“Exposed”: a lack of exposure… September 2010.

We went to see “Exposed” at Tate Modern, an exhibition of photographs and videos exploring photography’s relationships with voyeurism and surveillance. I found it a strange exhibition, lacking in cohesion: few of the photographs seemed worthy of exhibiting, and those were from early in the development of photography. Given the large numbers of photographers and photographs which could have been included, the omissions seemed critical.

Photography is necessarily voyeuristic. Looking through a camera – particularly older cameras – is like looking through a window. Since photography was invented, it has been used to capture candid scenes, with or without the subjects knowledge or involvement.

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Bath. September 2009.

Wilko Johnson’s Solid Senders at the Marquee. May 1978.

Motorhead at the Roundhouse, 1977.

Aberdeenshire Stone Circles. August 2010.

Midmar.

Tomnaverie.

Easter Aquhorthies.

Daviot.

All these circles were easily accessible: more alive than Stonehenge, say, and far less crowded than Avebury.

(I recently came across negatives from Callanish, my all-time favourite group of circles and a magical place; sometime I shall scan them, and post them here.)

Eastern Cairngorms. August 2010.