Peter Spurgeon Photography

LIP Exhibition

2011-10-18T18:50:00.000Z

One of my 'Japan at night' images has been selected for the annual London Independent Photography exhibition.

The entries were selected by Bridget Coaker (picture editor at Guardian Newspaper Group & Director of Troika Editions) and Mick Williamson (head of Photography at London Metropolitan University).

London Independent Photography 23rd Annual Exhibition

18th – 29th OCTOBER 2011
THE STRAND GALLERY (Proud Central)
32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP
Nearest tube: Charing Cross

opening times:
Monday – Saturday: 11am – 7pm
Sunday: 11am - 6pm

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Photofair

2011-10-07T19:48:00.000Z

I will have a stall at Photofair on Saturday 8th October. This annual event features 100 photographers selling prints and is part if the annual Photomonth festival.

Venue: Spitalfields Traders Market, Brushfield Street, London E1 6AA

Nearest station: Liverpool Street

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Photobook: WALKING IN JAPAN

2011-08-06T13:02:00.005Z

WALKING AROUND JAPAN by Peter Spurgeon

I have self-published a photobook of images from 3 hikes I did in Japan last year. The first followed the Omoto course on Miyajima, a small island near Hiroshima. The many granite steps lead through evergreen forest to a view of the Misen summit and the Inland Sea.

The second walk was to the 924m summit of Kaimon-Dake, often known as 'Satsuma-fuji' (the Fuji of the Satsuma region). Cartoon-like billboards warn prospective walkers against finding themselves on the thickly wooded mountain after dark. If only I had heeded the cartoons... Fortunately the foward-thinking and kindness of a couple of Japanese walkers meant I didn't have to spend a night on a cold mountain.

Finally I was drawn to Yakushima which includes a UNESCO World Heritage site and the wettest place in Japan. It is also home to giant cedar trees, some of which are thousands of years old. I took the '80 minute' trail at Yakusugi land.

As well as the beautiful forest paths, I wanted to document things I saw 'along the way': - the vending machines in the middle of nowhere, the Buddhist marker stones and the strategically placed 'air rescue sites'. I have deliberately omitted some of the 'picture postcard' images such as the floating red torii (shrine gateway) at Itsuku-shima-jinja. Those of you who like to classify photography into genres could call this ‘Travel-mentary’.

The book title ‘Walking Around Japan’ and the cover image allude to two things. The first is a reference to experiencing navigational ‘challenges’. The second idea is that according to Gaijins who have settled in Japan, foreigners will always regarded as outsiders.

You can see a preview of the book here.

'People and Portraiture' at Oxford House

2011-07-08T08:49:00.004Z

Here are some images from last night's opening night...

http://www.oxfordhouse.org.uk/

People and Portraiture

2011-07-03T10:17:00.004Z

This image from my Sipson series has been selected for the 'People and Portraiture' exhibition at the Oxford House gallery in Bethnal Green. It shows one of the long-standing residents whose home was threatened with demolition for 8 years by the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport.

The exhibition runs from 7th July until 30th August.

'New Portraiture' exhibition

2011-03-30T20:30:00.003Z

Some of my portraits of Sipson residents have been accepted for the 'New Portraiture' exhibition at the Viewfinder Gallery in Brixton. It takes place from 7th-17th April.

Anti-Cuts March

2011-03-26T18:39:00.004Z

Today I went on the Anti-Cuts March in London organised by TUC. You can see some of my photos of the event at www.peterspurgeon.net

London Independent Photography

2010-10-10T11:41:00.002Z

One of my images has been selected for this year's London Independent Photography exhibition. It is one of a series of views of the Torre Agbar from various locations around Barcelona. The successful prints were chosen by Lucinda Chua who is the Exhibitions officer at Proud Galleries and Paul Ellis of Photofusion.

London Independent Photography 22nd Annual Exhibition

19-30 OCTOBER, 2010
THE STRAND GALLERY (Proud Central)
32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP

New web address

2010-10-10T11:39:00.002Z

My website has moved to www.peterspurgeon.net My email address is now info@peterspurgeon.net

No Third Runway

2010-05-16T09:48:00.003Z

Well, the third runway at Heathrow has been well and truly buried, for five years at least... It's been an eight year struggle for the long-term residents of Sipson and a fascinating two year photographic project for me. Congratuations to the residents and protesters! I look forward to celebrating your victory.

