pictures at an exhibition

This week our photographic group took a trip upstairs in the MAC to look at an exhibition of work by the various tutors who teach there.

 

 

 

 

serendipity

Earlier this week I attended a fantastic talk by ace photographer, Mandy Burton.  Mandy was speaking ostensibly about her book, '100 Strangers and their Dogs', which you can read about on her mighty fine blog of similar name.  The talk, however, was much, much more than that. It was an insightful, hilarious, moving and humble story of life, and in particular how and why to take a step outside the comfort zone.

I first came across Mandy's work through Kate Green, my photography tutor at the Midlands Art Centre. She showed our photography group some of her amazing pictures and I was hooked from the 'get go'.  Do take a look at them on Instagram - Mandy's hashtag is #burty123m.

My head was buzzing when I left the talk and blow me down if I didn't stumble across a fantastic photo opportunity at some traffic lights just round the corner from where the event had taken place.  A Yorkshire terrier was looking out the open window of a queuing car. I nearly passed it by, but the urge proved too great to resist. I doubled back and took the snap above.

True serendipity, but weirder still I posted the photograph on my own Instagram account (#electrofried1000) only to discover that Kate Green knows both the dog and its owner!!  

 

the unacceptable face of fashion - coat of arms

My photography group starts a new term and the homework this week is 'fashion'. Here's an alternative take on the brutality of modern stye.

the exhibitionists

And so at last the culmination of this term's work at our photography group.  Our pop-up exhibition of prints has already gone on show at The Ruin in Digbeth and will shortly go 'on tour' at Touchbase Pears in Selly Oak. Today the venue is The Midlands Art Centre opposite Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

It's a busy Sunday afternoon and we face fierce competition on three fronts from a magnificent display of 1970s Handsworth selfies, a haunting study of young girls living in strife-torn South Sudan and an international photography exhibition curated by the Royal Photographic Society.

We still manage to pull in a steady stream of visitors who make suitably appreciative noises!  Well done to all involved and a very special mention to our course tutor, Kate Green without whom none of this would be possible.

Finally, the exhibition, and this post, is dedicated to the memory of Jackie, a former member of the group who died recently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

exceedingly dull

This is the poster I'm entering in the forthcoming photographic exhibition at The Ruins and the Midlands Art Centre.

Exceedingly dull, isn't it?

the night portraits

I love low-key photography and we had another opportunity to hone our skills this week at Photo Social. I much prefer black and white to colour for this type of portrait, it brings a rich luminescence and a wide range of contrasting tones.

We were using a large ring-flash provided by our wonderful tutor, Kate Green. It produced unusually sharp highlights in the eyes.

I've called this series of photographs. 'the night portraits' as to my mind they have a dream-like quality to them.