I’ll end this year’s postings with an image from my Shibuya 2017 project. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2020 New Year to come!
Photography For All.
Shibuya Color
Tag: 2017
InstantLondon : New Bond Street, Mayfair
“The street where dreams are fulfilled and money is spent”. Bond Street in Mayfair is home to some of the world’s top fashion houses, designers, and luxury brands. The Christmas lights will be turned on soon, so I’ll head back there sometime.
Welsh encounter
This is John Hook, 81, from the Welsh town of Deri, in the Darran Valley. I met him walking his dog, a little pincer, along a path by a stream and we chatted. The Welsh are really friendly, like that. Maybe it’s just the older generation. He had worked as a coal miner in three collieries when he was younger, and also help started steel works in England. Now, retired, he stays outdoors as much as possible, walking and enjoying the countryside.
In the 50-70s these valleys in South Wales were major producers of coal in Europe and there were numerous collieries providing employment to the local population for generations. The beautiful countryside where we met were completely blackened with the spoils, slag heaps and soot from the mines. These were all cleared and the land replanted or regenerated into public space. The last mine which closed here was in the early 80s as the industry collapsed.
Mt.Rokko Photo Festival 2017 Workshop
I’ll be heading out to the Mt.Rokko Photo Festival in a week’s time. I’m always looking forward to this time, late summer in Japan, and to meet the photographers, and see new faces and new photography. Thank to the Takeki Sugiyama the festival director, once again, for inviting me. I’ll be running a similar workshop to the previous years and it’ll be fun.
Deconstructing the Photographic Portrait
Historical Context
Contemporary Practices
KLPA2017 finalists overview
Practical exercise in portrait photography
Pictures from 2016 workshop, from Mt.Rokko Festival.
Brief
I will present a brief slideshow on the historic referencing of portraiture from the daguerreotypes of the early to mid 1800s to the camera obscura, and then to the invention of reproducible film and the negative. We will examine the influences of photography on painters and masters and it’s representational forms.
We will consider the modern practice of portraiture and contemporary styles, and look at the importance of the genre in modern society.
We will review portrait photographs brought by the participants and perform a deconstruction and critique of each other’s works.
In the second session, I will present some of my personal choices of the finalist entries from Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards from 2009 to 2017 including this year’s winning entries.
The workshop practical session follows with staged portrait shoots of participants in the studio or gallery space and outdoors.
Note to participants
Please bring up to 5 portrait prints taken by yourself, or from magazines/online that you wish to review and present. Please bring your camera.
Details
Workshop : Sunday 27 August, 2017, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Event Page & More Info
Avalon
This was taken about a week ago when the Pen Pond in Richmond Park was frozen. Not a deep freeze, as overnight temperatures were only down to about -4C, but sufficient to form a thin ice crust on all the outdoor water features.
First post, 2017
Bosphorus, 2010
Troubled waters ahead. On the first day of the new year, a gunman dressed as Santa Claus entered a nightclub on the Bosphorus and killed over 39 people, as hundreds celebrated the New Year. There’s an unspoken protocol in the UK that the Brits do not normally discuss politics and religion at dinner tables, and presumably Brexit also.
However, as I see it, these subjects define who we are and how we exist – politics have to do with every facet of our modern connected lives, from the price of oil to the car we drive, and sadly, our day to day security. Everything is connected. Europe is currently facing an unspoken crisis and this will only deepen in the coming months as Britain prepares for Brexit and the EU sees several General Elections in 2017.
We scorn at the opinionated and so-called experts, but I fear those who have no opinions more, as you don’t know where they stand.
Merry Crimbo!
Wishing everyone a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.
With a little over a week till Christmas, and soon 2016 comes to an end, I look forward to another awesome year ahead to new projects, new friends and more personal photography projects.
Coming straight up, in February – KLPA2017 will be launched with a brand new and exciting theme. In May, we will hosting the first ever Photography Symposium Asia in Kuala Lumpur, promising a great line up of presenters and focusing on Education and Opportunities.
2017, also sees the second phase of the Two Mountains Photo Project taking shape. Six photographers from Japan and Malaysia have been commissioned to photograph stories surrounding the mythology, socio dynamics and natural aspects of Mount Fuji and Mount Kinabalu.
KL-Ga was also launched this year and we continue with this photoblog for 2017. We have already seen some great single images and stories about the city, as we take on new photographers.
In the pipeline also – is a personal project centred around the printed image and more details will follow.
Happy Holidays!
Steven
explorenation.net ~ photography posts, workshops, writings and thoughts by Steven V-L Lee 
You must be logged in to post a comment.