Photographing Norfolk’s Landscapes

Click here for a guest post on the Enjoy Norwich blog, on the subject of photographing landscapes in Norfolk.

Qualifications…

Many introductory conversations about my photographic career seem to begin in the following fashion:

‘So what do you do?’
‘I am a professional photographer.’
‘Where did you study?’
‘I studied at the University of East Anglia.’
‘I didn’t know they ran a degree in photography?’
‘They don’t.’

I spend the next four or five minutes justifying myself in my choice of career, gently, though repetitively, talking my way back to an equal footing with photographers who hold that golden ticket in a crowded industry: The Qualification.

Allow me to make one thing clear. I have no wish in this blog post to belittle the qualifications of photographers, or to make any suggestion that courses and degrees are in any way unhelpful or unnecessary. Make no mistake, if I could afford to go through university again, and gain a degree in photography, I’d be there already. I do, however, wish to clear up some of the preconceptions that people appear to have about my decision to make photography my living, despite not being directly qualified in it.

Although – if you don’t already know – my degree is in English Literature, I chose to pursue photography after graduating for two reasons. Firstly, I very much enjoyed it. Secondly, I was good at it. I am already on to a winner – there are many photographers who don’t enjoy their career, or who aren’t – let’s be frank – terribly good at it.

A little over two years on, I am able to add a host of reasons to those two. My work is appreciated not only by my friends and my clients, but by an increasing proportion of the general public, including – and these are compliments that mean a great deal to me – fellow artists, creative professionals and photographers. I am approached to exhibit at venues around Norwich on a regular basis. I am fortunate enough to have a patient and enjoyable manner with people, which, I am told, encourages many people I photograph to relax in front of the camera, where otherwise they would remain very nervous. Furthermore, personal skills of that ilk, I am told, and am beginning to notice myself, are conspicuous in the extreme when a photographer – qualified or not – lacks them. I am developing a style of my own – accessible, thoughtful and filled with my own character as well as that of my various subjects – a style which has gone down well with its widening audience, and which, in my opinion, might not have developed as it has done if the distractions and demands of a photography degree had consumed my time.

I regularly read blogs by photographers. On a number of occasions, I have happened across photographers studying their art at universities around the United Kingdom and worldwide who have stated that they are still trying to figure out their own particular style. This isn’t a criticism. It takes any artist a long time to figure out their own style, and it takes some artists longer than others. Making a criticism like that would be akin to criticising a sixteen-year-old for not having gone through puberty yet: to do so would say a great deal more about me than it would about the photographers in question. My point is this, though: that sense of style develops from within. It does not come as part of an academic package. It never has done, in any study of any art form. Some people never develop their own unique style. I have been lucky enough to spend time struggling with ideas and techniques, and to have developed a photographic style, to an extent. I think I should use it – as should anyone in a similar position, regardless of their qualifications. More people should make good use of their talents like that. To so much as imply otherwise, as some people have done to myself and to other artists I know (both to our faces and behind our backs), because there are other people with qualifications trying to compete, is priggish and narrow-minded, and indicative of a dismal understanding (at best) of how art works. I have been told the following fact many times, by many people: any industry will ultimately make room for people who are good enough.

I accept entirely that I have a great deal to learn in my profession. I have much to learn in terms of technical knowledge, and in terms of the creative industries at large. I am lucky enough to count one or two top photographers amongst my friends, who give constructive and helpful criticisms of my work, criticisms which have the intention of building upon the ability that is already there. Criticisms that can sometimes be frank, but which always prove to be jewels, well worth listening and responding to.

The next time someone asks me why I have become a photographer in a crowded industry, when my background is in literary study, I think I will save myself the energy of justifying myself, and simply direct them to my work. They are quite free to criticise that instead. I might listen to them then.

Thoughts on Norfolk

Norfolk.

In the weeks before I took up my place at the University of East Anglia, all the way back in 2005, I found myself repeatedly answering the same question in conversations.
‘UEA? Where is that?’
‘It’s in Norwich.’
‘Where is that?’
‘It’s in Norfolk.’
‘Where is that?’
Scores of my friends and fellow students in Dorset, where I studied for my A-levels, had only fleetingly heard of Norfolk. Interestingly, far from a negative opinion of the county, influenced by Alan Partridge and irresponsible medical terms, most people I talked to simply didn’t know a great deal about it.

I arrived, it must be said, with a similar degree of knowledge about Norfolk. I had chosen UEA almost entirely on the strength of its English Literature course. I was aware of one or two things about which Norfolk could be proud – Norwich Cathedral, which will be one thousand years old at the end of this century (no, really, stop for a moment and contemplate that – it’s astonishing), and a city with countryside on its outskirts. Those things aside, I knew next to nothing.

I was delighted with that – a significant part of my attraction to UEA was the opportunity to study in an unfamiliar setting. As I thought then, and as I still think now, albeit for different reasons: where better than Norwich?

