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Blog: Note to self

Celebration not resentment

As my exhibition in May fast approaches and I find myself writing copy for grant applications, fundraising and press releases, one common theme is emerging: My passion for the survival of analogue photography.

My use of film has not wavered in 22 years, but now more than ever I find myself wanting, or needing to evangelize about the importance (and beauty) of both the negative and the darkroom.

Film is my voice yes, but more importantly it remains the foundation of digital or modern photography, and this should not be forgotten. Without the so called restrictions and limitations of film, I believe photography is in danger of being cast adrift and losing focus - excuse the pun.

As we move into an era where film and darkroom skills are no longer taught and companies like Kodak face bankruptcy, I fear that crucial skills and knowledge will be forgotten and materials will no longer be available for those of us who remain.

It is too easy however to point the finger of blame at digital photography. To become stuck in the past or long for the good ol' days. To resent everything new and digital and fall into the us and them trap.

The use of websites, the i-phone and i-pad, cheap home printers, social media and e-mail has revolutionised my life and that of professional photographers.

Amateur photographers now have access to hardware and software never before seen and the quantity of talented photographers out there - just take a look through flickr - is staggering.

Photography is going through a revolution - yet another one - and these are truly exciting times.

I came across a fantastic blog by Allen Murabayashi (CEO & Co-founder of photoshelter) which I am happy to say has reminded me of my love for photography - all aspects of photography - and inspired me to write this. I urge you to read it.

As Allen so eloquently said, photographers need to stand together celebrating what we do and this golden era of photography, not pointing the finger of blame or resenting and resisting the changes we are witnessing. We need to support all aspects of photography, from the humble pinhole to the cutting edge technology of whatever is around the next corner.

All I hope is that while we embrace and celebrate the now (and future) of photography, and all the promise it holds, we don't forget where we have come from. Lessons learnt in the past - whether in morality or technique - are as relevant now as they were then. I truly believe that as a photographer you can only fulfil your potential if you understand and learn from what has gone before you.

Posted: 03.02.2012 | Comments: 0 | Add a comment |

 

Prose and poetry competition to win a print

I have just launched a writing and poetry competition on this site, with the chance to win one of my signed, limited edition photographs, printed by me in the darkroom.

Over the years I have been told many times that my images are lyrical and inspiring so it seemed like a natural development for me to start this project. To me the wonderful thing about it is the fact that it gives people of all ages and skills the chance to enter and use the photographs to encourage and inspire their writing.

And that is all there is to it. Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest: Just use one of my photographs as a starting point - an inspiration - for a piece of prose or poetry, no longer than 150 words. Every three months I will pick what I consider to be the winner and the author will win a print of their choice.

I cannot wait to start seeing the results and I will be hoping to see as many genres and styles as possible, from surreal to classical, from avant-garde to traditional from haiku to sonnet.

I have limited the words allowed for each entry to 150, partly to accommodate the layout of the pages on my website and partly because I think it is important to work within restrictions. This is something that has become increasingly apparent to me as I continue to ponder the differences between analogue and digital photography during the build up to my exhibition. Working with film and the need to develop and print it, without the immediacy of digital is, to me an integral part of my work. I truly believe restrictions and boundaries can encourage creativity. Let's hope that the entries I receive prove me right.

Doing my research for this has opened up a whole new world for me. Reading and literature has always been a hugely important part of my life and I was overjoyed to discover a whole new community online. Creative writing and poetry on the internet is blossoming and thriving, not only with peoples blogs but especially with the growth of Twitter. Just search for #Haiku, #sixwords, #fourlines or #micropoetry to see this. Everything about twitter seems to be perfectly tailored to these genres of poetry and it is been taken full advantage of. I truly hope I can tap into this world and start to see some of this fantastic work here on my site, side by side with my photographs.

Setting this up and becoming aware of this community has also got my imagination bubbling away. Thoughts of exhibitions are floating around my head, photographs accompanied by competition entries, framed in galleries and other public spaces. Or perhaps collaborations with schools and colleges could be possible? So please get in touch if you are a teacher or lecturer and maybe the best group of entries from a class can win a print for your school. I truly believe this can grow and grow.

And best of all, because this is my competition it can grow in whatever direction I choose, there is no pressure on me. The rules are mine and if I want to, for example, award more than one winner a month I will. I have asked the entrants to let me know if they are under 15 so that gives me the opportunity and choice as to whether I have more than one age category with two or more overall winners. The only certainty is that roughly once every three months I will be sending someone one of my prints.

So let's have fun, this is a small competition run by me so let's make the most of it and enjoy it. Please follow me on twitter (@TobyDeveson) for updates and announcements and keep coming back here to view entries.

I have set the first deadline for the 10th of March and I cannot wait to hang the print, fresh from the darkroom up to dry (and yes I'm sure it will be photographed, hanging there and tweeted about), pack it away and post it to the winner.

Posted: 25.01.2012 | Comments: 0 | Add a comment |

 

Exhibition at the Strand Gallery from 28-05-12

I am extremely pleased and excited to be able to officially announce that I will be holding a solo exhibition at the Strand Gallery in central London. It will take place between the 28th of May and the 3rd of June 2012. The private view will be on Thursday the 31st of May.

