Potpourri - Chris Friel
"If you can’t visualise an image the day after you took it, then it’s too complicated" (Chris Friel)
I came across Chris Friel's work on Flickr about 4 years ago and have been mesmerised by it ever since. Plans to create a Flickr gallery of my favourite shots of his, however, were doomed the day I realised it was impossible for me to limit the selection to just 18 pictures (the maximum permitted at the time) but I spent almost a year trying...
I love the way Chris is always challenging himself. I remember once reading in an interview he gave that people shots weren't his thing but take a look at his site now (and please do take a look - it's wonderful!) and you'll see he's moved on from that position. Landscapes, animals, people, B&W, colour - you will see all of these but they all bear the unmistakeable Chris Friel fingerprint.
There's something else I really like about Chris - he's a true gentleman who goes the extra mile to say thank you. For example, I was lucky enough to be a featured photographer in an online magazine recently and, before I even knew it had been published, I received an email from Chris to thank me for mentioning him as one of my great inspirations. And, just like with Valda Bailey, he's overflowing with modesty. There must be something in the water that these multiple long exposure types drink :)
Please enjoy Chris's words and pictures - and do find a moment to follow the links to many more examples of his fabulous work.
"Thanks for asking me to feature in potpourri.
"I am unfortunately unable to mimic Valda Bailey’s eloquent style.
"Maybe I could start with a quote from the writer John Banville which I read while sitting on a plane yesterday:
'My friends tell me I must stop saying in public that I ‘hate all my novels’ What I mean is that I am profoundly dissatisfied with everything that I have done simply because it is not good enough by my standards. On the other hand I begin every new book in the complete conviction that this time I shall get it right.'
"If I could choose any 8 pictures to take to a desert island I would take 8 large Howard Hodgkin paintings.
"My more humble offering would include the following 8, all taken in the last couple of months using MLE (multiple long exposure) techniques, except the last one, which I have included for different reasons.
"I am not sure that any of them stand up to scrutiny in isolation, so I have included links to the original series if anyone has a couple of minutes."
Cf1: Part of a series of photos of heads
Cf2: One of 400 photos of a friend sleeping
Cf3: Some small silver birch trees on a local hill
Cf4: Blean woods in Kent
Cf5: A lake on the island of Sheppey
Cf6: Reed bed at Faversham Kent
Cf7: Folkstone harbour
Cf8: Hamidia market Damascus Syria 2010. The whole area is now just rubble. (No link)
