Space as a sign of maturity

Tonight I'm listening to the 'new' album by Kate Bush. I'm a fan. The album in question is a re-interpretation of previous songs from two of her albums. I think it's a lovely effort, which shows someone who's much more comfortable and able to let a lot more space into her music than she did back in the 90's. Her voice has matured a lot and some of the songs had to be transposed down to fit her new lower register.

I bring all this up because I think there's a lot of parallels to what Kate's done revisiting her older work and what most artists do as they get more experienced. And that is the subject of giving your work more space.

If you suffer from low confidence in what you do, you'll tend to over complicate things, and make images too busy. Certainly, I've had many a correspondence from photographer's telling me that they find it hard to shoot 'minimalist' landscapes, finding it a 'frightening' experience. I certainly think that if I look back at my own work, I started out making busy images. It's a natural thing to do. Our first efforts are of recording 'scenery', and as we progress, we stop thinking about 'scenery', like bridges, mountains, streams and start to think about form, tonality and the relationships between them all inside our frame. And I think, as we progress further, we start to seek out space in our work, because space provides simplicity.

We know how to say what we want to say, and we need a lot less 'props' with which to do it.

I think that's what Kate Bush has been doing with her reworked songs. They have a lot more space to 'just be themselves'. Less of the production where there's so much going on that you can't take it all in. Now you can. And it's much more satisfying for it too.

So I'd like to put forward my argument that space in an artists work, is a sign of maturity. Knowing when to leave be, when to let something be blank and empty shows confidence. Like someone who's just happy to be in your company but doesn't feel the need to fill the space with chat. The experience is a much more natural one.

But above all else, space shows that the artist has been able to distill the essence of the image and remove anything that does not add, help or support the main message. The work becomes bolder because of that space. It's something to work towards.

Museo Silver Rag

Today I went into my office to pick up some things, and found that I'd had a delivery of Museo Silver Rag paper.... just waiting for my Epson 4880 to arrive this week, along with the RIP and it's going to be fun and games for a while I think.

Iceland (Storyville) BBC iPlayer

If you live in the UK, or have access to some of the programmes on the BBC iPlayer, then I can think of nothing better, than to suggest you look at "Last Days of the Arctic: Capturing the Faces of the North".

I was recommended this from a blog participant (thanks Jeremy), last week, but since i was away on the Outer Hebrides, I didn't have access to the internet (thanks to a severe lack of javaScript on Steve Jobs amazing iPad - claimed to be the ultimate web experience, if you're only interested in 2/3rds of the internet that is - ahem).

So please watch the 'storyville'. It's excellent and it has given me some more inspiration for my forthcoming return trip to Iceland this December / January (more on that later).

Back from my holidays

Well, just a short post tonight to say that I'm home from the outer Hebrides. I cycled from Barra to Stornoway in 2 days, which was quite an achievement for me, as I've never cycle 'toured' before. So I wasn't sure how I'd get on with the panniers. But I'm a keen cyclist and I'm used to doing around 40 miles on an outing.

So why am I telling you this? Well, partly because I'm very chuffed ( and I gotta tell somebody! ), but also because I'm headed back to Norway this summer to cycle tour and make some photos. It seemed like a nice way to combine two interests.

Getting to see the landscape from a saddle, rather than a car window, is preferable. I know many photogs ( Inc myself ) who have spent ages driving around and not finding anything worth shooting.

Getting out of the car and heading for a walk will solve that. So too, will cycling.

Next week it's Epson 4880 arrival time. I'm looking forward to getting my studio all set up.

Off on my holidays

I'm off tomorrow to cycle the outer hebrides - Barra to Stornoway over a week or so. It's only 131 miles so it should be a rather comfortable trip! See you all when I get back. I get my Epson 4880 printer delivered in just under 2 weeks time, so I will be back home for that at the very latest.

Until then, have a nice time, wherever you are, doing whatever you're doing.

2nd Lofoten Photographic Safari Sold Out

Dearl, all, Just a quick post today (as I'm currently on the Isle of Harris conducting a workshop) to let you know that the 2nd (and last) photographic safari to Lofoten, Norway for 2012 is now sold out.

I'd like to thank you all for your keen interest in this trip.

There will be news in the next month or so about some further 'world-wide' photographic trips which will be announced firstly in my monthly news letter.

If you haven't subscribed to my news letter and would like to know about these trips when they are announced, then you can do it here.

Thanks once again. I've been blown away by the level of interest for this trip.

2nd Lofoten Photographic Safari - March 2012

Due to popular demand (the February trip to Lofoten, Norway sold out in a matter of a few hours), I've organised a second trip for March 18th to the 24th. The price is £1295. I had a few people on the waiting list, and so far, three of them confirmed they are coming in March with me.

So this leaves 1 space left.

If you'd like to come, then you can review the trip details here but please bear in mind that the dates are 18th of March to the 24th of March inclusive of travel days. I have not advertised this single space on this workshop page because I want to give people on my blog first option.

if you decide you want to come - please email me and the first full-commitment email I receive will be considered the final place taker for this trip.

I'd like to thank everyone for their interest in this trip. It's blown me away just how much interest there has been in it.

This is the last workshop in Norway for 2012.

Lofoten Islands Photographic Safari, Feb 2012

Today I just announced via my news letter, that I'm doing a six day photographic safari in Lofoten next February. I just thought I'd let you know that it is now sold out.

I may put on a second trip, so please let me know by putting yourself on the waiting list.

This is the first announcement about some 'worldwide' photographic trips that are in the pipeline. Hopefully some more concrete news at the end of May.

Lofoten Islands Podcast

I don't do many podcasts. They're quite time consuming, but above all, I can only do them when I have something to say. Sometimes, what I have to say, isn't immediately obvious and in terms of the Lofoten islands, which I visited this March, it took me a good month to figure out what it was, about this place, that made a big impression on me.

Speaking to a friend of mine recently, we discussed my trip and it became apparent that what had affected me the most was how the seasons felt very out of step.

Let me explain. In Scotland winter tends to come to a drawn out close around April and sometimes as late as May. But when I was heading off to Lofoten in March, there were sure signs of Spring in the air here. The sun was out and it was t-shirt territory. I even felt I had a 'spring in my step' too (not bad for a 43 year old!).

Lofoten Islands, Norway from Bruce Percy on Vimeo.

Now consider that just shortly after arriving in Lofoten, I stood in a petrol station in the town of Leknes, waiting for my bus to arrive to take me to Reine, and outside, all I could see was a snow blizzard hammer relentlessly against the window. I do remember thinking 'oh, what have I got myself into this time?' and I wondered if I'd been really foolish to come to such an amazingly desolate environment (I use this term with no exaggeration - Norway, above the arctic circle at this time of year is an extremely harsh place to live).

Anyway, as the podcast shows, it's also a very beautiful place and I certainly felt as though I'd taken a step back in time a few months, right into the depths of winter.

It was an absorbing experience to feel like an outsider, looking in on a season that was very much alive and real to the friends and locals I met in Lofoten, but had become very much a thing of the past for me.

I'll be releasing my future podcasts (including this one) on Vimeo, because it allows me to give you an HD version with nice viewing controls. You can also find my other podcasts on Vimeo as well in 720 HD mode, so enjoy (and if you'd like to leave some nice comments on Vimeo - even better :-)

I do hope you enjoy this podcast. Lofoten is an extremely beautiful place. It has two faces, a stunningly beautiful summer face and a dramatic winter face. That is why I am headed back there this mid-summer, to photograph the night (11 till 5am brings beautiful light). Now where did I put my eye-patches?