Behind the image #12

Sometimes the margin between success and perceived failure can be measured in 1/100s or even 1/1000s of a second. I was there like some visual gunslinger ready to draw and be ready for whatever little moment may present itself. And, then quick as a flash, it duly did.

However, I felt so annoyed that I missed this opportunity to make this image sharp and 'technically' perfect that I didn't look at it for months after. I keep it because I thought I may soften my feelings to it and, thankfully, I have. I may even go far to suggest that its imperfection actually adds rather than detracts from the final look and feel. There may also be an analogous lesson about being easier on yourself, accepting imperfections and realising things aren't as bad as first percieved...but I'll leave that to you.

Till next time...

Matt Peers

Vote for images!

This time last year I managed to get a small portfolio of images reviewed on the Guardian website. Buoyed by this, 2014 was going to be the year of entering images for competitions and media coverage, but alas, life and things got in the way. To be honest with other things going on, I also found it easier to avoid the prospect of rejection and possible ridicule and instead of putting my work forward, I opted for other pressing jobs like ironing my socks or washing my hair.

So with  your help, this blog will act as a witness and a spur for me to do something with my images beyond adding them to this site.

First on the list is to get images published in one of my favourite photography publications, Black + White Photography magazine. Along with your exquisite taste and using the from below, I'd like to know which mini portfolio I should submit first. I'll leave the voting open till 29th January 2015 and look forward to seeing your choice.

Galleries

Gallery A - The Lone Citizen

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Gallery B - They Live Amongst Us

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Gallery C - Urban Lines

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Click on your favourite and press submit to vote.

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Till soon....

Matt Peers

Behind the image #11

As I descended the building's stairs a single shard of sunlight was pointing, like a  Monty Pyphon-esque finger, perfectly at the archaic switch on the wall. Excuse the pun, but it really is all about the light.

Till next time,

Matt Peers

Attention!Attention!

You may have noticed on some photographers' images, there's a discreet or in some cases indiscreet name or logo watermark to indicate copyright ownership. I completely understand that in competitive markets you may want to protect the income and integrity of your work, and a watermark is at least one, although not fool proof, way of doing that. For me though, they end up being an unnecessary barrier to looking at and enjoying the image (in the comparatively rare occasions you did need to question the use of your images, you can always prove ownership with either the digital meta data or good old film negative). With over 2 billion images uploaded to social media, and other platforms daily, it is not so much a matter of protecting your images that's important; it's getting them seen in the first place. And if they are seen how long is that for? I'm guessing a few seconds at the most.

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The pace and voracity of our media consumption and the demands on our ability give it our attention is changing our behaviour both as consumers and creators.  Magazine and news articles, with the exception of The New Yorker, are getting shorter and more image laden to help us cope. Sharing your TV viewing time along with your tablet / internet enabled device is now often cited as the prime example of our diminished focus.

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There is a more scientific, Nobel prize winning answer to all of this. According to psychologist Daniel Kahneman's studies, our brain differentiates how we focus or provide attention in to two 'systems'. The first attends to things we can do without additional thought, such as reading or driving. Once learnt, these activities become automatic processes that can be performed without barely being noticed. The second system is brought in to play when we are tasked with more complex tasks such as long division in your head or working out the fine print in a contract. It's why driving and talking on a mobile are such a bad mix - if your second attention all system takes over it affects the performance of your first.

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Looking at images, especially in a high volume, is dealt with your first attentional system as you automatically know what an image is and,in the vast majority of cases,what the subject matter is about without additional thought. The effect on photography, I believe, is twofold. Firstly, it can create a pressure to constantly make images with immediate impact, whether through the use of filters and effects or subject matter. Secondly, it means there is less time taken to study the quiet, more subtle images.

Some my own favourite pieces of work are, at first glance less obvious and are not the images favoured by others. But if you take the time to really look, I believe they can offer much more.

