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| (C) Jane Bown |
This book, published in 2015, shows an all round set of
images by an exceptional photographer. I
had to wait over 6 weeks to get a copy from my local library and there was such
a wait list that I was unable to renew it to make a better study of it.
I was very interested in her quote that ‘some people take
pictures, I find them’. Jane’s images
are mainly formal and reserved that allows the viewer to identify with
them. Many times I’ve looked at images
by ‘famous photographers’ that completely distort the person from what would
show their real personality. Jane says,
in the book, that she’s a ‘one-shot photographer and always has been’. In fact, taking portrait pictures you have to
be ready to catch a quick change of facial image which can take place in a
minute. You might well have been waiting
for that image throughout the sitting and there’s only one chance to grab it.
Jane was expected to change to colour pictures in the 1960s
but never really enjoyed the change as printing all her own work, she felt that
there was no control over coloured images than black and white. During my level 1 work in Portraiture my
tutor compared some of my work to that of Jane’s. When I explored her work I
had to agree that it was in a similar genre.
I find her portraits of people especially fascinating when
they are staring straight at the camera.
This makes for a very strong image and even with her image entitled
‘Teddy Bear Exhibition’ in 1979 she had the bears staring at the camera. It can be very difficult to catch that exact
moment that makes the image and Jane captures the moment time and again. Even her own self-portrait had her looking
straight at the camera holding her own favourite camera.
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| (C) Jane Bown |
I’ve found this collection of images very strong and can
identify my own portrait style, be it a formal studio setting or reportage
style on the streets is very similar to Jane’s.
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