49 Comments

Ace. The minimal techno of photography. not that I read any of the article mind... hope my comment don't looks stupid.
Elk
2009-05-14 21:04:21

Is the world really as much of a washed out, pastely, minimalist dreamscape as photography would have us believe?

Once you get past the technical perfection of the image, you get the feeling this mysterious nothingness is a bit of a cheap art pose. And a fairly safe one.

I'm not sure how much of it comes down to personal taste, but walking around the photos at the Portrait Gallery this year the ballsier images were much better received. Chris Floyd's portrait of Steve McQueen for example.

In the same show David Steward's photo Five Girls was technically gorgeous, but when you discover he had his daughter and friends go to a McDonald's and pose this way, there's that disappointment. His explanation about showing the distance in their friendship suddenly becomes a comment about a staged event, as opposed to documentary. A bit like arguing over Eastender's as if it's real life.

Like ambient music, this ode to nothingness has it's place as a counter balance to everyday life, and when it's good it's really good, but you don't want to listen to Brian Eno 24/7 and it would be nice to see future photographer's experiment with more animalistic, authentic ideas outside of this posey, carefully composed Lightroom work.
Gavin
2009-05-15 11:21:29

Is the world really as much of a washed out, pastely, minimalist dreamscape as photography would have us believe?

Once you get past the technical perfection of the image, you get the feeling this mysterious nothingness is a bit of a cheap art pose. And a fairly safe one.

I'm not sure how much of it comes down to personal taste, but walking around the photos at the Portrait Gallery this year the ballsier images were much better received. Chris Floyd's portrait of Steve McQueen for example.

In the same show David Steward's photo Five Girls was technically gorgeous, but when you discover he had his daughter and friends go to a McDonald's and pose this way, there's that disappointment. His explanation about showing the distance in their friendship suddenly becomes a comment about a staged event, as opposed to documentary. A bit like arguing over Eastender's as if it's real life.

Like ambient music, this ode to nothingness has it's place as a counter balance to everyday life, and when it's good it's really good, but you don't want to listen to Brian Eno 24/7 and it would be nice to see future photographer's experiment with more animalistic, authentic ideas outside of this posey, carefully composed Lightroom work.
Gavin
2009-05-15 11:22:28

@ Gavin.

They are just photos at the end of the day. A fraction of a second of one moment and one place in time with one person's ideas. And you will spend x amount of time looking at it and move onto something else. And next year there will be a whole new style for you to hate. Get over it, stop moaning, do something more constructive with your time.
mark
2009-05-15 13:53:37

Mark —

I do not hate any style of anything. Laura Pannack's portrait of the girl here is beautiful.

But I am suspicious of much of the ambiguous, pastely coloured work coming from the photography world right now, and think much of it is ambiguous for the sake of ambiguity (arty mystery) rather than for a critical reason. A bit of a cheap trick. A couple of notches better than those stone canvas things you get in Ikea.

If you think that is somehow moaning, or a waste of my time, then I'd stay away from blogs from now on because all those people giving their opinions and wasting their time trying to learn might start to really upset you.

I do not claim to hold "the answer" to this, but if this is the Future of Photography as the prize suggests, I wonder if it actually holds any water beyond the surface.

If you can find time in your obviously packed schedule to reply I'd love to hear what you think.
Crewdson's dad
2009-05-15 18:48:08

Photography of course is in period of transition and crisis. The shift in impulse between established masters of traditional image making technique and the elastic possibilities that digital processes offer at the cost of a profound change in the abstract materiality of photographic materials seems to be leading some photographers to a land of decreased experiment and diminished spirit. I think this is ably articulated here by Gavin and the images above certainly confirm the diagnosis.

