stays a healthy green or darker brown. Where the sun shines through the clear highlights of the image overlay, it damages the leaf rather in a similar way to our own skin, but this time drying and bleaching rather than darkening it. The leaf is still alive as the photo develops onto it; only drying once the process is over and the photo overlay is lifted away. Just as the leaf itself had a lifespan, so does the image now printed onto it. These chlorophyll prints are purposely left ‘unfixed’ and chemical free. This means the images continue their slow change whenever they are exposed to sunlight, slowly bleaching to a pale brown and disappearing forever. So how did a trowel become as much of a daily photographic tool as my camera, enlarger or computer? The short answer: having my back up against the wall to make something for a themed exhibition. The long answer is that I think alternative photographic processes are a great way to engage people in photography and make it more accessible to a wider range of people. Amongst other projects with the BBC and local councils this approach has taken me to Mexico to work with Mayan photographers using pinhole cameras to show that photography doesn’t need to be expensive.

I also like to have some kind of message in my artistic work. I’d been feeling a bit overwhelmed when confronted with the enormity of climate change. I wanted to try to bring these huge issues down to a more personal level; to identify more directly with the ‘environment’ we’re always talking about. Whether human, animal or plant, we’re all living bodies under the same sun. This was my starting point. My first experiments with this process in began in 2010, inspired by Binh Danh’s work but entirely self-taught. After three weeks of trial an error, and dangerously close to my exhibition deadline, I made my first chlorophyll prints - echoing the shape of the stem and leaf with images of my wrist and hand. Since then I’ve spent two years researching this process and branching out, so to speak, to explore other echoes between human and plant bodies. Illustrations of brains and x-rays of bones echoing the shapes within the leaf structure; facial features for a surreal moment: ‘What if plants had eyes?’ There’s also a more obvious point here too; the way these images are made illustrates both the power of solar energy and the damage too much sun causes living cells, plant or human. Right now I’m preparing these leaves for my first major exhibition of this series - Living Echo – part of the Bristol Festival of Photography 2012. As well as frames, I also find myself surrounded by blackout fabric, thread and pulley systems. In order to exhibit the actual leaves rather than scanned reproductions of them, I need to make protective displays so they don’t bleach out a few days into the show. In order to view the chlorophyll prints you’ll need to uncover them. This is a great chance to add an interactive side to the exhibition; to highlight the viewer’s part in changing the exhibit, just like we are affecting our environment. In the coming year I hope to find some nice scientists to work with to make this series into an outreach programme and to develop new creative avenues. The world is full of naturally occurring processes where light constantly makes physical changes. I want to get in there and tweak those existing processes, capture them and strip back photography to its most basic elements.

Rachel Sokal will show an extensive selection of original chlorophyll prints during Bristol Festival of Photography: Venue #: Living Echo 17th – 31st May 2012 The Island Gallery, The Blue Gate, Bridewell Street, Bristol, BS1 2QD Mon-Sat 12-6pm - Sun 12-4pm

Rachel’s chlorophyll prints have also been selected in two international photography competitions since 2010. Most recently she won the Director’s Honourable Mention at The Center for Fine Art Photography, Colorado, USA for their Alternative Processes competition. Exhibition: 25th May-23rd June 2012. www.c4fap.org.

www.rachelsokal.com

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WINNER

Salvatore di Gregorio

TRAVEL COMPETITION In the last issue of Vignette we asked readers to submit their best travel photography. We received many interesting submissions, capturing people and places around the world. The works were particularly strong on portraiture, from Emmanuel Benoit’s portrait of a young lady readying herself for a night in Massawa, to Sam Brook’s study of Orthodox Jewish children at Coney Island. Our favourite entry was Salvatore di Gregorio’s ‘Migrants’ series. The project was so strong we decided to expand our competition section to showcase more of it. Salvatore wins a signed set of James Ball’s ‘Big Red Sausages’ postcards as featured in the last issue. In the next issue of Vignette we will be showcasing the best of the RGB awards.

