Being Moriyama

As I have said before in earlier posts, Daido Moriyama is probably one of my biggest influences in my photography, although I have not really been using his style in my photography as much I could.

So today I decided to really incorporate his style in my photography and see what the results are.

It was actually quite good.  The reason why is because Daidos approach to photography has no rules to it just a simple philosophy which is to be at one with your surroundings and shoot with feeling and not the constraints of compositions and the constant worry of the clutter of the city.  

You might think that Street Photography is just walking around clicking away and there are no rules but this is not true, as I am starting to realise.
To achieve the SP aesthetic requires following a lot of rules and also relying on a lot of luck.  This is why your hit rate will be around 97-99%  so for every 100 pictures you take you may get 2 or 3 that are really good, or should I say you yourself deem to be really good.  Post them on  a SP critique page and people will have a different view so you may walk away think "oh no all my photos are shit.

Daido did not carry this burden.  He did not care.  There was no end game to his photography, just a feeling that he had inside of him to capture his surroundings and the constant rate of change that was happening fast but yet slow.  Here is a short bio.

Daido Moriyama (b.1938) is one of Japan’s foremost contemporary photographers. His early works reveal the dark underside of urban Japanese life, and the breakdown of strict, traditional values in the post-war period. One of the photographer’s aims is to reveal the hidden beauty in that which is conventionally regarded as flawed, engaging closely with the Japanese world-view of wabi-sabi which seeks beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature. Strongly inspired by Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Moriyama is interested in the importance of the journey; he wanders large metropolises and attempts to uncover the seedier sides of urban life, as well as the hidden parts of the city. In part due to these reasons, his work has a strong sense of voyeurism.

Born in Ikeda, Osaka, Daido Moriyama initially trained as a graphic designer, before becoming fascinated with the world of photography and studying it as a discipline under Takeji Iwamiya. In 1961, Moriyama moved to Tokyo with the intention of joining the revolutionary photographer’s group: VIVO. Once there Moriyama worked as an assistant for the distinguished photographer, Eikoh Hosoe, and assisted in his dark, erotic series, Ordeal by Roses, 1961-62. In the late sixties, Moriyama aligned with many avant-garde Japanese photographers including Shōmei Tōmatsu and Takuma Nakahira, and joined the radical photography magazine, PROVOKE, whose mission was to question the very nature of photography.

The first lot of pictures will be by Daido and then I will present mine.  Capturing the seductiveness of Bristol is not easy and is out of my comfort zone to be honest.  Japanese attitude towards sex and nudity is very realxed where is in England it is still seen as a bit taboo.  Yes after all this time we still see sex as a form of procreation and not a form of expression.

Dont be put off by the camera shake, blur and out of focus pictures.  We are so obsessed with high definition, sharpness and mega pixels.  Henri Cartier Bresson once said that sharpness is overrated.  Lets face it, if HCB is saying that it must be true.

Here are mine

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Some more pictures taken a few days ago.
hoping to start posting some of my film phots in the next few weeks then after that I need to do a massive edit of my photos to see what is suitable for the exhibition in June.

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Nice relaxing day shooting today.
Not trying to be too clever, moving away slightly from trying to catch the perfect image (not giving up though) and just having fun.  I tend to find when I do this my pictures turn out better.
All pushed to Black and white to give the pictures a more classic, subliminal feel.

Barbour Dept b Sonar Jacket

Everyone knows Barbour.  Its very much a household name now.  Its only recently though that it has seeped into the mainstream consciousness.  I think it was due to Alexa Chung wearing a Beaufort at Glastonbury along with Hunter wellies.  It was most definitely not regarded as fashionable or stylish until then.

I bought my first Barbour in 1996.  It was a Border jacket.  I still have it now but it is crying out for repair.  Barbour was worn by Street urchins,  rough diamonds and football casuals way before then.
Aquascutum scarfs and Barbour jackets went hand in hand on the terraces, not because it was cool or someone on the telly wore one.  No, it was because it kept you warm and kept out the rain.  So why did I buy one. Well I bumped into some Manc lads in London who looked cool and I have always seen areas like Manchester and Liverpool having the edge when it comes to casual clothes so I asked them what the next big thing was and they said Barbour.  This was in 1996.  So I bought one.
I now have three Barbour Jackets.  A Border,  Dauntless and recently a Sonar.

The reason why I went for the Sonar was the extra rear pockets which fits my cameras and film rolls and other bits and pieces so I dont have to carry a bag.  don't get me wrong I like bags but for street photography they get in the way.  The Idea behind the Dept b and the Toki range is to have enough pockets so you don' have to carry a bag so this fits in with my Photography.
I was after the Barbour Casseslls and was also taking an interest in the Commander jacket.
I had trouble finding the right size in the Cassells and the Commander was a bit expensive for what it is  so I settled for the Sonar which is a nice 6oz waxed cotton jacket.

I am sure the youngsters will stop wearing traditional Barbour jackets very soon but I will always be wearing mine even if Alexa Chung clones thinks its not cool anymore.

Dolly Pond meets Street Photographer

Photography and the Human Condition

First off lets get the definition out of the way.

The human condition encompasses the unique features of being human, particularly the ultimate concerns of human existence. It can be described as the unalterable part of humanity that is inherent and innate to human beings and not dependent on factors such as gender, race, culture, or class. It includes concerns such as the meaning of life, the search for gratification, the sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, the awareness of the inescapability of death and the capacity of humans to be good as well as evil and whether or not this makes us worthwhile beings. In essence, the human condition is the self-aware, and reflective nature of Homo sapiens that allows for analysis of existential themes.

Capturing the human condition on camera is to me the essence of Street Photography and what I have been striving for lately.  You need patience and a certain manner with which you behave in your surroundings and also with other people.  

If you want a proffessional example as well as my amateur version check out

http://www.magnumphotos.com/

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Ok So I have been given the go ahead to Exhibit my work at a pop up shop in  Stokes Croft.
Its not the Tate but its a start and the staff are really enthusiastic and want to have a launch party and all sorts.  Well any excuse to get pissed and fall over.  This is Bristol after all, not leafy Oxford.
Here are my pics of the day.   Really trying to reach that Street Photography aesthetic.  Not easy but I will get there.  Oh yes.