Photography Projects featuring the work of Mike Longhurst FRPS
Celebrating London, the Region's next project
Interview with Harvey Benge
ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
LONDON
CAPITAL INTEREST
Image © Harvey Benge
JUNE/JULY 2017 / VOLUME 3 / NUMBER 3 / WW.RPS.ORG
IN THIS ISSUE
HOT OFF THE PRESS Anderson & Low Hon FRPS at TedX in London CLICK HERE TO WATCH
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Breathing London Exhibition
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Interview with Harvey Benge by Del Barrett ARPS
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Photography Projects featuring the work of Mike Longhurst FRPS
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Celebrating London – the region’s next initiative
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Successful Distinctions (Paul Mason LRPS, Eddie Hyde ARPS, Angus Stewart ARPS, Dr Tim Lawson ARPS)
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Useful links
For the August issue of Capital Interest, we’d like to run a feature “What I did on my holiday”. Wherever you’re going and whatever you’re doing, do send us a couple of images and a few words about it for the feature. (del.barrett@rps.org)
Welcome to the summer issue of Capital Interest. Our interview this month is with the wonderful New Zealand photographer Harvey Benge, the brainchild behind One Day – Ten Photographers. If you like the idea of participating in something similar, drop me a line! Closer to home, the Breathing London project has now finished, but our RO’s are already fired up for the regions next initiative Celebrating London. Photography projects are an excellent way of producing a body of work and we have some handy hints for success from Mike Longhurst FRPS. Last, but by no means least, congratulations to all our members who have recently gained Society distinctions. We feature three fabulous panels this month. Del Barrett ARPS (del.barrett@rps.org) Del Barrett ©Jonathan Taylor
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Cover Image: © Harvey Benge
BREATHE...AND RELAX Breathing London Exhibition Hearty Congratulations to all those that made Breathing London possible! Organising a project of this magnitude, particularly when one is a volunteer, is no mean feat. It requires an extraordinary amount of dedication, time and energy. So on behalf of the Region, I’d like to thank Judy and her team. It was a truly remarkable project and the outcome shows just how much of our capital is green, leafy, waterside, nature friendly and offering a place to relax away from the hubbub of the daily commute, the office jungle and the crowds. All those who took part can pat themselves on the back for such a triumph. Some of the wonderful work created by Breathing Londoners will be showcased during a month long exhibition at the Croatian Embassy (opening on Monday 17th July) – details HERE. Jonathan Taylor has designed the show, so we’re expecting something very different and quite spectacular! From the project leader, Judy Hicks LRPS … “The photography phase of the Breathing London Project closed on Monday 17th April. This landmark day arrived all too soon but we can all be proud of our achievement – as a team we have met the project objective of recording the diversity of London’s green and open spaces in all seasons, in all weathers: there are some terrific images on the database, for the record for all to enjoy. In his article in the May Journal, Andrew Cattanach pointed out that Breathng London and the record which you – the photographers - have created, is about more than walks and talks, learning new skills and creating new friendships – all of which were very important: it is about creating a record of the Capital’s relaxation spaces - under threat from funding shortages and the need for new homes in the Capital. You never know, our work might help to protect and develop these unique and beautiful spaces.” But, don’t relax too much … there’s another initiative in the wings (details on page 17) 3
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INTERVIEW WITH HARVEY BENGE By Del Barrett ARPS
One of my biggest ‘wish-I’d-thought-of-that’ moments occurred a few years ago when I discovered One Day – Ten Photographers. This is a delightful box set containing ten slim volumes (one per photographer) of images created on the same day. The man behind the idea is New Zealand photographer, Harvey Benge, so I was thrilled when he agreed to an interview with Capital Interest. Benge lives in Auckland, which he admits is not exactly the centre of the photography universe. This has its drawbacks, since participating in major international events consumes a lot of his time, energy, and money. But its isolation also has the considerable advantage of giving Benge the freedom to pursue his own style without being distracted. He has an idiosyncratic, synergistic and literary approach to his craft; through which he makes the seemingly ordinary not only look quite extraordinary, but profoundly ambiguous. Through slender monographs, his images are presented as series, creating deeply thoughtprovoking narratives, which are clearly very personal. But we also see our own secrets and lives reflected in his work, which is both unnerving and yet comforting. I am curious to know how his style evolved. ‘The world is idiosyncratic’ he says. Citing William Eggleston’s democracy, Benge takes this approach a step further and puts images together democratically, but in a non-judgemental way. He explains how this levels the playing field and forces the viewer to question why he does it. He shows me some images that he’s made earlier that day. It is an eclectic mix of seemingly straightforward subjects, but