Online presence seminar and Viewfinder Open Salon

2010-02-28T11:00:00.005Z

Yesterday I attended a very informative 'Workshop on Increasing Online Presence' given by photographer Rich Bunce at the Viewfinder gallery in Greenwich. He covered topics such as search engine optimisation, blogs, social networks and email marketing. Whilst I am doing a lot of the things suggested already there were a number of useful tips which I will be implementing this week.It was also an opportunity to see the Open Salon 2010 - an exhibition where every image the gallery receives is shown. This exhibition is well worth a visit. One of my images from my project about Sipson and the third runway at Heathrow is included (arrowed in the image above).

Vacant shops

2009-12-15T18:57:00.005Z

2 images from a new project have been published in the current issue of London Independent Photography magazine. The theme is 'frames' and my series documents vacant buildings. This image was taken in the Stokes Croft are of Bristol.

The magzine is availavle at the following outlets: -

Photographers' Gallery - 16-18 Ramilles Street, London W1F 7LW
Serpentine Gallery (Koenig Books) - Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
Viewfinder Gallery - Linear House, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS

Barcelona

2009-11-12T19:58:00.022Z

I recently spent an enjoyable week in Barcelona - mainly as a holiday but also to see some of my work projected at La Fabrica. This is a gallery/bookshop/restaurant in what used to be an umbrella factory in the Poble Sec area of the city. A DVD slideshow of images from the Sipson project and my Iceland film were shown.

I also visited an interesting exhibition by Janelle Lynch at the 3 Punts gallery. Entitled "Riu Llobregat" it documents the main river in Barcelona. Lynch's choice of flat skies and straightforward but formal compositions lend a melancholic tone to riverside locations outside the city. The frequent presence of lone trees and pylons signals a longing for the former riverside settlements that no longer exist. Swirling patterns in the water due to long exposures often impart a dreamlike quality to the images.

I took a number of photographs whilst in Barcelona and will be putting together a Blurb book next year. Some of the themes that emerged were views of the Torre Agbar and Torre de Collserola from different locations in the city. I also found a street where some of the houses were ‘missing’ which created some interesting unused spaces.

I came across the Subtravelling projection of short films in the Metro. They were part of a competition where people could vote for their favourite film. This clip shows the short film 'Western Spaghetti' by PES being projected at Universitat Metro station.

You can see the original here

Iceland images

2009-10-10T16:10:00.005Z

I have added Icelandic landscape images to my website. I have also improved the way in which the images are displayed and added an 'About' page. Best viewed with Firefox.

Sipson portraits selected for LIP annual exhibition

2009-09-07T20:16:00.013Z

Two of my portraits of long-standing residents of Sipson have been selected for the 21st London Independent Photography Annual Exhibition. The village of Sipson will be demolished if the proposed third runway and sixth terminal are constructed at Heathrow airport.

The images were selected by Magda Keaney (curator of photography at the National Portrait Gallery) and Susanna Brown (curator of photography at the Victoria and Albert Museum). The exhibition runs from 19th October – 31st October 2009. It will be held at Cottons Atrium, Tooley Street, London Bridge, London SE1 2QE The venue is open daily from 7.00am-9.00pm and admission is free.

Las proyecciones de La Fábrica

2009-07-07T21:20:00.003Z

Some of my images will be projected at La Fabrica in Barcelona in October. More details to follow...

Rhubarb Rhubarb

2009-04-04T10:01:00.002Z

I recently attended some photographic seminars organised by a company called ‘Rhubarb Rhubarb’. They promote emerging photographers by means of seminars, portfolio reviews and other events. The event took place at the London College of Communication in Elephant and Castle in London. Rhubarb Rhubarb’s Creative Director Rhonda Wilson began the seminars by looking at how to put together a photographic portfolio. A key point was that understanding, believing in and communicating what you wish to say with your images is as important as the images themselves. Other tips included researching your reviewer before you meet them and bringing cards /CDs to leave with them. I got some ‘Moo’ business cards printed with my portraits of Sipson residents. The great thing is that you can have a different image on each card and therefore let people choose which image they prefer.

The second session addressed the thorny subject of copyright. The gulf between web users and anyone wishing to earn a living from photography soon became apparent. Gwen Thomas from the Association of Photographers eloquently described how UK copyright law applies to photographs. Most alarming of all was the description of software that can interpolate high resolution images from low res ones. I won’t be repeating its name here.

