Fine Art Photography and Long-Ago Memories
Perhaps It's Just a Memory
I have a childhood memory of me, aged about 4 or 5, with my father; we're walking along the seaside promenade on holiday to get the morning newspaper – a memory which resurfaced some 60 years later on the sea-front in Southwold.
I can’t recall any details of that long-ago place – Hayling Island, almost certainly. If I try to recreate it in my mind, there’s only sea and sky. I’m not even sure whether I really remember the breakwaters or whether it's a 'memory I've acquired', learnt from seeing old family photos. Nor has my father any physical presence. Mostly it’s just about a feeling – a sense of security and happiness – an oasis in what was subsequently a ‘difficult’ teenage relationship with him!
It’s insubstantial – yet important.
And timeless.
But none of this emotional response is contained in an exact, representational image of the sea-front at Southwold (like the one alongside) – these just tell of waves and clouds, surf and seaweed, beach huts and cafes.
And that's why I tried something very different.
Starting with a minimalist view of sea, sky and breakwater, I reduced the detail that the camera captured (by using a long exposure technique) and reduced it further with the processing style until it’s ‘just a memory’ – the image at the top.
And when I ask myself 'what has fine art photograhy ever done for me?' I'll remember that it encouraged me to find the essence of that childhood thought; to be selective; to find a way to catch a fleeting memory; to keep it in my hand; to give it life.