Salvatore Di Gregorio – Migrants ‘Migrants’ documents African immigrants living in an abandoned Sicilian villa. The building is used as temporary accommodation while its occupiers are processed. This is a drawn out procedure, the Italian Government can manage around a dozen per month. Roughly 7,000 immigrants live in similar camps throughout Sicily. The people photographed have all taken a perilous journey across the Mediterranean sea to Africa’s nearest European border, all with the hope of a better life. In 2011 alone, 2000 people drowned trying to make the crossing. Di Gregorio’s tight portraits only suggest the previous glamour of the villa; the stained and empty pool, a marble staircase. Rather, the emphasis is on the dignified poses of its inhabitants. Di Gregorio has created sympathetic portraits of people living in a state of uncertainty; some will be allowed to fulfill their dream and become EU citizens, others will be deported, and many will begin the journey again.

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FINALIST Emmanuel Benoit - Massawa

FINALIST Sam Brooks, Orthodox Jews - Coney Island

FINALIST David Gillet, Ferry to Bilbao

FINALIST Eric Kruszewski, Field of Dreams - Cuba

FINALIST Karl Doyle, Girl with Bow & Arrow - Outer Mongolia

FINALIST David Hurley

FINALIST Tim Bowditch, Leaf Pepper - Tokyo

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E liot L ee H a z el Eliot Lee Hazel’s portfolio is a treasure trove from what feels like a parallel universe, a universe full of 70’s sci- fi, looming faces, hooded figures and surreal fashion. Not surprisingly, Eliot describes his work as ‘a little A.D.D’. While some images are slickly produced with props and careful lighting others seem spontaneous with a deceptively lo-fi feel (complete with dust and scratches). A man of few words when asked what links the work, his response was ‘a little string’. However what Lee Hazel states is most important in photography, emotion, is really what ties his work together. The emotion in the work achieved by styling or ‘just the press of a button’ makes the images seem to be from a world that is believably real, a world Lee Hazel seems to inhabit and document with ease. Based in Los Angeles and working commercially for the last three years, Lee Hazel’s unique style and creativity is in high demand; working with musicians as diverse as Jane’s Addiction, Yeasayer and Basement Jaxx. Lee Hazel is represented in the UK by Probation. Matt Davey explains their decision to work with him:

“ Eliot is fearless. It’s all too rare to find a photographer operating at his level that is keen to throw out the rules and follow his own vision whether shooting music , fashion, conceptual art or anything else. I can’t imagine anyone not being blown away by the pictures he creates. We immediately knew we wanted him on the roster.” With bloggers left debating what cameras and film he uses, Lee Hazel’s photography is something new and exciting, addressing personal, commercial and editorial work with the same passion. In the words of the man himself, ‘stay tuned…’

www.eliotleehazel.com

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E liot L ee Hazel 26

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E liot L ee Hazel 28

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PORTFOLIO REVIEW Portfolio Review Arnau Oriol www.arnauoriol.com

Born in Spain, where he studied media, Oriol later moved to London to complete an MA in documentary photography at the London College of Communication. Now a freelance photographer, he also works in video and multimedia production. Arnau’s Portfolio submission is part of ‘PreOlympic Landscapes’, a commission by the Hackney Museum to document the local area and preparations leading up to the 2012 Olympics.

Tamany Baker is an artist and university lecturer in photography, and has shown work worldwide, winning a Sony World Photography Award in 2009 for her series Living with Wolfie. www.tamany.net These images begin to offer a powerful sense of community in transition. There is some way to go towards a resolution but there is much promise of a nuanced representation of reforming identities alongside the cohesion of an established community. I can see once edited, this work will speak successfully of this historical change in the social and physical landscape. Arnau may want to investigate more the veneer of the public face of the event as projected by the authorities to contrast against the existing local identity - how does a community adjust to being in the spotlight of the world, and what happens when the show leaves town? Arnau employs metaphor very well - the sea of manicured calm beneath the bollard (like a lighthouse) contrasting with the traffic chaos; the lone dog representing business as usual for the residents’ daily life against the uncertainty of the impending onslaught of queues of unknown people. They set up fertile ground for seeing how the event actually pans out, as no one really knows how smoothly (or not) things will run. Have a look at the other images in the set on Arnau’s website - there are some beautiful and potent photographs. The only thing to watch out for is what I term “aesthetic draw”. As image makers, we are drawn to the pictorial possibilities of the photographic frame - it is relatively easy these days to describe the world in terms of colour, line and texture to make an image that arrests us. The trick is to imbue these images with a meaningful message and feeling. If you can successfully combine eloquent aesthetics with a strong message, you have a method of communicating issues about our modern times that

is truly more powerful than words. Arnau’s images make me feel something about this Olympic era that I will never get from watching the games on TV or reading the sports pages of the newspapers.

