The Institute

A few weeks back I had to show my first year photography students how to construct a simple slideshow of their B&W folio images. For the demonstration I decided to use images that I took in the classrooms and corridors around the college... subject matter that they walk past every day. My intention was to show how the choice of images combined with carefully selected audio can manipulate the audience response and create mood. 

ONO exhibition and photography auction

Nyaungshwe, Burma  
My pic that will be up for grabs at ONO photography exhibition and auction

It has become a tradition around this time of the year for the Advanced Diploma of Photography students at the Central Institute of Technology to hold a fundraising exhibition and photo auction to raise funds for their end of year Graduate exhibition. 

ONO has become an opportunity to see and acquire work from a range of established and emerging image makers at sometimes bargain basement prices. This years ONO includes renowned photographers, Eva Fernandez, Bronek Kozka and Christian Fletcher amongst a crowd of acclaimed and award winning image makers. The gallery, located on the corner of Aberdeen and Beaufort streets in Northbridge is packed to capacity with photos covering all genres and from a very diverse range of image makers. The exhibition opens tomorrow, Tuesday 26th and runs for only a few days so don't let this opportunity pass you by. If you want to attend the auction night, drop into the gallery and speak to one of the guys there, they can fill you in on all the details.
 

ONO is being held at the Showcase Space gallery, which is part of Gallery Central at 12 Aberdeen st, ( corner of Beaufort st.) Prints are available for viewing between the hours 10am-4pm between Tuesday 26th to Thursday 28th June. You can find out more information on the ONO Facebook page

   

Out there

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Christmas books for the photographer

WTF? You say. Jules promoting crass Christmas consumerism? Nah... you know what I think... Nothing but a slick marketing ploy celebrating a fairy tale that makes us feel guilty unless we buy shit that won't be appreciated for people we may not even like. 

But now that I have your attention...

There are a couple of books that I think no serious amateur or professional photographer in Australia should be without and if you're thinking of gift ideas for yourself or others consider these. 

The Better Business Bible 2.0 is published by the Australian Commercial and Media Photographers (ACMP) which represents Australian professional photographers working in the commercial and editorial sectors. Less well known that the AIPP, who (in Western Australia anyway) appear to be more focused on the wedding and 'domestic' photography market sector, the ACMP is committed to developing and promoting best business practice for commercial photographers. 

This second edition of the Better Business Bible was released in late 2010 and includes invaluable Australian focused content relating to copyright, quoting & negotiating with clients, licensing, model & property releases, digital guidelines, marketing for photographers and much more. If you're a professional or even a serious amateur who does the occasional photography job then you need this book! It may not look very glamorous and there's not a single photograph to be seen, but the $75 (or free for ACMP members and $55 for students or assistants) is a very worthwhile investment. The book is only available from the ACMP website www.acmp.com.au

Photographers: Copyright & Moral Rights (B120v01e) produced by the Australian Copyright Council and costing a mere Au$30. I've just checked the Copyright Council website and it looks like this is now only available as a downloadable e-book in pdf format, which is why it is now only $30 I guess, but trust me, this is an invaluable addition to your reference library. 

There are a lot of myths and assumptions about image copyright both on the part of photographers and clients. Some of it is wishful thinking, some confusing foreign Intellectual Property  laws with the legal situation here in Australia. This booklet clears up the confusion, it provides an overview of Australian copyright law, how it applies to photographs and photographers, legislated exceptions, how to protect yourself and deal with infringements, the Moral Rights suite of legislation, contracts etc. Thirty bucks that can save you a shitload of cash and potential heartache in the future. Use the link above or go to their website www.copyright.org.au

 

OK, so that's it for now... don't get too silly during the 'silly season' and until next time, I wish you a future of peace and good fucking!

Jules

BIFB 2011... 36 hours in Ballarat

In Melbourne for an extended weekend, I only had about 36 hours to check out the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, but festival director Jeff Moorfoot and his team have done an excellent job once again. The last time I visited the festival was in 2007 prior to the rebranding and when it was still based in  Daylesford. It was great then, but I think the decision to relocate shortly thereafter was a good one. With limited time I was easily able to walk to most of the venues and check out the visual feast of photography. 21 core shows and 85 fringe exhibitions, that's a lot of photography. 

Jan Saudek

The original draw-card for me was the 'Dolce Vita' by Jan and SarahSaudek from the Czech Republic. I was originally introduced to Jan's work whilst a student and loved the mix of rustic, sometimes unsettling, erotically charged content with his superb printing and hand coloring technique. Jan is an at times controversial photographer and controversy followed him to Ballarat where one of his images, 'Black Sheep & White Crow' (shown below) was removed after a complaint. 

