Inspiration Collection - April

Silvana Trevale, Flujo de mar, Corfu, Greece, August 2020 and Hands in water, Corfu, Greece, August 2020 

Venezuelan Youth by Silvana Trevale

I really enjoyed this article on Silvana Trevale's latest work that 'navigat[es] discomfort, longing, and unfamiliar rhythms by turning first to the sea, and then to herself'. The Venezuelan photographer speaks about her connection to water, and her latest project, Venezuelan Youth (2017–21). This series aims to document the recent movement amongst Venezuelan young people to highlight the realities of political, social and economic conflict. You can see more of the project on her website.

Photos by Guy Gooch

In Grain Magazine 

This month saw MFA's very own first publication! In Grain is made up of a mix of beautiful photography, writing and even playlists, all from the film community. Centred around the theme of beginnings, the magazine features some incredible work. Nothing really compares to the beauty of print, and it's amazing to be able to see and hold up close everyone's art. There's only a limited number so definitely get your hands on one whilst you still can.

Photo by Chloe Mathews 

Caspian: The Elements by Chloe Mathews

Travelling overland from China to the UK, Chloe arrived on the shores of the Caspian sea and became intrigued and fascinated by the scenes she discovered there. Remaining outside the territorial boundaries of any country, multiple nations have laid claim over this land and its natural resources. Chloe returned to the Caspian shores multiple times over the 5 years she shot this project, aiming to capture the human relationship with the resources that make this territory so sought after. Her photos range from the expansive to the intimate, and can be viewed on her site as well as in the photobook.

“Brooklyn Gang (boys on the boardwalk),” 1959

“All my photographs are portraits – self-portraits, because you can’t photograph someone without reflecting/echoing, like a bat sending out a signal that comes back to you.

You get not only a picture of who you’re photographing, but you get a picture of yourself at the same time.”

This month's photography great is Bruce Davidson, an American photographer best known for his work documenting outsider groups and culture. His project, "Brooklyn Gang" is widely considered to be the first ever photoessay. Taken during the summer of 1959, Davidson followed a gang of teenagers around Brooklyn, aiming to capture both the public and private moments of the James Dean generation. Since then, he has continued to photograph those on the fringe of society. In the 60s he was heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement, joining the Freedom Riders in the Deep South to photograph their journey across Alabama. His later documentary work, focusing on the East Harlem community, was used to bring about neighbourhood revitalisation projects. If you want to know more about Davidson's life and work, this article is an ideal place to start.

Photo by Sean Tucker

Protecting Your Highlights

This video talks through prioritising highlights in your photography, detailing the importance of dynamic range, and how to best use light in your work. Sean also uses real life examples from both photography and cinematography to illustrate what works and how. This is thorough and really interesting class, with great life lessons alongside the photography ones. Sean's channel is an amazing resource and he has made videos on lots of other photography topics if you want to learn and explore more.

Screenshot from video by Austin Auggie 

"From the Riv" a photo journey across the US

I have a bit of a soft spot for road trips and Americana photography, so loved this video from Austin Auggie. It's a collection of moments and photos taken during his drive from New York to Los Angeles, busy highways one moment and rural, empty wilderness the next. It's a beautifully shot and edited framing of that trip, and perfect if you've got some lockdown induced wanderlust.

Photo by Shingirai Mazengwe 

shotbyShingie

I only discovered Shingie's channel this week but have been steaming through all his uploads whenever I get a chance - so much time and care clearly goes into his videos and they cover such a range of topics. He offers advice and tips, gives reviews and also creates more intimate discussion style videos where he speaks about being a black photographer, creative identity crises and really interrogates what it is about being a photographer that appeals to him. Definitely give his videos a watch, I guarantee there will be something for you on his channel.

Photo by Katie Small

Film Souping

Here, Katie Small talks you through her film soup experiments - soaking rolls of film in different mixtures to achieve colourful, surreal effects - colours bleeding together and streaks of almost fluorescent light. I had never heard of this technique before, so it was really interesting to read more about it and see all the different results. Let us know if you give film souping a try yourself, we would love to see the final photos!

Photo by Ralph Whitehead

Film shooters collective

With a goal to 'provide film photographers with opportunity, community, and education', FSC holds group exhibitions and events, produces magazines of work, and publishes articles on their online journal. You don't have to be a member to access all the outstanding photography highlighted on their site and this is another invaluable resource for film shooters, wherever you are. I particularly enjoyed their recent project for National Poetry Month, where they posted a new photo with an accompanying poem every day.

Author: Becca Knight