The Strand Gallery is still part of the Proud Galleries group and along with their Chelsea and Camden branches have exhibited some of the 'very best in contemporary and archive photography.'

I look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible - put it in your diaries now!

From the Proud Galleries website:

The Strand Gallery

A stone's throw from Trafalgar Square and easily accessible from both Charing Cross and Embankment Stations, the Strand Gallery is a superb and competitively priced venue for holding events. The gallery maintains a sense of calm in the centre of a bustling metropolis, providing an intimate evening reception space. The gallery occupies two floors with a downstairs area that is perfect for more exclusive occasions.

Proud Galleries

Over the last ten years Proud Galleries has become Europe's most popular privately funded photographic gallery, consistently receiving some of the best press coverage in the country. With a focus on photography reflecting popular culture, encompassing rock & roll, fashion, sporting moments and more, our shows are always exciting, cutting edge and sometimes controversial.

Our unique position in the market makes us number one for photography enthusiasts, collectors, music lovers and newcomers to the field. With its finger firmly on the pulse Proud presents the very best photography in a way that cannot be beaten.

Proud Galleries Group was launched in autumn 1998 by Alex Proud to bring high quality photography to a mainstream market. Based upon a formula of exhibiting accessible shows around popular themes Proud Galleries instantly took the photography industry by storm. A series of landmark shows including 'Destroy: The Sex Pistols', 'Rankin's Nudes', 'The Rock n Roll Years', 'Underexposed', 'Rebel Life: Bob Marley', 'The Official Bob Dylan Show' and 'The Libertines' attracted blanket media coverage and full-house, star-studded opening nights. With up to 10,000 customers per show, the galleries soon became the most popular private photographic gallery in Europe.

Posted: 20.01.2012 | Comments: 1 | Add a comment |

 

Article on BBC website about Kodak moments

Once again Kodak was all over the news this morning. They have filed for bankruptcy protection.

There is an article here by Jamillah Knowles bringing together memories and quotes about from people whose lives have been affected by Kodak, both personally and professionally. I was lucky enough to have had some of my views quoted in the article:

"I have been a photographer for over 20 years and have remained analogue throughout. I believe passionately in the beauty and power of film photography.

I have used Kodak Film and chemicals from day one. It has become a part of me and my voice and I would be at a loss without it.

Kodak and it's film products are a part of our heritage and in particular, as far as I am concerned the hey day of black and white photography.

I have everything crossed that they will continue to produce film and chemicals, or that someone will buy that branch of the business and take it on. We are in the midst of an analogue revival in the world of photography and to lose Kodak at the last minute would be an absolute tragedy."

Posted: 19.01.2012 | Comments: 0 | Add a comment |

 

Creativity born of both impatience and technology

Every now and again happy accidents happen.

Just back from India, in the middle of developing the negatives, I was excited, keen and impatient to see the photographs in print.

I also wanted to share the excitement with others as I was looking at the negs through the enlarger. So I thought I could try photographing the projection of the negative, allowing me to text it to friend...

Out came the I-Phone, held next to the enlarger lens, et voilà, something was captured. But it didn't really work as they were much too dark to see and anyone receiving it as a text would not be able to make out what it was. So I decided to run it through Photoshop and make it lighter.

Now obviously, I soon realised that to just make it lighter would have been a complete waste Photoshop's abilities and, quite frankly, my time. Cue the image inversion, adjustment of curves, upping of the blacks, perhaps a frisson of contrast and a final touch, darkening the image. And there we go - an extremely grainy, fun, filmic raw image.

There was absolutely no need for me to do this and now that I have done the final prints these I-Phone images are completely redundant.

But it was fun.

Who knows, there may be some people out there who prefer these images to my final prints or there may be some who choose to use this technique for themselves, so rather than have them sitting on my phone gathering dust I thought I would post them here, and share them with one and all...

Posted: 18.01.2012 | Comments: 0 | Add a comment |

 

Holi Hunters by Jim Shannon in Sidetracked

The latest edition of Sidetracked came out today and it features an article by Jim, reporting on our time together in India last March photographing the Holi festival.

Sidetracked is a beautifully put together travel and photography online publication which is well worth keeping an eye on - not least because I should have something in there in the next couple of months. If I can find the time to write it between all the work I have to do for the exhibition, that is.

Please take the time to read the article as I think it is a fantastic piece of writing, capturing the fun we had amongst all the trials and tribulations. It also looks great with many of his stunning photographs nestled alongside the text.

You can also see more of his photographs from Holi here, on his website.

Posted: 17.01.2012 | Comments: 1 | Add a comment |

 

Blog: The possible demise of Kodak

Oh Shit

It was all over the internet yesterday - from bjp-online to twitter - and seeing it there, in black and white caused my stomach to hit the floor. Although this was the first time I had actually seen anything about it I have to say I had a gut feeling things weren't good. I have been finding it harder to find film in the last few months, and sure enough reading about the situation last night, it seems Kodak's problems were also in the news back in November.