as he talks me through them, it is evident that the underlying thought processes are far from straightforward. And although he hasn’t decided exactly where, or indeed if, he’ll use them, he talks about ways in which they might be presented together in a body of work. The key lies in the design and the flow of images. Benge does not start out with a fixed idea. He approaches his photography from two ends of the spectrum and they meet in the middle for the final result. At one end, he’s creating images of subject matter that is there, he has no fixed plan for how it will be used; then at the other end, he seeks images that will complement or work with the ones that he’s already created. He creates a workbook of images and notes, constantly asking the question ‘why?’, which he stresses is the essence of photography. This not only requires a good memory, but a considerable amount of intuition; and, as he emphasises, his photographs must be authentic. 5
Through this process, Benge creates layers within his work. ‘I like stuff that’s layered’ he adds, and it meets his objective of compelling the viewer to reflect his own questioning. Take, for example, his book Some Things You Should Have Told Me. The cover (see pages 10-11) shows a hand-written note on a pavement. It is illegible for the ink has run, presumably because of the rain. The viewer is immediately caught up in numerous questions – what is this note? Is it a shopping list, a dear John, things-to-do? The next image shows footprints in a white powder – too powdery for snow, not powdery enough for flour: is it salt, sugar, cocaine? Then we see an attractive young woman under an umbrella. Did she leave the footprints? Did she write the note? So only three images into the book and already our curiosity is aroused. We have started to construct our own narrative. He doesn’t provide any text by way of explanation, which further reinforces our desire to use his images as a means of looking at our own relationships. But the questions always at the back of the viewer’s mind are: Who is the “you” in the title? What things should he have been told? Why wasn’t he told? How did he find out? And with each turn of the page, we think of something else that he should have been told, which we interpret as something emotionally painful when he eventually discovered the answers.
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Many of Benge’s book titles are forlorn, which sets the framework, and the only clue, for the way in which the images should be viewed. Who could fail to be moved by the Hemingway quote For sale baby shoes never worn? Before talking to Benge, I’d always felt that there was a literary element to his work, and indeed, he is an avid reader. He finds great inspiration in poetry. One of his favourite books (and one of the pile on his bedside table) is Jane Hirshfield’s Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World, a book of essays about the power of poetry. The dustjacket promises ‘hiddenness, paradox, and surprise; by a perennial awareness of the place of uncertainty in our lives;’ through the essays, but it could just as well have been written about Benge’s photography. He admits to liking the idea of ‘hidden’ in photography. And this notion is very clear in his work. He is mindful of the intelligence of his audience. He doesn’t offer work that purely exists as a document or imagery that is descriptive, but rather work that has hidden depths that can be partially accessed through the juxtaposition of the images, but more importantly through the experiential world of the viewer. Our interpretation of his work depends on the assumptions we make, our feelings and our own knowledge. In this way, the work becomes very personal to the viewer and has an almost scary intimacy.
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Benge tells me that his work has become more and more personal. ‘We all have egos’ he says. ‘We all like to be stroked, but it has to be individual; the maker must look at his own relationship with the world.’ His most recent work, The Lament, is more melancholic and darker than his previous work; the viewer feels an overwhelming sense of sorrow when studying the images. But whatever sadness is driving Benge’s work is not evident when you meet the man in person. Charming, witty and seemingly content - somewhat at odds with the sense of desolation and dejection that he promotes so well through his photography. We talk about his success as a photographer. He quotes Woody Allen: ‘Showing up is 80% of life’, and in a rather humbling, self-deprecating way, he attributes much of his success to showing up, being there at the right time, and luck. He tells me One Day – Ten Photographers would never have happened if he hadn’t been at Paris Photo with the other authors; The Month before Trump was a result of being in the right places at the right time. But I feel that there is a lot more to Benge’s success than serendipity; that other 20% is invaluable, and it is evident that much of that 20% is just sheer hard work. We chat about how the world of photography is rapidly changing, and not always for the better - Benge has some fairly strong views about some of the more esoteric work being produced, but he makes light of it and accepts that he simply has to work harder to remain visible. He now has to spend a lot more 8
time promoting his work, particularly through his website and social media, both of which are now essential parts of the job. After getting slightly side-tracked talking about New Zealand wine, we conclude with me asking him what he would have been if he hadn’t been a photographer. ‘An architect’ he replies without hesitation. Perhaps that explains why his designs work so well.
