Redeye's Paul Herrmann gives his pick of the photos submitted for the third week of the 52 Weeks at Redeye challenge on Flickr - images responding to the title Dark Days.
What dark adventure. I think this struck a chord. Dark Days, bring them on. Perhaps the definitive maxim for us underemployed, glum, down at heel, rained-on photographers of the damp and dark north. Did I mention rain? I think there was some last month, even a little more than normal.
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The title occurred to John Darwell early on in the creation of his book about the Foot and Mouth crisis in Cumbria in 2001. The literal darkness of the smoke darkening the sky and the metaphorical darkness of destruction and slaughter. He says "I usually settle on a title for a project fairly early on. It helps me focus on what I'm trying to say." Good advice.
Anyway, some lovely, visceral, sad and frankly scary work. Literal and metaphorical interpretations overlapped. At the literal end, we're looking at those days that never really make it to full brightness. That can help a photographer. Endless combinations of balancing day and artificial light multiply the possibilities. I think, though you might disagree, that digital cameras do really well here. They can see into shadows that colour film couldn't. There's ever more to explore with cameras that really ate their carrots.
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Some atmospheric highlights: ftwentytwo's morning commute, I'm yawning just looking at it; The Funky Monkey's shadowy streetlit figure; Elysian Photography's dark rooms, and misty snow scenes (above) - such unusual light with a feel all of its own; with a bit of a visual link to John Shimmick's snowy runner; Lyndaha's sad pub, all too common a sight; and AIN Photography's pleasing cloudscape. She.said's delicate, wintry flowers, appearing spotlit under a black sky (top), could almost be moths in moonlight. Christolel's peculiar Lost could be part of a dream. I really like Snapthelens's Walking Clavin in a very dark park (left) - so simple but a lovely new one-off, and a multi-layered take on the theme. [img_assist|nid=10717|title=|desc=|link=url|url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/113683298@N06/12141290204/in/pool-redeye52/|align=left|width=220|height=294]In contrast, Plot19's expectant boxer with spikey ball, while a delight, is about as far from the brief as a picture could be. A special mention to Ken Ward, who appears to have spent a fair part of the week wandering the wet streets of Lancashire. But it paid off with a couple of nice pictures - a bus that's even wetter than ftwentytwo's, and a great panorama of Darwen on a wet afternoon (below) - a fitting summary of that January, perhaps. You might suppose the word Darwen comes from the old English for dark lump (wen), but no; it meant oak river or possibly clear water, we're told. The bright Sunnyhurst is right next door.
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The darkest days within living memory are the genocides of the last century. Several photographers looked at memories of Nazi Germany. The most evocative of these for me was d.coles13's prisoners' wash room at Auschwitz; the gruesome institutional fittings incongruously overlooked by drawings of kittens, but also by the reflected portraits of the prisoners. There's a link here to Carelomon 2010's image of photos Khmer Rouge victims, obscured by reflections - we can't quite see either the photos or the reflections.
Gordon Jackson's dark days were part of an altogether more personal and internal journey out of addiction and personal abuse. The image is disturbing but the series as a whole is powerful, and Gordon is a great developing photographer.
I've never volunteered for the wonderful British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, but I'm willing to believe that for those who take the trouble to work to look after our wild areas, there are quite a few dark days; certainly, from the pictures, cold and muddy ones. Andy Duncan has submitted four from a lovely series of black and white portraits - technically great but also warm and connected to the subjects.
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I'll end with Laura, the subject of Kirstin Barnes' wonderful portrait (top of page). The aesthetic has been commandeered to some extent by advertising, and it could almost be a fashion photo, but I don't think that matters. Look at this for what it is - a sad moment in a story, echoes of Tom Hunter or even some Dutch painters of the 17th century. The scratches on the window, the severed curve of the telephone cable, the rain of course, and that perfect light, emphasising the darkness; everything contributes to a rich, well-crafted and appealing image.
It's a great week, and my joint picks are from Kirstin Barnes, Andy Duncan, Ken Ward and Snapthelens - the last two making brand new work. Thanks everyone!