Tuesday 24 August 2010

The photographers eye and a Dog Full of Money

Good photographers are often said to have better eyes than those who are not blessed with the capability to do more than take snaps.

A good photographer sees things differently and can often "see" things that are not yet there by pre-visualising a shot in their head. They then turn it into reality by positioning the subject in the environment, choosing the right camera angles and settings  and sometimes adding props and lighting. 

I think I am lucky that I also can see things that others don't see - I'm often the one in a group who says "ooh look at that" when the rest of the group had missed it. My son is lucky that I seem to have passed on this ability to him.

Over the years my son and I often spot things when we are around town and set out to document them photographically and are often surprised how many of these hidden items pop up over time when you seek them out.

Following on from my blog posting a few weeks ago on local graffiti around my home town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire (You can't find a decent bit of graffiti when you need it - but is it art ?)

I thought I would post about some other "found art" - this type of image started off in a very low key way but we soon found that actually they were breeding like rabbits which is ironic given that they are dogs, a very special sort of dogs


To begin with I though that Dog Full of Money (DFM) would turn out to be a local band and these were promo stickers but it turned out they are a celebration of those collection boxes you used to see on the High Street to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind. The producer of the stickers seem to have a Bristol connection and also a strong foothold in Hitchin.

In the years since these images were take many of these stickers are now faded remnants proving that art is only temporary






Not all of them featured the Dogs themselves there were others with the letters D, F and M and often shared their space with graffiti 


And they came in a number of designs, some with cut outs like the one at the top


Sometimes they shared a post with some band stickers

These 2 were placed on a the mounting for a CCTV camera, I don't suppose the camera can look straight down

Virgin Media cable TV boxes were a favourite target, here with the 3 headed dog

and I am amused by the fact that this post box is right outside another photographers studio

I will miss them when they are all gone but I'm always on the look out for the next thing to say "ooh look at that" 

What is there in your environment that others overlook ?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Good question! Interesting posting...

What do I see that others don't?

I'm not sure as the moment it clicks my captures what my attention span and field of view is focused on... it would take very little to change my personal outlook on a scene really...

I see the magnificent light that graces the mornings and pierces through the evenings, the smiles of babies and the twinkle in children's eyes, the lush greens that are still so foreign and so fascinating to me, the beauty of flowers and the smell of the sea, the noise of the wind and the creak of old joints....

the look of love in a couple locked in an embrace, the way time stops when something catches your eye and you click open the shutter that captures the moment.

The visual perspective and the creative perspective come together to produce the best work... :)