Pot Hunters and Parasites

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Someone who had watched some of my YouTube videos and read previous blogs emailed me with this comment about British camera clubs. 

“The talk in clubs is nearly always about gear not pictures. I was once told, as a very young man, by a senior club official in my home city’s photographic society that in order to produce work that was any good I needed to aspire to a Leica rather than the tatty Pracktica I was using. Needless to say I never went to that club again and I’m not convinced that attitudes have changed much over the years.” He’s dead right. Not only have they not changed but have become even worse, if that’s possible. 

 

Alltyblaca, Ceredigion, 2022. From the series: 'Flying the Flag'

Many years ago, when I was a very young photographer, there may have been just a scintilla of an excuse for camera club types not being aware of the wider world of serious photography because there were no books, (in the U.K. at least), very few exhibitions apart from the odd historical show in a museum and the amateur magazines were dire. (Nothing much has changed with them either). Now, with all the great galleries specialising in photography, the wealth of important photography books being published and the many talks, seminars, portfolio sessions that are taking place all over the U.K. there is no excuse. Of course, the people you never see at these are members of British camera clubs. They are actively discouraged from getting involved by the club ‘officials’, in case they may learn too much and realise that what is being pumped into them in the clubs has nothing whatsoever to do with contemporary photography. They continue to foster the ludicrous ‘competition culture’ for cheap silver-plated egg cups and the like for categories of imagery that has no relevance whatsoever in the contemporary world. What you end up with is a pointless and risible ‘parade of the pot hunters’ kept in ignorance by the club officials. 

 

Ceredigion, 2022. From the series: 'Flying the Flag'

Likewise, they deliberately censor and edit what is written in their club magazines and newsletters, withhold information and ‘dumb down’ the writings in case their members might end up knowing more than them. They edit out anything that challenges the archaic, out-dated and totally irrelevant ideas that they espouse to their members. Any article that deals with ideas around contemporary culture and photography or uses the current language of photography go straight into the editor’s shredder. If they have guest speakers at all, these are selected on the basis that they will not ‘rock the boat’ and simply pander to their outmoded photographic practices. These club officials are nothing but parasites feeding off the ignorance that they deliberately foster within their clubs. They then strut around with a self-importance that attempts to disguise this lack of knowledge. Maybe the worst of these are the so-called judges that hand out prizes based on a mythical rule book. They use this as an excuse for their own ignorance of contemporary photographic practice. Another way of keeping the members down. 

 

Drefach, Ceredigion, 2022. From the series: 'Flying the Flag'

Unfortunately, the R.P.S. must share in the blame for this. That this organisation, which was pretty much discredited some years ago when its important historical collection was removed from its ‘care’ still exists, is a national disgrace. Sadly, the camera club ‘pot hunters’ are still fooled into thinking that it is a credible organisation and persuaded to buy the worthless, so-called ‘distinctions’ that it peddles. We will never know what was lost or irreparably damaged from that collection before it was taken from it and put into the care of the then National Museum of Film and Photography – (now the National Media Museum in Bradford). The R.P.S. has never disclosed this. What remains of that collection is now in the V&A London.  

 

Sadly, many who initially join camera clubs do so in the hope of furthering their photography and learning about contemporary ideas to support this. Sadly, these members, like the one I quoted above, either leave quickly because they can spot that the ‘officials’ and ‘judges’ are ignorant and arrogant, or they stay because they have been conned by the bluffing and swaggering and then subsequently, their photography is doomed to stagnate in the mire of the sad club competition culture. 

 

Photography and comedy farce

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'Great Little Tin Sheds of Wales' - new 56 page catalogue
published by the Offline Journal. Available from
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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

Photography Competition Time! Not!

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No, no, I'm not launching or entering any competition, not likely, given the appalling nature of British photo competitions, it's just another rant against the dreadful culture that's endemic in the British camera club scene.

Another list of possible prizes to win has landed on my studio desk from one such organisation and it's long list of ludicrous and totally irrelevant 'categories' to enter along with their equally ludicrous 'trophies'. It's clear from the categories that none of the organisers has ever set foot in a contemporary photography gallery, studied photography in any way or has any knowledge of recent trends in photography. When I say 'recent', in British camera club terms this means since the 1950's. 'Recent' to contemporary photographers means the last five years of course. Members of camera clubs have different notions of time and history! They are on a very different time zone. 

'Iris No. 8', 2018 Platinum / Palladium print

The categories include such things as winning the 'Nigel Snodgrass Candlestick' for the best 'large monochrome (not black and white of course) pictorial print with impact' and the 'Cecil Peabody Ashtray' for the best small colour non-pictorial print without impact. Imagine the prospect? Be still my beating heart! What's really sad is the deliberate 'dumbing down' that happens when you put photography into nonsensical categories like this. It's done on purpose of course to disguise the organisers own total lack of knowledge of contemporary ideas and trends and to drag down everyone else to their own level. Disgraceful. 

These attitudes and behaviour patterns relating to these silly competitions also impacts on how British camera club members relate to photographers who have devoted their lives to photography and produce exciting new work. I have witnessed this too many times and as well as being rude and ignorant, I find it very sad. I attended a talk last year by a prominent photographer who had produced much significant work and he poured out his heart, showed some great work and should have been well received. Sadly, the audience was infested with British camera club members who were less than respectful. A few near me in the audience just stared at the floor for the whole illustrated talk, shuffled their feet and mumbled and grumbled all the way through. 

'Windfalls No. 1' 2018, Platinum / Palladium print

Questions at the end and any intelligent debate that might have ensued was killed stone dead by the first club member's question. His hand shot up and he asked, 'do you have a favourite lens?' After the high level of work he had shown, plus the obvious lifelong dedication of the photographer giving the talk, this was a real patronising slap in the face and actually insulting. Clearly these individuals have no notion of contemporary photography, ideas or protocols and are being pandered to by weak and ineffectual camera club organisers and officers who know no better themselves. 

Their patronising attitude to those of us who have made photography our life's work is akin to the old days of cricket where there were 'gentlemen' and 'players'. The 'gentlemen' were second rate amateur players who could afford to indulge their hobby and buy their way into winning worthless trophies. The 'players' who were looked down on and patronised by the 'gentlemen' were the real professional talent that gave the game its reputation and advanced the skills. I daresay they were sneered at by the 'gentlemen' in the same we that we photographers who have dedicated our lives to advancing and teaching photography are sneered at by British camera club members. (Attitudes are very different outside the U.K.)

'Cwm Rheidol', 2019. Platinum /Palladium print

If I'm asked what I do and I say photographer, most people accept this at face value. If I'm asked by a British camera club member they will inevitably ask 'amateur or professional'? My reply is usually to ask them if they would ask that if my response had been 'brain surgeon'? I know, brain surgery is a matter of life and death. However, photography is more important than that. Well, it is to a photographer but obviously not to a member of a British camera club.