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So, for this blog then all I ask is to slow the viewing process down, engage your second attentional system and spend just that little bit longer with each image and then judge them.

Till next time...

Matt Peers

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Behind the image #10

He's foreign, only works one day a year, expects both himself and reindeer to be fed from every household with your hard earned mince pies, carrots and sherry; takes credit for all the toys purchased and now has eyes on your beer. Surely there must a reactionary, half baked, under the influence of medication UKIP policy about this man?

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Tolerant New Year.

Till 2015...

Matt Peers

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5 in 5

I've avoided reviewing equipment or books, but recently I was reminded of the ideas, exercises and ways of thinking in the book, The Photographer's Playbook. It's a great book to get you thinking about the creative process of image making, rather than focusing on the how to, instruction type stuff. Anyway, on this particular occasion , I was drawn to a particular corner and patch of light in the city centre, but only had 5 minutes of spare time. 

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#2 of 5

Sometimes I have the luxury  to spend hours, days or even weeks in a location to build a collection of images. Doing commercial and family portraiture you can easily take 100s of images to later whittle down to a small polished final collection. What though should you expect  to get in 5 minutes from one street corner? Could I get 5 'keepers' in such a short time? As I started shooting I became far more focused and direct about what I wanted - so much so I started directing people " Could you just walk there? The light is fabulous that side...thanks".

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#3 of 5 

Overall people were very accommodating (or maybe slightly concerned about the manic look in my eye) and were willing to help out. Maybe working to tight schedules is the way forward as, overall, I'm quite pleased with how my 5 in 5 turned out.

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#4 of 5

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Till next time...

Matt Peers

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Behind the image #9

Like some Forest Gump with a camera, I seem to be accidentally wandering in to some  couples' special moments ( no, not those kinds of special moments). In the summer it was a Dutch couple in New York and a few weeks ago, walking through The Custard Factory this fine groom and his new wife were by their chauffeur driven car ( a pristine classic Hackney cab) waiting to be whisked away. Although, when I saw them the whisking away was delayed as, ironically, they couldn't find their photographer.  Whilst they were waiting, I took a few shots of them and handed them my card. I've not heard from them since, so if you know this groom, let him know I've an extra wedding present for them.

Till next time...

Matt Peers

A place just beyond your shoes

Since the rain forced me to look down for a whole day earlier this year , I've continued to explore the floor for inspiration. "Look up"  was the regular instruction from my Dad on our occasional visits to the city centre. I was missing all the intricate architecture above my eye line was his reason, but I also suspect he didn't like the sight of me, head bowed Kevin the Teenager style, traipsing alongside him. It's oft given photographic advice too - without looking up you're missing out on potentially wonderful images. The same can be said for looking down, as there is a whole world of shapes, shadows and detail that are easily over looked. Here then are just some of the types of images you can capture by just gazing past your feet.

Abstract

Road markings, curbs and natural detritus can create some wonderful abstracts if you look beyond their normal functions. The unique position of having a birds eye view over your subject enables you to frame images unavailable from a normal perspective. You can even get practice from the comfort of your own home by choosing a google map view and pointing towards different parts of the street.

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Shadows

You can look for shadows at any time of the year, but the low sitting winter sun casts deep and interesting shadows to play with.

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Reflections

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Autumn and Winter

If the ideas and images above don't particularly appeal to you, autumn and winter provide more traditional photographic material with fallen and ice frosted leaves.

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So, if you're out about with or without  a camera, don't forget to look down as well as up. I mean, when you come to think of it how much of the world is really best captured looking forward from head height...?

Till next time...

Matt Peers

This tip will change your photography forever*

The adverts on the side of my email and Facebook account are constantly filled with quick and easy solutions to complex problems. For some reason I'm stalked by the ' a simple trick to a flat belly' advert ( I have no idea why...?) and although eat less, do more is simple enough, I've yet to find a way round that simple rule.

Photography is no different.  Composition, light and technique are all straight forward subjects, but they can only be improved with consistent learning and practice. There's no app, life hack or short cut tips that will change that.

