2 November, 2018, London
Amazing geometry and texture at Tate Modern.
7 November 2018
Archiving Don McPhee’s pictures today at the Guardian, it dawned on me, as I checked some colour negatives of ice-skaters at a rink in Blackpool, that many of these negs have never been seen, let alone printed. Back in the day, once Don (or any other Guardian staff photographer) had delivered a shoot and the picture editor had made a selection, the remaining frames were surplus and unlikely ever to see the light of day again. Excuse the pun. There were some fantastic unused shots of skates, feet and lower legs that have probably been seen by around three people, and that includes me. It made me feel slightly sad, but also happy that the arrival of digital photography at least offers the possibility that such a waste of creative energy is not everlasting.
11 November 2018, London
There has been a lot of talk recently about the possibility of Remembrance fading now that the 100-year anniversary of the First World War has arrived. So I have decided to rebrand 11 November for myself as 'Death of Innocence Day'.
11 November 2018, London
The woman on Waterloo Bridge doing a piss standing up was a standout sight.
13 November 2018, London
At the Memory Group today, Charlie, an ex East End docker now living in the Barbican, declared Jeremy Corbyn “not left-wing enough” for him.
At the Memory Group today, Charlie, an ex East End docker now living in the Barbican, declared Jeremy Corbyn “not left-wing enough” for him.
19 November 2018, London
Great study of black/white US politics made personal.
Great study of black/white US politics made personal.
22 November 2018, London
Photographers are crap reporters. At the Guardian Archive today I was indexing pictures and growing more and more pissed off by the minute by photographers who give the most scant information about their work. Items labelled “TUC Conference, Blackpool” contain countless headshots of various people but no clue as to who the hell they are. A diligent researcher would no doubt be able to find that information, but the reality is that any good picture editor would simply select a photo properly labelled and reject the ones not.
On another note, I came across a sheet of colour negatives by Don McPhee labelled “John Major at Emmerdale”. They looked like great pictures of the PM in the Woolpack Inn, etc, but it struck me then that one of the dying skills of the picture editor is to be able to “read the negative”. Being able to “see” the printed picture, its quality, its composition and its suitability for publication is a skill that must have largely disappeared, or is at least consigned to academic study.
Photographers are crap reporters. At the Guardian Archive today I was indexing pictures and growing more and more pissed off by the minute by photographers who give the most scant information about their work. Items labelled “TUC Conference, Blackpool” contain countless headshots of various people but no clue as to who the hell they are. A diligent researcher would no doubt be able to find that information, but the reality is that any good picture editor would simply select a photo properly labelled and reject the ones not.
On another note, I came across a sheet of colour negatives by Don McPhee labelled “John Major at Emmerdale”. They looked like great pictures of the PM in the Woolpack Inn, etc, but it struck me then that one of the dying skills of the picture editor is to be able to “read the negative”. Being able to “see” the printed picture, its quality, its composition and its suitability for publication is a skill that must have largely disappeared, or is at least consigned to academic study.
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