I have been thinking a lot about 'style' recently. Mine is still all over the place but I am beginning to have an opinion about my photographs which I don't think I had before. For instance, I look at some and think "Uuugh! Over processed rubbish" even if there has been a fairly positive response on Flickr and then look at others and think "OK, I'm OK with that" even if it doesn't get much response.
I have this incredibly ambivalent relationship with Flickr - deleting my stream one minute, starting it up again, hating the whole thing, finding it enjoyable and fun and feeling compelled to keep posting for some crazy 21st century reason. But what is really useful about it is that I put photos up there and then see it through different eyes. It's a very helpful thing to be able to do at the moment.
Anyway, I am trying hard to get the exposure spot on and keep things as simple as possible for A4. It's a departure from A3 & A2 for me - but simplicity, integrity and absolute honesty are what I'm after in these images - I'll talk about it more in the intro when I'm done and submitting it.
I am so glad I read James Elkin's book. At the time when I was finished with it I was so appalled by the violence in the images at the end that I basically accused the man (whom I've never met!) of being a narcissist - I must have got a bit carried away. But the book really upset me - however, it it has stayed with me and I think a lot about all that is discussed within. I think it has had a profound effect on me really. I'm not 'there' with my images; by there I mean at a place that I am happy to be stylistically. But I posted something a moment ago which I was pretty sure I didn't like - and yes, as soon as I posted it I could confirm in my mind it was not the sort of image I want to be producing. I do however, think the work I'm aiming for with A4 is heading in that direction - well it is for the moment anyway.
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