I normally write my reports in bed the morning following, with a mug of tea. However, on this occasion, my head was buzzing with stuff , so I have started writing this report in bed 'on the night'.
SCC was electrified this evening by Ken Scott's latest talk entitled 'Besides and Beyond'. Nobody could have failed to be inspired and motivated by Ken's pictures and enthusiastic words.
I have had the pleasure of hearing at least six of Ken's talks over the years and have always been very impressed with his passion for his photography, and indeed of his life generally.
Ken started his talk by pointing out that musicians, athletes and actors all practice every day to hone their skills; so why not photographers?His talk this evening was about his 365 project which started in 2008 following a bad experience up a mountain, which resulted in the curtailment of his other great passion, climbing, (with his camera of course). The first of Ken's shows that I saw was of his magnificent mountain landscapes, which was also largely the subject of his book, 'Photographing Changing Light', which I of course have a copy of on my shelves.
Ken had to rethink his photography at the point when he embarked on his 365 project which involved him taking (or as Ken always says making) a picture every day and posting it on his Flickr website. He has been doing just that every day since then, and passed his 1500th picture earlier this year.Just think for a minute exactly what making a new picture every day entails. We all could do it for maybe a few weeks; but we would very soon run out of material.
Not so Ken, who set out to point out with illustrations the many different ways he used to carry out this task. When a photographer comes to give us a show he will obviously show us his very best pictures and not his second class efforts; and I am sure that Ken is the same; except that with Ken's work you very soon get the feeling that he does not know how to take a second rate image! His technical ability as well as his artistic skills are brilliant. How Ken fits everything that he does into his time I have no idea. Somehow he seems to have longer days than me. He not only carries out his day job; but he has a wife and three sons (and I know what that means); he is Chairman of the Sussex Federation; he gives talks and judges camera club competitions and of course he finds time to go on long treks for weeks at a time. He takes his camera with him everywhere, including to bed I suspect!
He told us that he has changed the way he did things, for instance getting up early, maybe for a short walk up on the Downs near his home, and when he is going to a camera club, he sets out an hour early in order to have a wander round where ever he is looking for images.
On wet days he is not put off. He either finds images round his home or he will photograph something like the taillight of his car with raindrops on it!
Ken talked of rediscovering his creativity and relearning 'how to see', and used headings like 'observation', 'imagination', 'self expression', amongst others. Under subjects he showed us examples of ' landscapes of the mind', ' intimate nature', getting down in the grasses and picking out wild flowers; 'family portraits'; 'sport'; 'clouds' and many others.
One of Ken's great strengths is creating abstracts, for example from photographing glass with light passing through it of reflected on to it. Household items, but only taking a very small part of them and creating fantastic images.
I, and I am sure everyone else, came away from this evening with my mind buzzing with all that I had seen. Ken tried to encourage some of us to take up the 365 project (Martin Tomes already has). He said it is much easier to do it in a group as you will then get encouragement from the others when the going gets tough.
Ken, thank you very much for an amazing evening which we all thoroughly enjoyed.