Reflections and resolutions
December 31, 2011
I’m busy packing for a new year trip today, heading up to the Lake District for a night of camping and carousing, and as I’m rummaging for the right film to capture my evening I thought I’d share some thoughts about the year just gone and the year to come.
It’s been possibly my biggest year so far, photographically speaking – I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to explore new subject areas and disciplines, notably portraiture; one result of this was the ‘On Silence‘ work I did with Tor Bruce back in February, which I exhibited as part of the Look2011 photography festival in Liverpool, then again in London for Photomonth 2011.
I’ve also learnt a lot about what I might be capable of in the darkroom, but a house move late in the year means that my darkroom equipment is currently packed away so my explorations have been paused.
Plans for 2012?
- Get the darkroom up and running again!
- Explore the wetplate collodion process – John Brewer is a master at this and he runs workshops…
- Explore cyanotype methods.
- Improve my quality control in processing – this can always get better!
- Take a bookbinding course – Deborah Parkin, who does a lot of wetplate work, has been talking photobooks a lot on her blog and I’m inspired and intrigued by this format.
- More exploration of the ‘silence’ theme that I started to investigate in 2011.
I’ve got an exhibition lined up in Huddersfield for the end of February, showing some work from the ‘Forgotten Triumphs‘ series, but I think the rest of the year will be dedicated to developing new work and new skills.
Happy photographing in 2012!
