The term archive in relation to photography usually describes a specific set of images, for example and archive could be growing up in the 1930s. Most people have an archive of family photos, which could be refined further through just choosing photos of one person or event. Artists can take inspiration from archives for example taking images that contrast or show a change, or perhaps a commentary on the change.

For this project the brief was to take a photo from my own archive and remake it. the current situation made this a challenge so I chose a photo, that I have have retaken several times showing of bikes on a cycling holiday.

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Though the subject is always the same with two bikes, the setting changes, changes in bike design over the years (and our move from mountains bikes to road bikes) can be seen.

All images are royalty free images from Pixabay https://pixabay.com

The purpose of this exercise is to appropriate other sources of images, making you think more critically about your selection. The theme choice was frost, which produced a wide array of frosty landscapes, trees, and snow scenes. I selected close up images that show the beauty of plants and trees in cold weather. Another unifying feature was in the choice of pastel colours, some images were rejected due to their bright colours.

These responses relate to Suite Venitienne,1979 by Sophie Calle. In this work she followed a stranger from Paris to Venic, documenting her trip with photographs.

Morally I think it is wrong to follow a stranger to make photographs in this way. However, our world in 2020 with GDPR is a completely different place from 1979. Today, permissions to take photos in a work or study setting are required. If a photo is taken in the street, you would be asked for a model release form if you wanted to sell it commercially.

I love the idea of an adventure that would give me a different position that I am used to for making photos. There are lots of opportunities for this and photography tours are based on this desire to take photographs in a different way or setting. It is also equally rewarding to research and plan a personal trip. For example visiting a new place. On my wishlist is a visit to Vancouver, though in the current situation this could be years away so I will plan something closer to home finding new places to explore and enjoy finding different approaches to shoot places that visit regularly.

Taking a job to give me access to a certain subject that I wouldn’t have access to is an interesting proposition. A better way of looking at this is perhaps volunteering, as that can give you access to different people and places.

I like the curiosity and sense of chance that must have been felt in the creation of Calle’s work and wonder if the final images are just a by product of her artistic urge.

An interesting question, as to me a photograph is always an illusion no matter how it is taken, you are getting either a record in pixels of what is captured or an artistic interpretation of the subject. An illusion is something that isn’t actually real. An image or printed photo can be real in its own right, but it is always a representation of an object or subject.

The project is to use perspective, light and focus to create an image that is obvious to the viewer that it the subject is a representation of pixels, without faking the image.

The images below, both make use of a long shutter speed and zoom blur to create the sense of movement.

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