The photograph that caused the controversy, Black Sheep & White Crow (1995) - Jan Saudek

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, "...a woman went to the Office of the Child Safety Commissioner, Tourism Victoria and the local council to complain that the 1995 Saudek work, Black Sheep & White Crow, which she had seen in an ad promoting the exhibition in Art Almanac, depicted a mother prostituting her child..." 
WTF??? She saw the photograph in an advertisement for the exhibition and is suddenly an expert on its circumstances and the photographer's intent??? Hmmm, shades of self righteous, uninformed idiotic bullshit that surfaced with the Bill Henson controversy all over again. 

Unfortunately, but quite rightly IMO, Jeff made the decision to pull the pic so as not to threaten funding for future festivals. But, controversy not withstanding, the show featuring work by Jan and his wife, Sarah (a very talented photographer who has also appeared as model in many of his photographs) was excellent and this exhibition in itself would have made my trip worthwhile. 

Trai Mat Railway Crossing - Les Horvat

Also showing at the Mining Exchange is "Momentum of The River's Flow: An Australian's View of Vietnam's Long Journey" by Les Horvat. As a former soldier with an interest in the conflict in Vietnam I enjoyed looking at Horvat's take on that country, particularly his images from the area in Phuoc Thuy province where the Australian Task Force was deployed during the war... Nui Dat, Long Tan, Binh Ba and Vung Tau. Manipulation, not the least through the use of HDR and colour saturation, is evident in his landscapes but as a regular visitor to Vietnam they resonated with me and captured the mood, both real and imagined. 

Chlorofemina, Loup Garou - Louviere + Vanessa

A short two minute walk away, at the Art Gallery of Ballarat was another standout show for me. 'As If...' ('Creatures' and 'Chloroform') by New Orleans based photographers Jeff Louviere and Vanessa S. Brown incorporate all the nuances of photography, film and printmaking to present subjects that are beautiful but not pretty. Their large prints on Japanese Gampi paper and combine photos with blood and wax are simply stunning. Dark, surrealistic and moody... the kind of stuff I like. You really must check out their website too.

As usual with these festivals, the fringe component presented an eclectic range of exhibitions of varying quality and content. I know from my own involvement in the organising committee with the FotoFreo festival that the fringe can attract negative reactions re scope, content and quality. But I think that the 'experts' that level these criticisms miss the point of what a fringe festival is. Apart from providing an opportunity for photographers who for whatever reason do not fall under the umbrella for the core program, it opens the door to participation and 'ownership' of the festival by the community. That 'ownership' leads to an active involvement.

For a volunteer run festival that should not be forgotten and it was definitely at the back of my mind when along with my small team, I developed the model for FotoFreo's 2008 fringe festival. Many of the fringe exhibitors in the FotoFreo festivals of 2008 and 2010 also came aboard as volunteers to make the festival happen and without that unpaid volunteer base, you can have all the lofty ideas for curation and content in the world, but without a shitload of cash, not a hope in hell of making it happen. I think that the BIFB crew have got the mix just right, there is certainly a lot of interesting and very inspiring work in this fringe. 

The only downside for me was one of my own making... I purposely stayed in Ballarat overnight to attend the opening, but somehow late on Saturday afternoon after catching up with an old friend things became a bit hazy. Much hilarity, fear and loathing... but there was no way I was in any state to go to the festival launch... but that is another story. 

BIFB Fringe...Watch Your Step....

And then I started to feel a little strange...

BIBF runs from the 20th of August until the 18th of September. More details can be found at their website. http://www.ballaratfoto.org

 

2[B] photography exhibition 25 June - 27 July 2011

  

[2]B  ...the best! Blending cutting edge digital photographic technology with traditional ‘wet’ darkroom processes [2]B is redefining the possibilities of the B&W photographic print. The [2]B collective are an eclectic group whose creative energies are as challenging as they are engaging.

I've been a bit quiet of late, trying to juggle my lecturing duties at the college with preparing a photo workshop in Timor-Leste, organising a trip to Myanmar and trying to complete a series I've been working on for a while. 

Meanwhile, one of my darkroom classes at the college have been quietly preparing an exhibition of their work that they undertook this semester. Not something that they were required to do but they're an enthusiastic, passionate bunch who jumped at the opportunity when I mentioned that the gallery space may be free towards the end of the teaching semester.

There's been a few trials and tribulations along the way, not the least of which occurred a little over a fortnight from the opening when they lost their original venue because construction work next door undermined the foundations of part of the building housing the gallery space. Thankfully the college came to the rescue and provided an alternative space, but it was touch and go for a while. But they got there in the end. It looks great and they should be proud of what they achieved. Well done guys!

 

2[B] runs from Monday 27th June until Saturday 2nd July at the “New Central Institute of Technology Building”.
30 Aberdeen Street (cnr William & Aberdeen, Upstairs). Northbridge.

The exhibition will be open from 11am-6pm Mon-Fri and 12pm-4.30pm Saturday.

