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Broaden your horizons - part 2 of 1 2

by Chris Bamber Published 01/11/2012

This philosophy of mixing things up also extends to personal projects, and given the fact that he's now so established in his portrait business Chris has reached the stage where he can think about spending time on a body of work that has very much been undertaken entirely for himself. Keeping the details to himself until he's ready to show it to the world, this is clearly a labour of love whose time has nearly come. "One of my biggest challenges is to motivate myself to finish this project off," says Chris. "Art is funny; so much is about timing, and I now I believe it is the right time to re-connect with this particular body of work and to complete it. Watch this space!"

Spreading the Word

Given the obvious passion he has for his approach to photography, it's perhaps not surprising that Chris is happy to promote his philosophy to others, and the workshop he's delivering at the 2013 Societies' Convention will concentrate on his personal work and explain the benefits that come with taking on charity projects that might encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone.

"I've appreciated being a member of The Societies because working as a photographer can often be quite isolating," says Chris. "You tend to work alone so much of the time, and it's really good to be able to rub shoulders with other photographers at the Convention, and I've appreciated this.

"It's also good to be able to share ideas with other professionals, and that's why I enjoy speaking at the Convention and got much out of the first workshop that I gave there in 2012. At the next Convention I'll be talking about the fact that I believe that, as photographers, we can very easily become formulaic in our approach, and that it's all too easy to do what we have always done. This can work for a while but the end result is that we fall behind in our standards and become stale.

"The personal projects are the things that have kept me fresh, and I've actively looked for opportunities to use my camera in a non-commercial way. This has given me a licence to experiment and develop as a photographer over the years and, in my case, it's also given me the opportunity to travel extensively to places such as Sierra Leone, Azerbaijan and Haiti, which has been a great privilege. At the Convention I'll be showing some of my personal work from the developing world, which has been produced while on commissioned shoots. I will also be telling some stories that have come out of my travels and, in turn, I hope that I'll be able to inspire others to look for a genre of photography that will help them to develop their professional practice."

Like so many other speakers, Chris won't just be passing on his knowledge and experience, he'll also be looking to pick up tips and advice from others during the Convention. "For me the Business School is the place to learn," he says. "As ever that's where you'll find me, and I can't wait for it all to start!"

More information: www.chrisbamber.co.uk

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1st Published 01/11/2012
last update 09/12/2022 14:52:01

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