PHOTOGRAPHY
Nowadays in addition to carrying my red metal water bottle I make sure I have a little folding paper fan with me. Although it doesn’t help that much on the hot, airless carriages of London Underground I am usually grateful for the relief this simple classic device provides. I’ve always like the look of fans; … Read more
A few months ago I came across an article inThe Guardian newspaper which featured the photograph below by Mukesh Gupta of some street art in Jammu, India, protesting rape. I took a screenshot of the image as it really resonated with me, particularly the representation of the silencing – the hand over the mouth of … Read more
I’ve gathered together some old family photographs that all, with the exception of the final image, predate my birth. In these photographs the cars and other forms of transport are integral to the photograph, they are not just part of the background. My parents and relatives wanted these objects to feature and be recorded. The … Read more
Back when I studied History of Art I spent a year in Venice researching various secular motifs in 18th Century Venetian painting. My assumption from that time was that Venice, unlike Rome and Florence, was not particularly a centre for religious iconography. However, on recent visits, walking around the city with an objective eye, I … Read more
I’ve just returned from a short trip to Venice. One of the photos I took was of this sign, seen outside a parish: I noticed the sign and misread it at first; I didn’t realise it was advocating a modest dress code policy. I initially saw the X above the guy’s cap as some kind … Read more
The other week walking down London’s Kingsland Road in Dalston I took an illusionistic street photograph involving a barbershop window that regularly catches my eye. In the mix is a striking, monochromatic bearded profile with pronounced eyebrows as well as a beautiful, shrouded female figure with crossed hands. Rather than hipster qualities I associate his … Read more
Last week I was in New York for a few days staying on the Lower East Side. The weather was quite unsettled – muggy and rainy. One grey morning I saw a guy walking towards me in sandals and socks. These were not the frowned-upon socks and sandals combination formerly attributed to unstylish men with … Read more
In my last post on the Venice Carnival I included a photograph I’d taken of a masked man in a bookshop perusing a book on the Hebrew language. This got me thinking about other images I’ve taken of people reading as well as the representation of books and reading matter in family photographs in my … Read more
Looking through my late father’s old photos I came across some vintage studio postcard images of extended family members that caught my eye. I liked the props – the doll and soft toy: Again from my father’s collection here’s a photo I really like of my first cousin Ruth – dating approximately from the mid … Read more
I wanted to write something about how art history is evident not just in the interiors of museums and churches in Venice but has a certain visibility as you walk around its streets and squares. This is in the form of reproductions of painting. I realised that I was concurrently taking pictures of contemporary street art … Read more