OCA Course: Exhibitions, Galleries and Websites.

OCA Course: Exhibitions and Galleries and Websites.

During the last year I have visited several exhibitions, either public open ones, or commercial galleries. It's always interesting to see work by photographers considered by the pundits to be noteworthy.

1. Eve Arnold at Chris Beetles Gallery, London: Lots of expensive black and whites mainly taken on the set of "The Misfits" with Marylin Monroe. The only interest is in the film-star content, they aren't particularly striking photographs in themselves, but I guess people will pay a few grand for a picture of "her". Just a lucky break for Arnold, or any other photographer that happened to be invited to the set. Would I hang one on my living-room wall – no.
   
2. Hoppe at the NPG London: Interesting in that it put a face to some well known names from earlier in the 20^th century, like Lewis Carroll and GBS. The only image I remember, however, was a stunning portrait of an Oriental lady. For the rest, see 1. above. Would I hang one on my living-room wall – only one.
   
3. Adrian Gatie at Scarborough Art Gallery: Return to Penumbria – street photography at its best. Excellent. Not for the living-room wall, but definitely for a book of images, which I would buy just for the humour.
   
4. From Back Home at the NMM, Bradford: It takes a lot to get me to visit Bradford, and these two wouldn't have if it hadn't been for the co-incident Fay Godwin exhibition. I suppose Anders Peterson and J H Engstrom have spent a lot of time with their friends and neighbours, but I came away with a sense of someone taking pictures of their mates mostly when they're pissed at the local BBQ. Doesn't ring any bells with the image of Scandinavians I got from my several visits there. Wonder what the Varmlanders think. Putting ruddy great dark prints into ruddy great dark frames is a good way of filling exhibition wall space. Pity the content wasn't more appealing. Would I hang one on my living-room wall – no.
   
5. Fay Godwin at the NMM: Land revisited. Undeniably competent b & w landscapes. It's just a pity they were 11 inch square, which meant pressing my greasy nose up to them to see the finer points, some of which were essential to the image. What's the point of displaying instamatic size when she shot on a Hassel. Would I hang one on my living-room wall – yes, several.
   
6. Veiola Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Natural History Museum, London: This is my territory, and I go every year. The best wildlife images and a target to aspire to. Many memorable images, some decisive moments, some artistic content. Would I hang one on my living-room wall – no, but I'll buy the book.
   
7. www.birdsasart.org : Wildlife photographer Arthur Morris's website. Proof that wildlife images and artistic content are possible. This is what I aspire to, but know I'll never achieve!
   
8. www.steverace.com : A local bird photographer, but half my age! He's both good, and a good friend.
   

One reads a lot of critique about these exhibitions from the self-styled pundits of photography – it's all bollocks. Why does anyone take photographs? It's because the bloke standing next to us with a 9mm Glock pointing at our head is forcing us to, isn't it? No – it's because we enjoy it. Self satisfaction. We take photographs, look at them, keep the ones we like and dump the ones we don't (unless you are like me and have a hard-drive full of crap). We might really like one and hang it up for all to see. Gratification comes from positive comments from others. It's the same for commercial photographers – they shoot the images they think will suit their clients brief, and a gratified when the client pays the bill and uses him again. You can read what you like into photographs, but you only see them because whoever took them, likes them.