#` ✞ portraiture. ⁞ the beguiling subjects of london times.

[sunlessea]

♡ adrien character ref @londonfallen did for me as a gift cuz i've been having a rough few weeks i'm :') not pictured me having to crop the shirtless ref bc i'm afraid tumblr would axe it but KJENRMH ADRIEN THE MAN THAT U ARE...

› ADRIEN ROSARIO / "THE WRETCHED"

[degreeprojectjg]

Carl Bigmore Art Talk

Carl Bigmore is a documentary photographer with a preoccupation for environmental portraiture and landscapes, exploring the realms of fact and fiction, alongside the relationship between individuals and their surroundings.

His work is primary focused on  the relationship between people and place.  He is particularly interested in how people relate to their environment during a period of rapid ecological change.

Throughout this personal projects, he creates work around people and place. In his work, ‘Between Two Mysteries’. A photographic exploration of the Pacific Northwest of America. The body of work seeks the elusive space between the real and imagined. That place that is indefinable and mysterious, much like the beguiling landscape of the Pacific Northwest itself.

Grounded in creating a sense of place his work explores the space between fact and fiction to capture an essence beyond the everyday. His approach to photography is infused with the influence of film and music where tone and atmosphere are just as integral as narrative.

Art Talk Notes

-Studied BA Photography at UH in 2006

-Studied MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the London College of Communication in 2014

-Always been around photography, his granddad worked for Kodak. In his early years, he worked at various photo labs at London.

-Photo assisted various photographers such as Sam Faulkner (documentary & war photographer) where he scanned, assisted in production, archive storage etc

-Worked at Apple Records where the company handled archive of The Beatle’s work where his role was a archivist/ photo technician where he had to scan film and handled all the archive of the photographs of the band. Did this for about 7 years

-Through his job, he created mini projects that explored the lifestyle and the garden one of the band member

-Then, he wanted to pursue his own photography, wanted to have more flexibility in his schedule where he could purse his personal projects. Through his network, he was able to get an offer from The Sunday Times where he now works as a picture editor and researcher.

-Now, he’s able to balance his work at The Sunday Times and his pursuit of his personal projects in his spare time

-Has self-published a small run of Between Two Mysteries which was quite successful in it’s run

- Network of people is always really helpful for gaining access to new work

“I have a background in documentary but I don’t consider myself to be a photojournalist. I like to be out and about making pictures but I take a slower approach, usually making portraits and landscapes. Although increasingly that’s changing, and my images of people are becoming a bit more spontaneous whilst retaining an air of quietness. The key for me is taking pictures that have an emotional resonance. It’s not something that’s easily described. But that’s why I take pictures; to articulate those experiences and feelings that seem limited by words.”

Awards

2018- Shortlisted, Athens Photo Festival

2017- Winner, Magnum/Photo London Graduate Photographers Award

2016- Winner, Royal Photographic Society/The Photographic Angle Environmental Bursary

Nominated, Magnum/Photo London Graduate Photographers Award

2015

Shortlisted, Bar Tur Photobook Award

Winner, The Louis Roederer Foundation Student Public Award, Planche(s) Contact

Shortlisted, Royal Photographic Society/The Photographic Angle Environmental Bursary

Shortlisted, Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award Arles

Winner, Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Emerging Talent

Shortlisted, European Publishers Award for Photography

Nominated, Magnum/Photo London Graduate Photographers Award

Winner, Metro Imaging Mentorship Prize

2013

Shortlisted, Joan Wakelin Bursary

2011

Nominated, Peoples Choice Award Blurb Books’ “Photography Book Now”

Publications

2017

A Place Both Wonderful and Strange, Fuego Books

Unseen London, Hoxton Mini Press

2015

Magenta Flash Forward, Emerging Photographers

2014

Between Two Mysteries, Self-Published

For Bigmore, photography books seems to be a big influence in his work, he has self published his own book, often it’s his main goal of a project, in which he explores the storytelling and the narrative aspect of the work. 

Always keen on photography, it seems like he has always been into photography, it’s his main passion and interest. Working from early on has certainly helped me to stay occupied and interested within photography. In which, he was able to amass a sufficient working experience within photography to be able to stay within the creative industry whether that’s assisting, working in labs, archiving or working as a photo editor. Aside from his commissions and jobs, he focuses his spare time on personal projects which he finds more joy and solace in. Through this, he has managed to culminate a wide body of work that explores similar themes with various subject matter ranging from the wild west of America to documenting the European Belt. He’s always constantly creating work, always curious.

