Photography Advice for Christmas

Many people receive the gift of a camera for Christmas.  This is sometimes in the form of a camera phone, a compact, a DSLR or occasionally something different.  Photography very quickly becomes addictive.

Now in the digital age it's even easier to find like minded people or inspiration for that next little project you have been thinking about.

If you are looking to learn more about photography why not follow one of the links to our local educational establishments that can give you formal training and may lead to a new career path.

If you are looking for a more social aspect then why not look at joining one of the areas vibrant camera clubs.  You can guarantee that there is one close to you.

Don't want to go to a club but want to show your work?  Why not join our flickr group right here?  If you post that you would like some critique on your images we would be more than glad to help.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to Pixel Magazine!  We have lots of ideas and sources of inspiration best of all its local and its free!

Merry Christmas

Just a quick post to wish all our friends and readers a very Merry Christmas from all of us here at Pixel.

We sincerely hope you enjoy whatever you are doing throughout the festive period.

Best wishes,

Lee, Bob and all the contributors.

Sara Friedlander speaks at Luminance 2012

 by PhotoShelter.com

An illuminating talk about the market for "Fine Art" photography and what makes some pictures worth so much money

Events at Redeye

Redeye have a number of interesting events coming up soon. They have talks by Richard Billingham of "Rays a Laugh" fame and Peter Frazer  coming up.

 Richard Billingham talk

Peter Fraser talk

There is also weekend workshop with leading photographer Liz Hingley, including a portrait of you - or someone you nominate - by Liz, only 8 places.

 Liz Hingley-weekend-workshop-and-personal-portrait

Check the links for times dates and prices

Moving On

Today's Guardian has a number of tips for developing your career after you leave college and move out into the big bad world.

Read the full article here  guardian culture-professionals-blog

One of their suggestions is:-

Keep in touch with your peer group: Leaving art college and becoming a professional artist is tough – when I graduated there was such little support or professional practice events for ambitious artists, especially new graduates.

My advice is to stay in touch with your peer group – get together and create a peer critique group to look at each other's work or put on a DIY exhibition so you can start to get your work out there. Always keep each other informed of opportunities.

If you are a recent Photography Graduate or indeed if you are a keen and committed photographer wanting to get involved in a group like that suggested above you might like to know that one exists serving Pennine Lancashire. We meet around the 3rd Thursday each month next meeting 24 January.

There is no fixed place so if you are interested please e-mail us here at Pixel and we will add you to the mailing list and let you know when and where the next meeting will be held

Pixel Magazine

The Art of Arrangement

It's a shame that the National media Museum is so awkward to get to. Every time you visit an exhibition there you see and learn something new and the current still life exhibition is no exception. I called in simply because I was travelling home from Leeds and it was possible.

I don't know what if anything I expected to see. The the title might suggest something dry and academic but the exhibition proved to be quite a revelation. Anyone who believes as I do that printmaking is important needs to visit this exhibition. There are vintage prints from the mid-1800s to the present day and the quality of the work is outstanding. All the great and good are represented from Roger Fenton through Ansel Adams to Don McCullen not forgetting Dorothea Lange, Paul Strand, Horst P Horst, Edward Steicher, John Blakemore, Ian Beesley, the list goes on.

I understand that all the images are drawn from the museum archive and they have stretched to the definition of still life somewhat to include the surrealism of Jerry Uelsmann and composite photographs by various artists going back to Henry Peach Robinson in 1858. They've even managed to sneak one of Simon Norfolk's photographs from Afghanistan into the brief. This really is an exhibition with something for everyone

There are any number of famous original prints on the walls and this might be your only chance to see them before they return to the museum vaults. Unfortunately the only picture we are allowed to reproduce is the Roger Fenton above. The press release below from the media Museum really does not give the exhibition the write up it deserves.

National Media Museum, Bradford 17 November 2012 – 10 February 2013 Art of Arrangement: Photography and the Still Life Tradition, is a visually arresting exhibition that explores the still life genre, its themes and its influence on photography. The exhibition will be on show at the National Media Museum from 17 November 2012 - 10 February 2013. Still life has inspired photographers throughout the history of the medium. The form, developed throughout centuries of painting and visual art, is full of striking imagery and dark symbolism, focusing on decay and the fleeting nature of life. Featuring works by some of the most celebrated practitioners of photography, Art of Arrangement investigates the photographic still life through both classic examples and works that challenge the definition of the genre.

Finding New Photographers

I love it when I come across a new photographer that I like.

One recent discovery is Gueorgui Pinkhassov.  It is sometime to see why Magnum Photographers are classed as the best in the world.  They certainly are among the best street photographers.  Let’s face it who wouldn’t love to have their name in a list that included Donovan Wylie, Eve Arnold, Cartier-Bresson, Mark Power and Pixel friend Martin Parr.  This is just a small sample of the talent at Magnum, so if I have missed your favourite them I can only apologise.

I came across Pinkhassov not through Magnum Photos but through a link on the website The Online Photographer.  This led me to a blog by Pavel Kosenko that has over a hundred of Pinkhassov’s photographs on the site.

Gueorgui Pinkhassov was born to French/Russian parents in Moscow during 1952, Pinkhassov developed an interest in photography from an early age.  He went on to study cinematography and then worked in the film industry as a set photographer.  He moved to Paris in 1985 and joined Magnum in 1988.

As with most Magnum Photographers there is a strong element of documentary ‘street’ photography to Pinkhassov’s portfolio.  The first images that I saw of his was quite a surreal looking image and being very much in to the surreal it spurred me to look at more of his work.

There are two striking themes that to me are extremely apparent about Pinkhassov’s work.  The first is being the use of colour most noticeably red.  One can only assume that this is intentional as it is a massively common theme throughout his images but he uses it so well that it isn’t annoying or becomes too much of a ‘style’ or hindrance to the images.  Of course red isn’t the only colour that occurs throughout the images.  It’s just an example of how Pinkhassov uses colour to direct your eye and create a photograph that is unmistakably Pinkhassov. 

The other thing that strikes me about the images is that they are very cinematic in the execution.  Each image looks like it has just been taken straight out of a film.  Of course, they document every day life and although little coincidences that any street/documentary photographer loves to catch but Pinkhassov’s work looks like it could have been set up time and time again.  The moment is perfect, the lighting is perfect and the composition is the best it is ever going to be.  Even those images that look posed have the same cinematic quality. 

Why not grab a brew, put your feet up and spend half an hour so having a look at this fabulous set.  I know a few of them have gone in my inspiration folder!

http://pavelkosenko.wordpress.com/2012/09/02/a-set-of-photographs-by-gueorgui-pinkhassov/