Although of course beautiful, they do seem to not only portray emptiness but also to be empty of content albeit in a very fashionable advertising-friendly way. There seems to have been some kind of collapse between subject and object. As a photographer I find the moment to be very exciting and alive, I would venture that the LPA has not in fact looked very far beyond their area of commercial activity. There is some amazing and exciting photography out there and as a medium photography has always had to negotiate a fascinating path between the concerns of applied art with clients and briefs, the enthusiastic amateur and the traditional artists role.
bucky
2009-05-16 08:34:24

With good photos you have a very powerful tool, as for most people browsing the web, they first respond to good visuals.

In my own work, I rely mostly on portofolio phots to generate my work.
David Nicholas
2009-05-17 15:51:28

Gavin your post on the '2009-05-15 11:22:28'. Very much interests me.
I too used to share your feeling of disappointment when finding out that an image is constructed for the camera. Until more recently my outlook changed.
These days photography has become so 'fashionable' and highly accessible that everyone thinks they can take great photographs. So the real photographers have taken to constructing images to prove they really know what needs to go into a photograph to make it great.
You have to remember that some of the most fantastic films ever made are all constructed for the intention to make the audience feel certain emotions.
Dont get me wrong, i still love the honesty of reportage and documentry photography but you should be able to appreciate the constructed image because of the thought and time that has gone into it and if i still makes the audience feel the same way when they first see it then i doesn't matter that it is not as honest as you may of first thought.
Gregory Crewson is a fine example of this, you cannot deny the quality of his work despite that fact that it is all staged.
George
2009-05-18 01:50:13

Nice, some interesting work here.
Adam
2009-05-18 16:32:58

Gavin...
I love the work here but can understand your criticism. It almost appears as if all the work was taken by the same photographer. That sparse, low saturation, ethereal 'I SHOOT FILM!!' feel to the work which is hot right now. You can see it in a lot of the fashion campaigns right now.

It's almost a genre of photography in itself, some would say done to death but still elegiac and a nice counterbalance to the bulk of commercial photography. I agree that Crewdson has a lot of influence but also see echoes of Tina Barney and Larry Sultan...

I have no problem with staged photography... Once I got past the artificiality of any photograph, the author behind every image, I see every image now as 'made' rather than 'taken'....
Hugh
2009-05-19 16:52:09

Interesting, through my many years of a photographic career, I worked under many of the masters. I have heard is said many times that really great photographs are created not found.
Eugene
2009-05-20 05:18:54

As a 61 year old who shoots in fashion and related fields I'm not surprised by any of this. It's been happening to my knowledge ever since Bailey et al in the 1960s where everyone was going for edgy contrasty imagery - that was the flavour of the month/year/decade. That these photographers look like they were shot by the same person just means that style can dominate whatever your individual direction. These are young photographers and they will find their own fingerprint soon enough.

The photographers I most admire are female and around 20. Their skills in fashion are devastating and put me to shame. The new blood has digital technology all wrapped up with creative vision and they will make us proud.
Roger Mann
2009-05-20 14:19:57

For Goodness sake! Lisa Pritchard is a COMMERCIAL agent, not naturally someone inclined to be concerned with real issues and the human condition. The photographs are bland, meaningless,unemotive, slightly elegaic. They reflect the commercial world in which the agent and these photographers work. If you want commitment, passion, emotion,politics, look elsewhere.
Why do people in the commercial arena have such a self important view, not just about themselves, but on everything. The images are flavour of the month, enjoy them whilst they last.
rufus
2009-05-21 10:32:05

There is a worrying blandness to alot of the current crop of photographers, although technically highly polished there is a lack of emotion. There is definitely a trend for more 'arty' images as opposed to 'emotional'... I come from a journalistic p-o-v so maybe slightly biased, but I hark back for the Don McCullin generation - all gritty black and white...
Ade
2009-06-01 12:55:06

i think the idea of subjectivity and objectivity are being raised here.
creating a subjective emotional picture is the old way of taking photographs, usually has about 5 seconds of visual impact. these photos are usually about the photographer and the subject. little for the viewer to do.
whereas newer understandings of photography are much more about objectivity, asking the viewer to complete the dialogue. requiring contemplation and understanding.