The oppressive feel continues into image 4, with its seemingly huddled figures and deep shadow. For me, this one does not fit so well with the overall theme, whatever its merits as an individual photograph. It may be that on a larger version, the reflection in the mirror would contextualise it more.

Martin Edwards has fingers in a number of photographic pies: he was until recently a lecturer in photography at City of Bristol College, a freelance photographer, regular exhibitor and is involved in community arts and photography projects. www.martinedwardsphotography.co.uk.

Overall I really like this body of work. Whether Arnau intends it as the critical commentary that I read into it, I’m not sure, but it does invite question and opinion about the coming of the Olympic leviathan.

With all the Olympic hype gathering pace, it’s nice to see photographs which address the people who are already there and who are having their environment changed by the event, for better or for worse.

Alex Gregory is a freelance professional photographer available for international commissions. He predominantly shoots music, fashion and colourful portraiture, as well as directing music videos. www.alexgregory.net

The gentle suburban scene of image 1 becomes poignant with the knowledge that the bulldozers and the hordes are imminently arriving. The sun breaking through the mist gives a benevolent breaking-dawn feel and a sense of personal space, and I have a feeling that things are never quite going to be the same again.

The technical choices Arnau has made in constructing this series are interesting, and serve to bring a unique look to the images. He’s chosen to use a Medium Format camera and a 6x6 back. The result is not only greater sharpness and detail than a standard 35mm SLR, but the interesting compositional parameters imposed by the square format of the camera. He also appears to have opted to use Slide Film - a difficult medium in which to work, as it does not treat accidental under exposure kindly. It lacks the latitude of ordinary film, making any further manipulation of exposure in the editing process very difficult, however if used correctly, the advantages of the film are clear; It creates highly saturated and very dense negatives which when printed create vivid colours and sharp contrast. When documenting large-scale construction work, It is the temporal nature of the spaces which is perhaps most interesting. In this case, they will soon be gone and replaced with the luscious green parkland and elaborate stadium complexes, yet currently they serve

This contrasts well with the angularity and vivid colour of the building site in image 2, and the apparent chaos of image 3. The latter stands as a metaphor for the claustrophobic congestion which may ensue when the big event takes place, and the dark clouds only add to this sense of impending doom. However, I do find the tonality of 3 a bit dark and magenta, the image would stand just as well with some cleaner highlights. The bright blues and reds of 2 make the building site feel quite summer-like and upbeat in a way; the new building behind gives a positive sense of regeneration, a counterbalance to what I take from some of the other images.

only to interrupt the landscape’s muted and grey aesthetic. It is clear therefore that the use of Slide Film is an excellent choice as it serves to further highlight the striking juxtaposition of the bold primary colours of construction sites, the splashes of rich blues and reds across the earthy tones of London wasteland, as we see a landscape littered with luminous parking cones, hastily erected fences and temporary road signs. The four images displayed here are part of a larger series, which focuses both on the area itself and the people who inhabit it. It’s difficult and rather unfair to judge a series as extensive and diverse as this based on the merit of four images, but what is perhaps most striking is the variety of moods which are conveyed. The first image of the dog in the mist has a timeless quality, and could depict London in almost any era, the second and third focus on the chaos and disruption caused by the construction and the fourth which portrays two looming shadows on the wall of one of the construction sites feels remarkably threatening and claustrophobic. Arnau knows that this entirely temporary landscape has the potential to be beautiful and vibrant, but at the same time isolating and unforgiving, and he skillfully navigates the terrain with a delicacy which conveys this. He has created a diverse series of atmospheric images, which not only successfully document a changing area, but draw the viewer in much more deeply as we experience a tension enhanced by both his technical competence and his distinctive vision.