ON THE BEDSIDE TABLE Harvey kindly shared with me the titles of the pile of books on his bedside table.
Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World - Jane Hirshfield
Collected Poems – William Carlos Williams
Felicia’s Journey - William Trevor
The Sellout - Paul Beatty
The Judgement of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that gave the World Impressionism - Ross King
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis - J D Vance
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To see more of Harvey's work visit http://harveybenge.com/
all images Š Harvey Benge
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BANKSIDE PROJECT Mike Longhurst FRPS
Many photographers are quite happy to rely on serendipity for their image creation, but for some of us, working on a project is an important factor. London member, Mike Longhurst FRPS, shares his latest project with Capital Interest.
For the last few years I’ve heard mention of “Bankside” and visited the office my company has in Southwark St on several occasions. However I really had no idea what “Bankside” meant. It is not a borough, or even a clearly defined area and for me vaguely sat between London Bridge station, Waterloo and the river. So why “Bankside”. As I wandered through the area taking routes from various stations, I became struck by the sheer diversity; streets filled with old factories and warehouses, many with their cranes and hoists still preserved and increasingly dominated by new glass and steel structures. Historic watering holes of Shakespeare and Dickens along the eastern fringe, a touristy waterfront and then areas to the south that seem to have missed out on progress, all threaded together by caverns under the railways that criss-cross the area. Probably the most diverse area of London and a challenge for any photographer. 12
I decided to start work on it to capture the diversity and particularly the old/new contrasts, without overlaying too much of personal view or technique that might prejudice the outcome, with probably a coffee table book and wall pictures for the company in view. The Better Bankside organisation have shown interest and already have use of the work so far and from here on I will be led by opportunities. I want to do more evening work and to improve a lot of the architectural shots as I can with far better light. At the moment, I’m not trying to feature people strongly, but that could come in the future as a different take entirely. For now, what’s there and its diversity is enough to be juggling with. Delving beneath the surface can wait. I’m mixing styles and photographic intentions from fairly straight documentary record and reportage, to visual art and will let that take me where it will as well. I think there is plenty in Bankside to fill half a dozen walls with entirely different approaches and I just might do that.
If you’re working on a project, why not share it with us? Send a brief summary of your project with six images to del.barrett@rps.org.
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For those wanting to embark on a photographic project, perhaps as part of the region’s “Celebrating London” inititiative (see page 17 for details) Mike has provided some helpful hints and tips: • Define the parameters of what you are trying to do and try to stick within them. You can't shoot anything and everything • Be ready to change if you discover new ideas and opportunities as you go along. The unexpected can provide the best subjects • Try to be fairly consistent with the lenses, filters or techniques you use, or the final result can look very disjointed • Don't be too easily satisfied, go back time and time again to beat what you did before, especially to see things in different light • Take breaks of days or weeks to reflect and assess and come back to it fresh
all images © Mike Longhurst FRPS
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These excellent books can be used as a source of inspiration: The Photographers’ Playbook: 307 Assignments and Ideas Available from Amazon £14.85 If you’ve no idea where to start, then this is the book to read. Some of the world’s best photographers suggest tasks, exercises and assignments. Many of these are fun in their own right, but could easily be expanded or used as the starting point for a project.
Inspired: How Creative People Think, Work and Find Inspiration (2005) by Dorte Nielsen and Kiki Hartmann. Available from Amazon (third party) £18.10 Not specifically photography oriented, but still an excellent source of ideas that could be adapted for photographers. This book shows how some of the great designers and artists find their inspiration. Lots of suggestions to get the creative thought processes rolling.
