#32 Guy Bellingham - Hidden Mothers and Knuckle Dusters

2020-07-17

This week we are joined by circus performer and large format photographer Guy Bellingham. With most of the travelling circus community not able to work and with the future looking uncertain, it is with a passion and a huge heart that Guy is photographing his circus community friends to honour them and to share something of them to the outside world. Using home made large format camera obscura and photographing the image with a digital camera Guy melds the old and the modern in an exciting way. As well as making these hybrid photographs, Guy takes “...

This week we are joined by circus performer and large format photographer Guy Bellingham.

With most of the travelling circus community not able to work and with the future looking uncertain, it is with a passion and a huge heart that Guy is photographing his circus community friends to honour them and to share something of them to the outside world.

Using home made large format camera obscura and photographing the image with a digital camera Guy melds the old and the modern in an exciting way.

As well as making these hybrid photographs, Guy takes “Figalotype” images where he makes wet plate collodion images of his friends via the TV screen!

With focusing Fresnel lights to deal with as well, Guy doesn’t believe in making life easy, but then good art often isn’t.

Thanks Guy!

Guy’s links

The best place to view Guy’s portraits is on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/guybellinghamphotography/

There is probably a clever way to compress this big Facebook link!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010661313379&__tn__=%2Cd*F*F-R&eid=ARDtzm0dxhyJEkueK3SkT6LBshgXvO0WN2T0OlBu4Eadnc24WuYB1jQzHBq_xNQgLuFMtcSjiygkgRLd&tn-str=*F

Things we chatted about on the show:

Whilst discussing home made neck braces to keep sitters still Guy started talking about hidden mothers, it’s a thing even today, check out these links.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fduckduckgo.com%2F%3Ft%3Dffsb%26q%3Dhidden%2520mother%2520photos%26atb%3Dv128-1%26iax%3Dimages%26ia%3Dimages%26fbclid%3DIwAR1NdUEpj6hwuMrlc9oYn9oT1XLbP0WyUrMQb46RQHMV8bzIyLWh2QGCwic&h=AT0Pp9PGpY36Fin8vbYpDIXi3Yy3izfFmitRyA_B5Q5hZwnKkbD-uLW4h9dmds2w5Nq_TrA1CX3zogK2wWMWdN__oHw9yuRw9GdPV8Eed-Ut-GMeyeYhMmrQ5-fAXX0zz0YN1Fr8GtzQQPVSyAECXA

And this link giving some context.

https://www.boredpanda.com/hidden-mother-victorian-baby-photography/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Making collodion images but not always in the traditional manner is a thing celebrated and practised by Guy and many others ideas and inspiration may be found at the gloriously named Collodion Bastards site.

http://collodionbastards.org/bastardry/

And this FB group that Simon and Andrew have both asked to join.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/collodionbastards/

Mark Ostermann of Eastman House was mentioned

https://www.facebook.com/mark.osterman.3

Inspired by Hollywood legend George Hurrell Guy uses focusing Fresnel lights to get that glamourous stage like lighting

https://georgehurrell.com/

Guy recommended a book.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Langfords-Basic-Photography-serious-photographers/dp/0240520351

Andrew recommended Tenba lens wraps.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjT9sOYxM_qAhUU6HcKHciSBR4YABAHGgJlZg&sig=AOD64_3xjT0i5fMPTT3Bbky88T_4o2YkLA&ctype=5&q=&ved=0ahUKEwiI6b2YxM_qAhUZTxUIHXzADdEQwzwIDw&adurl=

Chroma Camera got a plug as did 20th Century Camera.

https://chroma.camera/

https://20thcenturycamera.com/

Other News

The inaugural LFPP Gathering in the forest 2020 was cancelled but you can catch up with the virtual meeting we had recently where we were honoured to have Dave Shrimpton and Kate Miller-Wilson present their work and ideas to over 20 of us on line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQQtnpFib8s&t=113s

And….

Much to Simon’s dismay the Six Towns Darkroom remains in lock down for the time being.

LFPP links -

https://largeformatphotographypodcast.podbean.com/

ko-fi.com/largeformatphotographypodcast

You can join in the fun at our Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2296599290564807/

Get Twitter updates for the show from Andrew –

https://twitter.com/warboyssnapper

Or from Simon –

https://twitter.com/simonfor