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EXPOSED

Christer Strömholm at Michael Hoppen Gallery 20. April – 26. May 2012 London’s Michael Hoppen Gallery exhibits work from Swedish photographer Christer Strömholm’s Les Amies de la Place Blanche. Completed between 1956 and 1964 Les Amies is a tender study of the transvestites and transexuals that populated Paris’ Place Blanche. Strömholm imbued his images with a sense of intimacy, befriending his subjects. Shooting often at night, he eschewed harsh flashes in favour of ambient lighting. The result is a series of delicate, sensual images, full of soft, luminous skin and voluptuously lined eyes. Never judging, Les Amies is a sympathetic portrait of people living on the edge of society and grappling with their sense of identity.

Wilmotte Gallery

The Ruins of Detroit

www.michaelhoppengallery.com

Until 27 April 2012

In recent years there has been a surge in ruin photography. From Andrew Moore’s crumbling Havana theatres, to the sprawling work of UrbEx, the photography world has been flooded with ruin imagery. One of the most compelling works to emerge from

Biology Classroom a plethora of everday school objects fill the space: test tubes, stools, paperwork, a TV and a clock. The students seem simply to have disappeared.

this has been Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre’s The Ruins

Faced with the empty spaces of Detroit’s ruins, it is impossible not to imagine their former inhabitants. Marchand and Meffre have noted the importance of absence in their work. In an interview with the New York Times they likened its effect to a quote from Jean-Michel Basquiat: ‘I cross out words so you will see them more: the fact that they are obscured makes you want to read them’.

of Detroit, which is currently on display at Wilmotte Gallery. Ruins is the product of seven visits to Detroit, derelict industrial city and icon of the American rustbelt. A beautiful and disturbing document, it hints at the former glory of ‘Motor City’ and exposes its decline. Marchand and Meffre worked for five years on the project, using a custom-made, large-format camera, and relying mainly on natural light and long exposures. Published by Steidl in 2010, this is the first time images from the series have been exhibited in the UK. Wilmotte’s exhibition is small, just 14 images, but powerful nonetheless. The photographs are printed large and dominate the space. Up close, the smallest details become visible. It is an intricate vision of decay, busy with flakes of plaster, peeling wallpaper and frayed curtains. The ruins are all at once familiar and strange. The recognisable architecture of classrooms, banks and factories takes on new, surreal forms. Theatres are lit with sunlight and snow has fallen in the Waiting Hall of Michigan Central Station. Perhaps most striking is the lack of human presence. The ruins appear abandoned, as though the occupants left suddenly or died. In

Ruin photographers have been accused of creating ‘ruin porn’, prettifying horror and aestheticising destruction. Certainly Marchand and Meffre’s works are beautiful, but this is tempered by poignancy and a sense of loss. For all a dusty theatre pleases the eye, it is saddening. Abandoned factory halls may be visually impresssive but they speak of lost livelihoods and economic devastation. As with all ruins there is an element of romanticism to The Ruins of Detroit, yet this is not at the expense of social context. The realities of the situation are never far from the viewer’s mind. It is here that the strength of the exhibition lies; in a combination of visual splendour and provocation. Unflinching looks at the underbelly of the American dream, the photographs are a beautifully rendered shock to the system. www.tristanhoare.co.uk

Actress Marilyn Monroe in photo session at Hollywood agent Johnny Hyde’s backyard (708 West Palm Drive) on May 17, 1950 in Beverly Hills, California (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives and Getty Images)

Dan Holdsworth: Transmission: New Remote Earth Views at Brancolini Grimaldi

Marilyn at Getty Images Gallery Until 23. May 2012 It has been 50 years since Marilyn Monroe’s death but her fame has not diminished. Amid a whirlwind of tributes to the late actress, the Getty Images Gallery presents an exhibition of photographs of Monroe. Marilyn includes images of both the public Monroe, a glamorous blonde bombshell, smiling and vamping, and the private Monroe, learning her lines and cycling with her husband, Arthur Miller. Following her rise from aspiring actress to global icon, it will include portraits by such photographers as Michael Ochs and Ernst Haas, as well as video footage and items from Monroe’s personal wardrobe.

