Huw Alban
Natural Images of the World Around us
I am Huw Alban, an Artist using Photography based in Dorset specialising in the creation of images that capture true nature - whatever the subject. My photographs have appeared throughout the country in various exhibitions and competitions, and have been published worldwide in magazines and books. I am also a Western Counties Photographic Federation qualified competition judge, and have performed many very successful assessments for camera clubs in the South West. The Emotional Landscape Some years ago, as a result of my images being presented on permanent public display, I sat down and took a long hard look at what I do behind a camera. This process of taking apart something that I’ve evolved to do instinctively has taught me a number of important lessons, and opened my eyes to new development opportunities. One of these eye-opening revelations was a realisation that mood and communication are an important part of my image creation process. Within this lecture I explore why the dialogue between me and the subject is so important, and also how I include the results of that dialogue in my own images. Rather than blind the audience with lengthy psychological theories I simply illustrate what I’ve done and why with a series of examples, with each explaining what was in my head at the time, and how that has influenced the final result. Additionally I will show how an awareness of the state of mind of the photographer can have a huge impact on the look of the final image produced. For my own image making this has moved me from creating good images to creating pictures that talk to the viewer and (hopefully) generate an emotional reaction. I will also illustrate how just being aware of simple concepts, for example the orientation of the camera can influence how others react to your pictures.