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TUESDAY 28TH January 7.30PM

Greywood Hall, Altofts Lane, Castleford, West Yorkshire WF10 5PZ

AN EVENING WITH
MARTIN MIDDLEBROOK
CONFLICT PHOTOJOURNALIST
& FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

£5 Members   £10 Non Members   BOOK HERE
 

An evening looking at his varied life and work from photojournalism in Afghanistan and the Paris riots to the contrast of his fine art environmental images.

www.martinmiddlebrook.com


 

And, the point of photography is?

Every photographer has their own way of seeing the world, and this is how we end up shooting. For many it’s a considered thing, for others, it’s a bluff. But whichever, we must have a plan, we must have an idea, otherwise what’s the point?

Martin Middlebrook will use some of his significant portfolios as a narrative vehicle to share his working practices, the reasons behind the styling and aesthetic choices he makes, to express why there is more to photography than just harvesting images ‘without purpose’.

From his work in Afghanistan, a powerful essay on the true human condition, to photographing the fabled tribes of the Lower Omo Valley as fine art pieces, each portfolio is conceived and executed accordingly differently, determined by the subject and deeper geopolitical values and forces, and not just because of the, ‘this is how we have always done it’ approach.

Photography is a set of prescribed rules and a collection of fallacies that have nothing to do with us. And why would you listen anyway? The talk intends to be a platform where photographers can take time to reconsider how they work, what they have been taught and told, and use it as a springboard to thinking differently about their own work. After all, if we keep doing what we’ve always done, or merely copy the work of everyone else, then what’s the point?

The talk covers such diverse topics as the principles of constructivism in photography, why rules don’t exist, and why you should never look at the work of other photographers. Interwoven with anecdotes of Martin’s recent addiction to tear gas and why you should never let your fixer in Ethiopia take drugs before a shoot, it’s a different take on what it takes to be a working pro in the ever more difficult world of photography.

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