Diffusion Magazine

[Pete Askew]

Volume II of Diffusion is now out. Volume I was excellent and I have just ordered the new one. I'll do a mini-review once I get my greasy paws on it.

http://onetwelvepublishing.com/

 

[Vic Shaw]

Just downloaded the PDF of Vol I, had a quick flick, my favourite image has to be page 33 Cypremont Point. What a story that image tells!. I wish I could take something as powerful as that.

 

[Pete Askew]

There's some great stuff in there isn't there. I'd found the pdf copy as well last night and was flicking through as I hadn't looked at for about a year (I'd bought the issue when it came out). Quiet a conincicence that there was a bit about tin-types in there! I like the images by Tina Maas. I'd come across her a few years ago (a friend bought some work from her in Campden Market) and I looked at her stuff then especially as I was getting into emulsion transfer at the time. Not keen of all of her stuff, but she has a great imagination.

 

[Hamish Gill]

linky link

 

[Pete Askew]

Oops, sorry Hamish. Thought I had. It's in there now.

 

[Pete Askew]

Well, the new copy of Diffusion was waiting for me when I got back to the UK and I've spent the last few days reading my way through it. As with the first volume it lives up to its aim of presenting a showcase of unconventional photography. Many of the artists presenting their work in the journal are exploring themes that clearly have intense personal relevance. They are conveying feelings as images in hugely imaginative ways. The dark, bizarre images of Louviere and Vanessa are both beautiful and rather disturbing. They must be truly impressive in real life as often they are presented as large 'canvasses" printed on gold leaf or other media. They have even produced stop-motion animated films using live actors shot as single frames on Holga cameras! Even their web site is presented in an amazing way and is worth a visit (http://louviereandvanessa.com). There is an interesting article on the role of serendipity in the advancement of one's photographic journey and another on the way a place influences what we end up capturing that feeds really well into the thread that Hamish started on inspiration. There are sections on visual distortion including the highly warped images created with an omniscope and multi-pinhole cameras. There are even 3-D images in the journal (when was the last time you bought a magazine only to find red and green lens glasses in the middle pages?!). There are examples of a wide range of techniques from oil prints to Daguerreotypes and the ethereal cyanotype over platinum/palladium prints of Diana Bloomfield (http://www.dhbloomfield.com/). All charged with emotion and driven by amazing imaginations and obsessive technique. As a stimulus to creativity and inspiration, once again, this was $12 well spent. I can highly recommend this latest issue.

 

[Vic Shaw]

Hi Pete,

I had a look through the links. Louviere and Vanessa was a little hard work. The web site was rather strange, but the way you had to navigate around it made it interesting with having a disturbing image suddenly move onto your screen. I think as you say you would have to see that at a gallery to really appreciate it, although I suspect not one with the customary white walls! Diana Bloomfield was much more interesting and a joy to look at. The Tickets to Dreamland reminded me of William Eggleston and made me think about composition a little more. Some shots in that set if I would have taken I would have not bothered with, like Wonder Wheel, on the right hand side there is a MacD's sign half cut off, but it works! Atlantic has the IC cut off but again it's still a great photo. If I'd had done the very same shot I would no doubt be peeved that I missed the IC off and not bothered to do anything with it. I find it strange as to why this is so, it's great that it's made me think a little more about composition.

 

[Tim Pindar]

Thanks for this Pete, very interesting, though I think I have much to learn in terms of more conventional techniques first!

I agree with your comments on those two sites, Vic, I was actually a bit puzzled by some of Diane Bloomfield's photos such as the Dreamland ones, I wondered if there is some "emperor's new clothes" going on. If a well known, much praised photographer puts up snapshots we might have ditched ourselves, why do we decide that actually they are really good?