I’ll be closing this account in about a week or so as We Sink Ships has come to an end. You can still find out what I get up to over at http://mybitofsky.tumblr.com/

We Sink Ships Radio 7.1

Episode 7 Podcast 1

Interview with Peter Liddle, founder of Second Hand Marching Band and Marching Orders Musical Cooperative.  

tracklist:
1.    Second Hand Marching Band – Bonbon
2.    Big Hog – Big Hog 1
3.    Second Hand Marching Band & Benni Hemm Hemm – Dawn Raid (demo)
4.    Meursault – William Henry Millar part 1
5.    Big Hog – Big Hog 2
6.    Benni Hemm Hemm – Brekkan
7.    Eagleowl – Into the Fold

Links:

Second Hand Marching Band
Marching Orders
We Sink Ships
Subscribe via iTunes

Neil Thomas Douglas / A Stranger View

The project came to me after reading Martin Parr’s book, ‘The Last Resort’.  I love his quirky and colourful outlook on the great British public and thought it would be fun to put the camera in the hands of the public and get their visual opinion on their surroundings.  

The project also came from my appreciation of street photography.  I have always enjoyed the way street photography heightens my awareness of my surroundings.  It makes me look up when I would not normally do so, it makes me react to sounds I would not normally pay attention to and it makes me see stuff that others without a camera round their neck may miss.  A Stranger View asks people to stop, look, think and shoot.  I like that you get so many different perspectives on the same space, on the same day.  

For me the best part of the project so far would have to be the people triangle that assembled outside Nice N’ Sleazes or when I done the notepad version and someone left, “Just sat for a minute to people watch and realised how wonderful life can be.  I am perfectly happy and your book gave me a chance to share that with a stranger.  I hope life brings you that happiness it has brought me xx”.  And of course being exhibited on We Sink Ships! 

The worst part of the project would be getting the cameras stolen in both Edinburgh and London and also when someone left me a picture their hairy bum. 

 You can view ‘A Stranger View’ photo exhibition on We Sink Ships website. 

Anne-Claude Thébault [Beyond Words]

What inspires you ?

Urban landscapes have inspired me for a long time, when I lived in Paris. Most often blasted places or districts under construction behind the scenes. Now that I live in the countryside, the landscape has changed but desolated places still attract me.

Describe your photography style

Trick question ! In the past, I used to emphasize the composition and the mood with high contrasted B&W photographs, in a realistic way. But digital technology offers so many new possibilities to experiment. Now I could say my style is in constant evolution.

What are your influences ?

Many well known or anonymous photographers (thanks to internet)… Movies too, especially Wenders films. I’m very fond of Raymond Depardon’s work, whom New York diary, in the early 80’s, has been a revelation to me. All his work, from the african desert to the night police station, talks to me. It expresses the loneliness and the wandering, always with modesty and sincerity, while staying close to people.

How did you get into photography ?

During my architecture studies, I had the chance to be friend with Bruno Morandi, who is a famous reporter and globe-trotter now. He has been a very patient and kind teacher. The school had a dark room where I was allowed to stay all the night… I think I spent more time in the dark than on my drawing table.

What does photography mean to you ?

For me photography is the place where your inner world and the outer world are in contact. It’s a fabulous way to explore our own mind and communicate with others. And probably it is somehow a way to leave traces and ward off death. With a touch of self-derision even so…

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/raoule/“>Anne-Claude Thébault</a>

Laura A Watt [Beyond Words]

What inspires you?

water is a frequent subject of mine, as are tree branches, small curling sprouts, and land- or seascapes — particular natural shapes keep repeating themselves over and over — but ultimately, it’s all about the light.  and inspiration sometimes lurks in strange places, so i tend to carry a camera or two with me at all times, just in case.

Describe your photography style.

i’m not sure i can describe my own style — i would love it if someone could do it for me!  at times others have mentioned a certain serenity in my work, but it’s not something i consciously aim to create, nor something i necessarily feel when i’m shoot…  i’m drawn by the unpredictability of film (mostly 120 and polaroid), so my style is not about precision or control, but welcoming serendipity and chance into the making of an image.

What are your influences?

Nearest influences these days are several friends i often go shooting with — they are simply amazing, and i always see things a little differently when i’m with them.  as for better-known photographers, rather than a lengthy list, i’ll just name three:  i’m a huge fan of sally mann, tina modotti from the early 20th century, and carleton watkins from way back in the 1860s.

How did you get into photography?

I’ve been snapping photos all my life — both my parents were excellent photographers, and they gave me a little Kodak instamatic when i was 8 or so — and i have a huge pile of scrapbooks full of photos documenting my life since then.  but i think it was posting stuff on-line — first fotolog in jan 2004, then flickr later that year — and finding this wonderful community of other photographers, that i really started shooting more seriously, trying new things, and hopefully getting better.

What does photography mean to you?

For me photography is about uncovering an intimacy with the world, breaking down (false) divisons between the natural and the human.  at its best it reveals an aspect of that thing/person/scene that you wouldn’t necessarily see with your bare eyes, something that only the camera/film/moment of capture can really get at.  so, i suppose, it’s a tool for understanding my surrounds more closely.

Laura A Watt

Toria Royle [Beyond Words]

What inspires you?

The atheistic of heroine chic meets farm girl. Balancing extremes from opposite ends of the social scale.

Describe your photography style.

I would say highly detailed, my photos are almost an eye spy. sometimes there overwhelming, but I find comfort in the chaotic nature of my photos.

What are your influences?

Sally Mann

What does photography mean to you?

My reason for breathing.

Toria Royle