depends if you want your art on a plate or you appreciate having to work for it.
themeanius
2009-06-02 09:40:20

i don't know how photography in the future, but i know photography is still my hobby...
ega
2009-06-05 04:12:36

seems to me that what we have today is something we did not have in the past and that is a photography art market. at one time photographers considered themselves photographers albeit with an artistic expression. thats why the work of klien, frank, evans, eggleston, graham, killip has such an understanding of the limits of photograohy and a healthy respect for it. but the last few years since the post modernist explosion of the 80's is witnessing the contrived, huge, gallery orientated work.... such as crewdson, this insanely over inflated work that marries film with photography blah blah blah. such high production moves away from the essence of what photography is. the more you try the less you get. at the very core of photography is a, dare i say it, romance, but leave it in the hands of the conceptual technicians such as crewdsons (ever heard him talk!) and we get a sanatised version of experience. photography schools are teaching students to be generic.... if your body of work is repetitive than thats a good thing because life is uniform! life is a mess.... so why not reflect that?

Michael Grieve
Grievy
2009-06-11 11:09:13

David, Mark —

To be clear, I have absolutely no gripe with constructed/designed/staged images. Dismissing a meticulously knitted image on the basis that's it's not snapshotlike or "real" is rubbish.
So I have nothing against Crewdson's talent as a 'stager', if you like, his process is up to him and he can fill his boots.

What I gripe with is the intention of the person making the work, what the work says, and how is it useful. Is there a purpose outside itself, does it need one, if so where does it go? Now I'm not talking about "IDEAS" so to speak, but where does it GO? Why is it existing?
If it HAS no purpose outside itself (ie. it's purpose is it's own beauty/existence) and the photographer is happy with that, then fine. But just admit it.

My gripe is that this stuff is a vacuum, in purpose and content, and sucks a LOT of young aspiring would-be smart people into the black hole of arty staging, with the myth that it is full of intricate, insider-content, when in fact it is utterly hollow and completely self-important. There is enough of that shit from the advertising world and pages of Wonderland.

If something is created for form with no regard for content, fine. But just admit it from the start and save everyone the foreplay.
Gavin
2009-06-13 01:33:55

Love the building compositions! using 3s and perspective.
Darren Butler
2009-06-14 19:33:48

Gavin

Agree to a certain extent, the images are staged and stereotypical of what modern photography should be, not the reportage images that I would prefer. I think that photography should either tell a story or shock due to the nature of the image or the outstadning composition. Modern photography has lost its way in trying to tell a story, the art has been lost so the emphasis is either on the shock or the composition. I think that the above images excel in the composition but the majority fail to shock really. Just my take!
Derby
2009-07-08 16:40:03

Bland quiet self absorbed mock documentary does seem to be the mode of the moment. Why is it that this once agitprop medium has become so shy and refrained? Just been to Arles photographic festival where nearly all of the exhibits by "young" snappers were nearly all about ME issues, with hardly anyone looking at the US as in society as a whole. The exception to this is in the area of developing world documentary, where of course europeans stomp around snapping all manner of horrors.
Take a photo of a London pedestrian crashing into another while both are on the phone and you are into privacy issues. Security guards are aware of copyright issues! The world is a dirty messy and un-airbrushed place. Maybe all this faux documentary art style is a result of some of these issues. Photography does have a great ability to talk to people but it doesn't all have to happen in the reception area of an ad agency.
Josh Pulman
2009-07-21 17:10:34

Well, I feel a bit young to have any solid opinions about the photography above... I like them.

I will say though I've quite enjoyed the ensuing debate!
Kim
2009-08-18 12:03:11

I think the future of photography is quite narrow. What I mean by that, is that it is more important now as a photographer to specialise, find a niche, a USP - whatever you want to call it. Then you can charge 'expert' rates and be a leader in a particular field. There are so many sources of photography now, from micro-stock sites, to amateurs giving away copyright, to businesses who build stock sites from competitions or workshops - that it is becoming increasingly hard to make any money out of photographs. Finally add in the current hysteria about terrorism and national security and we can't even do 'street photography' any more !

