Wednesday 20 January 2010

Exhibition 8th February - Urbis


The photography course I created and delivered was a great success with great help from visiting lectures from Meatyard Arts and Manchester Photography. I am pleased now to announce that a selection of work created by the participants will be on show at URBIS in Manchester from the 8th Feb. So if your in town swing by and say hello 6-8pm for the private view.

Monday 18 January 2010

#6 Sixties Ceramics


image copyright ed watts 2009


Taken from the series 'Collectors'

Sunday 17 January 2010

#4 Proposals


image copyright ed watts 2009


Taken from the series 'Good Books'

Thursday 14 January 2010

Portrait


image copyright ed watts 2009.

I take a lot of portraits, many of which are part of a series or broader project. However, every now and again I take a portrait that is simply a portrait and yet it holds me and makes me question the way I define my work. My work, often typologies, become conceptual documents which may now be typical to what we are told constitutes an 'art' photograph. Its portraits like this that makes me question this very notion. Looking back at art over the centuries, the past masters of painting would be commissioned to create portraits of the significant and wealthy. As time past these paintings aged and became desirable, displayed, bought and sold in the art market, often regardless of 'who' the portrait may be depicting. So I guess this is the point to this post, in a couple of hundred years will portraits that photographers are taking today, possibly the simplest of editorial portrait commissions, will these be the for sale within a futuristic gallery somewhere ready to be bought and hung in pride of place in someones futuristic home?

Anyway that may be a terribly written rant that doesn't make any sense to anyone, but the point I was getting at is can I just create work as 'art' that is made merely 'because'? devoid of concept?

To answer my own question, YES

Wednesday 13 January 2010

# 3 Philidelphia



image copyright ed watts 2009.

Taken from the series 'souvenirs I have from places I've never been'

Tuesday 12 January 2010

#2 Storm Trooper



image copyright ed watts 2009.

Taken from the series 'star wars portraits'

Monday 11 January 2010

Arles 2009



image copyright ed watts 2009.

Oopps, This doesn't count as a missed day because I don't class a day as over until I go to sleep!

Sunday 10 January 2010

#3 Learning To Love You More



image copyright ed watts 2009.

Taken from the series 'Good Books'

Saturday 9 January 2010

#7 Electrician



image copyright ed watts 2009.

Taken from the series 'Amateur Referees'

Friday 8 January 2010

Hope




image copyright ed watts 2009.

Thursday 7 January 2010

Spectacular



image copyright ed watts 2009.

So, first go at my photo a day...

I have bumped in to loads of people during this snowy period and many conversations go like this, "hey, your a photographer, bet your getting loads of great shots of the snow. What a fantastic photo opportunity!" or "Hope you've documented this, you won't see scenes like this again for 30 years!"

Its exactly the same feeling I got my first time in New york, everywhere I looked seemed to be a recognizable amazing photo. At first I felt awkward about my reluctance to take these scenes in front of me, later I have learned to embrace it and for good or for bad the result is that I never take these pictures I feel I should!

So this is my document of the snowy season. It my not be as spectacular as some you may see on the likes of flickr, but hopefully there are not as many as these.


Snow bro



image copyright ed watts 2009.

Its officially the coldest I have ever felt the world to be and I can't decide if I like it or not. After being house bound for a couple of days I have decided to go for the standard 'Flak' esq blog approach of a picture a day. Knowing me, I wouldn't hold your breath though.

Christmas is over




image copyright ed watts 2009.

Hope you all have had a happy holidays. My new year resolution is to blog more so watch this space...