There is something satisfying about seeing your work printed, you see it in a completely different way. But how great it is to be able to share it online and find others who connect with your work.
So why not do both?
I have always tried to generate printed copies of my work. In the image above are some recent examples in my portfolios. It just makes you feel as though you are achieving something to be able to pick it up and look at it in a physical way. Somehow the work looks deeper, a good print will draw you in, letting your eyes roam over the paper, enjoying the rich or subtle colours and the depth created by the ink. Old habits die hard, as I always used to work this way. Back in the old days pre-internet, it was always difficult to get your work showcased, and often expensive.
But now I am going to launch some work on to the web, and if you have found this blog via this website you will have seen the sort of work that I do, and what I love to photograph. It is difficult working alone in a sort of abyss and you have to be pretty determined to keep going without any feedback to judge how you are doing.
Photography can be compulsive though and not a little addictive....
Recent events in my life created a new intensity, where I felt I just needed to do something to express this and I have found that my camera has helped to heal my spirit and bring me joy in the places I visit.
"You should really show this to people, it deserves a wider audience!"
So my friends kept telling me, so here we are, and as I see this as a work in progress please bear with me. But my dearest wish is that the people who do find their way to this website and blog, enjoy what they find and hopefully experience some time to be reflective. A quiet space, even on a busy web.
Connecting the heart to the visual mind with a literary bridge
I have admired lots of photographers and many poets over the years. There are lots of photographers who also write, many who are photojournalists. And there are probably lots of poets who take photographs. There are lots of books with carefully chosen images to go with the poetry, but not necessarily their own photographs, rather the book may use stock images or another photographers work as a collaboration.
Maybe I have been looking in the wrong places, but I have not found many who write their own poetry to accompany their own photographs. Now you will prove me wrong and send me other examples - please do, I would be delighted to find more people who work this way!
The creative impulse will not be denied, it is as necessary as breathing...
All I know is that when I look at my photographs that I have taken words just seem to spring out of my mind, or from somewhere. It could be 'somewhere' because my subject matter is often about other worlds, a different existence, different time.
But now that I have started taking photographs again and the words are flowing I want to keep going. And that's alright because I have been waiting a long time for the connections to come together, to feel as though the work resonates, and to share with others.
Using the website format and this blog is a great platform to reach out to you from my world to yours, across a technological cosmos. I hope you enjoy your time here.
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