So often, we find ourselves in a rat race.. desperately seeking that better life, better tool, better day …any magical wand to move us to the level we really want to be. But before reaching for that new lens, considering using what you’ve got already.

Sometimes I wonder, looking back on my photographs, if I wasn’t better without the choices. Without the quality.

Or maybe the light is just better in the USA after all.

Visit the no ego flickr pool to view more photographs from the day, as well as photographs featured in the exhibition!

The ‘no ego’ exhibition opened today at the Bollington Arts Centre, and we had a brilliant crowd heaving in and out of the place! I enjoyed meeting and chatting with people (though I hid behind the bar for much of it, just watching!). One comment in particular sums up the afternoon: “All exhibitions should be like this.” By posting their own ideas about the curated groupings, viewers engage with each photograph in a deeper way than just walking around a gallery in silence ‘observing’ the work. Even those who aren’t the sort couldn’t resist pitching their own idea. The opening was lively, as people connected their own stories and memories to the groups.

Some comments on twitter so far:

Really enjoyed the ‘no ego’ exhibition. Thanks Ladies!

The No Ego Exhibition is special. An interesting concept, well executed. Oh, and the food was smashing.

The walls are already covered with post-it notes of ideas and questions. I took photographs and will share more once my feet have had a rest!

Still doing work on the website — testing blogging functionality from Flickr! The answer is: it doesn’t work perfectly with my new layout. =) I’m sorry I’ve not had much focus on posting or uploading new photographs, other than these few fun manipulations for the Pop Art White Nancy contest over on www.bollingtonphotos.com, but I’m very busy preparing for the ‘no ego’ photography exhibition with Kate McLean and Ewa James that is opening next weekend on top of all the overtime to prepare for some big events for the job that pays my dinner. Catch me later in March, when I’m catching my breath.

Don’t forget to post your own entries for the Pop Art White Nancy competition before March 1st!!

My “most interesting” shots on Flickr come from a time when Flickr was smaller, quieter, and drew less attention. The people who frequented it were real photography enthusiasts, hobbyists, and even professionals. Agencies contacted me to use my work in their advertisements and on their book covers. I (well, my feet anyway) was featured on the front page.

I participated in groups on technique, themes, and even charity. We raised thousands of dollars for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Camera tossing became a worldwide phenomenon. I made good friends. I found and fell in love with my husband.

My photographs were different back then. Brighter. More colourful. And nearly all with a point & shoot camera.

Now, I don’t participate in groups. I rarely comment. I use Flickr mostly to share my British life with my American family. And participate in the Bollington photography scene, of course.

Nearly a year ago, Tom and I were guests at Dino & Christine’s wedding in Pennsylvania, USA. As Dino and Christine both attended Franklin & Marshall College, in Lancaster, PA, many of the guests were alumni/ae, including an old friend, Jessica. It was a lovely traditional wedding, and everyone looked beautiful and happy.

I still can’t believe anything has really changed!

I’m very glad I’m not a wedding photographer, as it looked quite challenging to cover such a big wedding in such a dark room. My own wedding reception was a dinner party, and we asked our friend, Paul, to take ‘a few’ shots. The result was fantastic — we are lucky to have such talented friends. Here is a shot I took at Styal Chapel (can you spy Dino and Christine?):

I am looking forward to (another) Paul & Claire’s wedding in December, which will be a similarly small event. I hope Claire feels as beautiful and happy as I did on my wedding day — and I hope I am able to capture even just a fraction of the adoration and love between Paul and Claire in their resulting photographs!

Photographs below were taken at our wedding by Paul Maddox (or otherwise by me or Tom) and processed by me.

I am working with two other photographers on a joint exhibition of our work, which has proven an interesting experiment in self-review. Becoming acquainted with each other (and each other’s works) is just one part of the complex process of creating a joint exhibition. Although we have been working hard to consolidate our ideas and choices, it hasn’t been an immediate success. We have three very different photography styles and subjects.

Despite this, I’ve found it easy to ‘curate’ a collection of our photographs that I find both interesting and aesthetically appealing, without a need to explain ‘why’. In fact, I gently propose that the curating choice is its own ‘why’ and no further definition is needed. This is akin to the difference between a novice chess player and a world-class one. With an advanced, highly refined intuition and perspective, the world-class chess player acts seemingly without thinking. But you can probably guess that one act is worth loads more than even an hour of deliberate consideration from the novice.

When it comes to viewing art, are we all novices or geniuses? Granted, it’s a bit harder to articulate the emotional and physical reactions to a collection of art, but ultimately it comes down to the same judgement and intuition at work. And I prefer to leave those processes untitled and unsaid.

This is a personal quirk, for I am actually well-qualified to critique. The combination of my studies in art, human behavior, and biology have given me a unique multi-disciplinary perspective on aesthetics. When I look at a photograph, I have the technical skills to identify the methods used to create the work, the scientific skills to know how the eye and brain are processing the information, and the emotional intelligence to sense and break down the complex associations I am making as a result of viewing it. But it really does beg the question: do I need to?

Communicating all of that is a further step, a different part of the brain and body, and surely some of it is completely untranslatable. No words will (should?) help trigger that aesthetic experience more than the art itself could. We all will have different tastes, therefore, with different consequences.

And I quite like it that way.

If I had to say what was my favorite type of photography, most people would be surprised to hear ‘portraits’. My landscapes are well-known, but did you know that before I started taking my own photographs, I was editing other people’s portraits in photoshop? It was years before I overcame my own nerves in taking photographs in proper portrait sessions. But, all the time spent studying and processing faces and bodies had paid off: I may not be model-material myself, but I know a lot about making them look good.

I most enjoy taking photographs of ‘normal’ people. We all come in many strange forms, but I’ve yet to find one whose beauty and interestingness I couldn’t capture with a camera. It is magical, seeing yourself recorded in such a natural moment, and I wish I could give that gift (and the confidence that comes with it) to everyone.

Many of the portraits in my slideshow below were taken with a canon sd20, which is a great point & shoot camera made to be pocket-sized. There are no fancy lenses, and in most cases, only natural light. I say this to show you that the most difficult thing about achieving a great portrait is not the equipment but the moment.

If you agree and are interested in some natural light portraits of yourself or your family, feel free to contact me. I prefer to meet in person to discuss your ideas and schedule a time for your portrait. As I work digitally, you can view the session photographs immediately, and we will work together to select which photographs you want processed and printed. Prints from my free (!) portrait sessions are at a considerable savings to my fine art photographs, because I believe everyone deserves that one good portrait (and should be able to afford it, too).

INDIVIDUAL PORTRAIT
Mounted 5″x7″ – £20
Mounted 8″x12″ – £35
Mounted 12″x18″ – £40

More print options available on request.
Prices applicable for 2008/2009.