black and white

It has been a while.

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Over these past few months, I have put my photography on the back burner.

This was not really through choice but more of a need as I navigated my way through a very stressful house move.

I did manage to get out with the camera but my mind and enthusiasm were not there and this was having an even more negative effect on my photography. So I decided to step back and wait till I was fully settled in my house.

Over time I could sense that I was losing interest in photography and I must admit I thought of packing it in. Thankfully that never happened.

What have I learnt from this hiatus from photography?

I do feel more invigorated and in some ways, this little break has given me time to press the restart button. But It has also shown me that I can spend too much time chasing the perfect shot and not enough time enjoying the process of photography.

I can sense a shift in my photography and I feel I’m on the cusp of a change.

My latest work “Wanderings” is something that I’m excited about as it is different from my street work and at this moment in time this is what I want to do. And who knows there may be a book to follow.

At the end of the day, it is about doing things that make you happy because we only have today as tomorrow is not here.

Keep the Faith

KV

Rivington Country Park

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Winter Walk

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The first snowfall of the winter provided me with an opportunity to get out with the X100F.

All images shot using the B&W + R JPEG Setting with the added grain effect.

Goodbye 2020

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Goodbye, 2020.

Here are my photographic highlights from the past 12 months.

Keep the Faith people as nothing lasts forever.

Shooting the Bride and Groom.

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One of our friends asked me if I could photograph their wedding, and they got a swift thanks but no thanks. When I was focused on my street work, and to be honest, I thought wedding photography was beneath me. Talk about being narrow-minded.

It was a decision that I soon regretted, and I would like to say sorry to my friends for that swift and final no. The wedding went ahead. We all had a great time but looking back, that was probably the push my photography needed. But hey, we live and learn.

Since turning down my friend’s offer, I have gone on to photograph numerous weddings either independently or as a 2nd photographer. So why the change of heart? It became noticeably clear that if I were to progress, I needed to challenge myself and see what I could do.

Once I broke through my own ignorance barriers, I started to open my mind to other photography work offers. All have had there own learning curves, and I have gained some valuable experience on the way.

There is something about the energy of the wedding day that gives me this buzz of excitement. Everything from the bridal prep to the first dance is pure energy, and we all get swept along on this wave of emotion, and I am there in the middle of it, trying my best to stay sharp and keep focused.

My coping mechanism for all this nervous energy is to stay tuned in to my environment, practice some mindfulness, and treat the day as one long street photography walk.

Like I have said before in my previous blogs, why be something I am not when its easier to be me.

In October, I will be shooting the wedding of Abbie and Matt. They are a wonderful couple, and I have known Matt for many years and regard him as a good friend. It will be an absolute pleasure to photograph their wedding, especially after everything that has gone on this year.

The wedding photography industry is a tough nut to crack, and there are thousands of photographers out there all chasing the same clients, breaking into the industry takes time and balls of steel.

Is Wedding Photography something I want to pursue as a full-time business? Maybe in the future, but I am simply happy being the street photographer who enjoys shooting the bride and groom.

Keep the Faith

KV

Print your Work.

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It amazes me how many photographers do not print their work.

We spend hours perfecting our images for it to be uploaded on social media to be viewed for 5 seconds on a little screen!! The connection between us and the image is still not complete as we only see the digital copy. It is like downloading music. Yes, you have it, but you do not own it unless you are holding the CD or Vinyl in your hand.

Once we print our work, it then becomes a physical thing which in turn becomes more personal. We are then connected to our own work.

Now, I am not talking about printing huge gallery prints in gold frames, but small A4 prints or 6x4 ones; it does not really matter; at least we have that image in our hands.

This is a documentation of YOUR work which will be around a lot longer than storing them on a phone or a laptop. Basically, we are hiding them away in our little flies or uploading them into this imaginary cloud, and who knows what will happen to all that in the future.

We take the image, then edit the image we then present it to our audience, and the final stage of that image should be the printing of your work.

An online portfolio is good, but a portfolio than you can actually hold and see is priceless.

Keep the Faith

KV

Some of my recent prints.

Colour v Mono

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The colour v black & white debate is something that I had a good few years ago and I decide that colour was the way forward for me.

This was partially due to my purchase of the X100T. Once I set the camera to classic chrome and looked through the viewfinder it was like a switch going off in my head and I was sold, hook line, and sinker.

Black and white still have its place especially with my commissioned work like weddings and portraits but with street photography is was going to be colour. For me, it is the difficulty of the two as there is a lot more thinking required, as all the elements need to be spot on for colour to work on the street.

I am not disregarding BNW but there is always the temptation to cover up the faults of the image by clicking that black and white button in Lightroom. And I think we can all agree that you cannot polish a turd by switching it to BNW and pumping up the clarity.

This is not me saying all BNW street work is shit because that would not be right as there are some superb street photographers out there who are producing some beautiful images in black and white.

And this is the point that we go full circle. I recently acquired the Fuji Film X100F and I am in love with the Acros film simulation settings especially the Red & Yellow filters. It was like a déjà vu moment when I looked through the viewfinder and I was seeing this beautiful grainy BNW image.

It is just small steps back into the world of BNW, but I am enjoying the process, so much so that I have opened another Instagram account for my BNW work.

Have I missed working in black & white? Yes and no but if I can have a slice of both worlds than I am happy with that. At the end of the day it is all about doing the things that make you happy.

New Instagram Page - https://www.instagram.com/kv_mono/

Keep the Faith

KV

MANCHESTER - X100F ACROS+RED

Under the Influence #4

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Jane Bown - Exposures

I was introduced to Jane Bowen’s work when a good friend of mine gave me his spare copy of the book Exposures. Each portrait is different, but they give us this little glimpse into the subject's true persona looking out from the page.

Jane Bown worked for the Observer newspaper for over five decades, and in that time, she photographed the great, the good and the not so good of politics, music, art, and theatre.

Observer editor John Mulholland called her "part of the Observer's DNA".

What can we learn from Jane Bown and the book Exposures?

She was uninterested in the latest camera equipment and mainly used second-hand cameras, with the Olympus OM1 being the one she favoured the most. There were no gimmicks to her work, no props, no glamourous studios or locations. Everything was done with the available light. The camera was already set up, and she could be done and dusted within 15 minutes.

Jane Bowen was extremely reluctant to speak about her work, and the quote “photographers should neither be seen nor heard” is a testament to that approach.

Jane Bown, photographer, born 13 March 1925; died 21 December 2014.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/oct/18/jane-bown-60-years-portraits

Keep the Faith

KV