RECORDING SKI CULTURE
For thousands of years man has made marks upon the land, legacies of his activity and occupation, expressions of his cultural identity. Some remnants of ski culture will be left to archeology - earthworks, dot-to-dot puzzles formed of the foundations for lift system support towers; but the most aesthetic signatures made by skiers are lost over-and-over to the transience of winter. Photography has a special role as a means of recording ski landscapes and there’s a sense of urgency to do so, because ski culture is being stalked menacingly by the spectre of climate change. Certainly, there are days when I travel to the mountains with a heavy heart, for they are an unfortunate barometer of the veritable meltdown we’ve effected. The cause and effect time lag associated with greenhouse gas emissions, means that trends in glacial melt and shortening winters are unlikely to be reversed any time soon, so I’m profoundly aware that images I record today are snapshots in an accelerating process of change, records of places that are likely to look different tomorrow.
NOTABLE INFLUENCES
I have dipped in to and out of this project, as time and resources have permitted, and thus it has already been some time in the making. Along the way I have come to recognise three particular influences from my formative years that have shaped my approach in Coldplaces:
Ansel Adams - not only for his photographs and technical mastery, but as much for his dedication, work ethic and activism as an environmentalist. Adams once remarked - "A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into." When I chanced upon the quote again recently it seemed poignant, for the still image provides as an antidote to the high-octane visual stimulus of the modern day, affording the possibility of unhurried contemplation. Pictures in print - in books and journals, and hung on walls, provide for moments of immersion and escape and the case for them must be as strong as ever. Ultimately these are the destinations that I am seeking for my photographs. For the moment, I'm happy that I can share them here.
Samivel (Paul Gayet-Tancrède) - for his delicate and beautifully composed Alpine watercolours.
'Remains of Elmet' - the collaboration between poet Ted Hughes and photographer Fay Godwin that legitimises the role of creative writing as a response to a photographic image.
METHOD
Before digital photography, shooting black & white was a deliberate creative choice, a commitment at the point of loading film into the camera. It required visualisation of a scene in grey tones and the choice of subjects with attributes that transcend the kaleidoscope of colours that is our reality. B&W was the photographic language I learned and remain attached to. Fortunately, it fits well to winter landscapes, which can be little more than monochromatic to begin with, and it serves to emphasise the subtle form, shades and textures of settled snow against the stark outlines and shapes of rocks and ski infrastructure. Long may we be blessed with white in winter!
The photographs featured were taken through a fixed focal length telephoto lens, not the typical choice for landscape photography perhaps, but suited to the way that we observe life - via the surprisingly small focal window in our field of view. I enjoy the simplicity of this single lens approach, and the way it makes me look for, and frame, images.