Photographic Visual Feast

I recently visited two astounding exhibitions and thought I’d share my enthusiasm for them with you.

First was the ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008′ at the Natural History Museum, London. I visit this every year and it really is one of my favorite yearly events. Not only is it a celebration of the phenomenons of nature and photographic skills, but it is deeply evocative. I feel the same pang of wonderment and awe looking at the photographs as I do when I watch documentaries such as Planet Earth. We are so extra-ordinarily lucky to have these stunning images of events which many of us shall never witness, at our fingertips. Many of the photographers spend weeks and even months staking out an animal just to capture one momentous shot. I truly am in awe of nature and in awe of the dedication of these artists. If you don’t have the opportunity to visit the exhibition then I urge you to purchase the catalogue online.

The second exhibition was ‘Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990–2005′ at the National Portrait Gallery, London. It included over 150 photographs by the celebrated photographer, interweaving her professional work and autobiographical images. From her more well known images of celebrity figures such as the famous photo of a nude pregnant Demi Moore to the deeply touching documentorial shots of her dear friend’s battle with cancer. It was a well executed exhibition yet I have mixed feelings about her work. Whilst there are a few elements of her style that are not to my personal taste, there is no doubt that she is a very talented photographer. The way in which she can at times, in a simple portrait, portray the person behind the eyes leaves the viewer breathless. In spite of this I did feel that she is somewhat over-rated. Yet perhaps that is my ignorance as I really know very little about the history of the art of photography.

The exhibition did get me all fired up about portraits though and it’s certainly something I would like to gain more practice in. It is such a fine art and is so very difficult to do well that I am intimidated by it…I shall add it to the list of techniques to explore.