Part two will be posted shortly.
PHOTOS FROM ‘THE EDGE’ – Part One
Master Plumbers’ Marketing Manager Peter Livingstone likes a challenge, both at work and with his hobby, black and white photography. In fact his hobby offers extra challenges, both creatively and technically, as he strives to produce images that reflect emotion and mood – images with an ‘edge’.
How did he get started? “Photography was a study option at High School and that’s where I learnt the basics,” says Peter. “I entered a few competitions, and won a merit certificate in a national competition.” However, he became “busy with other things” and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that he decided to pick it up again. “I needed a creative outlet that would allow me to express myself as an individual,” he says, “so I took a refresher course at night school, and I haven’t looked back.”
Actually, he has! A current project of Peter’s is called Driving forward, looking back: Seeing ahead, shooting blind. “I got the idea when on one of many long trips on the open road, and I recalled some earlier advice: ‘the best shot is sometimes behind you, looking back from where you have come’. The concept involved taking shots of the view in my driver’s side wing-mirror, while I concentrated on the road ahead and made no attempt to ‘compose’ the images. I used my favourite black and white film, and a long exposure to give a blurred effect,” he says.
Black and white
Peter prefers to work with black and white rather than colour film. “Black and white strips away the distraction of colour and delivers a stronger, more emotive image. I use Ilford Delta 3200 a lot – actually I’m addicted,” he jokes. “It’s a high speed film and so the images are ‘dark and grainy’ – and I like that. Technically it helps me to achieve the look and feel that I’m trying to convey. Also, it’s good for exploring the qualities of ‘light’ and ‘texture’ which I’m very interested in.” But is is a case of horses for courses and matching the film type to the project he is working on.He says that, personally, he finds clichéd or ‘picture-postcard perfect’ images boring. “Mood and emotion, and composition – that’s what’s important to me.”
Technical know-how
Peter doesn’t use a digital camera – “ I prefer to use traditional methods”, he explains. He experiments with technique – exposure length, deliberate camera movement, lighting and so on, and he hand prints the images in his own dark-room, so as to achieve the ‘impact’ he wants.
“With lighting I’ll consider using available light, directional light or perhaps painting with light – as in my series Show me the way to go home – which features street signs at night. Lighting varies with every project, but I rarely use a flash,” he says. “And the lighting inter-relates to the textural quality of an image in that it can help make a strong image. Or it can be used to heighten the ‘contrast’ between light and shadowy areas. All these elements have to be manipulated in such a way as to produce the results I want,” Peter says.
“Looking at other pictures is a great way to learn. But you must do more than just ‘look’,” says Peter, “You have to really think about all the details that combine to make a great photograph and what effect you are trying to achieve before you even activate the shutter.” He recommends going to as many exhibitions as you can manage to study the photographs on show. You’ll be glad you did!
Editor: Next issue Peter tells us about the creative process that he applies to every project he undertakes, the creative cluster that provides support and criticism, and more on his current and future projects. For more of Peter’s photos see: www.lightandtexture.blogspot.com
Master Plumbers’ Marketing Manager Peter Livingstone likes a challenge, both at work and with his hobby, black and white photography. In fact his hobby offers extra challenges, both creatively and technically, as he strives to produce images that reflect emotion and mood – images with an ‘edge’.
How did he get started? “Photography was a study option at High School and that’s where I learnt the basics,” says Peter. “I entered a few competitions, and won a merit certificate in a national competition.” However, he became “busy with other things” and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that he decided to pick it up again. “I needed a creative outlet that would allow me to express myself as an individual,” he says, “so I took a refresher course at night school, and I haven’t looked back.”
Actually, he has! A current project of Peter’s is called Driving forward, looking back: Seeing ahead, shooting blind. “I got the idea when on one of many long trips on the open road, and I recalled some earlier advice: ‘the best shot is sometimes behind you, looking back from where you have come’. The concept involved taking shots of the view in my driver’s side wing-mirror, while I concentrated on the road ahead and made no attempt to ‘compose’ the images. I used my favourite black and white film, and a long exposure to give a blurred effect,” he says.
Black and white
Peter prefers to work with black and white rather than colour film. “Black and white strips away the distraction of colour and delivers a stronger, more emotive image. I use Ilford Delta 3200 a lot – actually I’m addicted,” he jokes. “It’s a high speed film and so the images are ‘dark and grainy’ – and I like that. Technically it helps me to achieve the look and feel that I’m trying to convey. Also, it’s good for exploring the qualities of ‘light’ and ‘texture’ which I’m very interested in.” But is is a case of horses for courses and matching the film type to the project he is working on.He says that, personally, he finds clichéd or ‘picture-postcard perfect’ images boring. “Mood and emotion, and composition – that’s what’s important to me.”
Technical know-how
Peter doesn’t use a digital camera – “ I prefer to use traditional methods”, he explains. He experiments with technique – exposure length, deliberate camera movement, lighting and so on, and he hand prints the images in his own dark-room, so as to achieve the ‘impact’ he wants.
“With lighting I’ll consider using available light, directional light or perhaps painting with light – as in my series Show me the way to go home – which features street signs at night. Lighting varies with every project, but I rarely use a flash,” he says. “And the lighting inter-relates to the textural quality of an image in that it can help make a strong image. Or it can be used to heighten the ‘contrast’ between light and shadowy areas. All these elements have to be manipulated in such a way as to produce the results I want,” Peter says.
“Looking at other pictures is a great way to learn. But you must do more than just ‘look’,” says Peter, “You have to really think about all the details that combine to make a great photograph and what effect you are trying to achieve before you even activate the shutter.” He recommends going to as many exhibitions as you can manage to study the photographs on show. You’ll be glad you did!
Editor: Next issue Peter tells us about the creative process that he applies to every project he undertakes, the creative cluster that provides support and criticism, and more on his current and future projects. For more of Peter’s photos see: www.lightandtexture.blogspot.com
