You what you are or what?

Here's a little stream of consciousness for you, so forgive me if it's not the best structured piece I've ever written. I've been giving a great deal of thought of late to how I present myself, the image, the brand of Duncan Findlater Photography and I've come to a very simple conclusion: I'm not a going to kiss your arse and I'm not going to try to be something I'm not in order to win your approval or more importantly, your business. Now that sounds like a damn impulsive, possibly adolescent thing to say, but here'e the rub – I want to create honest images, images that reflect my subjects and my interpretations of them, that depict that interaction, not someone else's expectation of what that interaction should be. What would the point of doing anything else be?

That's not so say I want to be an arrogant arse or someone who's difficult to work with, quite the contrary. I pride myself on my ability to work with anyone, to put people at ease and make the most of a photographic session. I also pride myself on trying to create images which satisfy my clients needs and where possible to deliver beyond their expectations. Just don't expect me to create a persona around me to do it, I am me and I'm happy with that. Sometimes boisterous and sociable, sometimes I fall into the shadows and you'll never notice me, sometimes plain withdrawn; I've got to be me.

I have notes on the cult of personality, the nature of constructed personae, all a bit incomplete. One thing that does strike me though, despite the fact that we all wear masks from time to time, is that if you're working on a persona, then you're diminishing your ability to just be, you're using the faculties that could reflect your true self to create something else. All well and good if you're an actor and building a persona is your stock in trade, but unnecessary for most of us. It strikes me that too much is made of persona (or read this as celebrity if you prefer) and not enough of talent and personality, for that is what interests me, it shows – no, shines – in a face and the more of that there is, the easier the portrait will be.

On a slightly lighter note, I'm just about to add a new gallery to my personal work section. The snow chain image below was highly pre-visualisedand a couple of other images formed into a mini-project and gave me the opportunity to play with some black and white techniques, hope you like them.

Snow Chain

New Flavour!

What's going on! Well, I've removed some material from this site to change the flavour a bit. I have a better idea of the kinds of photography I want to pursue now and have had some changes in my personal life that mean I'm no longer shooting nudes and erotica. So what future for Hypnagogue.com? Plenty, as it goes. I still see myself making images of people and events that don't sit well with the corporate world and this is where I will continue to showcase them. Duncanfindlater.com will continue to be my "suitable for (office) work" site, but now Hypnagogue.com will be referenced from there more frequently for my more adventurous viewers.

Stay tuned, there's more to come…

A Poor Workman?

"A poor workman blames his tools." A very true and highly misunderstood expression, usually rolled out by some wag who is scoffing at your failure to perform brain surgery with nothing more than a rusty spoon and a paper clip. For me, the key to the phrase is "HIS tools". You see any workman, craftsman or professional ensures that he has the appropriate tools for the job at hand and whilst the may be able to get good results from tools of lesser quality, that's not the essence I see in this phrase.

I was very fortunate recently to be completely outdone by a tool I was using, it was so well crafted, so perfectly fit for purpose that my skills in using it felt woefully inadequate. It was one of mankind's oldest tools, my partner's professional chef's knife. I did not have the "knife skills" to make the most of it's potential, and I knew it. It was was a humbling moment and reminded me of the first time I picked up a camera and how different that is to how I handle them now.

I know my cameras very well. Yes, there may be functions I only use once in a while and I may need to refer to the manual for those, but the day-to-day operation is completely second nature. I have chosen cameras, lenses and accessories which are appropriate for the work I am doing. Not only this, there are other tools I draw upon. The intellectual tools from having studied photography, viewed thousands of images and seen what does and does not work, what makes a good image, translating this into the selection of the correct tool to create an image. Then there are the physical tools too, the "muscle memory" that comes from having practiced the craft for countless hours, the way my cameras become invisible to me in the photographic process. Then there are those who will create the tools they need in order to achieve the results they desire, who find what's available commercially inadequate.

What does all of this translate to? In simple terms – cost. Professional equipment is expensive, it needs to be to withstand the rigours of everyday photographic use, some of it is highly specialised and produced in small quantities. Most importantly the appropriate tool will not hinder the your ability to do the work, professional cameras just work better than budget models and give you greater freedom to concentrate on the creative aspects of photography. Which brings me to the easiest things to grossly undersell; the experience, practice and creativity, difficult to achieve but enormously enjoyable and rewarding, the work of a lifetime. I can be hard to see the value in proficiency at a skill you enjoy, the years of learning, but that is where the value of a professional lies. The professional photographer will deliver the images you want.

Which brings me to another great expression, courtesy of a tweet by Terry L White: "Telling a photographer that their camera takes great pictures is like telling a chef their oven makes great meals". 

Flay, Diamons & Le Mindu

In lieu of  thoughtful writings on an area of photography which requires profound consideration, I'm just going to give you a "puff piece" on what I've been up to of late.

Firstly there was the Charlie Le Mindu show, shot speculatively to see if I could win some more business on the back of the results. That put me in an interesting position, as I've decided to move away from shooting nudes. Low and behold Mr. Le Mindu – since he was holding a Haute Coiffeur show – sends two of his models down the catwalk entirely naked, save for shoes, bag and one of his hair creations. It's one thing to move away from a particular line of work, but given a decision between what I've chosen to do and what I've committed to do for a client, the client's needs (most often) win; and some good shots came from it.

Charlie Le Mindu On Off show

Just last week Mr. Flay called, in need of some head shots for his agent, we rattled a few off, I think you'll agree, it's a great likeness.

Mr. Flay

Then on to the good folks over at Diamond Jack's who were in need of some group and individual portraits promotional materials. One of the most entertaining shoots I've had in a long time, they all really entered into the spirit of it and we got some images that I hope will serve them well and draw in the customers.

The Diamond Jack's crew

Commercial

For those of you who may be interested in my more commercial work, head over to www.duncanfindlater.com/commercial

I've just added a new gallery, Sir Tom Baker's 2010 look book and web site shoot. A combination of images of Tom Baker's suits alongside some images to narrative and context to his bespoke tailoring web site.