Neil Graham-Cameron & Sioned Eleri BA (Hons)
Interview
Profile
Biography
Gallery
Copyright of images belongs to the Artist.
Copyright of interview belongs to Ovenden
Contemporary (Art Promotions) Limited. Any
un-authorised use is strictly prohibited. All
rights are reserved.
(c) 2008 Ovenden Contemporary (Art Promotions)
Limited
Craig: Do you have favourite shots by each
other?
Sion: I certainly do have my favourites from amongst Neil's pictures, although they might vary a bit depending on mood.
Neil: You like my Prague shots, don't you?
Sion: Yes, I particularly like those photos, because of the wonderful texture that can be seen in the buildings and building elements,windows especially. I think my current favourite is a shot of some steps taken in Cambridge. Its a black and white image, and I love the way the light falls on the stone..its one I can look at often without getting tired of it.
We reach Magdelene Bridge (pronounced morderlin) over the River Cam where all the boat trip companies operate from. The river front is surrounded by restaurants with busy terraces and the whole place is absolutely heaving with people today. Although it's only March, the air is less chilly than it has been and the Sun is glorious this morning. It's a good day to be in Cambridge. We stop on the bridge and look across to the Quayside where tourists are being fought over by more desperate 'punt reps'.
Craig: And what about you Neil? You have favourites of Sion's work?
Neil: Oh yes, very much so! There is a frame on our website called 'Sunblock' which I think is brilliant, a punch in the eye to view - enormous impact. 'Window' is another shot that captures different depths of the window image. It is beautifully composed with the patterns at two levels -on wall and pews- seen as both soft and sharp but still very much 'belonging' to each other.
Sion and Neil have been together for a good while now and married last summer in Norfolk. I wonder if their personal relationship has an effect on the images they produce.
Craig: Is your 'photography' relationship symbiotic or competitive? Would you be doing the same things with cameras if you weren't together or do you feed off each other?
Sion: Not sure its a strictly either-or thing. There is a bit of competition; I think that's only natural, as we're both out seeing the same things.
Neil: Yes, I agree. We do things together so, by definition, personal influences are brought to bear.
Sion: My picture taking has changed a little since we got together, in that it's become more architectural - I'm pretty sure that's due to Neil's influence. There's more shape and less landscape these days, concentrating more on light and lines rather than views and trees. I suppose that could be seen as symbiosis of sorts.
Neil: Nevertheless, we strongly maintain our independent creative thinking whilst following the eye of the person taking the picture. Individuality does express itself when we return to base with a mix of subjects taken by us as individuals.
Craig: It sounds like you get the best of both worlds really?
Sion: I certainly do have my favourites from amongst Neil's pictures, although they might vary a bit depending on mood.
Neil: You like my Prague shots, don't you?
Sion: Yes, I particularly like those photos, because of the wonderful texture that can be seen in the buildings and building elements,windows especially. I think my current favourite is a shot of some steps taken in Cambridge. Its a black and white image, and I love the way the light falls on the stone..its one I can look at often without getting tired of it.
We reach Magdelene Bridge (pronounced morderlin) over the River Cam where all the boat trip companies operate from. The river front is surrounded by restaurants with busy terraces and the whole place is absolutely heaving with people today. Although it's only March, the air is less chilly than it has been and the Sun is glorious this morning. It's a good day to be in Cambridge. We stop on the bridge and look across to the Quayside where tourists are being fought over by more desperate 'punt reps'.
Craig: And what about you Neil? You have favourites of Sion's work?
Neil: Oh yes, very much so! There is a frame on our website called 'Sunblock' which I think is brilliant, a punch in the eye to view - enormous impact. 'Window' is another shot that captures different depths of the window image. It is beautifully composed with the patterns at two levels -on wall and pews- seen as both soft and sharp but still very much 'belonging' to each other.
Sion and Neil have been together for a good while now and married last summer in Norfolk. I wonder if their personal relationship has an effect on the images they produce.
Craig: Is your 'photography' relationship symbiotic or competitive? Would you be doing the same things with cameras if you weren't together or do you feed off each other?
Sion: Not sure its a strictly either-or thing. There is a bit of competition; I think that's only natural, as we're both out seeing the same things.
Neil: Yes, I agree. We do things together so, by definition, personal influences are brought to bear.
Sion: My picture taking has changed a little since we got together, in that it's become more architectural - I'm pretty sure that's due to Neil's influence. There's more shape and less landscape these days, concentrating more on light and lines rather than views and trees. I suppose that could be seen as symbiosis of sorts.
Neil: Nevertheless, we strongly maintain our independent creative thinking whilst following the eye of the person taking the picture. Individuality does express itself when we return to base with a mix of subjects taken by us as individuals.
Craig: It sounds like you get the best of both worlds really?
continued....
A double decker bus passes over the bridge,
interrupting our conversation which causes me to
suggest that we walk through Quayside and along
the river towards Jesus Green. It's a lovely
walk- the footpath is actually a timber jetty
suspended from the side of the buildings along
the river. The apartments in this building enjoy
a spectacular view across the river and over to
Magdalene College. As we walk along the jetty in
single file, I continue.
