Playfulness in photography

Sometimes a realisation about your own work can come to you when you read or see the work of others.

One of the main elements of my non-documentary environment-related images has involved an aspect of play, fun, or childishness. The colourful aesthetic, the kaleidoscopic style, the anything but precise outlines all tend to hark back to something I have not hugely acknowledged.

But by wanting to raise awareness of the hard-to-swallow realisations of what our species has done, and is doing, to our planet and those we share it with, I have employed my propensity towards joy.

Perhaps I have not dwelt on this sense of play in my photographic practice for fear of it not being seen as a serious comment on environmental issues. But a recent article by Andy Field, an artist, writer, and curator based in London and this year’s artist for The Creative Fellowship via Exeter University, has made me value this part of my own photographic process.

In his article The importance of playfulness, Andy spoke about his Fellowship experience so far and the impact of the pandemic on his response. He speaks about his collaboration with Maarten Koeners, the lead for The Playful University, and the value this brings to his Fellowship experience and academic rigour and bureaucracies.

I’ve always had a leaning towards the disruption of a process - for example, I never record any of the exposure, chemical, or digital details when creating my work. I used to beat myself up about not being exacting enough or perhaps not being considered professional or as knowledgable as others who work in a more meticulous fashion.

Now I embrace the sense of fun I tend to create in my images, even when my aim is to raise awareness of life-threatening environmental situations.

The old saying laughter is the best medicine is a motto I shall doctor to joy is the best medicine. We are all doing our best to cope with the evolving pandemic we find ourselves in. Truthful, hard-hitting images are a vital tool to provide information and education in a confusing world but playfulness in photography can sit alongside this. After all, if a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down why not an act of photographic joy to press environmental messages home?

Find out more at:

https://andytfield.co.uk/

https://theplayfuluniversity.co.uk/

SUSTAINABLE Photography…or is It?

Those who have been aware of my work, and the creation of my travelling community ‘darkroom’ ShutterPod, will know that for more than 10 years I have been devising ways to lessen my photographic environmental impact and encouraging others to do the same.

This has been through processes such as anthotype (where the juice of plants, fruits and veg provide the basis for exposure); through cyanotype (where a mix of two chemicals create a light sensitive solution that can be washed out in the ocean); via my unfixed lumens (where I only use expired photo paper and my personal digital post production technique to mimic ‘fixing’); and various other means such as using natural film developers and salt water fix (making sure any silver is recovered before disposal of water).

For sometime it has felt quite lonesome trying to raise awareness of the opportunities an eco conscious photographic practice can bring. And I am in no way suggesting I have ever influenced the growing curiosity around sustainable photography (although in Cornwall I do know my workshops have helped some to discover a passion for certain eco-aware techniques) but it is fantastic to see the momentum in this element of photography building.

Most recently a new Facebook group popped up called Making Photographic Practices More Sustainable, while other groups such as The Sustainable Darkroom has shared advice about artists working this way, videos and workshops in the past couple of years.

But we do need to remain careful about the claims made when talking about sustainability and eco-friendly in relation to photography.

There will always be a compromise.

For example, if we process film in coffee and fix in saltwater, we mustn’t claim it to be eco-friendly. The film itself is made up with silver (and animal-derived gelatine) and the removed silver in the fix still needs to be safely disposed of. Take a look at the advice from The Parrallax Photographic Co-op. And even with my unfixed lumens there is the fact that the paper includes chemicals while the manufacture of my computer has had an environmental impact in its production.

And how are we classing the sustainable element in relation to photography? How does processing in mint tea or seaweed really make it more sustainable? Is it simply because natural produce minimises the need for manufactured photo chemicals?
Debris Free Ocean has an interesting blog looking at some of the sustainability issues relating to photography, while orgs like Hook Up state that their aim is to build upon a creative and circular economy with photography.

There are so many things to consider when asking yourself if you are a sustainable photography practitioner, from your electronic usage to your waste disposal. It’s well worth auditing your working practices to see what you are doing, and can do, to achieve a more eco-conscious practice.

For me, working in a way that attempts to lessen my impact on our natural resources is my aim. Whether that is keeping my Mac or smartphone for as long as is absolutely possible to making images with the juice of hedgerow blackberries, I know it will always involve compromise but my attitude of always striving to do my best for the environment is sustainable. So in that sense, yes, it is sustainable photography.

I will be launching Photopocene shortly - a place where photographic artists and photographers working to raise awareness of environmental issues and/or in eco-conscious ways will be supported in sharing their own stories. More soon…

It’s been an even longer time…

Well, I thought I’d left it sometime between my previous posts but almost a year! Yes, for someone who doesn’t like exclamation marks, this is a good time to use one.

As we are coming up to a year of Covid-19 lockdowns, I’m slowly getting my creative mojo back. It has been a year of fits and starts. There’s been some good elements, particularly coming up which I will share in my first newsletter due out soon, and of course receiving copies of the Of Earth - For Earth book that features the work of the artists and scientists involved.

But for someone who is quite content in her own company, I am hopeful that I will be able to share the sustainable photography love in person at workshops and shows at some point in 2021. Be good to see you.

I have started two other arty ventures in the last year. Illustration (of sorts) and embroidery (early days). I hope you are finding new ways to stay creative.

This year I will be trying very hard to share some insightful and useful, and hopefully fun ‘Photo Words’ on a more regular basis.
#NoExcuses