The world is going digital, there can be no denying that. Companies that traditionally specialize in film and analogue have been struggling over the last ten or so years. But I honestly thought a corner had been turned. Any companies, products or dealers that were going to be lost have been lost. Those that have remained seem to have become stronger, to have consolidated in a more specialized market, picked up business from those that have gone. Obviously I was wrong.

I honestly have no idea what I will do. Right now the temptation is to hide under a duvet at a time when I am trying to preach to the world about the beauty of film, it's depths and of the pleasure working in the darkroom brings. Photography to me is not just about the image, it's about the process, the creation, the magic. It's an art, and two of my tools may be taken away from me.

Is there an equivalent? For an artist to no longer be able to buy their favourite paint? For Adobe to stop making Photoshop? For reel to reel magnetic tape to no longer be available? For Canon to no longer sell the Eos? The destruction of all Stradivarius violins?

I have no idea.

All I do know is that I have only ever used Kodak T-Max 400.

I did try a couple of other films when I first started Black & White photography - Ilford and other Kodak films, but just didn't get on with them. I also use Kodak HC-110 film developer and the loss of this would perhaps be an even bigger blow to me.

The combination of film and chemicals I use cannot be replicated - how they are used, the results that come about. They are my voice, the foundation of how I express myself through my work, the core of my end product. If these were not vital to me then perhaps I would have 'gone digital' years ago.

And would I try Ilford again? I suppose I'll have to. I will have to stop being in denial and melodramatic. Life goes on.

Perhaps in a couple of hours alone under the duvet I will start praying to the gods of photography and all things creative that someone will buy Kodak and all their formulae and continue their production.

But right now? Just when I am preparing for my first major exhibition in twenty years? At a time when I want to be shouting from the roof tops about the virtues and beauties of film and analogue photography? Right now I feel betrayed, let down and melodramatic. Ready to abandon my photography with a dramatic 'woe-is-me' gesture.

So there.

Posted: 05.01.2012 | Comments: 0 | Add a comment |

 

RSS subscriptions

There is now an RSS button on this page and on the 'latest images' page. By subscribing to both you will always be kept up to date with any new photographs or pieces of writing posted.

You can read about RSS (Rich Site Summary), how it works and what it does at various sites, including Wikipedia and whatisrss.com or watch this video on youtube.

Thanks to Jim Shannon, once again, for all his work on this site.

Posted: 02.01.2012 | Comments: 0 | Add a comment |

 

Exhibition at Howies Carnaby street branch

The exhibition In Howies is now down and as far as I'm concerned was a huge success and looked fabulous.

Working side by side in India, I was always subconsciously aware of Jims presence, of what was going on, what he was photographing, and what his images may look like. And then we would scroll through his work in the evenings back in the hotel, a vague and subtle jealousy scratching at the back of my skull, knowing I would have to wait till I got back to my darkroom before I could see mine.

So to have the opportunity to see some of my photographs up, side by side with Jims was fantastic. It felt like a natural progression and next step after such an intense few weeks in India.

The space was small but effective, with a large volumes of people passing through, and the staff at Howies made the whole experience an absolute pleasure. The concept of creating the staircase gallery and using the shop for exhibitions is wonderful and should be applauded and encouraged. There are not many places where artists and photographers can find such a laid back and busy space that doesn't charge at all and does not cost too much to fill.

It was the perfect starting point and ideal springboard for more ambitious projects, and I will certainly be talking to Jim about putting together a more complete show of our work from Holi 2011.

Posted: 07.10.2011 | Comments: 0 | Add a comment |

 

Copy used at Howies Carnaby street exhbition

In March 2011, Jim Shannon and Toby Deveson travelled to India to photograph, amongst other things, Holi festival. The resulting images form a narrative of intense fun, intrigue, drama and tradition told in an original and surprising way.

While their passion for photography has evolved from similar roots and backgrounds, their methods could not be more different. Colour and black and white bounce off each other, complementing, and yet at other times competing with each other. Film and digital stand apart, sometimes whispering, but also shouting about their differences: subtle, painterly and almost biblical alongside sharp, honest and vivid.

Both sets of work could stand alone, successfully depicting the wonderful festival of Holi, and yet Jim and Toby have chosen to bring them together in this intriguing project, each adding dimensions and elements, not only to each other's work but to the visualisation of the festival.

And it is the festival itself that stands to gain the most from this collaboration. A feast of exuberance, music, dance and colour, celebrating the arrival of spring and the birth of Krishna. Holi encapsulates and represents everything that is remarkable about India and is amongst the most vivid, intense and inclusive of all spring festivals.

This collaboration between Jim and Toby, this alchemy of techniques and mediums feeding off each other, truly brings the festival to life for those unlucky enough not to have been there in person.

And it is thanks to Howies that this small taster is here to tease us and to coax their larger and more ambitious show to life, details of which will be posted on their websites in the near future.

Posted: 03.09.2011 | Comments: 0 | Add a comment |