Sorry to be cynical today!
David J Colbran
2009-08-18 13:06:40

Great debate, I think the future of photography depends on whether you're looking at amateur or professional photography. Take the wedding photography industry for example, there has been an explosion over the last five years of people becoming professional wedding photographers, the majority of whom are not that great at photography. This is a direct result of the improvements in digital cameras but the market is slowly moving back to its origins. The great photographers are still on top, the good photographers make a living and the poor photographers have struggled and gone back to their day jobs.

The digital revolution has really improved amateur photography, many of whom are much better than professionals. Seascape and landscape images now available to buy online are fantastic and provide a small income for those that truly have talent!
Wedding Photographer Kent
2009-09-23 11:26:53

As one of the old school that still uses a darkroom, I think that many of the great techniques of photography have been lost with the coming of the digital age. I also think that many of the modern photographers who have never processed an image manually shoud try, they will learn a lot about their own photography purely because you spend to much time with each image!
Rob
2009-10-28 14:56:03

I personally love this style of photography, I've always been drawn to it. Simple and beautiful. Not everyone can capture images like this and especially in such an interesting and artistic manner. I believe this is one of a few great styles that is emerging. Congratulations to the photographers and the LPA.
Wade Griffith
2009-10-28 15:53:14

Wade, you are completely correct. When an untrained eye looks at the composition of a great photo such as some of tose above, they just think, 'hey, great photo'. If you then gave them a camera in front of the same object next to the actual person that captured the image, they would more than likely fail to get anywhere close to a great shot. There is an inherent level of skill in capturing great images consistently. I often see winners of competitions that were just lucky but they fail to recreate that quality consistently, therein lies the essence of a true professional photographer!
Harrogate
2009-11-10 13:04:17

"Great debate, I think the future of photography depends on whether you're looking at amateur or professional photography. Take the wedding photography industry for example, there has been an explosion over the last five years of people becoming professional wedding photographers, the majority of whom are not that great at photography. This is a direct result of the improvements in digital cameras but the market is slowly moving back to its origins..
"

The explosion of budding amateur photographers may well die out, it is one thing having a photograph that looks professional, it is another thing capturing a subject that is worth the paper it is printed on or the sd card it is stored on...
wed
2009-12-05 13:16:14

Nice, crisp, photographic plates.
Tavershima Vende-Hanongon
2009-12-06 21:14:14

I like the work of these young photographers, it has been the 'current style' for some time now...staged work has been popular but I think photographers are returning to the basic skills of photography. If you want to see refreshingly candid unstyled work check out Nick Turpin's new PUBLICATION magazine:

http://www.in-publication.com
Carol Giradon
2009-12-07 09:48:33

I found the work really refreshing and different - In particular the composition of the photograph with airfield landing lights struck me as being very well composed and powerful, was there a brief for the images ? as similar themes seemed to run througn several of the pictures

Tim
Tim Driver
2009-12-29 01:13:24

I agree with the comment above about the wedding photogaphy industry being bombarded with 'professional photographers'. It seems that anyone with a reasonable digital SLR can market themselves as a 'professional' while keeping their day jobs during the week (though the number has mushroomed since the recession I notice!) I think that in the end it is all healthy competition and people will get the result that they pay for. And at the end of the day, everyone starts off as an amateur don't they?
London Wedding Photographer
2010-01-12 19:44:56

With five photographers selected, I would expect a bit more contrast in style, tone, etc. than these examples demonstrate. They all strike me as cold and lonely. Conformity seems to be "the future" here.
London photographer
2010-02-13 23:04:14

