PatrickPhotos

A personal photography project

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© 2013 – 2025
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  • Ten years on

    10 years ago today I started on this journey and in that time a lot has changed.

    I hope that my technical skills would have improved during this time. But the funny thing about knowledge is that the more you learn, the more you realise how little you know.

    Looking back, I have made some really embarrassing mistakes that hopefully I won’t repeat. But making mistakes is part of the learning process. Those mistakes play a part in formulating what my thinking is today. It would be strange if my opinion hasn’t changed over the years.

    I was recently asked by a friend the photographers I admire and have influenced my work. So, have any of the various photographers and artists I have discovered while working on this project been key to me?

    There really isn’t one who stands out to me as head and shoulders above the others. I might like a photograph or a piece of artwork. What excites me is discovering new work. Seeing the world from a perspective that I would not have thought of is what really inspires me.

    Creativity is hard. Even the naturally talented have to hone their skills. They might be better at figuring out how to do it. The phrase “practice makes perfect” still holds true for them. It takes hard work as there are no short cuts.

    For me, one of the positives to come out of the pandemic was that some of the commercial photographers who were too busy pre-pandemic to share their experiences found they had the time to spread their knowledge. Many have gone back to being busy again. However there are a few who have carried on their educational work.

    If you were to ask me in 2013 what 2023 would look like, I don’t think I would be close to the mark with any predictions. The only thing I know to be true about the future is that I’m going to keep trying to do my best work.

  • I AM

    I recently discovered the I AM project by Angelika Buettner.

    The book was published in 2019 and is made up with portraits of women over the age of 40. It took seven years to get to stage where there are over 100 sitters for the collection in the book. Taking seven years to create this publication isn’t all that surprising as it is obvious a lot of work has been put into it.

    Buettner is a German photographer who is now based in Paris. In the words of the photographer her initial concept was to “capture these women with only natural or no makeup”. She doesn’t say at what point she decided that the subjects would be nude. As this would “challenge the women but also to challenge myself.”

    It is very rare to see the female nude from the eyes of a woman photographer. She does include a portrait of herself taken by her husband.

    Portrait photography is not an easy subject. It looks easy. Stick someone in front of the camera and you have a picture. Digging deeper into the subject is what makes it difficult. How much do you flatter the sitter but still retain truth in the image? Do you shine a mirror on what they dislike about themselves? Too much reflection on the bad and the delicate bond between the photographer and the sitter can be damaged.

    I don’t want to take away anything from the photographer or the sitters, but when I look at the pictures there is a lack of anger or urgency in the problems faced by the group it is representing. Turning the pages it isn’t obvious what the complaint is and how it can be solved.

    It was recently reported that Canadian journalist Lisa LaFlamme lost her job after letting her hair go grey.

    https://twitter.com/LisaLaFlamme_/status/1559238644317167618?s=20&t=_mP4W-NVwrnYZU22_VWqoA

    The unfairness can be summed up in this discussion by these CNN journalists.

    If this is the type of problem the I AM project is supposed to highlight it feels like the aim is off target. I do hope I AM-The Movement proves me wrong and is a success.

  • Scouting For Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret

    Sky is starting a documentary series today about the fashion industry and the treatment of models called “Scouting For Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret“.

    Sky News did a story about this programme earlier this week.

    It is no big surprise that following all the stories on the treatment of women in the entertainment world that there wasn’t going to be similar stories from the world of fashion.

    The women might not get any justice in legal terms but at least we get to hear their side of the story. Hopefully this will prevent others in the future having similar experiences.

    27 June 2022 PBS recently uploaded to YouTube their documentary on Harvey Weinstein that was first broadcast in March 2018.

    After watching this and the first episode of Scouting For Girls: Fashion’s Darkest Secret, my main thought is how both industries took their time to do something about what was going on. Question is have these industries cleaned up their act? My gut feeling is that there is more to do.