But if I were to offer just one piece of advice above all, it would be to simply ask yourself:

" what do you want to say?"

I've used this question in academic terms over the years to untangle my thoughts when writing essays ( without it I would write fact upon fact without actually qualifying the point of them),and I think it is just as relevant for image making as it is for the written word.

On a trip to Alderburgh this year, I immediately felt there was an atmosphere - formal, familiar and sensible - but I was struggling to express it. Then reviewing some of my initial images, I knew what it was: the whole place felt like John Lewis. It was neat, orderly and a place where the population seem to occupy their own space rather than mixing and mucking in. If Alderburgh was John Lewis then by definition Blackpool is Primark.

But it's not only for artistic and academic situations this question is suited for; it can just as easily be applied to showing a good time had at a party. Wedding  photographers for example are a good example of wanting to tell the viewer about the emotions and key events at one of the most important times in a couples life.

When I saw the proposal on top of the Rockefeller Centre in New York this summer, the answer to the question was clear; can I capture a true reflection of the proposal, it's location and impact? Without some questioning motive I could have easily just waited for a posed snapshot.

Capturing children and families  can present a number of potential scenarios to question; from how to capture and naturally posed group shot to capturing the enjoyment of play. My favourites to look for are the quiet, 'in between' moments, when the camera has taken a seemingly unknown peek in to their inner thoughts.

What then, if your images don't match what you have attempted to say? It can be for a number of reasons depending on your image and what you want to say, but by having that idea in the first place, means you have taken the first step in exploring how it could be better next time.

* practice and time still required

Till next time...

Matt Peers

Behind the image #8

It's my second visit to the hospital that day and to be honest I was glad of the distraction. Over the years I've had lots of " I've been left stranded, no way of getting home, I will pay you back as soon as..." requests for money, and to be honest I usually dismiss them. This time though, I let the disjointed and inconsistent story wash over me and offer the change I had - £3 -  in exchange for a portrait. I'm sure he didn't realise how intimidating he looked when not speaking as he was actually quite softly spoken. Touchingly, when he said goodbye, he thanked me for being interested enough to take a picture and not for the £3.

Till next time...

Matt Peers

Behind the image #7

After spending my available time editing the images from a hugely enjoyable family photo-shoot, you realise that, like life, photography is really just about paying attention to the details...

Till next time,

Matt Peers

Standing allowed...this much I know.

I think it is fair to say that I am not going to achieve a level of fame where the weekend paper life style sections want a pithy one page interview with me and thoughts on photography. But if they did, it would be something like this...

Treat photographers like musicians

In other words, get to know their genre, current and back catalogue. It's not only enjoyable, it actually starts to feed in to and improve your own images. To get started, go through the Magnum photographers' galleries and feast your soul there. Alternatively,  you could enjoy the images of musicians taken by John Morgan 

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Image courtesy of John Morgan

The web is great, but the printed page is better

The majority of the images you look at will be on some sort of screen, which is understandable. A book however, gives you a tactile, closer relationship with the images the screen just can't match. A real beauty is the recent Martin Parr compendium if you want to put it to the test.

Better still, buy the book after visiting the exhibition

It's like going to see them live and listening to the CD later.

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Or in this case just visit the exhibition...

Ditch the zoom and get a fixed prime lens

I've spent so much time and money expanding my optical options only to come full circle and realise for street and portraiture work, I only need one lens - a 35mm prime. If I need to get closer or further away I now move my feet.

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Two very different images but both taken with the same 35mm prime lens

Try and do something everyday

To improve in any activity, practice, practice and more practice is required. It's heartening to read  books like Matthew Syed's Bounce and Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers argue 10,000hours of practice leads to greatness rather than just innate talent. To practice more I needed to stop thinking photography as an appointment hobby , i.e. weekend after next I'm going out to use my camera, to one where a camera is with me most of the time. For some that might be a smart phone, for me it meant buying another camera small enough to carry but still high in image quality.

