Adam Neate

Pizza boxes form his canvases. And a mixture of paint and collage is usually the medium of choice for Adam’s figurative work.

Adam began as a graphic designer in an ad agency. But his heart wasn’t in it, and soon he was creating paintings using objects he found on the streets. This use of cheap ‘canvases’ allowed him an experimental freedom in his work. And what he found on the street he put back on the street. Often leaving work on street walls, or in shop and office doorways.

Elms picked him up in early 2007, and his first show sold out within hours of opening. Shortly after, in December of the same year, a painting titled ‘Suicide Bomber’ sold at Christies for £78,500.

In 2008 Adam famously decided to give 1000 pieces of work away in a single night. Screen prints, stamped with his signature and wrapped in cellophane were left, like most of his others, on London’s mean streets. Happily not all of them ended up on EBay.

Above 1 of 1000 left on the street.

Prepare to be invaded.

The last post on photography brings us neatly into our next subject, Graffiti art.

Unless you’ve been living on mars for the last 10 years or so you will be aware of Banksy and his expensive daubs. So we’re not going to talk about him. Instead we’re going to draw your attention to some of the less familiar heroes of this movement. First up a reality game by Invader.

A French lover of the original space invaders game, his work adorns many of the major capitals of the world. You might have seen them on your travels if you have an eye for these things.

They are usually stuck (out of arms reach) high up on shop walls, old brick buildings and disused warehouses. It’s also rumoured that he has adorned the famous HOLLYWOOD hill sign, putting an invasion kit on each letter.

The invasion began in 1988 in his home town of Paris. But has now extended to 35 major cities. Invaders are made from tiles in advance and grouted onto walls before being catalogued and photographed by the artist.

You’ll find his website link below. And if your trigger fingers quick enough, you can pick up the latest invader kit No 12.

http://www.space-invaders.com

Just seen this amazing film by video artist Patrick Jean. (Thanks Lee). Which seems to fit beautifully with this post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcXtT3rZcqg

Street Art Photography

Someone who has really pushed the boundaries of what can be done with photography is the french street artist known as JR.

He pastes huge, large-scale photographs of people in public spaces, which, when placed in particular areas, provides a political meaning.

For example, in the favelas of Rio De Janeiro, he pasted giant portraits of women whose loved ones had been killed by the police. And in Paris he pasted huge portraits of ghetto inhabitants in Parisian suburbs that had recently become more affluent.

Commenting on his work, JR says:

"The street provides me with the support, the wall, the atmosphere, but depending on where I put the photo the whole thing changes."

Below are some examples of his work:

Sony Photography Awards

The Sony Photography Awards are a global competition that's free to enter and has sections for amateurs and professionals.

It's a great place to discover young, up and coming talent from around the world that you wouldn't normally get to see. The best work can obviously be found in the professional section, but some of the amateur stuff is worth a look too.

For those interested, the 2011 competition is opening soon for entires. Shown below is one of the winners in the 'Sport' category from 2009. These shots were taken by a Canadian photographer called, Julian Abram Wainright.

To see other winners, visit: http://www.worldphotographyawards.org/2009.aspx

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE

It’s a phrase originated by Chaucer around 1380 in Troilus and Criseyde, 'It is nought good a slepyng hound to wake'. It means that one shouldn't stir up a potentially difficult situation when it's best left alone.

And who am I to disagree.

However sleeping dogs have become something of a strange fascination in recent years. And so while on my travels I began to photograph them.

The heat in these far flung countries often results on dogs falling asleep in the middle of the road. Giving me an opportunity to pull the trigger.

I’d like to also take time to thank my wife Irenie. Not only did she encourage this madness. She has also risked rabies to contribute to this odd and strangely interesting collection of photographs.

No dogs were harmed in the production of these images.

Ubud, Bali.

Limassol, Cyprus

Havana, Cuba

Santiago de Chile, Chile

Hanga Roa, Easter Island

Aswan, Egypt

Santiago de Chile, Chile

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Portraiture.

In certain remote cultures they refuse to have their pictures taken.
They believe it incarcerates the soul.
Judging from the shots below they might be they’re right.

You can see right inside these people. It can be an incredibly humbling experience. These pictures capture the person at a certain moment in time.

Steve McCurry is a photographer who makes this look easy.
You will be familiar with the Afghan girl’s piercing green eyes.
Who isn’t?

But what many people don’t know is that he went back and shot her again 17 years later.By taking the second picture he captured her entire life in two photographs.

You didn’t have to read it over four pages in a Guardian Weekend special.The photography was enough.The rest of his work is just as arresting.

Don McCullen is another dominating force in portrait photography.
His war pictures alone put him head and shoulders above most.

Hate, shock, surprise, terror it’s all there. And although quite often shot in black and white.Every emotion appears in full Technicolor.

Some examples of our own portrait work. Of course it’s incomparable to the two guys above.