www.gettyimagesgallery.com

Until 19. May 2012

Eva Besnyö at Jeu de Paume 22. May – 23. September 2012

Transmission is a new exhibition of work by photographer Dan Holdsworth. Curated by Sebastien Montabonel, it displays Holdsworth’s images of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Mount Shasta, Mount St. Helens and Salt Lake City. The images in Transmission combine a rigorously scientific technique with broad questions about culture, ideology and aesthetics. Formed from digitally rendered laser scans of the earth, they are interpretations of the United States Geographical Survey, which gauges the advancement of climate and land change, documenting the effect of humankind on the planet. At the same time Holdsworth is intrigued by the discourse in which these landscapes exist, from the ideal sublime of Romanticism, to the creeping urbanisation of the New Topographics. www.brancolinigrimaldi.com

The first retrospective of the work of Eva Besnyö will open in Paris this April, when Jeu de Paume gallery will present 120 prints by the photographer. Born and raised in Budapest, the intensely political Besnyö left fascist Hungary in 1930, making for the heady metropolis of Weimar Berlin. Working in a photographer’s studio, she roamed the city, capturing street scenes. It was here she made one of her most famous images: a gypsy boy carrying a cello on his back. Eventually fleeing anti-semitism, Besnyö continued to work in the Netherlands, where her architectural photography garnered widespread praise. Dutch photography’s ‘Grand Dame’, Besnyö died in 2002 but her vision remains compelling: radical, cosmopolitan and always uncompromising. www.jeudepaume.org

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EXPOSED

Richard Mosse: Infra at Open Eye Gallery Until 10. June 2012 Infra is a striking new body of work by photographer Richard Mosse, made in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mosse’s first solo exhibition in the UK, Infra documents the landscape of an emerging conflict using the infrared colour film Kodak Aerochrome. A discontinued military surveillance technology originally developed for camouflage detection, this aerial reconnaissance film registers infrared light in vivid hues of lavender, crimson and hot pink. On his journeys in eastern Congo, Mosse photographed rebel groups constantly switching allegiances, fighting nomadically in a jungle war-zone plagued by ambushes, massacres and systematic sexual violence. The resulting imagery depicts a disorientating humanitarian disaster, too opaque for traditional methods of representation. www.openeye.org.uk

Burtynsky: Oil at The Photographer’s Gallery 19. May – 1. July 2012 May 19th will see the long-awaited reopening of The Photographers’ Gallery in the heart of London’s Soho. Fronting the launch of the gallery’s 2012 exhibition programme is Burtynsky: Oil. A solo exhibition from acclaimed Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, Oil will feature over thirty large-scale images depicting global industrial landscapes. A decade-long survey on the subject, Burtynsky: Oil reveals the rarely seen mechanics of the manufacture, distribution and use of one of the world’s most highly contested resources while exploring its impact on our lives, culture and the environment. www.photonet.org.uk

Edward Burtynsky, Highway 1, Intersection 105 & 110, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2003, (C) Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy Nichola

Cindy Sherman, Untitled 96, 1981, Chromogenic color print, 24 x 47 15 to 16’’ (61 x 121,9cm) The Museum of Modern art, New York

Cindy Sherman at MoMA Until 11. June 2012 The Museum of Modern Art presents Cindy Sherman, a retrospective tracing the groundbreaking postmodern photographer’s career from the mid-1970s to the present. Masquerading as a myriad of characters in front of her own camera, Sherman creates invented personas and tableaus that examine the construction of identity, the nature of representation, and the artifice of photography. The exhibition brings together 171 key photographs from the artist’s significant series— including the complete “Untitled Film Stills” (1977–80), the critically acclaimed centerfolds (1981), and the celebrated history portraits (1988–90), plus examples from all of her most important bodies of work, ranging from her fashion photography of the early 1980s to the breakthrough sex pictures of 1992 to her 2003–04 clowns and monumental society portraits from 2008. In addition, the exhibition features the American premiere of her 2010 photographic mural. www.moma.org