Don't get hung up on effects

I've noticed for some people when they get in to photography they aim for techniques such as light trails and slow shutter wire wool burning shots for their wow factor ( I hold my hands up - I was no different). Yes, they can look spectacular, but after a while they just become , well, a bit boring really.

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Edit carefully

Can't tell which one of the 17 near identical images you like the most? Well, don't display them all for us to decide. Hard as it might be choose just the one, as for every near identical image you add the original impact decreases dramatically.

A forced smile is like a faked male orgasm...

...its easy to spot and nobody leaves feeling great. An honest expression will always make  for a better portrait compared to a forced grin.

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Till next time...

Matt Peers

Behind the image #6

Coughing and spluttering with man- flu, I couldn't wait to drive home and crawl in to bed. And yet, the evening light was as good as I'd seen in a long while and tempting me to stay out. As some sort of compromise, I decided to drive the long way home, hopefully to spot some interesting photographic subjects bathed in this glorious light. I knew I didn't have the energy to be out for much longer, but there, like some kind of prayer being answered, I got my reward.  Standing in such away that it looked like he was trying to open the graffiti car, I knew this was it.

And that's what I love that about street photography; sometimes you ask for something to happen and the Gods of Photography provide.

Till next time

Matt Peers

Peers Morgan Exhibition, Photographique,Bristol, October 2014

If you're in Bristol during October why not pop in to Photographique and have a look the pop- up exhibition displaying the images of the Bristol Folk and Blues scene and Birmingham street portraits? It's very much in the spirit of 'let's  put the show on right here' rather than being a part of a grand plan. It has, though, come at a great time for my co-exhibitor John Morgan who has had a prolific photographic 2014, with his work already featuring in 3 album covers and a number of music websites and videos. The vibrancy of the scene in his adopted Bristol provides not only great bands to listen to but also great subjects to photograph.

It's not a large exhibition but I've added some the featured images below . You never know, I might see you there.

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Till  next time...

Matt Peers 

Behind the image #5

We all know the adage about not judging a book by its cover, but most of us regularly do, if we are honest.  When I approach what I consider to be 'interesting people' for a street portrait, I can't help prejudging the reaction I'll get just  before I approach them. Last week I approached two people in the city centre, the first was an old sea dog at a bus stop that had just started to smoke his pipe. World weariness and tales form the sea were deeply etched on to his face and ideal for a portrait. We chatted politely for a while,but at my request of a photograph his face contorted with rage - along with the demand of £100 and the threat of calling the police. Although I thought he was a shoe-in, all the Werther's originals and friendly banter in the world wasn't going to get me that portrait.

Four days later, when I saw this young Mum and her brood, I assumed it would be a flat 'no thank you'.   I thought her alternative look, including facial piercings and tattoos, may  leave her guarded  about how she is perceived by the older generation. She was in fact by far the politest and most considerate person I met all week.

Till next time...

Matt Peers

Behind the image #4

There's an image by photographer Siegfried Hansen where white tape winds round a lamppost, blending perfectly with the white painted line on the road. It's a clever play on composition that, I argued in a group discussion, was definitely set up. Not that being set up is such a bad thing, but it does make you question as to what is real and what is constructed or digitally manipulated. The reason why it is so good, I was told, is the very fact it wasn't set up. Much as I still admired the image, I still would have bet the house it was set up -  I mean, how often do you see things like that in the everyday world?

The very next day I was dining on humble pie, as I spotted this yellow tape and double yellow line combination in Shoreditch.

I don't think it's anywhere near as good as Siegfried's but maybe it's taught me not to be so cynical in the future.

Till next time...

Matt Peers

Displaced fruit and other New York oddities

Summer's over and so is the travelling for another year. In the last of the New York blogs ( I promise, I promise) I wanted to share a type of image you may not always consider taking. 

