A day out

Spent today visiting a couple of exhibitions in the local area.

The first one was at Sutton Hoo a National Trust site near Woodbridge in Suffolk. The site, which is well signposted off the A12, is famous for the discovery of an Anglo Saxon burial ground discovered in the late 1930's. My interest was in the display of photographs taken in 1939 chronicling the archaeological dig. They are quite remarkable and a reminder that despite all the modern technology that is available to the photographer today our forebears certainly knew a lot about the skills necessary both in taking the photo and working in the dark room. The detail that has been captured in the sandy soil that surrounded the burial area is very impressive even by modern day standards. An additional bonus are some colour images and given that they were taken in 1939 on a Leica they must be a very rare example of colour photography of the time. Well worth a visit for the exhibition itself.

The second one was at Thornham Walks which is off the A140 in Suffolk near to the town of Eye. Again it is a well signposted site. The only cost is a £2 parking fee. The Beyond the Image group has seven members who simply love photography. They hold four different exhibitions (one following the other so there is always something to see) a year that are based on themes chosen by the group. The present one is "You wear it well" and one of the fascinations was to see the very different ways that each individual had tackled the topic. There was a mix of monochrome and colour images and varied from a study of an oak tree to a piece of crumpled paper (I'll leave it to you to work out how these fit into the theme just think of the alternative meanings of the word 'wear'). The standard of photography is high and there is almost always a member of the group on hand to welcome you and to answer any questions that you wish to ask.

The two exhibitions could not have been more different. The factual recording of the 1939 images was in marked contrast to the flights of fancy and interpretation of the 2011 images. The use of strong colour in some of the 2011 images asked for comparison with the gentler almost pastel tones of the 1939 photographs. Yet in each set it was possible to discern the enthusiasm and love of the photographers and their enthusiasm for the medium.

What did I get out of it. Certainly the 1939 images were a humbling experience and I was left wondering how I would have tackled the project and whether my efforts would have been better because of the technology that I can bring to bear. I have my doubts. The second exhibition gave me food for thought about how many ways there are to tackle any given theme. Perhaps I should be more adventurous in the way I tackle the Assignments in the Course.