It took me an inordinate (and, with hindsight, shameful) length of time to begin to really get to know the area. Any campus-based university has a way of creating a bubble community of its own, in which one has to make a special effort to reach out to other people. As silly as it sounds, at a campus university it is perfectly possible to live in almost complete ignorance of the local area for the entire duration of a degree. It happens all the time. I even know one woman who will tell you that she never left the grounds of UEA in all of her three years as an undergraduate, if you can believe it.

From day one, I liked Norwich. I took a guided bus tour during my first week here. The guide spoke with a great deal of pride about its history – Elizabeth Fry on the £5 note, Kett’s Rebellion, the rarity of having two Cathedrals – but he also spoke with a generous serving of humour as he recommended us to look out for the Puppet Man, and regaled us with the story of the bus that fell into a collapsed chalk pit in the 1980s. I like cities with that kind of humility, just as I like people with that kind of humility – and to this day, I find that most people here have a similar self-deprecating attitude. These days, I work in two of its most popular pubs – the Alexandra Tavern and the Fat Cat – and I greatly appreciate the fact that I am able to dish out insults to the pubs’ respective regulars, confident that I won’t cause offence – I simply have to be ready to take them back at some point. It takes a lot of warmth (and mutual respect, I suppose, somewhere…) to keep that kind of relationship ticking over. Overwhelmingly, I find that the people of Norwich – and indeed the wider Norfolk community – are open to that form of humour, and I think it speaks volumes about their friendliness. I have warmed to Norwich more than I ever could to Bournemouth, the town I called home before moving here.

Norfolk is also home to a wide array of talent. We all know about Stephen Fry and Bill Bryson – they go without saying – I am talking about talent that frequently goes unnoticed, as a direct result of the humility I was just lauding. I knew (and routinely insulted) one man for months before discovering – from someone else, naturally – that he is a nationally respected illustrator. I recently chatted at length to a woman I knew to be a well-known artist, only to discover a few days ago that some of her work has actually been bought for Charles Saatchi’s collection. I regularly talk in the pub to a well-known retired television presenter – though never about his career in television. I’d known another man for over a year before someone told me he’d served on the Royal Yacht. I exchanged Christmas cards last year with the UK Columnist of the Year. She’d punch me if I brought the subject up in person. These are just a few examples. Norfolk twinkles and gleams with humble talent of this sort – terrific people who take pride without seeking recognition. (I envy that character trait greatly.) If there is a downside to such an attitude, however, it is that campaigns to encourage recognition of talent, innovation and skill never really seem to gather momentum. People aren’t accustomed to shouting about their abilities.

Over the course of 2011, I will be producing a body of work, which, provided I can maintain some degree of focus, will show Norfolk in what I consider to be its real light. It will depict some of the people who help make the county the dynamic and delectable place that it is, in a suitably humble context that also illustrates the sense of normality that pervades their work. It will be a body of work that humbly shows, rather than extravagantly claims.

If I do it right, and one person comes away with a viewpoint of Norfolk that is positive, rather than non-existent or negative, then I will be delighted. It will be quite a task. Judging my path well will be difficult indeed – but if anyone is going to screw up a project like this, I’d consider it a great privilege…

Portrait Photographs…

Nothing delights me quite like a successful portrait photograph. Photographing a person well requires so much in a photographer. There is mastery of light to consider, and composition – these go without saying. The background must add something significant to the image – even if it is blank, or coloured. Meticulous attention to detail is required, with interest drawn to both the subject and the context of the photograph. Subjects must be relaxed as far as possible – and this, for me, is the difficulty of the job. Without relaxation, nervousness and anxiety, to some degree, will be etched into the expression of the subject, at the expense of every other emotion. To my mind, this marks out the truly skilled photographer, more than any of the technical mastery that is required – vital as it is. Knowledge of how people feel and behave in front of a camera, a sense of when to be authoritative in direction, and when to take a step back during a shoot – these are skills that require sensitivity and a genuine interest in people.

A portrait photograph can pass without one or two of these elements, of course. They very often do. When all of them are present, however, on a consistent basis, it stands as a testament to a genuinely good photographer. I am still learning in this respect – which is why I refer you dear things to John Gay – again. As I mentioned in a post a few months ago, the photographic work of John Gay takes some beating – and nowhere is his oeuvre stronger than in his portrait photographs.

The photograph above, taken in Cornwall, is a little masterpiece – look at the lines of the four cakes in the centre of the image, leading the eyes to the window pane through which the girl is eyeing them up longingly. I love that expression. Capturing that look of curiosity is the crucial element of the photograph – it’s a wonderful example of shooting unobserved.

The photograph works for another crucial reason, though – the sunlight through the window highlights the texture of the cake toppings brilliantly. Because the cakes are given equal importance to the girl, we as viewers feel a keen and immediate sense of identification with her. Perfect.

