Monday 5 December 2011

Happy Winter!


Montenegro, March 2008

© Image copyright Philip Mowbray

Sunday 18 September 2011

Reflections on Azərbaycan. The edits...

Following my most recent trip to the Caucasus in September to Georgia, I have been thinking a lot more about the region and my numerous trips from a photographic perspective.  I am still awaiting the outcome of my series work from my latest trip (I will talk more of this when I publish the images) but for now have begun to think again about my most memorable trip to Azerbaijan.  This trip was without any doubt the most memorable and most challenging in terms of my photographic perspective of a region when travelling.  The series resulted in a book of images titled 'Azərbaycan' which I self published during the summer of 2010 - a whole year after I went on the trip to Azerbaijan.  One whole year it took me to work out a series I was happy with, I am always so surprised how the longer you leave your images to 'sit' the more you become indecisive about what fits and what doesn't.

Below are examples of my editing process...discarded images, original contact sheets and laid-out edits.  I have so much work which is just sitting there somewhere in my room, and I need to start this all again, for I know I have some amazing work just sitting there...but eventually it will happen! 


Images never included in the final series...



Istanbul, Turkey


Zaqatala, Azerbaijan


Caspian Sea - Lənkəran, Azerbaijan


Mingəçevir, Azerbaijan


Mingəçevir, Azerbaijan


Zaqatala, Azerbaijan


Bakı, Azerbaijan


Stage 1: Original contact sheets...




Contact Sheet Example 1:  Batumi, Georgia.  16 August 2009


Contact Sheet Example 1:  Zaqatala, Azerbaijan.  17 August 2009



Stage 2: Adding and subtracting(time and time again!) 





Edit 1



Edit 2


Edit 3


Edit 4


Edit 5

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Memories from first time in Georgia and Armenia during Spring 2009... a reflection on how much my photographic perception of the region has changed...


This shows that when your knowledge and admiration of a region grows so distinctly...one's photographic outlook becomes much more genuine and succinct over time.

Take my previous work, now over two years old and after several visits to the region again I'm sure this now defeats the meaning of some of my previous work, where perhaps I merely searched for scenes to validate cliched preconceptions...?


Yerevan, Armenia. Spring 2009



Yerevan, Armenia. Spring 2009


Tbilisi, Georgia. Spring 2009


Tbilisi, Georgia. Spring 2009


Yerevan, Armenia. Spring 2009


Yerevan, Armenia. Spring 2009

Yerevan, Armenia. Spring 2009

© All Images copyright Philip Mowbray

Georgia on my mind...

Rustavi, Georgia. 10 September 2011

Mtskheta, Georgia. 10 September 2011

Tbilisi, Georgia. 9 September 2011


Rustavi, Georgia. 8 September 2011

Tbilisi, Georgia. 10 September 2011

Tbilisi, Georgia. 10 September 2011

Rustavi, Georgia. 8 September 2011

© All Images copyright Philip Mowbray

Monday 18 July 2011

Wednesday 11 May 2011

What does your neighborhood mean to you? Workshops in partnership with More Wokingham...

Give me time to explain in full to you about these fantastic workshops that I have been conducting...this may take a few days, so just let start with some images which I have been promising to myself I would post soon. Taken by James, an inspirational community worker within the Wokingham borough, they are of yours truly during a workshop in Winnersh (near Reading) sharing ideas, delivering a brief and giving guidance on 'what your neighborhood means to you'...SO MUCH more to follow...;)





© All Images copyright their photographers

Monday 9 May 2011

Objects Photographed: Evidence of a hitchhiker's adventure abroad...


I mentioned briefly in my last post that during my most recent trip away...to Paris, I had photographed very little, infact, pretty much nothing...I need to question this on my part, during my dominative creative-thinking period at university, the photograph's I could have taken on this trip would have been something I could just dream of back then, so why now did I not make any work? What happened? I even had a roll of slide film which I never knew about, that would have been perfect. It worked very well in Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, why was I not even aware of my spare, luxurious film supply? I need to think about this in the future, after everything...the last thing I want to lose is my creativity...

In light of this, I decided to scan the very few remnants of the trip: tickets, small booklets/cards and the famous 'hitchhiker's' sign...over the years I have battled with the reasoning behind photographing/scanning 'objects' but this time, I couldn't think of anything more apt.








© All Images copyright Philip Mowbray

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Still tired after Paris...

Well, sorry for another long wait for a post (although I imagine I am just apologising to myself due to lack of readers!) for I have been incredibly busy as usual, rushing around trying to do far too many things at one. But I have some treats in store coming very soon, images from my workshops, some more of my own work to show, new ideas; progression progression...

This weekend I had a very interesting adventure, and I am proposing of writing about this as a piece, due to also my severe lack of photography on the trip. But yes...I hitchhiked to Paris! Not alone of course but with a friend of mine Jadwiga. We thought it would be quick and simple to hitchhike to Paris from Reading/London, but ofcourse this turned out to be one hell of an ordeal! But that's life, ups and downs, and this trip certainly had many, oh how many tales I can cram into one weekend? :)

Our lifts from Reading - Paris & Paris - London....

Outbound:

  1. Reading Services (West) - Reading Services (East) (Faux-pas mix up of services directions!)

  2. Reading Services (East) - Borehamwood Services

  3. Borehamwood Services - Maidstone Services

  4. Maidstone Services - Saint-Quentin Services (This lift took us through the channel via the Dover - Calais ferry)

  5. Saint-Quentin Services - Reims

  6. Reims - Paris

Return:

  1. Porte de la Chapelle - Saint-Denis Petrol Station (on A1)

  2. Saint-Denis Petrol Station - Compiègne Services

  3. Compiègne Services - Péronne Services

  4. Péronne Services - Arras Services

  5. Arras Services - Dunquerke Services (On E40)

  6. Dunquerke Services - Calais P&O Ferry

  7. Dover Port - Thurrock Services

  8. Thurrock Services - Walthamstow Central

14 lifts in total! I am to write about each one...now time to get my storytelling hat on.