It seems the times I find, or inclinations I get, to post something here get further and further apart. Perhaps I'm just not cut out to be a blogger, so on the off chance that someone actually reads this, hello! and sorry, as you'll probably be disappointed. I tend to simply forget about this page when I'm busy photographing or working in the darkroom, I still work totally analogue.

lately I have been spending time on book projects that I'm printing next year, therefore I'm spending a bit more time on the computer, hence this now.

The picture here was taken outside my studio in Sydenham a few weeks ago.

For anyone interested, I am doing a talk at the Christchurch art gallery on April the 15th next year, (check with the CAG Bulletin to confirm the date) on the changes in my photography over the Eleven years since moving to Christchurch.

Merry Christmas

It's been a long time since I said anything here, but I guess thats a good thing for me, as it means I have been busy working, I've been photographing, debating, printing, and to a friends wedding.

Right now Scape is on in Christchurch www.scapebiennial.org.nz and this picture is of one of the Scape pieces. Only the writing on the wall is the scape artwork, other events are coincidence!

I have been using the Scape works as subject in the last few weeks, I find it really interesting to use conceptual art as a subject to photograph, they become what Duschamp called readymades, but for the camera. People gravitate to them creating energy and opportunities. I hope to talk about these works and other photographs using art as subject sometime next year, and will post here when that will be.

Once upon a time Edward Weston and his ilk revolted against pictorialism on the grounds that the great thing about photography was its ability to record objects in great and exact detail, and that fuzzy Romanticism should be left to the painters. He would say no other medium was as able to reveal such truth in things. However the world of photography has expanded from the camera obscura to the CMOS sensor and beyond, with an ever increasing ability to record things accurately, especially in lower and poorer light. So now of course the photography he spoke of, which is the photography I use today (Analogue and predominantly B&W) is no longer capable of representing things as exactly as digital photography can now! So this has made me wonder, where does analogue photography fit now? There is no doubt in the minds of those those who have actually seen or made a beautiful analogue print, that while technology can make things faster, clearer, and more accurate etc. It doesn't compare to the aesthetics of a beautiful hand crafted analogue print. So perhaps conceptualism is the domain of digital photography and beauty is the domain of analogue photography now. Which kind of takes us back to what Weston revolted against!

The picture above is from a body of works produced with this in mind.

This is my studio-home in Christchurch, the picture in the window is from my friend John's home in Melbourne where I have often stayed when Ive been there. I am eternally grateful to friends like John who have put me up in their homes over the years, the generosity of my friends has made so much of my work possible.



This picture was made from my friend Mike's place when he lived in Sydney, I stayed there a lot, this picture is of a print showing a train crossing the harbor bridge.



This the picture in my widow above. It's part of a series I made in Melbourne in response to the photography of Bill Henson.

vacated shop Manchester street

I read a really good quote today by Robert Rauschenberg that I believe relates well to photography, it was something to the effect of

'If you walked out your door and around the block and could not find enough material to make great art, then you just weren't looking hard enough'

I guess I related quiet well to this quote because I have been doing a lot of walking and photographing in the near vicinity of my studio-home lately, as a result I think I will make this work and ideology the subject of my next exhibition.

I have been making some self portraits lately. A real photographic self portrait, as in done alone, is difficult to do but ultimately rewarding. This one was made with an old graphlex 4x5 camera, www.clickondavid.com/graflex.html, this is the same camera as used by the American photographer Weegee. The 4x5 film size renders so much detail it can be scary, especially with closeups. This makes me wonder, is a portrait actually a portrait if it doesn't reveal the truth? Understandably, I guess, most people would prefer to see an idealist photograph of themselves than confront who they really are, but the photographic portraits that are remembered are those those that reveal more than a persons ideal and at times vain vision of themselves.

One of my favourite self portraits is this one by Chuck Close


However, for a series of self portraits, American artist John Coplans 'body parts' is hard to go past, it is the ultimate self revealing.

It's been a while since I posted anything here, but sometimes you just have nothing worthwhile to say, and sometimes your just too busy doing other things. But I'm pretty sure nobody will be brokenhearted by my lack of entries here.

Anyway, this picture was taken last week on the bridge just down the street from my studio. As is usual of late I have been doing a lot of walking and photographing around the area where my studio is, and it seems this part of Christchurch is quickly changing. I am noticing things gone or changed already from photographs I've taken in just the last few weeks. The best change has been the introduction of a Greek Souvlaki restaurant a few doors down!