“There’s something spiritual about this picture” . . . Brian Griffin’s shot of a farmer and lamb in Iceland. From the Guardian Online, 16 June 2010
I came across these two videos via post by David Allen on the Analog Photographers User Group . I’m not sure how I feel about them. I don’t think that Mr. Griffin does a very good presentation (it’s bit too rambling and repetitive for my taste) and, at first viewing, I don’t really like his work all that much. Maybe if I spend some more time with it?
I did, however, like the idea of doing a kind of biographical project: documenting his early life through pictures and words. I grew up about 40-50 miles away from where he did and there’s not a lot of difference in our ages (he’s a little bit older than I am). So a lot of what he talks about and what he shows is quite familiar to me. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll ever be able to undertake such a project. The raw materials just don’t exist. Although I had a camera when I was young it was rarely used and most of the pictures taken have disappeared. I have a few pictures of me as a young boy, and some of my parents, their friends and relatives. But not enough, I fear to try a project of this nature. I didn’t start to take photography more seriously until about 20 years later. It’s a pity that I have so few pictures of such an important period of my life.
By sheer chance I came upon this two part video of my friend, and a UK photographer whose career I have admired for a long time now, Brian Griffin talking about his life and how it has been reflected in his work. The talk was at the Royal Photographic Society and I recommend it to all here.