Another Trip to Canberra and Some Philosophy!

Hi There, I just completed a day trip to Canberra yesterday with Anna and two of my granddaughters. A great day was had after an early start and a long day.

As you can guess there was a motivation or two behind the trip. The first and foremost was to see the Carol Jerremns’ exhibition ‘Portraits’. I was really excited to see this exhibition and of course get a book to add to my collection.

It is always good to see silver gelatin prints. There is something magical about old school printing and it really can be replicated with an inkjet print and I do try and replicate that myself.

The highlight of the exhibition was getting to see and original print of Vale Street and I was amzed that it wasn’t huge, maybe A4 size only. A lot of the prints were small and to see the contact sheets were amazing in particular where Carol had cut out the ones that she either wanted or hated. That is something you have to imagine for yourself.

Anyway, I do have the book of the exhibition ($65 later) and it will bring memories back in future years.

Whilst I was looking at the exhibition the girls did the tour of the National Portrait Gallery. Someone at the gallery had given the girls an activity book and they were studiously working away at that in a gallery of photogrphic prints when I found them. After a short while they found the Kids section set aside for reading and drawing. They actually found a set of Butterfly wings and both of then were floating around with a set for a while.

It was time to eat and the cafe at the NPG was full and so after a discussion the girls were happy to move to the National Gallery of Australia. A stroll across the bridge and we were there. We went to eat and found that the food at the cafe may have been too gourmet for the girls and they were happy to have a look around the gallery. They had there ‘phones’ and had many a fun filled time snapping shots of the art works, I found out where Blue Poles was now located and we moved off to see it. The girls got interested originally in a work to the right of Blue Poles and posed and photographed in front of that. We drew them back to Blue Poles and I was quite surprised that they enjoyed it. When asked Miss O advised that Blue Poles was her favorite of the day.

So when all finished we decided to go into Civic for a gellato which was enjoyed by all. And now for the trip home which would be a marathon. Stops for leg stretches and food, and by the end for numerous V’s. to keep the hamster wheel in my head spinning.

So comes the philosophy, the question was asked why Carol Jerrems’ was famous. And this was prefaced in regards to the photo in other gallerys that Anna had seen that day. And in my mind it is quite a complex question and the answer is elusive to be honest. Carol’s main link to fame is Vale Street a portrait of the young people without shirts in front of a house. But, it is more. Carol photographed activists, muscians, actors and the disenfranchised among others. But, the question is was that enough to make her a famous photographer.

Let us look at other photographers, Cappa or Smith, both war photographers and good ones they had there photographs in the pictorial magazines of the day and that is what made them famous. In later days there is Lynsey Addario, a photojournalist that looks at war and female rights and conditions in countries that are not first world, Addario has one awards.

Going back to Jerrems, and I have just had a closer read of her Wikipedia page and it comes to me in a flash, It isn’t about good or bad, it is about having a large enough body of work and networking, till you can get that first gallery exhibit.

Maybe that is all it takes, getting out there shooting and networking till you drop. Get that first hanging and go from there.

Interesting thought!!

Remember to LOVE LIFE!!