Musical inspirations when shooting LF

[Ian Grant]

Many years ago on a workshop in the Quantock hills I had no inclination to make images and wandered off, bumping into John Blakemore sat on a log smoking, we had a productive discussion but neither of made a single image.

I've been a Steve Winwood fan sine "Hole in My Shoe" as a teenager but find the Traffic song "Sometimes I'm Uninspired" quite cathartic but it summed up how I felt when talking to John Blakemore - something we both agreed on - we were in a place that had no interest to us. I quite like to listen to the track (I have 2 versions) it's apt, sometimes you have a good day make many images, others few or even none

When on a roll it's "Low Spark of the High-heel Boys" reminds me of the 70's when I always wore Cowboy boots with metal studs It's really about the confidence when your out shooting, it's the quiet confident click of the heel.

Music's always around us, on a recent FADU.PHOTRIO weekend and a day on the Severn Valley Railway a well known blues musician saw my Wista/tripod/360mm lens and came across to talk, his 60's backing singer has become more famous. Lets jus say is hi 6o's hit single is the last thing you'd want

Ian

 

[Alan Clark]

Yes, music can be a great inspiration. If you fall flat in the mud when shouldering a big 10 x 8 camera and heavy back-pack, don't worry. Just whistle a few bars of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, and you will soon find that you are back on your feet.

If you like to photograph still life, but are out of ideas, Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges is sure to be inspiring.

On a more serious note, if you like to photograph trees, then listen to Sibelius' final masterpiece, Tapiola. Even the inscription on the score is inspiring.
"Wide-spread they stand, the Northland's dusky forests. Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams....

If you are having a bad day you could always turn to Delius. His opera "A Village Romeo and Juliette" has an orchestral interlude "A walk to the Paradise Garden" This isn't quite what it seems. The Paradise Garden is the name of a pub. So if you have had a hard day out with your camera and have nothing to show for your efforts, you could always be inspired by Delius and take a walk to your nearest Paradise Garden. If you see me in there, mine's a pint of Black Sheep...

When I was out taking photographs yesterday, Aaron Copeland's score to the ballet "Billy the Kid" came on the car radio. If you can't afford the exorbitant price of a box of Ilford film, then you might well be inspired by Copeland and Billy the Kid - and rob a bank! You never know, a good haul might get you enough to buy a 25 sheet box of 10 x 8 HP5.

Happy listening!

Alan