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