PLAYING WITH SHAPE & COLOUR
Ken Wilkinson
I want to make compelling images, but I also want to enjoy the photographic experience, so I’ve developed a very simple approach: just play with shape and colour. There’s an inherent pleasure in viewing balanced harmonious forms, and I work on this level. No grand artistic statements, no intellectualizing, just discovering beautiful little scenes in ordinary places.
The photos are generally uncluttered, and I try to avoid extraneous elements. Every element in the photo, every shape, texture or mark, must serve the image as a whole. This makes for a stronger shot. I’m not concerned about “accurate” colour, only about pleasing colour. Fujifilm colours are my favorite and it’s the trans IV sensor that’s the basis of my colour. My kit for these shots was very basic: a Fujifilm X-T30ii with a Fujinon 23mm (35mm equivalent) lens.
Little or no forms of life are explicitly shown. Human presence is inferred from the structures and landscapes, which are generally manufactured, mundane, and banal. But I don’t pass judgment on the human condition. It’s more important to accept and reflect human reality rather than a commentary on it, as this opens the door to true creative freedom. It’s also important that the scenes are devoid of sentimentality, which is generally poisonous to true creative expression.
This isn’t to say there’s no emotion in the images, but the emotional response comes from the harmony of composition and colour. I believe this is a more authentic emotional reaction.
It comes down to developing a practice of seeing, and getting into the rhythm and flow. It takes time to find a photo. Lots of walking, and sometimes the photos come in bunches and sometimes they don’t come at all. Patience is required.
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 12.