Siem Reap/Bangkok Diary and Shine

 

 Last year's graduating photography students from the Advanced Diploma in Photography course at the Central Institute of Technology were, in my opinion, the strongest group yet. Great students and really talented, I think that I was more inspired by what they did and learnt more from them than the other way round. 

Alistair Edwards was one of the graduates with whom I found I shared interests in addition to photography. Even managed to convince him to accompany Safari Bob and I to the Angkor Photography Festival last year. Now back in Perth he is currently exhibiting his first solo exhibition at the Showcase Space gallery on the corner of Aberdeen and Beaufort streets. 

 How do we connect now?  Photo © Alistair Edwards

The Showcase Space is the smaller gallery at Central and tomorrow, Monday 14th of March, Shine opens at the larger Central Gallery space, with the official launch on Wednesday evening. Shine is a showcase of some of the best graduates from the 'creative industries' portfolios of last year. Included in the exhibition are the  photographs of Natalie Blom and Alanna Kusin

//       Photo © Alanna Kusin 

handcoloured inkjet prints on rag paper.

The Fall  Photo © Natalie Blom

 

Siem Reap / Bangkok Diary is open until 19th of March whilst Shine runs until April 1st. For more information about both shows contact Thelma or Pedrag on (08) 9427 1318

 

 

Killing time with Goya and Levinthal

The Charge of the Light Brigade

© Julian Tennant - Polaroid Spectra, Artists Proof print

I took this Polaroid earlier in the week. The end result of procrastination and my usual attempts to avoid doing any meaningful work. I should have been doing prep for my classes at TAFE, but as usual I became distracted. At least it wasn't porn this time. I was looking at some of Francisco Goya's  Disasters of War and Otto Dix's Der Krieg prints. Disturbing stuff ... powerful images that convey to me, the same level of horror, pitiful waste and sadness as much of the hardcore war photography that came out of the latter half of the twentieth century.

And as I meandered through the net looking at pix and thinking about stuff I rediscovered David Levinthal, a photographer whose style has been defined through his use of elaborate miniature sets to explore concepts and ideas. Probably best known for his Hitler Moves East series, I found his Mein Kampf body of work to be quite powerful in how it caused me to respond to what are essentially pictures of toys. He uses models paying careful attention to light, composition and depth of field control to create  scenes of drama, tension and narrative. In his photographs, the harmless children’s toys’ that society uses to socialise it’s young take on much darker connotations as he addresses issues in his personal life and the world around him.

Inspired by his work and with the prints of Goya and Dix fresh in my head, I dragged out my beloved Minolta Spectra Pro which still has one of my last remaining (and long expired) packs of Polaroid film sitting in it's belly. The figures are some models that I have from the Hong Kong based company King & Country, not quite relics of my childhood and... well, this is my feeble attempt anyway.

Tracy Mortimer's 'PRECIOUS METAL'

Sariat, France 

Palladium Print, Edition of 12

© Tracy Mortimer

Western Australian photographic artist, Tracy Mortimer launches her 'PRECIOUS METAL' exhibition at Alliance Francaise de Perth on Monday night. Tracy's exquisite hand crafted Palladium prints combine digital capture with some of the earliest photographic production techniques. The stunning images transport the viewer back to the world of Eugene Atget and France in the early twentieth century. A perfect combination of content and production to produce a result that is just 'right'. 

Tracy was one of the students in my Fine-Art photography class at Central TAFE where she experimented with a range of alternative processes before deciding to explore the Palladium printing technique in more depth for her major research project in her graduating year. 

As the name suggests, Palladium Printing uses palladium (part of the platinum group of metals) to create the visible image. The process dates back to the mid 1800's and requires the negative to be in direct contact with the sensitized paper and exposed to a UV light source such as sunlight. Different developers give different results, potassium oxalate based developers will produce warmer images whilst the ammonium citrate developer produces a cooler, black toned image.

It's a slow, hand crafted process that is not cheap, palladium is a precious metal after all and it's popularity went into steep decline in the 1930's as prices of the metal rose and the production of the conventional silver gelatin based photographic papers ramped up. It started to regain popularity in the 1970s, but still remained largely the domain of 'fine-art' photographers and printers. 

Like many of these 'alternative process' contact printing techniques, the digital era has created renewed interest and opened up new possibilities. The hand crafted nature of sensitizing the paper, exposing and producing the print is a welcome alternative to the mechanical pixel pushing with automatic undo of photoshop. But the digital age also allows for digital capture and adjustment to produce 'perfect' negatives that can really show the final printed image to best effect. 'PRECIOUS METAL' exemplifies this. Go see it!

'PRECIOUS METAL' is on show at Alliance Francaise de Perth until the 29th of October,

Alliance Francaise de Perth
75 Broadway, Nedlands
Mon 11th Oct - Fri 29th Oct 2010
Mon-Fri, 9am-730pm; Sat, 9am-1pm

Phone: 08 9386 7921

For more information about Tracy and her work, visit her website www.foco.com.au