Peter Franck, Germany, Professional, Still Life Category, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Sony World Photography Awards at Somerset House 27. April – 20. May 2012 The vast showcase of winning images from the Sony World Photography Awards 2012 comes to London’s Somerset House as part of the photography festival, World Photo, London. The recently revealed 2012 shortlist is a sure indication that this year’s exhibition is set to be as remarkable as ever, covering a wide range of subjects from photojournalism and documentary to fashion, nature, architecture and sport. The exhibition will also feature images from WPO’s exciting new City Projects and a digital exhibition dedicated to London, photographed by the people who live there. The awards exhibition is only one part of the World Photo London festival, which will also include events, talks, seminars, exhibitions and workshops.

Iris Veysey studied Art history at University of Sussex and now enjoys nothing more than wandering around exhibitions and meeting people as Vignette’s resident art critic and listings editor. If you are holding an exhibition, festival or competition, and are interested in having it listed in Vignette, please contact Iris at iris@vignettemagazine.com

www.somersethouse.org.uk

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ONLINE

EXPOSED Gitterman Gallery, New York Adam Bartos Until 5. May 2012 — Free www.gittermangallery.com QUAD Gallery, Derby Hijacked III: Contemporary Photography from Australia and the United Kingdom Until 6. May 2012 — Free www.derbyquad.co.uk Museum of Islamic Art, Pergamon Museum, Berlin From Medina to the Jordanian Border: Photographs by Ursula Schulz-Dornburg Until 6. May 2012 — €13 / Adult www.smb.museum Holburne Museum, Bath Art of Arrangement: Photography and the Still Life Tradition Until 7. May 2012 — £6.50 / Adult www.holburne.org Proud Chelsea, London Duffy: The Lost Portraits Until 13. May 2012 — Free www.proudonline.co.uk Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow Alan Dimmick: Photographs from the last 15 years of contemporary art in Scotland Until 13. May 2012 — Free www.glasgowlife.org.uk Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Making sense: Contemporary LA photo artists Until 13. May 2012 — Free www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au Galerie Baudoin Lebon, Paris Joel-Peter Witkin: History of the Western World Until 19. May 2012 — Free. www.baudoin-lebon.com Iris Museum of Modern Art, Dublin Conversations: Photography from the Bank of America Collection Until 20. May 2012 — Free www.imma.ie Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin Helmut Newton Polaroids Until 20. May 2012 — €8/€4 www.helmut-newton-foundation.org Photofusion, London Adriana Groisman: Voices of the South Atlantic Until 20. May 2012 — Free www.photofusion.org Michael Hoppen Contemporary, London Alex Prager: Compulsion Until 26. May 2012 — Free www.michaelhoppengallery.com The Little Black Gallery, London 36

Patrick Lichfield: Nudes Until 26. May 2012 — Free www.thelittleblackgallery.com Foam, Amsterdam The New York Times Magazine Photographs Until 30. May 2012 — €8. 50 www.foam.org Huis Marseille Museum for Photography, Amsterdam Guy Tillim / Second Nature Until 3. June 2012 — €5 / Adult www.huismarseille.nl Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh Romantic Camera: Scottish Photography & the Modern World Until 3. June 2012 — Free www.nationalgalleries.org Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh Hot Scots Until 3. June 2012 — Free www.nationalgalleries.org Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool Simon Norfolk: For Most Of It I Have No Words Until 10. June 2012 — Free www.openeye.org.uk Whitechapel Gallery, London Gillian Wearing Until 17. June 2012 — £9. 50 / Adult www.whitechapelgallery.org The Front View Gallery, Whitstable Sheila Rock: Tough and Tender 5. May - 15. July 2012 — Free www.thefrontview.co.uk Saatchi Gallery, London Out of Focus: Photography 25. April - 22. July 2012 — Free www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk Center for Fine Art Photography, Colorado Alternative Processes 25. May - 23. June 2012 — Free www.c4fap.org Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh Close Encounters: Thomas Annan’s Glasgow Until 31. December 2012 — Free www.nationalgalleries.org

