alan frost photography

Taking inspiration from other artists – Chris Tancock

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I like to take inspiration from other artists – or to be more precise, how I like to enjoy the work of more accomplished artists and perhaps try and learn something in the process.

Today I just want to write a few words about the Welsh photographer – Chris Tancock, who describes himself as a rural documentary photographer as opposed to a landscape photographer, even though he takes photos of the countryside in which he lives.

I first came across his work when on holiday in Pembrokeshire in Wales a few years ago. His photographs were for sale in a gallery near St Davids and I found them particularly striking. The project was called ‘Quiet Storm’, and included a number of dramatic colour images of the Welsh landscape.

Later I found more of his work on the web, only to discover that he much prefers to work in black and white. Amongst his more recent projects are ‘Beating the Bounds’, ‘Off the Beaten Track’, ‘Farm’ and ‘The Dowrog’. I greatly admire his dedication to the work he produces. Beating the Bounds for example is a project spread over 5 years, where he walks the boundaries of 5 meadows, twice a day, every day, come rain or shine, observing and capturing the ever changing ‘story’ of the landscape he witnesses. The project is still incomplete but I am lucky enough to have the current version of his book called ‘Beating the Bounds’ which is published by Blurb.

I also have another book by Chris Tancock called ‘Wildwood’ again by the same publisher.

To me these images are not what might be termed ‘classic’ landscapes, where the photographer has used a well established formula to arrive at the finished photograph. It is hard for me to put into words the ethos of Chris Tancock’s approach to photography, so to give you a flavour of his style I have included a quote from an interview with the magazine ‘Onlandscape’ in which he said –

“I don’t want to hurt peoples feelings, but I don’t like boulders in the foreground, sunsets in the background, diagonals in between them, repeated again and again and again, hunting the countryside until you find these things. What does it tell you about the landscape? Nothing. It tells you about composition and the photographer, it doesn’t tell you anything about the landscape, but they’re commercially viable. They are very easily read images. People forget we read images on different levels and an image like that has the reading age of a 5 year old, its the equivalent of a Janet and John book”.

Strong, heartfelt words and perhaps the reason why his images are documentary in style. His photographs may not necessarily be called beautiful but they certainly tell a story about the landscape and the countryside in which he lives. Many have a mysterious quality about them, little details contained within the image which are not always noticed on first viewing. Personally I think there is a beauty about the them and I very much enjoy following his latest work which he posts on Pictify.

If you are interested in learning more about Chris Tancock and his individual approach to his work, then you can read the full interview with “Onlandscape’ here.

For now I shall continue to admire his work and try and learn something from his approach to this particular style of documentary photography.

New Forest Ponies

The New Forest is a very well known National Park in southern England. Bordering The Solent to the south, it is situated mainly in the county of Hampshire but extends to the north into Wiltshire. It covers an area of 218 square miles and is home to some 4,000 ponies, deer, cattle and pigs which can roam freely through the ancient forest woodland and heaths.

For reasons which will become clear in a future blog entry we had to visit the New Forest quite recently on our way down to Dorset. Time was short but I did grab the chance to take a few photographs of a small group of ponies as we drove through the quiet narrow lanes of the forest. It was also the first chance I have had to use my new camera, the Olympus OMD EM1. Paired with the Panasonic 35 -100mm f2.8 zooms lens, the camera performed effortlessly and handles so much better then the EM5 which has been my workhorse to date. I will write at greater length about my new acquisition but for the time being I hope you enjoy these few images of the New Forest ponies.

Ready…..Steady.…Cook!

Ready, Steady………..Cook

From 1994 until early in 2010 the BBC broadcast a daytime programme called Ready, Steady, Cook. It was a very simple idea based on two ‘celebrity’ chefs competing against one another to create the best dish or dishes in 20 minutes from a set of unknown ingredients chosen by members of the audience. The success of the show relied on their inventiveness, fast thinking and skill to prepare an appetising and good looking two course meal. They also needed to be quite quick witted as the host of the show would often interrupt and distract the chefs from what they were doing. After all this was meant to be entertaining not just a lesson in how to cook some food.

