Photography and comedy farce

 See Pete's videos here: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pete-davis-photography/videos

'Great Little Tin Sheds of Wales' - new 56 page catalogue
published by the Offline Journal. Available from
Pete's online store: https://petedavisphotography.bigcartel.com/

One of the great classic sketches of the 'Monty Python' series is the 'Ministry of Silly Walks'. John Cleese et al, loon around in a variety of ludicrous perambulations looking quite ridiculous. I'm reminded of this sketch every time I see amateur camera club prints displayed with a ridiculous 'title'. It's why British camera clubs are sometimes call the 'Ministry of Silly Titles'. Apparently it's virtually compulsory in British camera club circles to append a silly title because they think the viewers of the photographs are too dim to understand or decode the semiotics within the image. 

'Ceredigion 1982' One of the prints from the 'Great Little 

Tin Sheds of Wales' series purchased by the National Library 

of Wales to add to its collection my work they hold.

There have been so many examples that I have seen it can't just be a random thing. Photographs of mist in the morning titled 'morning mist'. Tombstones in church graveyards titled 'solitude', 'at rest' or 'peace'. One of my recent favourites was a picture of a guy going down an escalator titled  - wait for it - 'going down'. I have often wondered if they get extra points for these in their toe curling, embarrassing club competitions for prize candlesticks or plates. 

What it shows of course is that the knowledge and understanding of British camera club members are so far removed from contemporary mainstream photography and that they have probably never set foot in a photography gallery to even begin to grasp the protocols of captioning work or not insulting the intelligence of the viewers with facile and infantile titles. There's also a sad cult among camera club members of putting the make of camera and lens alongside their silly title. Is this some kind of show-off? Never mind the image, look at the camera I used! 

'Pembrokeshire, 1983'. One of the prints recently 
purchased by the National Library of Wales to add
to its collection of my work that they hold.

It's possible of course, for apposite titles of books, exhibitions or major bodies of work to be considered as a way of encapsulating the whole work in a way that summarises it, or draws attention to it. The titles or captions for individual images however, need to be simple and just factual in a minimalist way. Each viewer will then understand and can interpret the image according to their own social, cultural, educational or photographic background. To impose a particular viewpoint on any individual is insulting and patronising. It's this lack of sophistication and understanding of visual language found in British camera clubs that is most concerning. Even worse is the open hostility from them to embracing or even accepting, anything that appears to threaten their blinkered and outdated attitudes and ideas. Sadly, I have seen open hostility and sneering towards guest speakers at British camera clubs who have been sharing great images and contemporary knowledge and photographic culture. What a sad state of affairs, but at least we can be entertained by their silly titles!

I