Craig: I'd like to talk more about the work you do now. It's an obvious thing to say, but you both seem to delight at sunlight and shadow- you've just said Neil that you love the way that light falls onto an object. Is that what it's all about for you both- light and shade?
Neil: Photography is light...
Sion: Well, there is a quote about photography being a process of fixing the shadows so, yes, I would say that's what we tend to concentrate on. Light, shadow, shape and form-my photography concentrates more and more on these basic elements these days, and I suppose it has become more abstract as a result. Rather than creating specific pictures, I like to think of them more as 'found' images.
Neil: The joy to me is that on any of three hundred and sixty five days, the same place or object will offer a different picture.
Craig: You come here a lot don't you?
Neil: We 'do' Cambridge a lot as we love the city and taking an average year, we probably visit it to take pictures on forty or more days.
Craig: Any other favourite places to photograph?
Neil: Away from Cambridge we tend to move into Norfolk and explore the byways. Again, the type of weather, the direction and height of the sun et al, might mean another mile or so at 15mph or the application of the brakes and a look around! We don't have particular pictures in mind when we set out - but we like to seek out images that are less than obvious.
Craig: What about life photography- people, in particular?
Neil: We do like people pics but the paranoia surrounding taking such shots had intruded into the decision making process. Go back a while and you could photograph virtually anything, child, public building you name it, and you were not seen as some sort of a threat!
Craig: Political correctness is restricting life photography?
Sion: Well, a bit maybe, unfortunately. The photographic press usually has a story every week of photographers being asked for ID if they're taking pictures in public spaces. It is a subject I'd like to do more with, if I can summon up the courage to ask people whether they mind!
Neil: Sion has a few really inspired shots- the 'Old Man With Pipe' reminds us both of what might be described as a typical Cartier Bresson street picture.
Sion: Some of my favourite images by other photographers are people pictures.
Craig: Anyone in particular?
Sion: Yes, Robert Doisneau, for instance. He took some fantastic shots of people and children which I never tire of. I don't do a lot of this myself though as Neil has just said, it's not so easy these days. Although the beauty of Cambridge is that every other person is carrying a camera, so you don't stand out so much.
Craig: Who else do you admire or respect?
Neil: There are a number of photographers we admire, including Elliot Erwitt, Eugene Atget, Alvarez Bravo... Sion's already mentioned Doisneau and I think we'd both agree that he's our favourite - at the moment, at least!
Craig: What is it about Doisneau?
Neil: There's a humour and joyfulness in his images - especially his pictures of ordinary Parisians - that leaps from the page when you look at them. Some may have been staged, but also he was such a familiar part of the society where he was taking pictures that people relaxed and didn't seem to notice the camera.
Craig: I'd like to talk more about the work you do now. It's an obvious thing to say, but you both seem to delight at sunlight and shadow- you've just said Neil that you love the way that light falls onto an object. Is that what it's all about for you both- light and shade?
Neil: Photography is light...
Sion: Well, there is a quote about photography being a process of fixing the shadows so, yes, I would say that's what we tend to concentrate on. Light, shadow, shape and form-my photography concentrates more and more on these basic elements these days, and I suppose it has become more abstract as a result. Rather than creating specific pictures, I like to think of them more as 'found' images.
Neil: The joy to me is that on any of three hundred and sixty five days, the same place or object will offer a different picture.
Craig: You come here a lot don't you?
Neil: We 'do' Cambridge a lot as we love the city and taking an average year, we probably visit it to take pictures on forty or more days.
Craig: Any other favourite places to photograph?
Neil: Away from Cambridge we tend to move into Norfolk and explore the byways. Again, the type of weather, the direction and height of the sun et al, might mean another mile or so at 15mph or the application of the brakes and a look around! We don't have particular pictures in mind when we set out - but we like to seek out images that are less than obvious.
Craig: What about life photography- people, in particular?
Neil: We do like people pics but the paranoia surrounding taking such shots had intruded into the decision making process. Go back a while and you could photograph virtually anything, child, public building you name it, and you were not seen as some sort of a threat!
Craig: Political correctness is restricting life photography?
Sion: Well, a bit maybe, unfortunately. The photographic press usually has a story every week of photographers being asked for ID if they're taking pictures in public spaces. It is a subject I'd like to do more with, if I can summon up the courage to ask people whether they mind!
Neil: Sion has a few really inspired shots- the 'Old Man With Pipe' reminds us both of what might be described as a typical Cartier Bresson street picture.
Sion: Some of my favourite images by other photographers are people pictures.
Craig: Anyone in particular?
Sion: Yes, Robert Doisneau, for instance. He took some fantastic shots of people and children which I never tire of. I don't do a lot of this myself though as Neil has just said, it's not so easy these days. Although the beauty of Cambridge is that every other person is carrying a camera, so you don't stand out so much.
Craig: Who else do you admire or respect?
Neil: There are a number of photographers we admire, including Elliot Erwitt, Eugene Atget, Alvarez Bravo... Sion's already mentioned Doisneau and I think we'd both agree that he's our favourite - at the moment, at least!
Craig: What is it about Doisneau?
Neil: There's a humour and joyfulness in his images - especially his pictures of ordinary Parisians - that leaps from the page when you look at them. Some may have been staged, but also he was such a familiar part of the society where he was taking pictures that people relaxed and didn't seem to notice the camera.