The Ben Roberts images are great, not to sure about the others. Creating a striking image doesn't have to occur in a studio, reall life unposed images are often more striking as they offer an alternative view to reality. Capturing posed images, however startling, doesn't really make the photography brilliant!
Ed
2010-02-15 17:05:37

I think there are too many togs stuck on thinking of themselves as photographers rather than image makers. If you are a photographer then you must produce photographs and photographs must look like photographs. if you are an image maker you produce images with whatever technology you choose or need. Buyers don't care.
Sussex Photographer
2010-03-26 20:04:47

Aesthetics won't save us from boredom, I'm afraid, whatever the quality ... To answer the question "the future of photography?": Don't think so, not in the U.K., nor elsewhere - and there's a world outside, lots to come yet.
Tom Stappers
2010-03-31 21:42:54

A great article (I know its a little old now), but I do love those arcitechtural shots. Photography truly is an art form and pretty much all of these images have it for me.
Kevin Mullins
2010-04-29 16:52:06

I agree with the comment above about the wedding photogaphy industry being bombarded with 'professional photographers'. It seems that anyone with a reasonable digital SLR can market themselves as a 'professional' while keeping their day jobs during the week (though the number has mushroomed since the recession I notice!) I think that in the end it is all healthy competition and people will get the result that they pay for. And at the end of the day, everyone starts off as an amateur don't they?
Leeds Wedding Photography
2010-06-28 15:31:03

I think most of this work falls into the trendy, but dull category. It is squarely of a type that is meant to appeal commercially and double as fine art (well, ersatz fine art). No edge and not much going on.
Zachary Cullman
2010-07-08 07:53:00

These pictures with the pastel colours seem to be the link between photography and canvas art. Being a lover of both forms of art I love the images and am going to play around with the format myself
Gem
2010-10-24 22:38:15

I love the mix of photography with art like Gem says. It proves that not all young photographers have a lot to learn. Beautiful.
Martin Longhouse
2010-11-29 23:08:06

This new breed of photography doesn't seem to have much commercial value. What market is this catered for?
The Village Studio
2010-12-29 02:07:38

A worthy initiative. Ben Robert's work is particularly eyecatching - strongly reminiscent of Magritte.
Kent Wedding Photographer
2011-03-08 14:26:36

I agree with some of the previous posts, there do seem to be a lot of wannabe photographers picking up an SLR as a more expensive alternative to a compact and thinking they can make the move to professional. However most of these quickly fizzle out and all that remains are the few who have the talent and perseverence for the job. Equally I think there are a lot of established photographers who feel threatened by younger photographers making a go of it, I've heard plenty of experienced professionals spouting rubbish like 'never be a photographer, it's too much work'. I'm not sure why exactly but I think it stems from doing a job you have lost the passion for. Personally I love photography and would advise anyone thinking about it to give it a go. As long as you are serious and can be honest about your talent you've got a shot. As for the future of photography it's hard to say, there is no formula. Usually when a style kicks off it quickly becomes overused and old. It's all about having your own style and identity/
Leeds Wedding Photographer
2011-03-29 15:02:06

Commercialism is corrupting photography sadly and some of the modern art is really just ridiculous. People are getting awards for making rooms with lights that switch on and off every few seconds whereas good quality photography consistently gets overlooked. Sad times.
Pauline Walsh
2011-04-03 20:48:26

Big fan of the simplicity of the shot however it seems somethings been overlooked in selecting five photographer with exactly the same composition - one would think with the thousands of incredible young photographers exploring thousands of different ways to creatively capture their world - we might have seen some diversity here.
peter Johnson
2011-05-04 02:21:45

Wow what a great initiative !!, there is some amazing work shown on here. I really like the 2nd image by Ben Roberts. All of the photos are very strong though, good work.
Wedding Photographer Kent
2011-05-31 14:48:18

I like the bleak minimalist style but it's a little disappointing with the range that has (or hasn't) been shown.
Rob
2011-06-01 09:20:06

great work! keep it up. x
clare
2011-06-23 16:24:04

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