Julia Cameron, Challenge 28

52 by 52

Curated by digital designer David Gillet, the 52 by 52 project sets a weekly photographic challenge. Entries are posted in a Flickr group, and anyone can take part. Each challenge is posed by a different photographer: 52 weeks, 52 photographers. 52by52.net

Centre for Fine Art Photography A not-for-profit centre in Fort Collins, Colorado, C4FAP has 1300 members and two busy gallery spaces, and posts most of its exhibitions online. www.c4fap.org

Alternative Photography One of the best online resources for alternative processes, Alternative Photography offers a wealth of material including how-to’s, book reviews, online galleries, and supplier listings. www.alternativephotography.com

Retronaut Retronaut posts collections of historic print media and imagery, from postcards to magazine articles, including a wide range of unusual and obscure photography. www.theretronaut.co

OPPORTUNITIES Adore Noir Magazine’s 2012 Portfolio Contest Entry Fee: $15 (CAD) for first portfolio, $10 for each additional portfolio. Closing date: 15. June 2012 www.adorenoir.com The six winning photographers will be featured in the October 2012 issue of Adore Noir magazine. They will recieve a twelve page spread, as well as a Q&A interview. In addition, one of the six finalists will have an image chosen to appear on the cover. The competition is open to all and there is no limit to the number of portfolios entrants may submit. Adore are looking for 12 to 14 images that follow a unified theme.

Photography Masters Cup, International Color Awards Entry fee: Professionals: £12 - £100. Non-professionals: £12 - £95 Closing date: 25. May 2012 www.thecolorawards.com Now in its 6th year, the Photography Masters Cup is a leading international award, specifically honoring colour photography. It is open to both professional and non-professional photographers working with colour, using both analogue and digital methods. The Cup encourages classic styles, new creative ideas and photographers who are driven by an artistic eye and desire to excel.

FESTIVALS

MPA Wedding & Portrait Awards 2012 Entry fee: £2/ photograph Closing date: 18. May, 2012 www.thempa.com

Bristol Bristol Festival of Photography 2012 3 - 30 May 2012 www.bfop.org

Open to all UK professional wedding, portrait and commercial photographers. First prize: £1000

For more information on Bristol Festival of Photography turn Vignette over and look through the full programme.

The Sunday Times Photo2012 Competition Entry fee: Free Closing date: 31. July 2012 www.thesundaytimes.co.uk In celebration of the Olympics, Paralympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Photo2012 are seeking photographs that explore London in all its diversity. The competition runs until 31 July, and each month Jon Gordon chooses one winner, who has their picture published in the Travel section. That photo, together with a number of monthly runners-up, will be chosen to go through to the grand final, for a chance to win a four-night holiday for two people to the holy city of Varanasi in India. The competition is open to amateur photographers, who must be UK residents over the age of 18.

Goa Center for Alernative Photography (Goa-CAP) Entrance fee: None Closing Date: 10. April 2012 goa-cap.com

Prizes include: The Masters Cup Award Title Publication in The PHOTO Paper Magazine Featured in a movie presented by the World Photographic Arts Films Showcased in the Winners Gallery International press and exposure

Goa-CAP is pleased to launch the second edition of Project Oyamel Fir II this year. The Project Oyamel Fir II Pinhole exhibition titled ‘In your living room’ will take place in Goa from 29th April to 6th May 2012. They invite pinhole photographers and enthusiasts from around the world to send one pinhole image of their living room, with a description of what the room means to them.

Toronto CONTACT Photography Festival May 2012 www.scotiabankcontactphoto.com New York New York Photo Festival 16. - 20. May 2012 www.nyphotofestival.com Krakow Photomonth 17. April - 17. June 2012 www.photomonth.com Boston Flash Forward Festival 7. - 10. June 2012 www.flashforwardfestival.com Guernsey Guernsey Photography Festival June 2012 www.guernseyphotographyfestival.com London London Festival of Photography June 2012 www.lfph.org

Classifieds Advertising this size could have costed you as little as £49.

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