thomasduffieldphoto@gmail.com
+44 (0) 7788236022
I have the pleasure of interviewing a number of photographers for The Pupil Sphere
One of my favourite interviews recently was with Giulia Parlato. I don't want to say too much as I hope that you will check the great work out here
Image courtesy of Giulia Parlato ©
It is a pleasure to spend the time gaining insight into great work like this and many others!
This years book market at format was a great way to see what work is out there and to meet the people that are responsible for the making and circulation of such books.
Thomas J. Duffield ©2017
so many great works under one roof, each book a product of months or years of work. I spoke to the stall owners about the works on show and also asked a few questions for my own book.
Thomas J. Duffield ©2017
Venezuela is having a testing time at the moment - Things have escalated further into riots that are growing. I believe that it has finally become newsworthy outside of Venezuela which is late coming.
Thomas J. Duffield ©2017
Thomas J. Duffield ©2017
Lo siento por todo el Sufrimiento en Venezuela. Mantente fuerte!
Hello,
I thought I would share a little bit about the upcoming deadline for the British Journal of Photography Breakthrough award. The competition is open to students and recent graduates. Here you can see a little bit about what the judges are after....
I have always found value in entering competitions ( even if it only involves wrapping up your current work in the face of a deadline )
Here >>>>
http://www.bjp-online.com/2017/04/breakthrough-awards-2017-getting-the-inside-track-from-the-judges/
I would like to share this photographer with those unfamiliar. It's great to see such consistency through a range of photographic genres.
All work copyright of Jamie Hawkesworth ©2017
There is a consistent style throughout all genre's; an authorship.
A short video about a project in Preston...
Portugal 2016 untitled.
Thomas J. Duffield ©2017
Perfect Binding.
Here is a prototype book of my own utilizing a perfect bind method. The easiest way to describe this is a number of single sheets or leafs that are glued together down the spine to form the text block/ image block (much like a magazine) Unlike a leaflet, this bind allows you to incorporate different paper types very easily.
A downside to this bind is that the pages do not lay flat. this may or may not be a problem, however, if you want to incorporate double page spreads it may be distracting.
The finished result looks very clean and professional.
Reflecting on the interim show.
This was somewhat of a 'trial run' of our upcoming exhibition. It took place in the Creative arts atrium at the university of Huddersfield. There was a great range of work on show, displaying a high standard that should motivate us all for the final exhibition.
This exercise promoted a lot of thought about how to best display a project. I have largely focussed my energy towards producing a photo-book. Does the exhibition have to be reminiscent of the narrative structure of the book? or can it be used entirely differently?
Many questions have arisen, conceptual and logistical.
Today I am sharing one of my favourite pieces of work from the Format festival.
Sohrab Hura 'The song of sparrows in a hundred days of summer'
Thomas J. Duffield ©2017
Thomas J. Duffield ©2017
'Barwani in the central state of Madhya Pradesh in India is one of the hottest regions in the country. Since 2013 I have been photographing the summer in Savariyapani, a small village panchayat secluded amongst the barren landscape of this region. With little rainfall and extreme temperatures life here can sometimes take on an unexpected reality in the twilight moments of the heat.' - Sohrab Hura
For me, the photographs offer a gentle and beautiful insight into the pace of life during these hot summer days. Human priorities stripped back to the simplicity of enduring the heat. Furthermore, the presentation of the photographs was enchanting. They where mounted in positions that almost resembled the pages of a book, the white spaces of the mount board giving them a great presence. The window mounts allowed my eyes to rest so comfortably on the images, promoting a slow and more gradual discovery of the work. This is a great example of small details all coming together for the good of the photographs themselves - the work deserves it.
Next week : Inspired, I search for a printer and a bespoke framing service that will allow me the same attention to detail.
Thanks for reading! and thanks to Sohrab Hura for sharing the work at Derby.
more of the series -
Hope to see some of you later at the Brunswick in Leeds where Seba Kurtis will be talking about his work! **6PM FREE ENTRY
I little bit from Seba here...
It seems that as time progresses more is expected of photographers. Previously I always believed that I should focus on one 'genre' for lack of a better word.
Personally, I have always enjoyed a variety in the work I produce. And now more than ever photographers are branching out from Art based practice into commercial or vice versa.
Thomas J Duffield © 2017
Model's : Chloe (left) and Drew (right) from Industry models.
Styling: Blathnaid Leahy
Makeup: Iram Manahil
Currently, I am trying to negotiate a portfolio that incorporates an eclectic mix of photographic styles in a harmonious manner. Previously, when trying to do so I have just created a confusing mess.
I have arrived at the point where I have almost finished the sequence of my Photobook - titled 'The whole house is shaking'
So, for now I am looking over all my scraps and prototypes and trying to find what will be best for the final form.
I have ordered a paper sample to test next week. The difference between the coated and uncoated papers is vast, all of these choices alter the way the work is experienced by the audience.
Slightly belated post.**
We were lucky enough to have a talk and a portfolio review with Alex Stapleton who is currently working in London with the legendary Magnum agency.
Photo courtesy of BA photo Huddersfield 2016.
Alex was very articulate with regards to photography and has developed some real skills in her career. Alex offered some excellent opinions on the classes work, including my own current project.
We discussed my prototype photobook and how to best incorporate text into the book in a benificial manner. The text is there to relay the nature of the photoraphs rather than to anchor a fixed meaning.
Thankyou Alex !
I had the great role of photographing the opening weekend along with others at Format 2017.
The whole atmosphere at Format was great and I would highly recommend it. It was a chance to see a great range of quality work and in a lot of cases speak to the artists themselves.
The Format festival is still ongoing so I would recommend a visit.
I spent some time around the book market looking at the range of photobooks that utilize such a wide variety of paper/binding/printing techniques. There were hand sewn books, perfect bound books, and even no binding on some.
- All of these techniques opened my mind about what is possible and allowed me to see first hand the pro's and con's of each method.
It's been a hectic week!
Apologies for being so inactive on the blog! I have been preparing work for submission to a few competitions... I find that this is a great way to gain a greater understanding of your work because you are forced to tie it together to some extent. Overall it clarifies your intentions.
This week I will be making another prototype photobook and later in the week heading over to Derby for FORMAT festival.
Not to be missed !!!
