Archive for May 2013
HARDY LAMPRECHT: Solo Photo Exhibition @ Gallery Frenzy, Brisbane
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. . Excerpts from an opening address: Hardy Lamprecht | Perspectives of Form: A Sojourn Away
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I’ve known Hardy Lamprecht for over 20 years. He embraced the larger formats of photography and the darkroom with gusto and passion. He enjoyed the landscape and made photography sojourns to the granite tors of Girraween National Park in Queensland, to the shifting sand dunes of Lancelin in Western Australia.
He has also spent a considerable amount of time in the United Kingdom working in his principle career, that has a lot to do with sight and seeing, but the tug of the landscape sent him out on weekends to misty moors, rugged cliffs and into dramatic urban and sculptural spaces.
Time passes and anyone with twenty years experience in photography recognises the need to make the transition of the wet darkroom into the dry digital workspace. While in the past once the films were processed Hardy would venture into the darkroom for extended periods to resolve the lived experience of the shoot as fine art black and white prints. These images would then be presented for exhibition to share his vision with others. Although many photographers of Hardy’s ilk lament the passing of the darkroom and, whenever a sympathetic ear is around, talk of the ‘good old days’ – but not Hardy. He assimilated digital technologies into his workflow by scanning negatives, optimising them in Adobe Lightroom and the printing them on fine art Canson digital papers. What we see on the walls now is the same attention to detail and creativity but within a contemporary medium.
So what this exhibition represents is not only one photographer’s journey in the landscape but also another journey from the traditional black metallic silver specs of the wet darkroom to the emergent digital space of pixels and ink on paper. I believe this work challenges the notion that high quality fine art photographs can only result from the wet darkroom. Should there be any question, I would present to them this body of work where: I’d talk with them about deep rich blacks and clean clear whites, I’d point out the both employ the same baryta paper base, I’d then discuss the dynamic tonal range represented in the prints and theories I have about every photographer today working in digital, is emulating the aspirations of the very few Zone System dilettantes of the past.
Once through with the technical stuff that pervades the discipline of photography and printmaking and much critical dialogue, I would challenge them to see beyond superficial technique to the more sublime nature of these photographs. I would elucidate on aspects of the photographs design–of abstraction, perspective and scale–of chiaroscuro and emotion. This work is the result of seeing and capturing a personal vision and empathy of the subject before the camera–a moment in time of place.
Ultimately Hardy Lamprecht’s images are about what he saw and was inspired by in the continuum of his lived experience. He then captured on film a kind of referential trace extracting a new visual interpretation or meaning of the original subject. In the digital space, aided by software, he reflects on his wet darkroom image interpretation skills and techniques and applies them to the modern tool of the computer. In doing this he achieves something that can be shared, as he did before, with us as viewers. As a result of that we can, in the space of this gallery, transcend time, space and photographic technology and encounter the world in the lens of your own memory.
Hardy, I take great pleasure in declaring this exhibition open … Doug Spowart May 3, 2013
Vicky, Hardy and Doug @ the opening
Selected images from the show….
Threesome
Subterranean Symmetry
Large Reclining Figure by Henry Moore
Going Under
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Orbits
Double Ovals by Henry Moore
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Exhibition photographs ©2013 Hardy Lamprecht, additional photography by Cooper+Spowart
Essay ©2013 Doug Spowart
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. . .
VISITING ARTISTS: Foto Frenzy ‘Exploring Photography’ Workshop @ Mt Barney Lodge
Mt Barney soon after dawn
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Last weekend we participated in a Foto Frenzy workshop at Mt Barney Lodge in South-East Queensland’s World Heritage listed Scenic Rim.
This bushland retreat is nestled in a valley only a few kilometres from the rugged Mt Barney peak alongside the upper reaches of the Logan River. The location for the workshop is ideally suited for photographers as there are views of both pastoral and rugged natural landscapes in abundance.
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Late afternoon clouds over the Mt Barney peak
An early morning encounter
A nearby peak
Reflections on the upper Logan River
Workshop participants relaxing in their accommodation @ Moringararah Homestead, Mt Barney Lodge
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Workshop lecturer Darren Jew links opportunities for photography with a hands-on computer set-up with a fine art printing facility. Participants start with an inspirational introductory session followed by colour management induction and calibration of their monitors to ensure quality output.
The keen photographers assembled pre-dawn on Saturday to witness and photograph the setting full moon behind the Mt Barney summit and a cloud-streaked sunrise.
The setting moon over Mt Barney
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Darren, assisted by Vicky and I, worked with the photographers to ensure that they made full use of the photographic opportunities provided. Breakfast followed and the work of editing and optimising files was carried out with tutorials presented by Darren.
Darren working with participants @ dawn
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As part of our visiting artists program we worked with the participants offering suggestions and ideas for image enhancement. Other projects undertaken with the group included the setting-up of a camera obscura in Boolamoola Homestead and a ‘projection and light painting’ on Saturday evening.
For many years we have created images of place by combining projected images with electronic flash light painting on outdoor subjects and buildings. These Projections or light sculptures are constructed from individual exposures to make a composite photograph. The final image or series of images presents the viewer with a visual story that is drawn from our exploration of, and empathy with, each place.
On Saturday night we included the participants to witness and make their own photos of the projection work around and on the Moringararah Homestead. The capture of separate elements for the final image was presented by Doug as a performance of how we work in these situations. First we projected a dawn image of Mt Barney over the front of the house for an initial exposure. Next, the internal house lights were switched on to create an exposure for the windows. Finally, additional flash work illuminated aspects of the garden surrounding the house–on this occasion the time exposure for the light painting enabled the ambient moonlight to create a glow in the sky.
Moringararah Homestead projection and light paint
Moringararah Homestead in daylight
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After this there was another ‘painting with light’ performance and photography opportunity for the participants in a sheoak grove by the small stream at the entrance to the Lodge. Each of the photographers present was given an opportunity to photograph the performance of the projection and light sculpting work.
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Sheoak grove light paint
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On Sunday 28th April students were assisted in taking photographs for World Pinhole Photography Day using pinhole devices made at the workshop and fitted to their DSLR cameras. The Boolamoola camera obscura was also available to the students a subject to document or just experience..
The workshop concluded with a frenzy of fine art printing of student work overseen by Darren.
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Student group Photo: Darren Jew
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The natural location of Mt Barney Lodge, the facilities and catering provided by the owners Innes and Tracy Larkin helped to make the workshop a great success. The Lodge provides access to this remote and rugged part of South East Queensland. For accommodation and camping information see their website HERE
This region, alongwith most of Queensland and other Australian places of natural beauty and agricultural importance, is under threat of Coal Seam Gas extraction and open cut mining – Being in this place makes you realise the need for care and consideration of the natural places in this energy hungry, development crazy world. For details of CSG and mining in the Scenic Rim click HERE
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OTHER IMAGES FROM THE WORKSHOP FOLLOW
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All photographs and texts © of the authors 2013.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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