war photographer tim page

Tim Page

 Tim Page born in England made his reputation during the 60's photographing the Vietnam war. Arriving in Laos penniless but determined he was the original drug fueled photographer.

Tim Page

During his first job in Laos as an agricultural adviser he was caught up in a coup. Getting his hands on an old Nikon he began photographing what he saw.  At 21 he was a staff photographer for UPI's Saigon bureaux. With others of his generation including Don McCullin he brought the horrors of the conflict to the world. Sean Flynn (the son of Errol) was a friend and colleague who was kidnaped by the Khmer Rouge and never seen again. For those of you who have seen Francis Ford Coppola's classic Apocalypse Now the Denis Hopper character is loosely based on Tim Page.
The video is a good look at Tim's work and I hope you enjoy it.

If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it's already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer. - Eve Arnold

Never give up on photography.

After putting 'pictures of disappointment' into Google images this was the best one I could find. There were various images dealing with 'sexual disappointment' but I decided not to go there. So why am I disappointed? The twins who I am meant to be photographing today could not make it. 

'The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune." Plutarch I re-tweeted this earlier on today and while it is bit of an exaggeration to describe my situation in this way it did get me thinking. Photography is not for the faint hearted and if you are not committed to it then it probably will not happen. Perseverance is a quality that all photographers must have to succeed. I need to be reminded of this fact as much as anyone.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

The above picture is a less well known image by the great master and I hope it inspires you as much as it does me. 
It is like a shot of adrenalin.

Photography is not easy.

Nicholas Brewer

With a bit of luck I am off to photograph the twins on Sunday. Above is the last one that I did of them and while much more what I am looking for it is not there yet. I have been photographing Michael and Jonathon for about a year and it is often difficult to get subjects to feel comfortable being in front of the camera They are both professionals with busy lives so it is difficult to find time in our schedules to keep the momentuem going. This is essential on a project like this.

Nicholas Brewer

The 'Ghost Signs' are another project that has been going for 12 exactly months on Saturday. The miracle of Meta data (data about data) tells me not only the date but also focal length and exposure. The project is enjoyable and I have learnt a great deal about this historic form of advertising. I feel the work is now getting tired and predictable. The bike creates a triangle shape pointing to the sign and the traffic light and chimney serve as vertical structures to add geometric form to the image.

Nicholas Brewer

Click on the 'Ghost Signs of London' link at the top of the page and see the best of the year.
Thanks for reading

the law photographing the london riots

Amy Wenn

Dramatic pictures like these taken only a few miles from my house made me think about my rights to photograph on the streets. The law changes quickly in these volatile times so it is good to know when you can tell the police to 'move along now.' The Terrorism Act has been responsible for 100,000 stop and searches, many were photographers. From July of last year, Section 44 was removed and you cannot be stopped for taking photographs under this section of the Terrorism Act. This legislation was responsible for routinely disrupting the lawful business of photographers. Professionals and amateurs (derived from the love of) were harassed by police. Despite over a 100,000 stop and searches no one has been convicted of any terrorist offenses.

You are allowed to photograph the police in public places conducting their work. They only have a right to see your images if the police believe you are a terrorist. Just taking pictures is not a valid reason. Under no circumstances can they delete your work. Look at it this way. If you are taking images for terrorist purposes it would be destroying evidence and if you are not then what is the problem?

Things you are not allowed to do.

• Take photographs near a court.
• Take photographs of military bases and restricted areas.
• Use a tripod in a public area.

Thanks

Billy the Kid

Welcome to the 31st edition.

Unknown.

This almost comical image of William H Boney sold recently for a total fee of $2.6 million. When we conjure up an image of Billy the Kid this Tintype is the one we think of more than any other and is considered an iconic image of the wild west. The photograph  taken in about 1879-80 has undisputed provenance. The camera used had multiple lenses so what happened to the other three and are they likely to appear anytime soon? One burnt in a fire and the fate of the others is not known. This image first appeared in print on Jan 8th 1888 and features in Pat Garrett's book "The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid."

What is a tintype?

Tintype Camera

Tintypes were shot in a similar way to Daguerreotypes with up to four images being taken on one plate. They were quick to produce and were popular with street photographers. Despite their name no tin was used in the process. They produced a negative image where everything was in reverse in the same way you appear reversed when looking in the mirror. This led many to believe that Billy the Kid was left handed and  inspired a film called the 'Left Handed Gun' starring Paul Newman. The video below explains more about the process and contains a lot of historical information.

http://www.photoquotes.com/default.aspx?charAlpha=a

anniversary of Diane Arbus's death and a photography quiz.

Welcome to the 30th editon.

Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus died on 26th July 1971 aged 48. To many she was a voyeur looking at 'freaks' marginalized by society. The work is often unsentimental and cruel. There was no attempt made to demonstrate sympathy with her subjects and the images were frequently lit with strong flashlight to exaggerate this. It is surprising that she often made lasting friendships with those she photographed and often felt like an outsider herself. Arbus was from a privileged background and her parents owned Russeks a famous Fifth Avenue department store. An accomplished commercial photographer whose cleints included Vogue and Harpers Bazaar and she had an image selected by Edward Steichen for the famous exhibition 'Family of Man.' There was a history of depression within her family notably her mother and Diane Arbus took her own life with a combination of drugs and slashing her wrists. The 40th anniversary is reason to contemplate her significant contribution to the medium of photography and our own understanding of voyeurism. 

Nicholas Brewer

The image above is another addition to the 'Ghost Signs' archive and while I am pleased with this as a stand alone image the body of work is starting to feel repetitive. A style is important for a body of work but predictability and complacency is the enemy. The project has lasted nearly a year and is proving important for historical reasons but I am doubting the creative direction. Clink on the link at the top of the page and have a look. I appreciate  any feedback you care to leave.
Copyright and Fair Use. How many of you have goggled your own name? OK so have I and on a regular basis. Oh the vanity of it all. I have just goggled my name in images to see what comes up. Now I expect my work to be out there and I am realistic about this. What does annoy me is that the work is not credited. Is it better to have your work watermarked with the annoying logo that is easily retouched or do you favor low-res images? Personally I do the latter. If you are desperate enough to want to use my images then you can have them sitting on your desk top but not much else. 
'I always though of photography as a naughty thing to do - that was oe of my favorite things about it, and when I first did it, I felt perverse.' - Diane Arbus, On Photography by Susan Sontag. 
35mm Quiz

famous photographs of twins

Welcome to the 29th edition.
The PDF explains a simple way for putting colour into a black & white image.

Diane Arbus

What is it about nature’s clones that make them so fascinating? Twins have been reviled and revered in equal measure. This photograph is probably the most well known twins photograph in the western world.  Taken by Diane Arbus in 1966 it raises the question of identity like no other photograph. The matching outfits and the white wall keeps the attention on the faces of Cathleen & Colleen Wade. The noticeable difference between the girls is one slightly smiling the other frowning. Many interesting essays have been written about this picture and are worthy of reading. "We thought it was the worst likeness of the twins we'd ever seen," said Bob Wade, the girls' father. The girls were seven years old when Arbus spotted them at a party for twins and triplets in New Jersey. For an interview with the twins and to find out what it meant to be immortalized in perpetuity clink on the link. For those of you familiar with Stanley Kubrick's film 'The Shining' the twin girls are remarkably similar to Arbus's twins. This is not coincidence and they were based on this picture.

Mathew Brady

 Eng and Chang Bunker, the most famous conjoined twins in history were born in Siam now called Thailand. The name 'Siamese Twins' originates from Eng and Chang. Their mother refused to have them separated fearing that she would lose one, if not both of them. Born on May 11 1811 they had seventeen siblings including three sets of twins. They married sisters, and in traditional twin fashion fought over who would get Sarah, the object of their collective desire. Eng won the battle and between them the twins fathered twenty-two children. The brothers died within four months of each other in 1874. According to some reports after their death physicians believed that it was possible for them to have been separated and lived healthy lives. Mathew Brady took the photograph in 1869 circa five years, who is more associated with early war photographs. Considering the fighting the twins had done over Sarah maybe this is the reason he was chosen.....

David Bailey

Ronnie & Reggie Kray were celebrity gangsters who ruled East London in the 1960's. Ronnie the dominant twin shot dead fellow gangster George Cornell in a Whitechapel pub The Blind Beggar. In the following months he goaded his brother about the need 'to do his one' and their fate was sealed the moment Ronnie pulled the trigger.  Reggie obliged his younger brother killing Jack 'the hat' McVitie about eighteen months later. A driving force between any twins is the needed for equality and it is inevitable that Reggie would be united in murder with Ronnie. In 1969 they were sentenced to thirty-years each. The photograph is revealing with Ronnie in front and Reggie looking over his shoulder making a statement about their relationship. If this was at the request of the twins or intuition by legendary photographer David Bailey I am not sure. This photograph is widely used on mugs, t-shirts and posters to satisfy the seemingly endless demand of the cult following that has arisen since their imprisonment. 

Nicholas Brewer

My M.A. looked at the subject of twins and the picture above is from that body of work. As a lone twin (my brother Simon died when I was 18) it was a natural choice of subject matter although at times a difficult one. 

 

If you are wondering why I have included an Elvis Presley clip the answer is Elvis had a twin brother Jessie who was stillborn. Justin Timberlake had a twin sister who died shortly after birth.  For obvious reasons of credibility  I chose Elvis over Justin. The impact of twinship lasts for a lifetime. Every few years there is a story about twins who were separated at a young age and reunited years later. Often they have lived parallel lives. It leads us to consider if we are the product of nature or nurture. 

                   

How to add colour to black & white images.