Richard Wills from PhotoFusion talked about the ‘Mysteries of Digital Output’. Despite swearing that he wasn’t on commission from a certain manufacturer, he was obviously a fan of their monitors. The importance of using colour profiling and working in a ‘colour-neutral’ environment was explained. Absence of coloured objects and a dark room allow your eyes/brain to perceive the coloured images on your monitor more objectively. The digital printing services of his employer were promoted.

In a fit enthusiasm I had double-booked myself that day. I missed out on the afternoon talks but instead attended a half-day course on Colour Management at the City Lit. The tutor managed to explain colour spaces, profiling and management in a down to earth way. I can highly recommend this course if this subject is new to you. With a better understanding of colour profiles, the ‘1970s’ colour cast (as described by Simon Roberts during a folio review at one of his workshops) in some of my prints is now a thing of the past.

Two weeks later I returned to ’Elephant’ for 3 portfolio review sessions. A group of mildly apprehensive photographers waiting on the 10th floor of the LCC tower block. Every 20 minutes some of were called to go and meet our reviewers. All had something to offer but some were definitely more informative than others. My questions were about how I can go about exhibiting images from my Sipson and the third Heathrow runway project. One of the reviewers had some particularly useful ideas so watch this space…

'Adopt a Resident' event

2009-04-02T21:28:00.006Z

Last Monday I went to Harmondsworth to photograph the 'Adopt a Resident' event organised by the No Third Runway Action Group (www.notrag.org). There were appearances from John McDonnell MP and Leila Deen of the Peter Mandelson ‘green soup’ incident. Lottery tickets were drawn to match up climate activists from around the Country up with long-standing residents of Sipson and Harmondsworth. Both vilages are threatened by the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport. The jovial atmosphere in the village hall was propelled by jokes at the expense of politicians (including Jacky Smith obviously) and a fine selection of cup cakes.

You can see some of the video footage I filmed at the event here.

Redesigned website

2009-02-09T20:39:00.003Z

I have redesigned my website to make it clearer and easier to use. The images are shown using Flash slide shows.

I have added more photographs from my Sipson project and removed some of the older galleries.

Sipson portraits

2009-01-08T22:02:00.004Z

The Middlesex village of Sipson is under threat of demolition due to the proposed third runway at Heathrow airport. The formal announcement about the new runway is due this month. As part of my project to document Sipson, I have recently completed portraits of some of the long-standing residents. You can see these images in a slide show on my website at www.peterspurgeon.com

Landscape Photography talk

2008-11-26T19:55:00.019Z

On the 4th November I gave a talk on landscape photography to Kings College Photographic Society. I was invited back after giving a talk last year on photographic series. I began by mentioning some photographers whose work has influenced me: -

I visited an exhibition of Ansel Adams' work in Oxford this year. This image stood out for me. I like the simplicity and the symmetry.

•Edward Weston conveyed the essence of his subjects using simple graphic compositions: -

•Andreas Gursky's large format prints convey patterns of groups of people in landscapes and artificial settings: -

•Simon Norfolk uses conventional landscape photography techniques to produce seductive images of war-torn locations: -

Former tea house in a park in Afghanistan. Balloons were illegal under the Taliban.

•Edgar Martins makes large format images of places that appear to be 'in-between' other places. His photographs often lack normal visual reference points and can have an 'other-wordly' quality.

I then spoke about basic techniques such as composition, exposure and focus. I used some of my medium format images Iceland as examples.

Whilst more commercial landscape photography often makes use of the rule of thirds e.g. placing the horizon at the top horizontal third, a more contemporary approach is to place the horizon at the centre. See image below.

This approach creates an image which is more about the subject, and less about making an 'impressive' or 'dynamic' photograph by using exaggerated perspective. In the following image, the horizontal thirds are used but the subject is centred rather than placed on the left or right third: -
I particularly like to represent the essence of something by isolating it and by not including anything that shows scale: -
Here use of a standard lens gives a perspective similar to human vision and conveys the sense of space and emptiness of the location: -

London Independent Photography annual exhibition

2008-10-27T19:46:00.005Z

The London Independent Photography annual exhibition is currently on at Cotton's Atrium on the riverside close to London Bridge, SE1 2QE. It is open daily 7.00am-9.00pm with Free Admission. The exhibition was curated by Clare Grafik (curator at The Photographers' Gallery) and Paul Hill FRPS MBE (photographer, journalist, author and teacher).

http://www.londonphotography.org.uk/exhibitions/LIP20Annual/

I saw most of the pictures at the hanging and there are some excellent images. 2 photographs from my current project to document Sipson, a village threatened by the proposed third runway at Heathrow airport, were selected.

