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Photographic Abuse: Loopholes in the Law
Street photographers who make their living, or pursue their hobby, in search of the perfect spontaneous image out in the wild have enough problems with the law and with the belief in a private sphere for those who could become the subject of their work. That the law is not clear, in many aspects and not just photography, has been accepted for many years, with constant promises from politicians – especially on the hustings – that matters will be addressed, and the law reformed to make it better, precise, workable. Yet, no matter the promises, no matter the varied and various attempts to reform, there are loopholes which the less…
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Winter, Weather, And The Theory Of Chaos
Completely unexpected, as ever at this time of year, winter has hit what used to be part of the frozen north. For the first time in many years there is deep snow on the ground, the air is freezing cold, and winter woollies have regained their rightful place as a fashion statement. The news media have been quick to highlight the impending chaos as transport connections fail, bus, tram and train lines are cancelled, and the streets fall into an eerie silence. Only the chaos is missing. The human – of whatever sub-species we might claim to be – is reasonably adaptable, given the right warnings and personal balance. Most…
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Criticism In Photography: A Reckoning
It is that time of year, and has been for over a month, when we look back over what has happened, in photography, on television, in politics, world-wide. A rash of programmes come out on the various visual media telling us what we should consider to be the great, the moving, the memorable from the previous twelve months, attempting to shape our minds and influence our memories. Amidst all the bright fanfares and commercial shouting, a few smaller entities voice their opinions, often about the work of others, sometimes with a critical eye on their own production. Rather than letting myself be influenced by those many critics who have opinions…
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The Heavy Weight of Inspiration
“Where” every artist, writer, creator is asked, “do you find your inspiration? What is it in your surroundings, in your home, your friends, your contacts, the world in general, that moves you to create whatever it is that you create? What is it”, they seem to be saying, “that you can see, that inspires you to greatness, which I cannot see?” As if any artist, regardless of their used medium, were able to give a quick How To on successful creativity. As some might say: you either have it, or you have it not. You have either learned how to see and how to evaluate, or you have not. And…
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Moving With the Times
I have been turning my thoughts back to a few of the literary and philosophical works I read as a youth, having recently been reminded of my pleasure in reading Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in my early teens. This is one of those titles a deep reader can pick up time and time again, and always find something new to consider, some aspect that had escaped them during an earlier reading, some relevance to today. This is also one of those works which almost failed to come into being, until a publisher, without anticipating any real commercial value or financial gain, finally brought it…
