In his wonderful book ‘On Street Photography and the Poetic Image’, Alex Webb recounts that he was on a subway with the renowned photographer Josef Koudelka. “I had not seen him for some years, sitting with my legs crossed. Suddenly Josef reached over and grabbed my shoe, turning it so that could inspect the sole. In his own, direct Czech way, he wanted to see if I had been walking enough- and hence photographing enough.”
We can learn about technique, camera function, composition, lighting, etc. However, none of this is of much value unless we wear use up some shoe leather and press the shutter. Sometimes, one gets lucky and can come across characters like ‘Dillan – the Singer Man’, I wrote about in my last post.
Then one can get luckier still - through a set of circumstances arising from good fortune and initiative. October brings an annual, national event, ‘Black History Month’ which celebrates African, Caribbean and Black Arts, Culture and History. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets decided to use my photo of Dillan for the cover of their BHM brochure and for a big poster campaign in 40 prime locations throughout the borough. At 4ft wide and 6ft tall, the posters are unmissable.
To say that I am thrilled that one of my images was used and will receive such coverage is an understatement. I suppose that it comes down to a quote often attributed to Gary Player, “it’s funny, the more I practice, the luckier I get”. East Enders often say goodbye with, “be lucky”. I think that sums it up nicely.
Back soon
David
We can learn about technique, camera function, composition, lighting, etc. However, none of this is of much value unless we wear use up some shoe leather and press the shutter. Sometimes, one gets lucky and can come across characters like ‘Dillan – the Singer Man’, I wrote about in my last post.
Then one can get luckier still - through a set of circumstances arising from good fortune and initiative. October brings an annual, national event, ‘Black History Month’ which celebrates African, Caribbean and Black Arts, Culture and History. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets decided to use my photo of Dillan for the cover of their BHM brochure and for a big poster campaign in 40 prime locations throughout the borough. At 4ft wide and 6ft tall, the posters are unmissable.
To say that I am thrilled that one of my images was used and will receive such coverage is an understatement. I suppose that it comes down to a quote often attributed to Gary Player, “it’s funny, the more I practice, the luckier I get”. East Enders often say goodbye with, “be lucky”. I think that sums it up nicely.
Back soon
David