Photographers and Research: The Role of Research in Contemporary Photography Practice (2017) by Shirley Read and Mike Simmons. Available from Amazon £37.99 Fourteen case studies and a number of essays highlight the importance of research in photography. Edmund Clark, Tom Hunter, Mandy Barker and Simon Norfolk inter alia, talk about their research and demonstrate how it becomes a fundamental part of the creative process.
Photographers’ Sketchbooks (2014) by Stephen MacLaren and Brian Formhals Available from Amazon £20.36 Great photographers produce great sketchbooks as part of their creative process. Sixteen photographers share their sketchbooks, which reveal much about their thinking and the ways in which projects unfold from conception through to a complete body of work. 16
3 images below : Fair in the Square © Gordana Johnson
CELEBRATING LONDON By Judy Hicks LRPS
Our new project "Celebrating London" is taking shape and we are planning a launch for the end of September. Through this project we want to celebrate the cultural diversity of our great city through feasts, fairs, festivals and events, both large and small – so from Chinese New Year Celebrations in Soho and Trafalgar Square, for example, to the local church fete or fund-raiser. The nature of the project will allow scope for photographers at all levels, including generic scope for personal projects for some and defined projects for others. It will expand on the scope of Breathing London by offering opportunities for street photography, for environmental portraiture and for documentary stories.
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED? You will be able to sign up on the London Events Page fairly shortly (we are asking for a joining fee of £10 for RPS Members, £15 for Non-RPS Members as we did for BrL to cover the cost of the website). As soon as we have our logos organised, we will be opening a Facebook Page, where you can join the fun and discussions, as we did during Breathing London. We will keep you informed through occasional Celebrating London Newsletters and Blogs. Send your comments and enquiries to: celebratinglondon@rps.org
2 images above: Maslenitsa © Del Barrett ARPS
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DISTINCTIONS
PAUL MASON LRPS “I was around seven years old when my Dad taught me contact printing and I have had a passion for photography ever since. The interest waxed and waned through career pressure and bringing up a family but two things happened to take my photography to a level beyond holiday and family shots. The digital revolution freed me from requiring a darkroom. Key however was joining my local camera club - Ealing and Hampshire House Photographic Society - entering competitions, being pointed towards meet-up groups and online resources, and shooting alongside more experienced photographers. I enjoy shooting people and gravitated towards model photography - initially studio-based but latterly also on location. I was persuaded that my images were good enough to apply for LRPS and duly turned up for a 1:1 advisory session in London, armed with my panel of 10 prints, and a serious number of alternatives. The session proved to be invaluable. The advisors impressed on me the importance of the Panel as the ’11th Image’. They liked my work in general but swapped out a number of images to improve the panel as a whole. Ultimately however, having found the optimal ten prints they decided there wasn’t enough variety of technique - a key requirement for Licentiate. I confess I left it rather late to shoot the additional images I needed but sometimes adrenaline helps the creative process. On the day of the assessment my wife Kristin and I drove from London to Bath; next time we will take the train, thus avoiding the traffic jams entering Bath, and allowing a celebratory (or sorrow-drowning) drink afterwards. The assessment process itself was fascinating; rigorous but fair, reinforcing the feeling that achieving success was something substantial. It was a long time since I had been in an examination, but at least it is anonymous unless and until you are recommended for the distinction. My panel was the last up before lunch, but the judges were in no hurry. My central image - a nude jumping under the arches of a railway viaduct - attracted particular attention from one judges who wondered whether it was a composite. It wasn’t but it didn’t seem to matter and my panel was recommended for for the distinction. A mix of relief and pride, followed by lunch. We stayed until the end of the afternoon - it was just so informative to see the work of others. I’m not normally one for using letters after my name - but I do have some new business cards: Paul Mason LRPS.” 18
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 1 1
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 2 2
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 3 3
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 4 4
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 5 5
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 6 6
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 7 7
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 8 8
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 9 9
Paul Paul Mason, Mason, 1 1 Feb. Feb. 2017 2017 Image Image 10 10
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all images Š Paul Mason LRPS
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DISTINCTIONS
EDDIE HYDE ARPS
Statement of Intent (Applied Category) Steam locomotives were retired from our railways in 1968. There is, however, an enduring passion for steam railways amongst those that knew them originally and a new passion from younger generations that have since discovered them. Preserved steam can still be found the length and breadth of the country. Unlike many modern technologies, steam trains stimulate all of our senses simultaneously: sight, sound, smell and taste, in a way that we can understand. The sight of steam in the landscape has an undeniable beauty. The locomotives have magnificence and a personality. In my panel I wanted to show a series of images that interpret this. I hope the scenes I have captured evoke these sensations and show why there is an enduring fascination for the by-gone years of steam. Many of these images have been used in a series of pictorial stories published in several high quality photographic journals.