A local restauranteur in our village, namely Nik Westacott of 82 Fishbourne, offered to replicate the Ready, Steady, Cook format and played host to two professional chefs: Neil Rusbridger, a lecturer and chef at Highbury College and Viv Casson from Cassons Restaurant near Chichester. The event was staged last week in front of a paying audience and proceeds would benefit The St Peter Project. I was asked to take some photographs and whilst the images will always be ‘record’ shots, I hope they have captured something of the atmosphere and fun of the evening.

Host and local character – Nik Westacott

Neil Rusbridger – one of the two professional chefs

Viv Casson – concentration

Neil mixing his ingredients

The packed hall

Neil and Viv had 30 minutes and they prepared some really fine dishes.

The event was great fun and a huge success raising over £1,300 for the St Peter Project.

All the images were taken with the Olympus OMD EM5 and 45mm f1.8 Olympus prime lens.

Taking inspiration from other artists – Norman Ackroyd

I have always enjoyed looking at the works of other artists. I dare say it goes back to my childhood years. My father was a very keen amateur water colourist and whilst he loved painting, he also took great pleasure from visiting art galleries and buying a few paintings for our family home. In fact he was of the opinion that a house was never a home until a few pictures had been hung on the walls and I agree!

Given my more recent interest in photography, I too now find myself going to photographic exhibitions or art galleries to see what I can learn from other artists work. To me it does not matter whether they are photographs, paintings, a piece of sculpture or some form of mixed media. They are all an expression of an individual’s art form, their interpretation of a scene or an object, using a wide variety of different techniques, materials, colours and composition to produce a piece of art. Which brings me nicely on to the artist I want to write about in this entry – namely Norman Ackroyd CBE, RA.

It was relatively recently that I discovered his work when I watched a programme about him in a BBC series called ‘What do artists do all day’. Born in Leeds in 1938, he is one of Britain’s foremost landscape artists, primarily known for his work in aquatint, a form of etching and also known as intaglio printing. The process uses acid to make marks in a metal plate, usually copper or zinc, and is combined with powered rosin to create a tonal effect. It is well worth watching the two parts of the programme to see how Norman Ackroyd produces his prints.

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Click on the screen grabs above to see the programme ‘What do artists do all day’ featuring

Norman Ackroyd or Click here to see part 1 and click here for Part 2 – both on You Tube.

I was inspired by his work, his skill and artistry as well as his chosen subject matter – the far flung coastal regions of the British Isles. Places where the land meets the sea in wild and dramatic parts of the country. I wanted to know more about him, the techniques he employed and to see more of his work. I visited the Summer Exhibition at The Royal Academy in London last year, only to discover that he was one of the co-ordinators. A few of his prints were on display and although I might have been tempted to buy one of them, I resisted but I did purchase a wonderful book entitled ‘A Line in the Water’ a collaborative work with the poet Douglas Dunn. There are some 80 very well produced plates in the book, a few of which I have photographed for the purposes of this blog entry. The book is published by the Royal Academy and is on sale here.

A Line in the Water.

Stiffkey Freshes
North Norfolk Coast

Atlantic Sunlight
Kerry

Summer Isles
Wester Ross

Tretnish Isles
Hebrides

Given my love of black and white photography and the remote landscapes of the UK, it is hardly surprising that his work appeals to me so much. They are inspirational and the idea of taking my own photographs in some of these truly beautiful and atmospheric locations is hugely enticing. One day perhaps……………. but for the time being I shall just enjoy turning the pages of this very special publication.

A dog named Marley

Marley

A few weeks ago I was approached by a couple who wanted me to take a photographic portrait of their pet dog. Never one to say to no to something new, I made arrangements to visit their home and take a few shots. I had never met the dog before, I simply had been told he was a black labrador cross.

On arrival I was greeted by the owners of Marley who turned out to be a very well trained and handsome dog. Having decided to use the natural light in their conservatory Marley was told to sit. As he looked up to his owner, who was clutching a biscuit to draw his attention, I pressed the shutter. Fortunately I had taken a large sheet of grey card with me to make sure I had a plain background. This worked a treat and the finished portrait after a little processing in Lightroom and Photoshop is shown above.

Having always been told never to work with children or animals, on this occasion taking photographs of Marley was a joy. He did all he was told and seemed to know how to pose for the camera – he had obviously done it before or was it just that he would do anything for another biscuit?!