You can purchase the exhibition catalogue here:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/390144

Iceland film clip

2008-10-08T18:09:00.004Z

Here is a short preview of some of the high definition footage I shot in Iceland:

Iceland

2008-10-05T16:39:00.002Z

I have just returned from a week making landscape photographs in Iceland. You can see some of the images here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22501324@N00/sets/72157607754677173/

Watch out for a high definition film coming soon...

Blizard building

2008-09-08T18:47:00.002Z

The 'Viewfinders' photo group I belong to recently photographed the Blizard building in Whitechapel. You can see my images here:

http://flickr.com/photos/22501324@N00/

It houses the Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, part of the Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Paris images

2008-08-13T22:13:00.001Z

I have posted some images of Paris on flickr:

http://flickr.com/photos/22501324@N00/sets/72157606709638970/

Trooping the Colour Flypast 2008

2008-07-23T11:30:00.007Z

Some grab shots of the flypast as it went over west London.

C-17 Globemaster transport and 2 Tornado F3's

Tornado GR4 bombers

Here we note the interminable shutter lag of the Sony Ericsson K750i camera phone.

'The Greenway' images published in LIP magazine

2008-04-10T08:42:00.002Z

Four of my images from 'The Greenway' series have been published in London Independent Photography magazine. It is on sale at the following outlets:

Gallery 12 - 12 South Hill Park, London NW3 2SB
Hoopers Gallery - 15 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0AA
ICA Bookshop - 12 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH
Koenig Books - 80 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0BF
Photographers' Gallery - 5 & 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7HY
Serpentine Gallery (Koenig Books) - Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
Shipley Booksellers - 70 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0BB
Silverprint - 12 Valentine Place, London SE1 8QH
Viewfinder Gallery - Linear House, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS

First colour Mamiya 7 II images

2008-01-26T16:36:00.001Z

Here are the first colour shots I took on my recently acquired Mamiya 7 II camera. They are of St.Catherine's Hill near Guildford.

'Art In Mind' Exhibition at the Brick Lane Gallery

2008-01-08T17:29:00.000Z

I have 7 images in a group exhibition called 'Art In Mind' at the Brick Lane Gallery in east London.

Here are the details of the Private View: -

Venue: The Brick Lane Gallery
196 Brick Lane, London, E1 6SA
http://www.thebricklanegallery.com/
Date: 9th January 2008
Time: 6 - 9 pm

6 of the images are 10 x 12" prints taken from the "Greenway" series.

The seventh is a 70 x 70cm canvas print of Canary Wharf.

The exhibition continues daily until the 21st January.

Mamiya 7 II

2007-12-22T13:53:00.000Z

I am now the proud owner of a Mamiya 7 II medium format film camera.

Yes, I can sense the dismay/mocking of digital fans. But I know that this will give me fantastic image quality, is portable and a lot cheaper than a medium format digital camera. Here's the official info:

http://www.mamiya.com/mamiya-7-ii.html

I will be christening it over the holiday period.

Arles Graffiti Book

2007-12-09T14:26:00.000Z

During my visit to the annual photography festival in Arles this year, I made a series of images documenting the well-hidden but diverse selection of graffiti in the town.

These photographs are now available in a book which can be purchased on my website: http://www.peterspurgeon.com/

I found a great photographer

2007-12-06T11:23:00.000Z

I searched for Mamiya 7 II on flickr. This is a portable medium format camera, for which I have placed a bid on ebay. the search revealed images by wiiri whcih I really like:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiiri/

Shallow depth of field and backlighting give the pictures an ethereal feel. She has a fresh way of looking at the world.

Mobile Sunset

2007-03-31T19:39:00.000Z

St.Albans Rainbow

2007-03-04T14:38:00.000Z

Bizzarre shop

2007-03-03T10:41:00.000Z

Last night I walked past this shop on Essex Road. It's very strange...

Brazil Book

2007-02-22T21:42:00.000Z

My book of photographs of Brazil can now be purchased from my web site.

www.peterspurgeon.com You can view a small version of the book here

Derelict House

2007-02-14T21:31:00.000Z

I have uploaded a gallery documenting a Derelict House near Smallford in Hertfordshire.