This photograph was taken in London. Look at the way in which the light reflects from the boots. The diagonal line moving up the photograph highlights the sense of professionalism, as the proprietor continues his work, entirely oblivious to the photographer in front of him. The difference between this photograph and the previous one is that Gay would have been a far more obvious presence as this one was taken. The skill of managing this is a very subtle one – the ability to blend in to the background, to be a comforting, relaxing presence and to allow a scene to develop with a minimal degree of intrusion – all whilst shooting a perfectly framed image. Truly brilliant – I have yet to see a photographer whose work comes close to matching John Gay’s. Only one thing is more pleasurable than thumbing through his book, England Observed – and that is learning from it.

Photographs courtesy of English Heritage.

Auction…

The bidding is now open, until Wednesday 1st December, for this unique, original, mounted, framed 18×12 inch photograph of musician Duke Special. The piece formed an integral part of my recent exhibition at the Rumsey Wells pub in Norwich, and is being auctioned to help raise funds for the Norfolk & Norwich Festival.

With the public donations received from the Big Arts Give campaign, running in December, the Festival will be organising a programme of free events across next year’s opening weekend, encompassing top-notch entertainment from the worlds of music, dance, circus and street theatre. This auction is being made entirely for that opening weekend – it promises to be a superbly entertaining time for the city of Norwich – so please bid generously, and help spread the word…

http://bit.ly/cFk0Hj

Big Arts Give!

From Monday 6th December, the fondly revered lunatics at the offices of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival will be appealing for donations towards the events of next year’s opening weekend festivities, as part of the Big Arts Give initiative for which they have been specifically selected.

With the money they raise from us, the public, they will be endeavouring to throw a colourful and vivacious feast of street theatre, music, dance and circus acts that will breathe life into the streets of Norwich, free of charge, giving children tremendous memories to cherish, and adults a gloriously silly reason to bunk off work. (I didn’t say that.)

The more money we can raise, the more events the Festival can organise – and, crucially, the better their position will be to reach out to new audiences that might otherwise miss the city’s annual shower of cheer. Furthermore, the Big Arts Give aims to match public donations from its own funds, meaning that the eventual sum raised for the opening weekend could actually be doubled. Isn’t that quite something?

As part of this initiative, then, I will be auctioning a unique, original, mounted, framed 18×12 inch photograph (pictured below) from my recent exhibition of work with live musicians, featuring the supremely talented Duke Special. With its distinctive depiction of such a distinctive performer, the piece formed an integral part of the exhibition – and I’ll be sad to let it go. What better reason to give the piece a new home than in aid of the finest fortnight of the year in Norwich?

The auction will begin on Monday 22nd November, and close on Wednesday 1st December. The link will be made available on this blog. All the proceeds will be donated to the Festival’s cause. If you’re interested in making a bid, do write it in your diary – or for a reminder nearer the time, feel free to send a blank email with ‘Remind Me’ in the subject bar to ryan at ryanwattsphotos dot co dot uk.

I’ll be doing my bit. Let’s make next year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival a special one indeed.

With Thanks…

My exhibition of live music photographs has come to the end of its month-long stint in the Rumsey Wells’ Underbelly.  Some of the photographs will go to their new homes, adorning new walls, and others will come home with me.  It was an extraordinary experience to put the exhibition together, from the meticulous reprocessing I carried out in June and July, to whittling down the sixty potential exhibits down to just nine, to the printing and framing, and finally the hanging of the show on the day of its opening.

It must be said – the exhibition would never have happened without the vision, thinking and effort of the Underbelly’s curator, Luke Emery.  As proud as I am of the live music photography that I have produced over the last two years, I have also tended to regard it as a means of trying out new ideas and techniques – many of the images in the exhibition were not intended for display at the time of shooting.  Luke’s input really was as significant as that – he saw a value in them that I had clearly overlooked.

Luke’s input extended far further than that, though.  Selecting the final set of images for the show was something we took our time over.  Some of them were too humorous, some of them lacked that special sense of atmosphere, some of them were even technically too perfect.  Luke and I rooted them out, and left ourselves with a thematically linked yet pleasingly diverse set of images that really illustrated Norwich’s performers – and venues – at their very best.  Somewhere, amongst our little differences of opinion, lay the exhibition that we put on.  It was definitely the right one.  Cheers, Luke!

One final time, I would like to thank the people who came to visit the show – from the seventy-odd who crammed into the Underbelly, partied with the excellent Vagaband and Michael Farrant on the opening night (and endured what must have been ghastly hangovers at work the following day), to the people who came in and looked around in their own time over the course of the month.  Luke and I really appreciate it.

The Underbelly has consistently exhibited excellent local artists and performers, and I am fully confident that it will continue to do so.  As those who attended the opening night will attest, it is a little dream of a venue – I do hope that you will continue to drop in at future artists’ exhibitions there.  Very much worth your while.

Right.  I’d better go and fetch the photographs…