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I've seen owners detach their rear wheel to deter thieves before, but I've never seen a selection 5 left waiting...?

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Like the funnels of a pavement passenger liner, I love the way the third one is leaning in for a bit of support.

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Manhattan is all about the skyline until you just look at the midline; then it can be just rows upon rows of vertical lines.

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The big highlight for my eldest son this trip was to see the Statue of Liberty. Not for any historical or cultural reasons you understand, no; it's because it was a giant 'weeping angel' in his favourite Doctor Who episode. I'd discussed it and watched it so many times with him, that when I saw this knitwear dropped on 5th Avenue, I immediately thought of the iconic landmark.

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Although this doesn't capture the grandeur of Grand Central Station, it is actually quite gloomily lit inside. 

Till next time...

Matt Peers

Boardwalk Empowered: An afternoon in Coney Island

To my shame, my trips to New York have focused on visiting Manhattan and the ‘burbs to visit family. It is easy to overlook other areas and surrounding states simply because it is a huge area to cover. However, this year I was determined to break this cycle and explore beyond the usual city haunts and visit Coney Island (If your New York geography needs refreshing, Coney Island is the coastal area situated off the district of Brooklyn).

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Completely devastated by Hurricane Sandy ( I’m not an insurance company and so will call it by its true name), the boardwalk has only just been rebuilt, along with the inclusion of new fairground rides and the promise of an all new and improved Coney Island. I have to admit I was a tad worried that its infamous gritty look and atmosphere would be lost to corporate led gentrification.

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I needn't have worried. With the imposing backdrop of the high rise 'projects' and an atmosphere of uncertain tension, I knew I was in for a good photographic afternoon. My only regret is I hadn't done this years ago.

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Next time...the last from New York - abstracts.

Matt Peers

City of Dreams: New York Street Photography

Thanks to an understanding and long suffering other half I was able to indulge my love of  street photography within our recent family trip to New York. For me New York is the Mecca of street photography, with a look and a feel that is instantly recognisable. It doesn't matter how much of a fan you are, you can't just turn up to Lords or Wembley and decide to bowl a few overs or a have kick about, and yet wondering through the streets of Manhattan I always feel like I have been allowed on to the biggest, most famous photographic set of them all. The noise, smells, the light and energy of people create a place where it feels a great director from above has shouted 'Action!' and everyone is playing their part. Luckily, it is also saturated with camera toting tourists, making it one of if not the most easiest places to blend in and quietly get on with what you want to shoot.

Gallery 1 - Lower and Mid Town

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I'm not keen on the 'mug shot' of thrusting a camera in unsuspecting face, but it amazed me how close you could get without a bat of an eye lid. Unusually for me, my black and white images were few and far between. New York for many photographers is the place where they convert to colour and away from black and white forever. I'm not sure I'm going that far, but that constant vibrancy of life and colour, I can certainly see why.

Gallery 2 - Black and White

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Gallery 3 - Up close and personal

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I've realised over the last year or so that the term and genre of street photography is a contentious one with forums overflowing with arguments about is or isn't included. If, however they provide a smell and a sense of the streets of New York, then I have at least in part succeeded.

Next time: This ain't Kansas now Dorothy... A brief trip, but very memorable trip to Coney Island.

Behind the image #3

It’s early evening on 14th Street and my better half and her sister are enthralled in a marathon shoe shopping session in a shop called Shoegasm ( where yes, at the end of your purchase, they really do say “thank you for coming!”). I wasn’t too bothered as the early evening light was still good and I was happy to see what interesting subjects might come my way. Within moments of deciding to find a good street portrait subject, Candice sashayed down the road with her two friends. Her buoyant curls and performers' confidence made her an ideal subject to photograph - which is something she is quite used to, as little did I know she is an extremely accomplished opera singer ( have a listen at www.candicehoyes.com). After an exchange of emails and edits in both colour and black and white, this is her favourite image. 

Till next time...

Matt Peers