Musicians on Camera Exhibition 2012

Two days after the 2 x 4 Photographers exhibition came down I became part of another group photography exhibition, this time at Nolia's Gallery in Gt Suffolk St, Bankside, London SE1 near the Tate Modern.

The exhibition was called Musicians on Camera and you've guessed it - was all about music!

In my time, I have photographed a lot of musicians. Some famous, some not so famous but all with the same common passion... MUSIC.

I have photographed orchestras to soloists, live gigs, studio sessions, portraits for CD covers, children on the street.

The photos I exhibited are as follows;

The Wanted

Funktrm

The Cheeky Girls

Sunday Girl

Wembley Festival

Yasmin

The following 2 photos were also in the exhibition and are now permanently hanging in Nolia's 11 Jazz Club, Stamford Street, nr Waterloo, London.

Jehro

Stand Naked for Peace

Photos of the Private View are here 

Dereliction

One of the most fascinating subjects I like to photograph are derelict buildings.

This was the Wolverhampton University site at Compton Park on 26th May 2012. The site has been out of university use since March 2012 and is now being redeveloped. I had the opportunity to take this photos thanks to a Flickr contact. The demolition works have continued and so these photos are a nice record of the site in the midst of it's change.

If you are looking to do derelict photography, one thing I will stress is, you enter the sites at your OWN risk. I have a construction background and have hard hat and steel toe cap boots at the ready but there is a risk as every site is different. I am not a professional construction worker trained to deal with a demolition site but I am sensible and careful with everything I do.

Sometimes you have to deal with security or cameras. The key thing is BE VERY AWARE and  NEVER go in ALONE!

Floors can give way. Weak glass can shatter in the wind. Sides of buildings can crumble away. An empty building has it's own distinct set of noises. LISTEN! If something doesn't sound right, your gut should tell you it isn't right! And get out of there!

This is a typical corridor you may come across, holes in floor, electrical cables and other obstacles hanging down in your way. Don't be a hero and try to manouevre through. In this case the shot I wanted was right here!

With every derelict site, the things to look for are signs, the little details which put the old meaning of the site into context. The lampshades and curtains here show the age and era of the decoration. in a place where time has stood still, they almost look like new!

Abandoned letters, brochures and other personal items were all found at the Compton site. In previous  visits to other derelict sites, I have come across medical records, photos etc.

I particularly like this shot, the tyremarks of the plant machinery apparent, with the abandoned broken record. Gives the illusion of no respect for the belongings of the previous inhabitants either by themselves or by the redevelopment process.

Clues of the building's previous life lie everywhere. Every image tells a story!

To see more.....

Here is the complete set of photos I took on Flickr.

Jeannie Avent Gallery Exhibition 2012

I am a member of LIP (London Independent Photography) which has over 1000 members in London. There are satellite groups all over London and I attend one in Greenwich and also in Sydenham.

The Dulwich and Sydenham branch is run by Yoke Matze and meets every month. Members of this satellite group collaborated to organise an exhibition at a local Art Gallery, Jeannie Avent Gallery in East Dulwich, London SE22 9EU.

The exhibition ran from 11 - 24th April 2012 and was called 2 x 4 Photographers because each week 4 photographers from the group formed the exhibition. See below for the group I exhibited with.

 Left to right: Julian Lesage, Yoke Matze, Eamonn Power, Myself, Eugene Ryder.

I exhibited photos I had taken in 2003 which although I was using digital technology back then, this series I had shot on Transparency film and X-processed in C41 chemicals. I had gone on a photo walk with my  friend Richard, who is also my muse, starting off in the West End going through Covent Garden crossing the River Thames and heading along the South Bank. This still is one of my favourite walks in London. Out of a roll of 36 frames, I had at least 30 great shots!

X-processing from E6 film with C41 chemicals gives deeper saturated colours, burns out highlights and shows texture in a different light. These were the 6 images I exhibited on the gallery wall. I have a fascination with architecture and perspective. Lots of my images are about line and form. I like to show abstract views which I have done here. I also exhibited in the window, 3 more photos from the same series.

To see more photos from the exhibition and private view see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelvixenuk/sets/72157629870101067/with/7100463865/

All work is for sale. To buy, please contact the photographer on 07931 900269.

2011 Travels

2011 was the year I travelled to some new places. After not travelling for so long, when it's in your blood, you really feel like something is missing! Also it's a great way of building up stock photos to submit to libraries, to sell or to exhibit!

In April I photographed a hen weekend in Liverpool. After the hen and party had left, I spend most of the day ambling around the city with my camera and came up with these photos here:

Liverpool Football Scarves

Prior to meeting up with the hen party I spent a couple of hours in Chester as I had to change trains. If you ever have the opportunity to change trains and explore somewhere new, I definitely recommend it. It had been a long time since I had been to Chester and was fascinated by the Tudor architecture.

Tudor detail in Chester

In April I photographed a wedding in a castle in Derbyshire. My first pagan wedding with hand tying ceremony. There was a owl and falconry display too before we moved on to the reception venue!

Falonry display Derbyshire

In July, I photographed a wedding in Estonia. Being there for 5 days meant I was able to explore Tallinn to some extent. Tallinn is a medieval town full of interesting architecture and ironmongery! More photos to be added to the Estonia flickr album soon.

Tallinn, Estonia

In September I went on a Metaphysical Art Retreat to Santorini. As well as photographing amazing sunsets, blue skies and beautiful white churches, I spent 24 hours of teachings indoors. I took a ferry from Santorini Island into Piraeus, Athens and spent 3 nights in Athens where I photographed the Acropolis and Temple of Zeus as well as more recent buildings too! More photos here:

Ampitheatre at Acropolis

In the past, I have photographed weddings in Sorrento, Thailand and Florida as well as doing commercial shoots in Morocco and other places too. I love travelling and look forward to doing more in the future.

Pedder Photography Exhibition Crystal Palace 2010

October was a busy month for me. I also took part in the Pedder sponsored Photography exhibition at Bigger Picture Gallery Crystal Palace, London, in October 2010.

I submitted my Blue Lights image which was accepted into the exhibition :)

Blue Lights by Tracy Howl

Private View

To see more of Tracy's work, see her flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelvixenuk/

Art Advisor Stylist Exhibition

In may 2011, I exhibited some photos in a new gallery/empty shop initiative in Orpington, Kent. My photos on show were Covent Garden 1 and Toast 1 - both are part of a series I shot on film in 2002.

Covent Garden 1

The technique is as follows: I shot on slide film E6 and developed in C41 print chemicals. It is trial and error to get the desired effect but chemicals and film react differently in some situations and so you really don't know the exact effect you are going to achieve! Colours are intensified and highlights bleached out! With the right subject, it can produce stunning effects such as these.

Toast 1

The shop gallery was home to various local artists in all different mediums. Situated in a busy shopping centre, there was almost something for everyone!

To see more pix from the store on the opening day see the album on Flickr

The Old Police Station Exhibition

Working with Patrick Lyons and PH7 Radio, I exhibited my Mine's a Pint series in the Old Police Station in Deptford, London.

This was a pop up exhibition for one night only to correspond with a musical showcase and exhibition by other artists in the old police cells!

I exhibited in the main room where there was a DJ and bar and people generally milling around, sitting, dancing etc. There was no long empty wall to hang my pictures - instead they were dotted around the room which worked really well. I also stuck used bingo tickets to the window to add to the ambience. It was a good experience to do a one-nighter with the actual framed photos. The audience enjoyed the exhibition as it complemented the environment and the other artistic acts.

One of the musical acts 

All images copyright Tracy Howl, all rights reserved.