Derek Galon

My art and photography have been significantly influenced over the last eight years by three photographers in specific. I have written about this before in previous modules of this course. I was explaining it to my tutor, who said I needed to write it up clearly here as it explained a lot to her about my motivation and my source of learning.

I was going to post some links to the previous comments, but sadly the majority were on my art of photography blog which seems to have been flushed as it was on the wordpress.org server, not my current one.

So I want to clarify the subject here.

My three influences have been:

• Kirsty Mitchell
• Brooke Shaden
• Derek Galon

I came across each of these photographers during my degree studies, and each has had a profound effect on me, in every case, I found myself trying to figure out how on earth they did that.

In my nieve state, I always assumed it was some kind of filter, but the truth is much deeper than that.

Let me start by showing you an image from each photographer:

Derek Galon

I spent much time studying their work and analysing how it was done, let me cut to the chase and explain where I got to.

Kirsty Mitchel is my set, prop and costume designer, she gets most of her results by spending hours making costumes props and building sets to stage her epic productions.

Brooke Shaden is my painter; she shoots her images and cuts pastes and composites them together using layers and masks and colour grading to create the fantastic images she produces.

Derek Galon is my lighting guru, his images use lighting on each group to perfect Curacao. Derek shot each part with its own unique lighting then composited the groups together. The effect was a photograph that looks like an oil painting.

I have no desire to copy any of these artist work. I simply want to create a form of fantastical art and adopt some of these ideas that will allow me to create my own art and style.

From the beginning of the course, many of the tutors would talk about finding your voice. I think I have wasted too much time looking for my voice or trying to develop it, I am starting to see that I should work with my influences and make work that I enjoy the voice will come by itself when its least looked for.

I wonder if it would be more productive for new students if no one told them about the voice and just let it happen. I think someone told me that years ago but the cork was out of the bottle and once the genie is out you cannot stop yourself looking for that elusive voice.