Having a LAF

Terrible title... couldn't resist though...

Last night I went to visit the London Art Fair. Based in the Business Design Centre in Islington, it is a chance for contemporary art galleries to show off their wares, many of which I found uninspiring. I found the people more interesting than the art; gallerists are a strange breed, and many of the punters were those sort who have too much money to know what to with, and think they are cool by investing it in art.

And I couldn't help noticing a curious lack of photography features in this type of gallery. Is the art vs photography question still burning? Do photographs have a place in a fine art gallery? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I can speculate... I think that, due to the ubiquity of photography in our day to day lives, people are so familiar with the medium that they find it difficult to place a value on it. Add to this the fact that we are not sure how the new digital papers are going to stand the test of time, and the fact that photographs can be reproduced over and over, thus giving the photographer the possibility to re-print and make more money at any time, de-valuing the work in question, and we have many reasons why collectors are dubious. It seems that it is only the Gurskys and the Shermans of this world who will ever sell. And yet photographers are asking more and more for their work.

©Aliki Braine

But there is a kind of counter attack occuring in the shape of online print sales, which was outlined by Miranda Gavin in the current edition of BJP. It seems that, over the last few years, it is online galleries which are selling photographs, and at really reasonable prices. Troika Editions (who represent Aliki Braine, above) and Contact Editions in the UK for example. And it was nice to see Troika present at the fair, making their mark amongst the over-priced, almost corporate world of contemporary art.

In addition to all this commercialism was an excellent curated exhibition called Photo50. It brought together many famous photographers, including the wonderful Helen Chadwick. The highlight for me, however was a photographer who I had never heard of before...Scarlett Hooft Graafland. Her images are humorous, surreal and beautiful...

"A very jolly show" as my friend Leila put it... and she was right. It's not often that's the case these days...

To blog, or not to blog?

Today I was pleasantly surprised to meet someone who reads this blog. Surprised because he is someone who is not a loyal friend, nor a member of my family checking up on me, but another photographer who I come into contact with occasionally through work or other photography related things. And surprised too because lately I’ve been wondering whether anyone reads this. I get the impression when I write on here that I am writing to a brick wall. It’s more like writing for myself, really; I enjoy writing, and sharing my thoughts about photography. And of course I’d like people to read it but I have no followers so no indication of who does stop by.

Equally, I don’t follow many blogs. In fact, I don’t follow any religiously; I have some bookmarked which I look at occasionally, when I remember. And there are so many out there that it’s hard not to wonder what it’s all for; why we invest so much time doing this. But many photographers do, and it’s a wonderful insight into their world, and a great way for them to show off new work and what they are up to. So I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you a few of my favourite blogging photographers:


If at First, by Ben Roberts

Ben talks about his experiences as a photographer, where he’s been and what he shoots. He also offers tips to assistants, shares the lessons he’s learnt and has the occasional rant. The content basically includes anything photography related that he is interested in, and to encourage followers he offers a free jpg of one of his images which can be printed at 8x10, downloadable in the first 3 days after posting. His enthusiasm and love of photography is apparent, and his blog has helped his career no end; indeed, it was featured in an article in the BJP recently about the benefits of social media. (Which is well worth a read if you are into this subject. It is a thorough study on the benefits of all social media, including facebook and twitter etc, and can be found here)

Emma Case Photography

Emma Case is one of my favourite wedding photographers. She has taken much of her inspiration from American and Australian style of shooting, creating photographs with a retro feel to them (and you should all know by now – if you are out there?! – that I love all that stuff). She updates her blog regularly with recent weddings or engagements pics she has shot, along with her impression of the day and of the couple. And her impressions are always so positive, so joyous, that you can almost feel the emotion of the occasion. And this is the reason for her success… she obviously cares for the couples she works with, and she obviously loves her job. She comes across as happy and approachable, which probably sells her product as much as the quality of her images.

Tong Blog

Rather confusing, this address, as it's very similiar to the famous Alec Soth blog (which should be featured on here too… but I figure enough of cyperspace is dedicated to him already). Kurt is a great photographer who can also write well; unfortunately he doesn’t write enough! He talks about his own work as well as reflecting on the place of photography in society and his experiences in Hong Kong. All interesting stuff… more please Kurt!

There are loads of other great blogging photographers, which have either slipped my mind right now or which I have yet to find. And there are certainly loads of good blogs and webzines about photography by curators, picture editors, etc (some of my faves are listed on the right). Blogs written by photographers serve to add a little personality to a name and a portfolio, which is no bad thing, as well as giving them much needed exposure on the web.

As to whether people read them, though, who knows?

If you do, give me a nod. There’s more I want to say… and it’s nice to know you’re there!