The Indecisive Moment (indecisive photography in Vancouver)

Last week I was in Vancouver visiting family - always a special time. 

Hiking, paddleboarding, swimming and childminding. I loved it all.

Being in the city is always a challenge photographically. I am conscious that I haven't made any new 'work' recently, after aborted trips to New Zealand and the USA, and am feeling a little pressure to come up with some new ideas.

I think the only idea that I came up with after a week of wandering was that of the 'Indecisive Moment'. Indecisive in that I couldn't really find anything new to say about the city or its beautiful parks and forest. Indecisive in what style of photography to go for. And indecisive over how to process what few images I did make.

Henri Cartier Bresson described the 'decisive moment' thus;

 “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.”

This is the absolute antithesis of how I work in most of my photography. A tree doesn't walk, or a flower run. Dead seaweed, the subject of my recent book 'findings' lies quietly on the sand, unmoving.

I don't usually wait for a special moment; I am not a street photographer, or a sports photographer, lying in wait for that moment when everything before the lens comes together to be captured as something unrepeatable. I am not a fan of seeking out sunsets and sunrises; waiting for moments of glorious light that may or may not arrive. 

I am a walking photographer, capturing what I find along my way.

I did try a few minutes of street photography on the waterfront at Coal Harbour, out of sheer desperation.

I achieved very little as I was shooting from the hip, being discreet, and mostly got photos of hips as a result.

 Later I tried being even more indecisive, by photographing the same scene over and over, waiting for something to happen.

 This was more fun, but the camera got confused and the people walking past were out of focus.

 

walkers, Stanley park, vancouver

So then I played with grids of multiple photos; each imperceptibly different ffrom the last.

This satisfied my desire to capture multiple indecisive moments, and also my love of the geometric.

But not that interesting really.

multiple moments grid

 

I tried indecisive birds.

They behaved beautifully unpredictably. I kept my camera still and waited for the ducks to move into the picture.

They did.

But they couldn't decide which way up to pose for the camera.

waiting for a duck

duck

ducks

 

I tried moody black and white images in the forest. Tangled dead trees and people walking along forest paths.

dead tree, beaver lake

walkers, stanley park, vancouver

walkers, stanley park

 At the botanical gardens I enjoyed the rhododendrons and hydrangeas.

I was indecisive about how to capture them. Multiple exposure, regular exposure or black and white. I tried them all.

multiple exposure mess

hydrangea flower

hydrangea flower

I think this last one is my preferred option; regular colour photography. No blurry bits. Just the sunlight filtering through the petals.

I tried night photography from my balcony.

night scene, Vancouver city

Not a great success. I won't show you any more of those.

My favourite image from the trip ( apart from family photos of course) is this one of kitchens.

As I spent a lot of my week cooking it seems entirely appropriate.

kitchens

I think the moral of this story is 'don't try so hard'.

Wait for the right moments to come along.

And if you are feeling indecisive, then it is probably because you are busy doing other things -  I was being a grandmother and mother for a week- something that gives me even more pleasure than photography.

And this week I am back being a photographer, preparing for my show at Rye Art Gallery.

It features some very decisive moments, as you would expect.

Conversations with Nature at Rye Art gallery

I hope to see you there!

What sort of artist are you? On influences and style.

Take me to nature with Monet

Two weeks ago I attended an artist development workshop with Matthew Burrows at ABC Projects Atelier. I felt that I needed a bit of a kick to recharge my self confidence and creative juices.

All people who make art have ups and downs of creativity. I was in a dip, but the workshop has well and truly kicked me back to life.

Since then I have been turbo-charged into activity, with a list of tasks as long as my arm. I have so much to do, and project number one is to prepare for my show 'Conversations with Nature' in Rye Art gallery this August. Planning some time for creativity and experimentation is also high on the list..... but as usual my indecision is making it hard to decide where or what I wish to do.

One of the preparatory tasks for the weekend was to come with images of artist that have influenced my practice. I was asked to find classical, contemporary and modern artists, which reminded me that I am really not a big fan of old paintings and elaborate sculptures.

This was confirmed when I made my first visit to the Wallace Collection recently.

Wallace collection

I don't do ornate.

or gilded

or velvet

or flock.

chair not for sitting

I am definately not a fan of chairs that can't be sat on.

Or of men in wigs.

wigged gentleman sculpture

The cavalier may be laughing, but I was not.

Something is wrong with my appreciation of art.

I remember developing stomach pains every time my mother dragged me around the National Gallery as a child.


I fail to appreciate the talent on show.

Maybe ignorance is to blame.

So who did I find amongst my influences?

Well Monet for sure.

It must be because he loves the great outdoors, as do I.

Calming greens and waterlilies.  I have always loved these.

Next came Turner.

Now you see where I get my out of focus style....

Norham Sunrise, Turner

Lying in cool water under a tree. More water and greenery. I loved this as a child, and still do.
Wild swimming done with style.

Ophelia by Millais

More lillies and a profusion of roses from John Singer Sargent. I had this hanging in my bedroom as a very unrebellious teenager.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose

I think it is fair to say that these paintings explore the outdoors, just as I do.

Moving forward in time I found plenty to enjoy, and was spoilt for choice.


Rothko was an easy choice.

Norman Ackroyd another.

His prints of sea and coast, birds and waves are full of movement.

Also in monochrome, the photographer Masao Yamamoto

Smaller details, exquisitely presented. And books that I aspire to emulate.

And then, for sheer playfulness, land artist Andy Goldsworthy.

Throwing sticks to the wind.....

And for abstract forms, it is hard to beat Victor Pasmore

 and Agnes Martin, who I have written about before.

It was pointed out to me that I like strongly contrasting darks and lights....  something I was not conscious of previously.


But where did all this get me?

I guess it validates my choice of outdoor subject matter, and my preference for minimalism and abstraction over red velvet and gilt frames. Also my preference for the small details of landscape over the wider view. I haven't mentioned many of my photographic influences; Sally Mann, Jackie Ranken, Paul Kenny and Ansel Adams would  be a good start, but there are too many to mention.

This was only a tiny part of the whole workshop, and more important was a statement of what I believe in, and what my dream for the future would be.

Spending time working out what I want to achieve was a really positive exercise.

As a result, I am turning the house upside down to make a workspace for making things at weekends and when I do not have access to my studio in Rye.

Then I will be able to play every day, and even try some collage like these by Katrien de Blauwer, which I find totally alluring.

 More dark and light.....

And so much fun.

What sort of artist are you?