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Eddie’s Comments The panel images were taken at a variety of preserved steam locations throughout England and Wales: The Mid Hants Railway, The Severn Valley Railway, the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley, Barrowhill Roundhouse, The Great Central Railway, The Llangollen Railway and Didcot and on the Settle and Carlisle mainline when steam excursions were running. We are very lucky in the UK in that we have so many opportunities to see and take pictures of steam. The list of locations above is but a small fraction of what is available. These images were all taken over the period 2014 to 2016.
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all images © Eddie Hyde ARPS
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DISTINCTIONS
ANGUS STEWART ARPS
Statement of Intent (Applied Category) This is a collection of images taken over the past five years of singers, circus and burlesque performers, both backstage and during the show. I’ve been working alongside a school of burlesque for several years as the students go from through their first lesson to first performance, while with a circus troupe I would ideally work with them though the run of a show rather than as a 'one off'. By doing this I’m able to capture images that reflect both the character of the performers, the preparation and hard work that goes on before the show, and the energy and fun of performing as well as the full impact of the show. I have chosen to present this work in black and white as I prefer the contrast and focus on subject without the distraction of colour
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Angus’s Comments Probably the best thing I did was go for an Advisory day – no images were changed, but the layout was - I will always think differently now about layout. I was not able to attend the Assessment as I was on a shoot so I didn’t hear what the assessors actually said which I regret – take any opportunity for criticism, positive or negative and grow from it. My subject feels unusual for the RPS (I have never photographed a sunset) – it was great to get the ARPS. Great to feel that I was recognised for my work; this society is big enough for all of us.
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all images © Angus Stewart ARPS
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DISTINCTIONS
DR TIM LAWSON ARPS
Statement of Intent (Fine Art)
THE ROUNDNESS OF THE TUBE The London Underground system has a fascinating history and many unusual architectural features. However it is basically a complex of tubular excavations, which are essentially round owing to the necessities of tunneling. The local name “The Tube� was therefore adopted from the start. In addition to the innate roundness of the tunnels, there are many round and curved features including passages, spiral stairways, whole rooms and even round stations. In this panel I have photographed many of the more interesting round features that I observed over a period of a year, using techniques that bring out roundness and add impact.
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Tim’s Comments I was successful on my 2nd try at both the ‘L’ and the ‘A’. I found that preparing for the ‘L’ was the culmination of the work and lessons learned from 3 years with Old Coulsdon Camera Club. I felt that working towards the ‘A’ gave me the opportunity to use the general technical capability I had reached to ‘specialise’ in a subject and I chose the London Underground after discovering how well photos taken with a 15mm fisheye, produced spectacular pictures. So I went further and bought the Canon 8-15mm fisheye and was struck by the unusual effect of 180 degree round pictures. Hence ‘roundness’ became my ‘photographers input’ and I was fairly sure that this had not been used before in an ‘A’ panel. The judges liked this the first time but found a few technical faults which I corrected and the new panel was approved in March 2017 I like the challenge which RPS distinctions set as this to me seems the best way to improve.
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all images © Dr Tim Lawson ARPS
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HAVE YOU GOT A STORY TO TELL? Or pictures to show? Have you been on a trip, at a workshop or to a fair? Are you working on a project or preparing an exhibition? Have you met a photographer who your fellow RPS London members should know of or visited an exhibition they should see? We love to hear from you. Get in touch with Capital Interest to share your experience. CLICK HERE 34
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