BRIGHTON PHOTO BIENNIAL 2014

My previous experience of the Brighton Photo Biennial, the UK’s leading curated photography festival, promoting new thinking around photography through a commissioned programme of events and exhibitions, has always been very positive. Great exhibitions in appropriate spaces, the excellent Fringe exhibitions, accessible talks and workshops. Here is an early heads up from Photography Monthly  4 October – 2 November 2014

This year will mark the sixth occurrence of the Brighton Photo Biennial, with some incredibly curious events having taken our eye…

The BPB is the UK’s largest international photography festival and will take place across various venues in Brighton and Hove from 4 October- 2 November. Unlike other photo events, the BPB has no single curator and instead relies on the collaboration of 45 photographers, artists, collectives and partners.

In an official press release, the BPB describe the festival best: “From collusion and intrusion in paparazzi photography, to the sinking of a boat to create an artificial reef; diverse explorations of national and local photographic archives to questions of custodianship; ambitious public participatory projects, to photographers collaborating with environmentalists, scientists, young people, online communities and each other, the 2014 edition will see a focus on photo-collectives, as well as showcasing the results of practitioners invited to work collaboratively for the first time.”

Here are some things which caught our eye in the program:

• Real Britain 1974: Co-Optic and Documentary Photography will celebrate forty years since the launch of Co-Optic group’s Real Britain postcard launch, comprising of emerging photographers of the time, the likes of Martin Parr and Paul Hill.
• The Mass Observation Archive consists of thousands of anonymous submissions from the general public since 1937, documenting their every day lives with “autobiographical accounts, diaries, photographs and flip books.” For the first time, this will be open to the public in The Mass Education Project.
• Some Like You: Erica Scourti uses the non-human algorithms of ‘similar image’ searches to find and collaborate with work and artists online to explore the possibilities of shared authorship.

How to Build the Confidence to Photograph People

This article starts in a way that makes it sound like a self help book but then goes on with very sound advice. If you are interested in photographing people on the street then reading this would be most instructive. The main points I agree with are: engage with your subject; know your equipment; practise with people who trust you; shoot with groups.

This is from the pages of Lightstalking, a site I would recommend to you. This article is by

Karlo de Leon

Karlo de Leon is a travel and lifestyle photographer. He has a knack for understanding how and why things work, taking particular interest in lighting, composition, and visual storytelling. Follow him on The 4AM Chronicles where he shares his insights, ideas, and concepts on photography, travel, and life in general.

Portraiture, lifestyle, street, and travel photography – these are some of the genres that feature people as main subject. For some, these are enjoyable activities, being able to interact and communicate with people. Including a human element in photographs can bring a bit more life into their art. For others, it can be a disastrous nightmare, perhaps. The idea of talking with someone they don’t know very well, or being confronted by strangers they’re trying to photograph can be a bit too daunting.….READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

all images ©Keith Barnes

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