Monday 28 September 2009

Feeling fine!

Citrus by Jo Bradford
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Morning All!!
I am still working hard, ploughing through my back catalogue, searching for forgotten treasures to hand over to Getty to look after for me..... It has been a cathartic experience looking through all those boxes of photos and dics, negatives, and old albums and slides, something I should have done years ago. It has really helped to focus my mind about what I am doing now, my plans for the near and distant future and so on. An added benefit is how great it feels to just get my studio tidied up - yes, I am actually filing everything away properly once I have checked it out, how frightfully organised of me!! I have never felt so uncluttered and clear of head.

On the subject of feeling clear headed, I am doing a detox at the moment, and I am a full week into it already. I have been drinking lots of water and fruit juice, eating regular small meals and avoiding caffeine and alcohol (sigh) too. I am already feeling the benefit, I have lots more energy and my hair and skin feel great!! Here's hoping this inspires you to do something soothing for body or soul too - I heartily recommend it!!

Love Jo
xoxo

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Tuesday 22 September 2009

Fashion Inspirations

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It is always nice to hear about my art turning up in weird and wonderful places. Thanks to Violetta who spotted my Sea Pinks picture and dropped me aline to let me know that back in June my Sea Pinks picture was used on ShopStyle as an inspiration palette for a little summer outfit by Medeous. Pretty girlie, but cute too :)

Forever 21 at ShopStyle

Thursday 17 September 2009

On the subject of friends...

What to do with a few bottles of wine and some very wet weather...


I am lucky to have some very talented, creative and beautiful individuals to call friends. The photos in todays post are all of my friend Rhiannon, who could definitely work as a model if she wasn't busy with her PhD in Biochemistry.

The make up for this shoot was done by another friend, Mairi Gordon, whose career as a make-up artist in on the up right now, and so it should be... her work is brilliant.
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Mairi and I will be making more work together over the coming months, as we had so much fun doing this with Rhiannon... So watch this space....
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See these pictures full size over at my Flickr....

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Contemplating friendship

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“Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus

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I love the ring of these words by French existentialist philosopher Albert Camus.

Camus was something of a James Dean character, whose life ended tragically early when his sports car collided with a tree. His wonderful words in the form of political essays, plays and short stories won him a Nobel Prize in his lifetime.

Literary masters aside.... I think friendship is just as beautifully summed up by the inimitable Charlie Brown in his words to Snoopy ...

“Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don't worry...I'm here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you."

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© Jo Bradford 2009, ALL CONTRIBUTED CONTENT, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Sunday 13 September 2009

Summer Dreams

© Jo Bradford 2009

Is that the date already?

I just can't believe that summer is nearly over....

Here in the UK, we are having something of an indian summer right now... So, as you can imagine, I am making the most of every last chance to get my fill of sunshine, blue skies, white fluffy clouds and warm(ish) evenings....

I hope that where ever you are in the world, that there has been a bit of sunshine in your life this weekend too!

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Summer Dreams {fine art photography by Jo Bradford}

Monday 7 September 2009

Polaroid, My Long Farewell...

© Jo Bradford 2009
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As the last ever Polaroid film reaches it's expiry date next month, the long farewell to a lifelong friend has begun for us Polamaniacs. I say long farewell because I have stocked up on over 100 boxes of (mostly out-of-date) Polaroid pack film. Due to it's age and the delicate nature of the chemicals, the film needs careful care to preserve it for as long as possible. I am not in a position to treat it to a cryogenic solution, so I have had to get an extra refrigerator for my studio, especially to store it all in. I will take my time using it - making sure each shot really counts and thereby dragging out my long goodbye for as long as possible.
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© Jo Bradford 2009
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For lovers of the integral type of Polaroid film (the consumer kind that pops out immediately and after a few seconds the exposure is ready), you can relax. As those ambitious guys of The Impossible Project have bought the Dutch integral film factory and are planning to put a new and improved version of the old Polaroid integral film into production in 2010. That's if they can get the design and manufacture sorted... they are currently having a hard time getting all the components to fit together and work as a whole.... If you have a mind for science, or know exactly where the guys can get their hands on a 2 micron thick layer of latex that can easily be coated onto a gelatin base, then get on over to their website and offer them your help. They are calling out for it... http://www.the-impossible-project.com/.

