Nothing quite like the “full force of nature” is there….

I do wonder what the artist was thinking, when they decided to draw that image – but you have to admit, they have got the expressions spot on. Everytime I see it, it still gives me a chuckle. Brings a whole new meaning to the term “Team Jacob” don’t you think?

So WHY and HOW did I come across such a finely illustrated image?

Well, over the past few months (and mainly because I’m subjected to it endlessly by my peers at work) there has been a wealth of indie bands springing up every 2 hours on various pretentious “tastemaker” blogs. It turns out though, that they have quite a bit more in common than simply playing a similar style of music.

After a little research, imagine my surprise at these 8 discoveries!

1. They all have an animal related name.
2. They have at least one song with an animal in the title.
3. They all look like tedious Uni students.
4. They all sing about the changing of seasons and usually the various activities conducted by animals during said seasons.
5. They are all branded the next big thing, by the likes of Pitchfork and Hype Machine.
6. Their artwork has a very specific aesthetic, based around yep you’ve guess it, animals, collage and primitive illustrations.
6. 95% of them suck.
7.  Hipsters love them.
8. A least one member in the band has a beard.

Now before you think I’m making all of this up, I’ve actually put together a playlist, comprised ENTIRELY of indie bands with animal names – just so you can fully grasp how ridiculous the whole thing has become. (To date I have 91, I’m trying to get to 100.)

Have a listen to my official indie bands with animal names playlist here.

Frightening isn’t it….

And the deeper I researched, the scarier it became. As I stumbled across such shockingly bad names as – Summer Cats, Sue And The Unicorn, Seabear, Owl + Moth, Freelance Whales, Bear Hands, Collections Of Colonies of Bees, Ultra Dolphins, Avery Tear And Panda Bear, Brown Bear Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Frightened Rabbits, White Rabbits, Fleet Foxes and without a doubt, the worst of all Part Wild Horses Mane On Both Sides.

It is utterly bizarre to me, that a genre of music can be so limp-wristed and cliched. I’m well aware of the fact, that death metal bands for instance have utterly ridiculous names – but that specific genre has been around for over 20 years. These indie bands have literally only been around since the start of maybe 2004 onwards. I can’t understand, why they all have to look the same, sound the same and then give themselves the same name – it’s like this odd indie checklist they all go through prior to releasing anything.

Here’s a video from “Seabear” complete with random montages of the woods, inoffensive bland vocals that could be anyone and someone who looks pretty much like those tedious Uni students I was mentioning before.

But thankfully, help is at hand.

There is one band, one indie artist, one genuine talent, one great hope – that stands tall, looming large over them all.

Yes BEARHAWK.

Who’s music sends you into such a state, you almost forget to use adjectives. Almost.

And really, I don’t need to say anything else about them – because you should already know how amazing they are. If you don’t, please don’t embarrass yourself by telling your friends you’ve not yet heard them – that would be tragic and cause you to appear musically and culturally bankrupt.

Instead, educate yourself by visiting their official site and experiencing the creme de la creme of everything indie.

Oh and for all you hipster kids, with your touch-type-net-speak  - please abbreviate to BRHWK  - that’s mandatory for any indie loving “I think I’m a professional photographer because I’ve installed the Lomo camera app on my iPhone” fan.

Much appreciated.

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p.s. Disclaimer: I may or may not be involved with BRHWK.

Cameras, video cameras and even projectors were a staple of my childhood – my Dad was always a keen photographer, he took some truly stunning black and white shots of my Mum during the early years of their marriage, way back in the 1970s – some of which I’ve only just seen. And as a kid I always remember there being a heavy camera with a dense a robust lens on many an office or coffee table.

There were also numerous times when the video camera (arguably the size of bazooka at the time) was blinking it’s red light at me, recording various high school Christmas Nativity plays (I was usually a Shepard) or when I was skiing in Europe, clad in an embarrassing puffy shell-suit, comprised entirely of a shocking array of 80′s fluro colours.

I vividly remember Santa giving me one of those fantastic toy cameras (originally called The Viewmaster), where you would click and it clacked a new image in front of your eyes. I honestly thought it was the coolest thing ever, to the point where I deluded myself into believing I was taking a new photo each time (despite the reality of it continuously cycling through the same 10 photos) regardless of what was ACTUALLY in front of me.

The 10 pictures came on a card disc and were rather like the negatives you used to get with your photos using a 35mm camera. Each image was then magnified when you looked through the viewer, so that as a kid they appeared as large as a TV-sized image. It was certainly better than any Kaleidoscope I’d ever had, even if it was limited to a few photos. It made an awesome sound too.

I didn’t get my own “real” camera until middle school, which funnily enough I won in the school raffle. I remember it was painted silver and it looked really expensive, but when I was given it, I was bitterly disappointed because unlike all the cameras I’d seen at home, this one was a light-weight, made of  nasty plastic, with a cheap airbrushed silver look, a no-name brand that didn’t even have a flash.

Fast forward a few decades and I’d gone through a few digital cameras, always handy to capture parties and friends – but nothing that would really capture moments as it were. I use to pull some decent shots from my old Canon IXUS but nothing that I would ever call close to being “professional”.

