At the beginning.. People and Place

Getting to grips now with the sense of excitement and positive anticipation that the start of  a new course always presents... 

Why this course? 

For me the real draw of People and Place is the opportunity of exploring places and people, space , buildings and activity from  a photographer's perspective. While I enjoy trying to capture people in the moment  at events and in activity, portraiture is definitely not a strength so I am hoping for some real progress here. 

Really looking forward to this course having spent this summer reading  Annie Leibovitz 'At Work' ,a brilliant and very readable insight into how she has worked over a long career.  Seeing her amazing black and white  and colour images in this book whets the appetite for more. 

Many of my favourite portrait images are black and white such as those of Chris Killip below or Jane Bown, whose work was highlighted in Luke Dodd and Michael Whyte's beautiful film  'Looking for Light: Jane Bown. 

Chris Killip : Youth on wall, Jarrow,Tyneside,UK 1976

Interesting to compare the working methods of Leibovitz and Bown .....chalk and cheese comes to mind ...I'll come back to this  when I get cracking on Part One. In the meantime... a reminder of a another summer book ..

And an interesting  exhibition that I came across accidently in Salisbury Museum in September- 'Cecil Beaton at Home - Ashcombe and Reddish', a biographical view of Cecil Beaton, self taught photographer, artist and set and costume designer. A fascinating mix of original photographs, artworks and possessions capturing the spirit of country house parties and costume balls and his life with a creative group of friends including Siegfried Sassoon, Stephen Tennant.

Cecil Beaton: Georgia Sitwell - Renishaw