BJP–February 2011

1. Morel fighting for copyright.  On-going argument about copyright of images shown on the web including social network sites.  Implications – copyright belongs to the photographer and that info does not have to be embedded in the image to be valid under US law.
2. Bran Symondson.  The best view of heaven is from hell. Fascinating surreal photos from Afghanistan including soldier with roses wrapped around his gun. An exhibition that i would have loved to have seen. Mixtures of colour and drab, soft and harsh.

3. Ground Control. Still photos taken in association with the BBC’s Human Planet. Timothy Allen joined the BBC film crew as a stills photographer and took 8Tb’s worth of images some of which are published in the book The Human Planet. http://humanplanet.com/timothyallen

4. Smudge. Ok I am not offended by these but I just don’t ‘get’ them.Scary and disturbing.  A mixture of photography and body art / dressing up. Borland is an Australian photographer working in the UK. ‘definitely about subversion’ (Borland), ‘I don’t know where it all comes from’ (Borland).Oddly enough I had my teenage daughter, who is into art and goth and she shaid 'disturbing'.

5. A man for all seasons. An interview with John Stewart. Mainly monochrome, highly detailed and sensual still-lifes. This I would be ecstatic to be able to emulate. ‘silence, emptiness and reduction’ (Susan Sontag, The Aesthetics of Silence.) http://www.john-stewart-photography.net shows an amazing collection of images with a limited range of contrasts that allows for a long period of fruitful contemplation.