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Islington Christmas Art Market | Angel Christmas Fair
I’ll be exhibiting and selling open and limited edition photographic prints at this annual Christmas Fair in Islington, alongside Christmas gifts from over 50 other artists and designers selling original works. Well worth a visit!
Preview night: 6th December
5 – 9pm
7 – 8 December 2013
11am – 6pm
Behind Angel Tube Station www.candidarts.com 3-5 Torrens Street Angel, London EC1V 1NQ
Hope to see you there!
My photo selected for the RPS – Urban Photo Fest Competition Exhibition
Ah shucks…so I didn’t win a prize, but here is the photograph selected by the judges from hundreds of entries from around the world to take part in the Royal Photographic Society and Urban Photo Fest Competition Exhibition #RPSUPF. The show is on till the 30th October at The Greenwich Gallery, Linear House, Peyton Place, Greenwich, SE10 8RS.
Congratulations to the winners and again thanks to the judges for selecting my image to be a finalist and part of the exhibition.
Here’s the link to the exhibition catalogue. http://www.rps.org/resources/region_downloads/RPS_UPF_Catalogue.pdf
More information:
Urban Photo Fest and Royal Photographic Society London
The Greenwich Gallery – for opening times to the exhibition.
Finalist in RPS – UPF Photography Competition
I got some good news the other day that one of my images has been selected as a finalist to the Royal Photographic Society Urban Photo Fest Photo competition. The theme this year is ‘Urban materiality’ – about the ‘stuff’ we find in urban spaces.
I’m not sure which image has been selected yet. (They are making us wait!) But the fact that one has been selected out of how ever many hundreds entered is a real honour. I’m really looking forward to hearing the news and seeing the exhibition down in Greenwich.
Here is what I entered… Which one would you pick?
Gods Own Junkyard | A Neon pilgrimage
It’s the usual story… You take for granted that you happen to live next door to one of London’s most unusual and amazing sites. Yet it’s not till hearing it’s about to close its doors that you suddenly spring into action and think… Wow, I have to go inside and see it before it’s gone!!
What am I talking about? ‘God’s own junkyard’, a gallery of neon signs created and collected by neon artist Chris Bracey, who’s family business Electro Signs across the road has been creating signage for customers all over the world for decades.
The council have sold the land to property developers and they in turn plan to build about 6 million postage sized flats on this postage sized piece of land next to the railway. Fortunately, the business and gallery (hopefully) isn’t closing, it’s just going to have to relocated, and to where, it’s not yet known. I hope so much that it can stay in the E17/Wood Street area. It would be such a shame to lose such a unique, creative family run business.
So, here are a few photographs from my pilgrimage to the gallery on a cold and wet Friday afternoon. If you haven’t been yet, DO SO! You only have this weekend and next to get down there.
Oh, and during my visit I learnt… Neon is officially (IMHO) the best thing since sliced bread. And the smell is like sweet sweet perfume! Walking though those doors I might well have just died and gone to heaven!
More info:
The Odd Fellows Temple
It’s been a really busy few months. I’ve been over in the US building on my personal photographic project to capture Pennsylvania. So many images to go through! Here’s a shot that makes me smile. I wonder what the criteria is to become an ‘odd fellow’. This photograph was taken in Watkins Glen, a small town in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.
Shooting into the sun | London’s Tate Modern and Millennium Bridge
It’s always an exciting day when a roll of e6 film comes back from the developers. Last month I’d gone walkabouts with the Leica 35mm film camera loaded with Fujifilm Velvia 50. It was a bright winters day and being on the northside of the River Thames I decided to shoot towards the sun creating a moody silhouette of Tate Modern and Millennium Bridge with just a hint of shimmer from the river. What I love about using Velvia 50 film is the certainty of getting nice rich satuated colour. This is a straight forward scan – no ’photoshopping’ as that was already done when I made the picture!
This image is definitely going forward to my ‘fine art photos’ to print folder. It will look amazing as a large format acrylic print, or even printed onto aluminium. If you are interested in this photograph for your home, office or elsewhere drop me a line.
A WORD OF WARNING – If you are thinking of taking photographs into the sun, watch out for your eyes & digital camera sensors! Especially if you are in a country that actually has sun!
What’s in the bag
I’m a firm believer in “it’s not what you’ve got; its how you use it!” Nevertheless, I know some people are interested in what gear I use so I’m happy to share.