Things to Take Away

-Pro activeness= Despite being in full time jobs and life after University, he is still fascinated and still pursues his personal interests vigorously. He’s currently working several new projects which he works on in his spare time, whilst also promoting them to social media and potential clients.

-Competitions= Enter competitions, open calls, getting your work out there. Through this, Bigmore was able to lots of exposure, which then snowballed into paid jobs. It’s his drive to get his work out there that drives him, to get more people interested in his subject matter, to share.

- Show work and remind photo editors of your work= Constant critique from your peers and networking is key to growth. Not just photographers, but also photo editors who gets you paid jobs. Since he's a documentary photographer, he tries to get grants from his personal projects that drives him to pursue photography. As well as pitching/ presenting his work to various publications to get more recognised.

-Drive for personal projects= t’s important to have your personal interests that motivate you to keep on going. It’s the ideas or concept that will push you forward in long term. Whilst he worked as for an archivist for Apple Records, he still managed to find time and interest for his photography, where he took photographs of one of the band member’s vast garden.

-Keep experimenting despite low gears= Fancy things or technique doesn’t attract him, he uses minimal gear with a clear focus on subject matter which he manages to effectively highlight in his projects. He uses a simple, 1958 Rolleiflex, 6x6 Twin Reflex Camera. With a focus on his subject and a drive for documenting his subject matter with minimal gear and equipment, he has been able to amass an impressive portfolio early on up until now.

American Diner

-Cohesive work= Even his commercial /commissioned work seems to be very much influenced by his personal projects. For example for his work as shown above, American Diner in which he documented an American Diner all around UK. He was able to amass a body of work that centred around the diner and then he was able to get commissioned from the project in which he got his work published in various magazines. Even after producing work, he still manages to find ways he can get exposure and commissions through it.

-Planning for the future / accumulating a big body of work= Even early on his career, it seems he has somehow accumulated a cohesive body of work, despite his commercial work, this still relates back to his personal projects. From early on, you can clearly sense a clear journey towards where he is now, which he has honed and refined through his career. 

[sunlessea]

it's a lot like romeo & juliet ass losers ...

cassius ashburnum & mr nests ❤️ / art credit @londonfallen

[sunlessea]

❝ THE SAVIOURS OF LOVE,

mr i.rons & elysium mr a.pples / @londonfallen , c

[sunlessea]

MR M.IRRORS & MR W.INES ♡

it's my birthday todAAAY AND LOOK WHAT @londonfallen DREW FOR ME 😭😭 I'M SO NORMAL ABOUT THEM I'M SO AVERAGE

[sunlessea]

❛❛ i've murdered half the town, left you love notes ON THEIR HEADSTONES.

london's most beguiling MR V.EILS, a favorite of the masses ( in spite of its reported brutality ! ) ✨ / artist.

[sunlessea]

❝ 'CAUSE ALL YOU WANNA DO, all you wanna do ... is touch me, love me, can't get enough ! see ? › the rose of eden, lucius.

one of my gifts from @londonfallen :') / artist credit.

[sunlessea]

SAINT ADAM & SAINT EVE / i believe in the place that you take me, a forbidden garden only we see.

another gift from @londonfallen oh mein gott / artist credit.

[sunlessea]

❛❛ IF I WERE YOU, i'd give up talking, 'cause soon you'll be a dead girl walking.

giselle is an envoy zailor visiting london as an ambassador from venice, a city finally sunken, half drowned, into the 'neath at no behest of the masters of the bazaar. overrun with rogue fae who refuse the masters and their ilk passage into their claimed city, they've established sunken venice as their territory, making them yet another faction sharing the zees. / artist.

[sunlessea]

& THE ELUSIVE MR ZEES!

and its ... odd accompaniment of rotating deckhands... / @londonfallen

[sunlessea]

❛❛ maybe you can BREAK THE CURSE, and we can be in love forever.

adrien & mr fires / @londonfallen

[sunlessea]

omg giselle content real !! ur local fae owl battling it out w the masters to keep their stupid bat claws off sunken venice </4 comm'd from @londonfallen :')

[sunlessea]

elysium & mr nests.... :') nosferatu bat @londonfallen

[sunlessea]

❝ you'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.

fruitbat @londonfallen

[sunlessea]

❝ oh, i've been lonely for too long! take a chance for romance, take my heart . . . !

ADRIFIRES SUPREMECY FR 😭 @londonfallen / artist.

[sunlessea]

❝ trust, my love, i'll keep you safe from the wolves...

MR V.EILS AND SILAS 😭😭😭 a batsexual win / @londonfallen artist.