Springtime and photos!
Went to see the Bill Brandt photography exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum this afternoon. Six pounds. Highly recommended. I’d seen an enormous retrospective of his at New York’s International Center of Photography back in 1999, where I was first introduced to his work. This exhibition didn’t seem as enormous, but it’s certainly thorough enough and you’ll probably spend a good 40 minutes in there. When I first saw his work, I wasn’t aware that he used his family connections to gain access to posh British houses, and that he often asked family and friends to pose for pictures.
But this doesn’t detract from the truthfulness of the photographs and their documentary value. I especially like the surreal portraits and nudes, as well as the deserted street photography. The skill displayed during the darkroom development process is also extraordinary.
Note when visiting the website: I found it exeedingly slow, even on a broadband connection. It does have a huge database of Brandt’s images.
Anyway, it’s spring. Today was a suitably sunny day. Lots of people about. I’m looking forward to taking more photos. I managed to borrow R’s pinhole and took some pictures at the V&A. I wonder if they’ll come out?