-
Mobile Photography & Art Flickr and Instagram Showcase – 10 January 2021
My key word for 2021 is ‘Optimism’. Sounds unlikely I know, but I am not deluded. If we don’t have optimism how can we get through the next day? It’s a blessing, not a tragedy, take it daily, in equal measures, once in the morning and before bedtime, with water. Be aware of the side effects, creativity, fantasia, elation and sheer bliss. We need to feel that everything is going to be ok, not only our own sake but more importantly for all who depend and rely on us. We need to be a sea of calm and serenity, taking and absorbing others anxiety and actually it’s a story worth…
-
Mobile Photography & Art Flickr and Instagram Showcase – 8 November 2020
When I think of still life, I revert back to its origins in painting. The ‘still’ often represented as flowers, fruit or other decorative displays. Created in history as a means for an artist to practice techniques but also to portray their wealth. It also acts as a reflection of time. What we never see is the human figure, still life is a means to communicate truths and stories about humanity. Still Life is all around us, it’s where we once were, or where we will be next. It offers another sense of life, a different way of seeing. It matters because we matter, still lives is what keeps us…
-
Mobile Photography & Art Flickr and Instagram Showcase – 25 October 2020
Memories often provide a great access point for creating a body of work artwork. I’ve been looking at a series entiteld “if you get married again, will you still love me?“. Essentially, separated fathers were asked for memories of words spoken to them by their children. Utilising this information and based upon the spoken responses and what images they invoked in the artists mind, Sharon Boothroyd tried to understand what the children may have been thinking or feeling at the time. The series presents emotional moments, often out of view from the public space, of fathers with their children or children contemplating their new life not living with their father.…
-
Mobile Photography & Art Instagram Showcase – 23 August 2020
Not all self-portraiture includes the photographer, sometimes it is possible to use other people to stand in. I mentioned Sophie Calle‘s work last week and her series ‘Take Care of Yourself 2007-2009), is an example of this. Some photographers use people in a metaphoric sense, I’m thinking of Maria Kapajevea, in ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman, 2012-ongoing’) or some choose not to include anyone in the picture at all (Nigel Shafran, Washing-up 2000). All of these approaches are classified as self-absented portraiture, similar to self-portraiture but none include the photographer in a literal sense. In many ways, physically, I have started to feel that maybe I…
-
Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 16 February 2020
Fatigue with the stress of life, current news, financial worries, sickness, broken relationships, abuse, wreak havoc. As I shot my (medicinal) drug needle miraculously through my fingernail instead of my thigh this week, I know and it hurts but there’s also something called ‘compassion fatigue’ in relation to photography. It is so called when people view vast quantites of shocking images, perhaps photojournalism from a warzone for example and they become muted, to the visual atrocities before their eyes. From as early as the 1980’s ‘compassion fatigue’ was also known as ‘Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder’, essentially it developed from an excess of compassion. David Campbell, Director of Programs and Outreach…
-
Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 28 July 2019
‘Would you like a cappuccino?‘ the early morning shadow, prickly with dark stubble, leans over, breathes into my ear bushing my lips. I am asked the same question in the same way, every single morning and still I tingle. The answer is always the same, ‘yes, please, x 3‘ . And so the narrative begins, bringing together two lives, in an emotional and intense drama. We have been in love for many years and each day we develop new neural pathways to ensure we keep meandering along in the present, not only with passion and compassion but also with love and humanity. We are promiscuous observers of photography and art, there’s…
-
Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 7 July 2019
“I told you I was ill‘, my favourite black comedy quote, written by Spike Milligan, engraved into gravestone. For many, health anxiety is a compartment of life – a dark cell – usually totally separate from their day-to-day self. Of course, there’s a lot to be anxious about in the world today and this phenomena shows no sigh of shrinking. Psychoanalyst Michael Currie notes that we rarely deal with the causes of anxiety – job insecurity for example, or social isolation – when trying to treat it. Writing in The Monthly, he says: “Anxiety-as-disease is treated much like an infection, as if the symptoms were a bacterium that should be…
-
Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 5 May 2019
“Whenever the world throws rose petals at you, which thrill and seduce the ego, beware” Anne Lamott. I was told a similar thing, not quite so poetically, when I was promoted and became the technical editor of a print camera magazine, many years ago… it’s long gone. “Many congratulations Joanne, but keep those feet on the ground“, cautioned the main editor of the title. Sound advice, but doesn’t it get a little boring sometimes? For years now, I’ve noticed that I have become more and more sensible and it’s getting frustrating. I’m organised, at least in my mind, it might not show physically in my office. I keep my children’s…
-
Mobile Photography & Art – Flickr/Instagram Group Showcase – 21 April 2019
Earlier this year, I attended the press view of ‘A Fortnight Of Tears’ by and with Tracey Emin, at The White Cube Gallery, London. What has interested me, particularly, since the exhibition are the wide ranging and diverse reviews and critiques of this show. Having spent time speaking with Emin, as well as sharing the exhibition and space with her, I felt closer to this artwork and to her psyche than I ever have before. Many of the reviews were critical, she is an artist who has always attracted harsh critics. Her most infamous work “My Bed” (1988), is in many ways, metaphorically, part of this exhibition. It’s re-inacted as…
-
Mobile Photography Awards Eighth Annual Awards – Results!
We’re delighted to reveal that the Mobile Photography Awards (MPA) 2018 Results have now been announced. As always the wealth of talent displayed across our screens is phenomenal. This year there has been more entries to this competition than ever before and the quality of submissions has been totally outstanding across all the categories. Huge congratulations and thanks to the Mobile Photography Awards founder, Daniel Berman and also to the jury, including, James Bacchi, Annette Schultz, Evengy Tchetbotarev, Elaine Taylor, Brendan O Se, Sheldon Serkin, Andy Bulter and Alon Goldsmith. I have listed every first prize winner, with their winning image as well as each and every runner up for…