© Jo Bradford 2009

Sadly, for lovers of the good old peel-apart variety of Polaroid film, (professional pack film as it's also known), our days are numbered. The peel-apart factory in Mexico has not been bought by anyone, nor does it look like it can be salvaged now having been abandoned months ago. So it appears unlikely that this type of film will be resurrected. I am very sad indeed :(



© Jo Bradford 2009

So that is why last summer I bought up such vast stocks of it (basically every box I could get my hands on) before it disappeared from my life forever. And that's why I plan to use it slowly and wisely... it is already one or two years past it's expiry date - hence the dodgy colours and the mistyness, but I love it... and that's that!!© Jo Bradford 2009
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And finally, the Observer Newspaper, this weekend, gave eight of today's leading photographers a Polaroid camera for the day, and asked them to capture their final instant images to celebrate the fact that the last Polaroid films expire next month. Take a look at what Mary McCartney, Nan Goldin and Martin Parr did with theirs
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Have a good Monday my friends, Jo xoxo

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Saturday 5 September 2009

polamania abides

Hi Folks!
Let's hear it for the weekend!!


© Jo Bradford 2009
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Today has presented itself as another great chance to catch up on some more scanning of my backcatalogue while hubby is out at work and the weather is grey and lifeless...
I have unearthed several more boxes of polaroids - yes yes... I confess to comitting the cardinal sin of storing them in stacks in boxes... such a no-no!!

© Jo Bradford 2009
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So here are three fairly recent polaroids(circa May 2009), made with my Polaroid ProPack which has an ultra lo-fi plastic lens. The camera is a total bitch to use without getting spots of sun reflection on it's horrbily imperfect lens. This is what causes those strangely eerie, ghostly pale markings on the pictures. One has to just accept that you will have them in the image and go with it, all part of the ProPack charm!!
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© Jo Bradford 2009
I love how polaroids look, the way they seem to embody memories, dreams and childhood recollections. And best of all I love the process.... the peel apart film, that blue stinky caustic gook of clothes and skin ruining chemicals.... and of course the time to contemplate life while waiting for the exposures to "cook". That's what combines to make it all feel so much more like real photography than digital sensors and micro chips.
Enjoy :)
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Thursday 3 September 2009

Adventures with Pinhole

I'm feeling pretty chilled today, listening to the wonderful sounds of Grizzly Bear, Devendra Banhart, the Notwist and Andrew Bird, a wonderful soundtrack as I busy myself scanning some work made over the past few years in good old analogue styleee It has been heart-warming and satisfactory in so many ways to come across lots of work I had forgotten I had made as I continue to unpack boxes of work into my new studio after my recent move.
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Back in 2007 I was running workshops out of Green Island Studios where my students would make their own pinhole in my darkroom in the morning and then in the afternoon we would go to the local woods to make use of them. Day two would involve processing and printing their creations. A great time was had by all!!!© Jo Bradford 2007
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Here is a taste in the form of a fun bit of colour chemistry paper and a homemade pinhole camera made from a shortbread biscuit tin with a hole in the lid. The hole is covered with a small cutout section of a coke (soda) can that has a pinhole punched in it, which is taped to the biscuit tin.
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I taped this biscuit tin to an old tripod using a ton of gaffer tape and used it demonstrate how to make an exposure to the assembled group in a nearby woodland beauty spot. I stood on the bridge over a fast running stream that meanders through the woods to make this exposure. You can see the stream has a small waterfall in it and the exposure was just long enough to achieve a smoothed over blur as the water rushed over the rocks on it's way to the sea
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Wednesday 2 September 2009

phoenix like

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Well I really thought I had killed my beloved Pinstripe Orchid when I moved recently. The poor thing must have hated the vibrations and winding country lanes in the back of the van... I guess it is no way for such a glorious creature to travel!!
Anyway, within 48 hours of moving she had dropped all of her flowers and was looking very sorry for herself. Thankfully, I can report that 8 weeks later, after a lot of gentle nurturing and coaxing (and a new sunny spot in the windowsill), she has produced a whole new stem of flower buds and the first three opened this week.... yeay!!
My beauty is back, long may she reign as queen of my houseplants
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