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LIFE IN LOCKDOWN

FIONA TURNBULL from Lacock Photography explains more about abstract photography. IMAGES: NEIL PALLISTER

Lacock Photography, for lack of a less generic metaphor, has had one roller-coaster ride of a year. Like so many businesses everywhere, we closed our doors and re-opened only to close them, we distanced and sanitised and finally, the silver lining of it all: we went online.

When launching our online photography club, we really didn’t have any expectations, thinking at the very least it was a way to the pass the time. How wrong we were! Over the last year, Lacock Photography’s small digital community has come to mean so much to us and has been a surprise source of creative inspiration during what could’ve been the greyest of times. One such inspiring moment occurred when Neil Pallister, a photography club member, gave a truly fantastic online presentation on abstract photography, using his very own abstract images from summer holidays of days gone by. For me, Neil’s beautifully artistic travel shots blended memories and daydreams of past and future trips away and epitomised that feeling of longing that most of us have experienced during this pandemic.

Neil’s presentation also reminded us of the potential power of

"During a time where we were all legally locked in the house, the possibility of creating a new world through abstract photography struck a chord with our online members."

abstract photography. During a time where we were all legally locked in the house, the possibility of creating a new world through abstract photography struck a chord with our online members. Many of them (myself included) busied themselves exploring their well-trodden homes, seeking out patterns, colours and shapes in familiar objects they wouldn’t usually have looked at twice. For a few weeks after Neil’s presentation, Lacock Photography’s inbox was alight with colourful abstract images and it made us to smile to see a wave of positivity emanating from the online club.

One of the photography techniques that our students got excited about is something called ‘Intentional Camera Movement’ ("ICM"). If you haven’t heard of it before, the process behind ICM is to set your camera to a relatively long shutter speed and during the exposure, to literally move the camera around the scene. So many interesting ideas can be explored with ICM, you can create a sense of motion, achieve a painterly quality and a feeling of otherworldliness. The trick with it is to be patient, to experiment and to put in the time, something many of us had in abundance during lockdown!

If you are interested in learning more about abstract photography, Lacock Photography is running two abstract photography workshops this year, taught by the ever so talented photographer and tutor, Tony Worobiec. Please check out our website to find out further information about this wonderfully creative course.

To enjoy more of Neil Pallister’s photographs, please follow him on Instagram @itakephotostoo