I’m a little bit obsessed with Saul Leiter’s work after seeing his exhibition at Milton Keynes art gallery a few weeks ago.
Much of his work focuses on the nearby streets where he lives in New York, many of them are from the windows of his apartment. I love the way he identifies and selects colour and makes it the main focus of the image, even if that isn’t in focus. He has a wonderful ability to find beauty on the mundane streets of New York. You could say his images look almost haphazard but underneath that is a complex world of engaging abstract compositions, layering, reflections and light and shadow play. All this together really pulls the focus the audience and allows them to see in new ways.
His use of a slightly slower shutter speed and low iso allows the film to have a softer, more painterly quality, and someone who had a grounding as a painter in his early days, you can see where his influences are drawn from.
From the documentary: In Ho Great Hurry.
Methodology:
Methodology is not a technique or a practical process itself but refers to the system or application of methods and the analysis and discussion around the implication of a particular system.
Also not the concept. The concept is the brief – what is going to be achieved. Although the concept may change over time – as you explore and experiment.
Research:
What challenged you?
Finding out that most photographers have no idea what they are doing (technical skill aside) – but just playing and experimenting with different ideas. I really liked reading about John Baldessari and how he plays around with chance and accident.
- What surprised you?
How simple it can be to make a piece work.. psychogeography – telling the story of that tiny map areas, how accidents can become important to your work.
- What do you feel you learned?
Play more! Try things that don’t make sense!
- What methods and methodologies have you consciously applied in your practice to date to communicate a concept or an intended meaning?
Emotions – using emotional language “to last a lifetime”
- Can you identify and describe methods in your practice that convey meaning, which you might not have intended at the time?
?
- Have any of the practitioners you looked at this week (including your peers) given you any inspiration for strategies or methods you might ‘impose’ upon yourself to expand the creative possibilities of your own work?
Playing with Chance and accident more. I loved Erik Kessels work – In Almost Every Photograph that showed repeatedly a finger over the lens of the camera, when seen tother in the gallery format it as really striking and effective.
I also loved Colin’s light leeks on broken cameras, being a holga fan too, I like never knowing what you are going to get!
I love playing and experimenting with my photography but when you have a paying client it’s not something you can do as much. When I started I did use the 80:20 rule of shooting 80% for the client and 20% for me – I don’t do that as much now and I’m not sure why…
