DPP - Other peoples photographs

Spent yesterday as a steward at an exhibition of photographs by members of the eastern region of the Royal Photographic Society and Fotospeed Photographers. (Fotospeed photographers  are lecturers sponsored by photographic paper manufacturers Fotospeed and have considerable experience in a range of genres.)

I had been previously and the second opportunity allowed me to spend more time both in looking at the images as a whole and also in greater detail. There was a wide range of abilities because the RPS exhibition was a mix of selected images and at least one from any member who had attended the selection day. Overall the standard was high and as the subjects covered ranged from nudes to almost the abstract there was a great deal to learn. Inevitably my own personal preferences drew me towards particular images so that I could improve my own work but I did spend time with colleagues who were visiting to discuss work that lay outside my own.

As it was a quiet day in terms of visitors I was able to spend a large amount of time and was able to go back to particular images. I found myself doing this when images were mentioned by the visiting public whose responses covered a whole range of likes and dislikes. Not surprisingly responses differed depending upon their involvement in photography and some of the most candid comments were from young children whose opinions were not limited 'pre-conditioning'. Sometimes we forget how much our background effects our responses to all forms of art.

This is the third year that I have had this opportunity and it proves to be an excellent way to learn more.