Exploring The Unseen
Photography serves as a powerful medium through which artists can reveal the unseen, offering fresh perspectives on the world around us. By delving beneath the surface, as photographers, we can uncover hidden narratives, challenge preconceived notions, and expand our collective perception. Through having a distinct artistic vision, we remind others that our observations and interpretations are as diverse as we are as individuals. In the realm of photography, the unseen becomes a limitless playground for exploration, inspiring artists to capture and share the extraordinary beauty and complexity of our shared human experience.
Towards the end of May, I met with a group of four passionate photographers at Newbourne Springs in Suffolk. This wasn’t a place that I’d been to before and was the first photowalk with Illuminate Studio at Brightwell Barns - a place I’ve mentioned in previous blogs about darkroom printing and chemigrams. This walk was a great opportunity to connect with like minded individuals, explore, and more importantly, finish up at a nice pub for a chat and a roundup of our evening. On this particular walk, we finished up at the Newbourne Fox, nestled conveniently around the corner from the main car park.
On arrival, we were given a concept / theme to try and capture, creating a bit of a challenge for everyone involved. The concept given on this first walk was - To See The Unseen (the inspiration behind this blog).
The meaning behind the concept
The inspiration for the concept "To See The Unseen" originated from Mikaela, the owner of Illuminate, who was driven by childhood memories of yearning to discover fairies in the woods. This nostalgic notion evoked a magical and captivating world where the boundaries between reality and fantasy became blurred. Early on during the walk at Newbourne Springs, we discussed this concept, which immediately resonated with our deep-seated sense of awe and curiosity. It beckoned us to explore the hidden wonders of nature that enveloped us, where mystical realms may reside. As we meandered through the sun-dappled paths, our imaginations took flight, and we became keenly attuned to the subtle secrets whispered by Mother Nature herself, capturing these ethereal moments through the lenses of our cameras.
Photography, as an art form, grants us the remarkable ability to explore the same location in the company of fellow photographers and yet capture it through our own distinct perspectives. Even when standing side by side, each individual brings their unique creative sensibilities, technical choices, and personal vision to the process of capturing a scene. This was evident when looking at other people's work come the end of the walk.
To conclude…
It was great to have a diverse group of artists came together, employing a range of equipment including film, digital, or a combination of both. In my case, I was using a trusty Olympus OM10 paired with a 50mm Zuiko lens. As much as I love shooting fully manual with my Pentax 6x7 or Hasselblad 500cm, there is something to be said about having a simple 35mm camera that just rocks aperture priority and just allowing you to not overly think with regards to metering. Also, it has to be said that those Zuiko lenses are pretty stunning!
I’m looking forward to the next photowalk which is at Felixstowe Ferry on 28th June.
All images shot with an Olympus OM10 & Olympus 50mm OM F.Zuiko f/1.8 Lens on ColorPlus 200. (B&W images converted in post).
Develop and Scan by FilmDev (Fujitsu)