You can view the images at http://www.peterspurgeon.com/

BT Trial Site

2007-02-11T19:31:00.000Z

I have uploaded a gallery documenting the British Telecom Trial Site at Smallford in Hertfordshire. Currently in Planning limbo, this site has an uncertain future.

You can view the images at www.peterspurgeon.com

Prints for sale

2007-01-06T21:28:00.000Z

I have set up a PhotoBox Pro Gallery where you can purchase prints or other items. Check it out at this link:

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/spurgeonimages

Beautiful Mile End?

2007-01-04T21:05:00.000Z

New Project

2006-11-12T16:24:00.000Z

Today I began a new project to document some of the areas in East London that are being redeveloped for the 2012 Olympics. I began my walk at Pudding Mill DLR station.

Thanks to the Google Map Pedometer you can view the route I took here (don't forget to zoom in on the map.) This image gives an idea of the landscape in this area:

The area around the DLR station has a bleak post-apocalyptic feel. It is predominated by light industrial business such as scrap and recycling merchants. Dirt covers everything like a layer of fallout. On a wall opposite the station there is a solitary white tile bearing the words TATE MOSS.

Further investigation reveals that this is near the site of a warehouse where artistic happening and parties take place. The organisers' website (www.tatemoss.com) says

'We aim to question authorship and branding and to create a discourse about the freedom of information and the use of technology as an exploration of unmonumentalisation of art work based in our lived environment.'

If anyone knows what unmonumentalisation means then please let me know!

Walk under the DLR bridge and there are more industrial sites.

Buildings have signs warning of the high level of theft in the area and others supporting the Olympics.

Double-back under the bridge and walk through more filfth and debris. Detritus obscures neglected steps up the side of the Northern Outfall Sewer. This corridor is optimistically entitled the Greenway. It gives a good view of the surrounding landscape. A mixture of trees nearby, then warehouses and new buildings under contruction near Stratford. One of the images I made today was of the aftermath of a fire: -

Nearby a weeping willow moves gently in the breeze.

Sadly it is joined by a discarded TV and motorbike sitting in the water.

I continued west and stopped to look down on the River Lea. The atmosphere improved as walkers and cyclists used the towpath. An old concrete pill box sits incongrously in front of a trendy block of flats. Its an intresting location in which to live. Very peaceful but not really near anything.

At one stage, this area which is called Fish Island was to have been concreted over and used as a car park for visitors to the Olympics. Instead there will be a temporary arena for basketball.

I walked home through the wonderful Victoria Park: -

You can view these and other images from this project on my website at www.peterspurgeon.com

Winter sky

2006-11-05T15:32:00.000Z

What a racquet!

2006-11-05T15:29:00.000Z

Where old racquets go to die...

Dorset

2006-10-26T20:25:00.000Z

I have added a gallery of Dorset images.

The photographs were taken at Dancing Ledge, Swanage and Langton Matravers.

Pictures of Scotland

2006-10-10T20:02:00.000Z

I haved added a new gallery to my website. Images of the Trossachs region in Scotland. www.peterspurgeon.com

Broadway Market and Greenwich

2006-10-08T09:07:00.000Z

It was a lovely sunny day yesterday. I visited a gallery on Broadway Market that sells images of London printed onto canvas: http://www.offbroadway.org.uk/ There is a great food market there. Here are some cameraphone images. By the way, I normally use a proper camera ;)

Bizzare-shaped windows in Sidworth Street.

A pair of boots enjoying the Autumn sun.

In the afternoon, I went to Greenwich to drop off a print of the following image for the Viewfinder Photography Gallery Open Salon 2006. http://www.viewfinder.org.uk/

Afterwards I had a look around Greenwich market. A photographer called Fergus Noone (http://www.fergusnoone.com) has a shop there. I love this picture of Milford Sound in New Zealand:

I also had a chat to Anna Hillman who was selling her photographs. Check out her excellent website: http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/annahillman/

Welcome to my blog

2006-10-05T10:05:00.000Z

Hello world!

Hi. My name is Pete Spurgeon and I am a photographer. I'm writing this blog to share and document my experiences in the world of photogaphy. Check out my photographs at www.peterspurgeon.com and let me know what you think.

I have just had an article and photographs of a trip to Brazil I made last year published in Nikon Owner Magazine.

I'm very pleased with the way it looks and I hope it will lead to other opportunities to have my work published.

Last night I made the most of the clear weather to take some shots of the MI6 building in London for a commission. The evening light was great.