News items - ffoton

Photographer Aiyush Pachnanda has won EyeEm photographer of the year 2018 - a worldwide competition open to all.

Hailing from London and currently in his final year studying Photojournalism at the University of South Wales in Cardiff, Aiyush (or Yushy to his friends) sat down at our October #ffotonsocial to tell us about the award and his current photography projects.

Analogue photography - or for many, the look of analogue photography - continues to gain popularity in both commercial and personal photography. Even with easy access to high resolution digital cameras and smartphones that now yield clean and superb quality images, many photographers will at some time experiment with a filmic look to their images via filters or the borders surrounding them.

London-based photographer Kasia Wozniak specialises in true analogue photography in the form of wet plate collodion - one of the first photography techniques dating back to the middle of the 19th century. Ffoton’s Brian Carroll sat down with her at the recent EYE International Photography Festival 2018 following her presentation to discuss her impressive work and collaborations with designers and brands in the commercial world of fashion photography.

Model: Benjamin Lessore
Styling: Vincent Levy
Make Up: Natsumi Narita
Hair: Stefano Mazzoleni

© Kasia Wozniak

Model: Matt Dyer
Styling: Harris Elliott
Make Up: Ezana Ove

© Kasia Wozniak

Model: Chen Xi
Styling: Karina Tanabe Jones
Make Up: Ellie Tobin
Hair: Stefano Mazzoleni

© Kasia Wozniak

Model: Aramish Mangi
Styling: Karina Tanabe Jones
Make Up: Ellie Tobin
Hair: Stefano Mazzoleni

© Kasia Wozniak

See more of Kasia’s impressive portfolio of work on her website kasiaw.com
Follow her on Instagram @kasiawozniak and Twitter @kasiawetplate

The video below shows Kasia at work on a series of fashion photography portraits commissioned by the Museum of London back in 2014 for an exhibition inspired by Sherlock Holmes.

Hosted by The Workers Gallery situated in Porth in the Rhondda Valley, this talk seemed a natural extension to Paul Cabuts’ ‘Valleys Project’ talk at Ffotogallery 31 May 2018 as it promised to explore the ongoing lure of the south Wales valleys in contemporary Welsh photography by one of its own - Dan Wood.

Spookily describing themselves as, “Purposefully NOT publicly funded. The WORKERS is committed to being fully independent & creatively resourceful”, Ffoton couldn’t resist the invitation to visit the Gallery, listen to and record this fascinating talk. Enjoy.

Paul Cabuts introducing the talk in Porth

Paul Cabuts and Dan Wood in conversation - with a selection of work from ‘Gap in the Hedge’ on the walls around them.

Dan’s latest book ‘Gap in the Hedge’ is available to purchase from Another Place Press
See more of Dan’s work and projects on his website www.danwoodphoto.com
Follow Dan on Twitter @danwoodphoto and Instagram @danwoodphoto

View more of Paul's work and read his essays on photography on his website www.paulcabuts.com
Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulCabuts

Images © Brian Carroll

A talented and passionate landscape photographer, Joe has gained recognition and praise for his creative approach to presenting the his own work and that of other photographers in beautifully crafted handmade books using a variety of techniques, materials and binding.

Enjoy listening to our conversation with Joe below and look out for his future workshops in your area.

You can find out more about Joe's special edition books and popular book making workshops on his JW Editions website www.jweditions.co.uk and @JWEditions on Twitter.

Explore Joe's own photography on his website www.josephwright.co.uk and follow him on Twitter @joearwright

Follow his exploits amongst the Inside the Outside collective on their website inside-the-outside.com and follow them on Twitter @inside_the_out

Derek the Horseman from 'Gap in the Hedge'. © Dan Wood

Ffoton sat down with Dan to hear more about this large body of work and why the ’Bwlch-y-Clawdd’ (Gap in the Hedge) mountain pass connecting the Rhondda Valley to his birth town of Bridgend was something he needed to get out of his system.

Gap in the Hedge by Dan Wood

132 pp / 250 x 200mm
Hardback, natural cloth cover
Litho, 4-colour process
200gsm Satin paper
Edition of 500

Visit his website www.danwoodphoto.com
Follow Dan on Twitter @danwoodphoto and Instagram @danwoodphoto

The premiere screening last night (Friday 20th April) at The Martin Parr Foundation had a packed house and those attending weren't disappointed. Co-producers Grant Scott and Tim Pellatt created a very informative and touching tribute to Bill Jay - respected by many photographers and students in the UK where he was first editor of the influential Creative Camera magazine which ran from 1968–1969 before founding and editing twelve issues of the equally respected Album magazine from 1970-1971. Jay then moved to America in 1972 and founded the Photographic Studies program at Arizona State University, where he was professor of art history and taught photography history and criticism for 25 years.

To a wider community of photography enthusiasts, Bill Jay will be remembered as co-author with long-time close friend David Hurn on their popular book On Being a Photographer, first published in 1997 and still in print.

Ffoton's Brian Carroll caught up with Grant Scott to hear about the inspiration for making the film and his response to the audience reaction at the Premiere screening. Listen below...  