My workhorses are Canon 5d’s. I love the full frame and relatively compact feel for a pro-spec SLR. Lenses of choice are: 24-105L, 70-200L, and the 50mm 1.4f prime which is an amazing lens for the price. I’ve got a couple of Canon flash guns and a sturdy tripod.
I also use a Leica MP with 35mm & 90mm lenses. Much of my travel and street photography is shot with this and my film of choice is Kodak’s TriX & Tmax for black and white and Fuji Velvia for colour.
Occasionally, I’ll dig out my Bronica SQAI, which is a 6×6 medium format camera. It’s a brick to carry around and it slows the shooting down somewhat so I don’t get to use it as much as I would like.
I’ve got various accessories – reflectors, filters, light stands etc. etc. and my Christmas list is always as long as your arm for stuff I’d love to have! I can’t understand why no-one has bought me a Hasselblad yet. Truth be told I like to keep things simple, using natural light where possible and not getting too caught up in the latest fangled gadgets.
Oh other things in the bag…business cards, iphone, note book, Oyster Card and painkillers for when I’ve walked my feet off!
Top 5 Photographers New Year Resolutions
Happy New Year! Like everyone else, I’ve been reflecting on 2012 and looking forward to the year ahead.
Here are my top resolutions for 2013:
1. Stay inspired
It’s easy to get caught up with the everyday routine of life. Sometimes staying inspired takes a bit of effort so I’m planning to:
- Visit an exhibition every month. Ones to watch out for in London include: William Klein + Daido Moriyama (but hurry it ends soon!); Man Ray Portraits and anything at the Photographers Gallery!
- Find new blogs and feeds to follow – if you have any recommendations let me know!
2. Learn something new
In a similar vein it’s just as important to keep learning and stay up-to-date as technology and products constantly change. I’ll be investing in training, taking some time out to learn new post production techniques, experimenting with different lighting set ups and trying to push myself to keep evolving my photography! One of my favourite online learning sites is creativelive.com. Brilliant, check it out!
3. Develop Personal Projects
Over the years I’ve had a number of personal projects. Some have been short and sweet (like Woolworths) others are still ongoing (Pennsylvania) and just as soon as I can get back out there it will continue.
My aim this year is to work up something new, shoot something different, something that pushes me out of my comfort zone. Not sure what it will be yet! That’s the next thing on the to-do list…
4. Take more photographs!
A funny resolution to have for a photographer! But honestly, running a photography business at times can feel anything but photography what with all the office work! This year I’m aiming to shoot a greater variety of photographs for myself every day, even if it’s with the crappy camera on my phone.
I want to strive to continually improve as a photographer and this will only happen by practicing the art.
5. Shoot like its film (even if it’s not)!
So the prospect of shooting more fills my hard drive with dread! That’s why I’m also going to remind myself to slow down and shoot like I’m using film! When I do I’m more disciplined about the settings I select, the composition of the shot and the exact timing I press the shutter. I want to capture the perfect moment, in camera with one click.
Christmas Gift Ideas | Fine Art Photo Print
It doesn’t take long coming round and trying to find something unique and personal is getting harder! Why not consider a fine art photographic print. It’s a great Christmas gift and you can’t go far wrong with something from the London collection. Maybe someone has a connection to a particular place or they are drawn to a certain colour or mood or maybe it’s one of my more quirky photos…
Prices start at £20. Here are some of the popular photographs…
Last dates for posting at Christmas:
UK: 19th December
International: 10th December (5th Dec for Asia, Australia, Far East (including Japan), New Zealand)
But the sooner the better – you know what the post office is like!
More Info:
Open edition prints are offered in 2 sizes 5×7 and 12×8 and are designed to fit a 20 x 25cm frame (or 8x10in) and a 30 x 40 cm frame. Limited edition prints are offered in a range of sizes from 16x12inches and up depending on the image.
Each print is signed by me and produced using the highest quality printing and finishing processes. Photographs are digitally printed using fine art archival photographic paper. The print is then mounted to an extra thick conservation grade white mount using acid-free backing board and adhesive tapes. Quality is important to me and my prints are built to last!
Online orders are processed online using PayPal payment system ensuring a safe and secure transaction. Paula Smith Photography does not store your details. You do not need to have a PayPal account to use your credit or debit card.
Mounted prints can be posted worldwide. Cost depends on location. I can sometimes hand deliver if you are local to E17 or a central London location. Email me to find out more.
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