Conversations between presentation sessions at The Martin Parr Foundation. © Brian Carroll

A lovely moment of mutual respect: photographers and old friends Markéta Luskačová and David Hurn catch up after many years. © Brian Carroll

John Myers
Myers was shooting a mixture of portraits and urban landscapes in the Birmingham area in the 1970s in a project called ‘Middle England.’ He is currently working with RRB Photobooks to publish his full archive and their first book together, titled ‘The Portraits’,  will be launched on the 21st April to coincide with Myers’ talk.

Markéta Luskačová in conversation with Ken Grant
Luskačová has lived in London for almost 45 years and photographed in the East End in the 1970s. This work culminated in a show at the Whitechapel Gallery.

Peter Mitchell
Mitchell’s landmark colour exhibition ‘A New Refutation of the Viking 4 Mission’ was shown in 1979 at the Impressions Gallery, York. Peter will discuss the ideas and concepts behind this and his other bodies of work.

Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen
Finnish photographer Konttinen has lived and worked in the Newcastle area for nearly 50 years and is a co-founder of the Amber collective. She will talk about her Byker work from the 1970s which was recently acquired and shown by the Tate Modern. More recently Sirkka returned to Byker and photographed the new estate and it’s inhabitants that replaced the original community for her project Byker Revisited.

David Hurn in conversation with Martin Parr
Hurn was a pivotal figure of this decade, working both as a fashion photographer and  photojournalist.  At the time, his London flat was almost regarded as the creative hub of British photography. He will be in conversation with Martin Parr.

David Hurn in conversation with Martin Parr in the final session. Hurn had the audience entranced (and often in stitched with laughter) with his anecdotes, views and trademark frankness. © Brian Carroll

The resulting exhibition opened in the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay on Wednesday 31 May 2017 and included the presentation of photographic portraits and quotes extracted from the volunteers text contributions in response to a set of questions. The exhibition coincided with 2017's volunteer week and refugee week.

Having contacted Ffoton early on to let us know the project had been awarded Arts Council of Wales funding, we asked Nigel if he'd be agreeable to recording his thoughts and approach prior to starting photography and again on completion of the work. The audio clips below offer some insight to his enthusiasm, thoughts and intended approach before commencing the work; followed by his reflection on the final process and results.

View more of Nigel's work on his website www.nigelpugh.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @nspugh

Gallery images © Nigel Pugh. Used with permission of the photographer. Podcast images © Brian Carroll

Please note: Comments or views made by contributors are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team. See our Terms page for more details.

Glenn Edwards, photojournalist and Director of the EYE International Photography Festival, describes what to expect at the Northern Eye International Photography Festival - a new collaboration between the Oriel Colwyn photography gallery and Aberystwyth-based Eye Festival that is taking place in Colwyn Bay 14-15 October 2017.

Tickets for the full Festival weekend or individual days are now available.
Click the button below to grab one!

Take a look at the full Festival Programme and more information on associated events running through October on the Festival website www.northerneyefestival.co.uk

Follow them on Twitter @Northerneyefest

Banner image: The Los Angeles Recordings © Kwasi-Boyd-Bouldin (exhibition at the Northern Eye Festival)

Chuck Rapoport accepting his Award from NUJ South Wales' David Nicholson

We were delighted to be able to attend a special event at Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies on Thursday 18 May 2017 where the National Union of Journalists presented American photojournalist Chuck Rapoport with a unique Honorary Life Membership of its Cardiff and South East Wales branch as recognition of Chuck's sensitive 1966 Photo Essay on the Aberfan disaster for LIFE Magazine.

Chuck kindly agreed to Ffoton recording his speech for those photographers not present.

Chuck is our featured conversation through May 2017 here on Ffoton and you can listen to a great reflection on his career as a professional photojournalist by clicking the badge opposite.

You can also listen to other Ffoton recordings of Chuck whilst he was over in Wales for the 50th Anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster via this link

Redhouse, Merthyr Tydfil - venue for Chuck Rapoport's Digital exhibition on Aberfan 

The haunting photographs by American photojournalist I.C. Rapoport (known as Chuck) were captured over a six week period when he came to Wales on 29th October 1966 to record a photo essay idea he had pitched to the prestigious LIFE Magazine in New York titled, "A Town without Children".

Chuck Rapport talking with Ffoton Wales. © Brian Carroll

The issue of LIFE Magazine that carried Chuck's Aberfan photography on it's cover and 11 pages inside

Having met the exhibition's Producer Suzanne Grover at a special Aberfan conference in Cardiff, Ffoton offered to film the Preview of the exhibition launch at Redhouse on the evening of 12th September 2016 where Professor Dai Smith introduced Chuck Rapoport to an audience which included survivors of the disaster.

Ffoton are proud to publish this video record on the 50th Anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.

The images below are a selection of copies of spreads from the original LIFE Magazine edition that featured Chuck's photo essay on Aberfan, brought to Wales by the photographer for the Aberfan conference held at Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies.

Images © Chuck Rapoport, © Brian Carroll, @ Tracey Paddison and © Glyn Shakeshaft

On 21st October 2016 on the 50th Anniversary of the Aberfan tragedy we gave our homepage www.ffoton.wales over to a special recording of Chuck Rapoport made at the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. You can still see the tribute page at www.ffoton.wales/aberfan (and in Welsh www.ffoton.cymru) or just listen to the audio below.