So in late 2009, I invested in a Canon Digital SLR – several weeks rent, well spent as they say.

Since then, I’ve been putting it to good use and the definition and colour of my photos has come on in leaps and bounds. The difference is quite remarkable at times, even if the photos themselves aren’t always living up to the capabilities of the device itself.

I would never classify myself as a photographer, I’m acutely aware of my technical limitations and utter naivety about what makes a good photo. There are so many truly inspirational photographers out there in the world, who operate on an entirely different level, capturing images that defy logic and take your breath away. Photos that us mere mortals, could only ever dream of taking.

If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know that 2010 has been an incredibly dramatic year for me. But along the way, I’ve had my camera by side – documenting it all, even at some of the most inopportune moments. I think that is what photography should be about, being bold, harnessing a sense of occasion and revealing elements of the world around us, which we are normally blind to or simply take for granted.

With these images below, I hope you’re able to get some insight into the journey I’ve been on thus far, the places I’ve experienced and the emotions I’ve lived through since the start of 2010.

From each of the places I’ve been to, I’ve selected photos of personal significance or simply because I liked the shot.

Simply click on any image to view the rest of the photos in that album, or view the entire collection on my Flickr page.

I hope you enjoy these photos, notice their faults, see their strengths and let the feelings and emotions I tried to convey in each, resonate with you.

Even now, some of these are hard for me to look at, but I think that’s why I took them to begin with.

NORFOLK , UNITED KINGDOM MARCH (2010)

BARCELONA, SPAIN MARCH (2010)

AUTUMN IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (2010)

HOLIDAY IN KIAMA, SYDNEY AUSTRALIA APRIL (2010)

MELBOURNE CITY, AUSTRALIA MAY (2010)

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Well for me, I would dedicate a decent sum to buying artwork I liked. I’m not comfortable with the notion of people purchasing artwork as a asset. I doubt any artist, for all their creativity, dedication, passion, blood, sweat and tears, would want there art, to merely amount to ‘an investment’. I find that a rather depressing thought if they do.

Art, by its very nature is meant to be seen, experience, enjoyed, disliked and commented upon – not locked up in an attic for 30 years, out of sight, gathering dust in the hope that one day it might be worth a fortune.

It should be purchased (in my mind anyway) on a very simple principle – because you simply like it.

At 27 (and further proof that it is little more than fantasy of mine) I own a ONE single piece of artwork. There has always been rent to pay, bills that add up, dentist visits, food to buy – things which seem that much more important, that spoiling yourself with such a luxury as a piece of art. The value of which, is utterly in your own mind.

But one thing I’ve learned in my 27 years, and can attest to 95% of my decisions being ruled by, is to go with your gut instinct. That very first emotion, that very first thought, more often than not, is the right one. It’s an innate feeling inside, almost like the reassuring words of a friend or supportive family member. At times, that feeling can be mislead and muddied with indecision, but for good or bad, I’m fairly black and white when it comes to first impressions and reacting to how I feel.

I still enjoy looking at the first piece of art I purchased. It serves as a gentle reminder, of my life at that time. I often reflect on all the situations it must have seen unfolding and presided over, always there watching, yet ever silent. It’s a funny little picture, I’m not sure how many of you have seen it, it’s very Tim Burton-esque and when I first saw it, it instantly reminded me of an advert I’d see during my teens called ‘Beware The Judderman’ a take on Jack Frost, to advertise a new alco-pop as they were called at the time.

This chap would appear, as the voice of an elderly lady read out:

‘Beware the Judderman my dear, when the moon is fat. Sharp of tongue and spindle limbed he is, and cunning. With sweetened talk of schnapps and Metz and the deliciousness of Judders – but schnapps though sweet has teeth my dear, and sharpened ones at that.’

I really like it, I think it says a lot about the impact it had on me as a teenager, that I still recollect that advert even today. So I’ve just taken a photo and put this together, the flash makes it a little hard to see the entire picture, so I’ve spliced below for you. Clicking on the image, will take you to (the artist) Nik Markovina’s site.

I’ve had that charcoal picture for around 5 years now, across various houses, walls and situations. And I thought it was about time, that it finally got a companion. I plan on moving soon, having artwork on the walls, will give my new home a greater sense of personality and style. I’m desperately over being surrounded and confined to beige, cream & vanilla.

So you can imagine my delight, when I came across a recent screenprint of Heath Ledger as The Joker, limited to 100 prints and got that feeling again, that instant buzz. I knew I’d found my 2nd piece of artwork, right then and there.

It certainly cost a pretty penny – but I think it will look fantastic framed in the new place, it’s a big image, I’ll take a photo of it when it’s up, I promise

It’s by an artist who goes by the name of “Pure Evil”. So who exactly IS he? Well this is the description from his official site

“In 1990 PURE EVIL left the Poll Tax Riots of London behind and went to live in California where he spent 10 years ingesting weapons grade psychedelics , thinking about stuff , making electronic music and printing t-shirts . Inspired by skateboard culture and the west coast character graffiti of Twist he returned to London and picked up a spraycan and started painting weird fanged vampire bunnies everywhere.”

You can find out more about the artist and his recent work here.

Each print is marked with an individual thumbprint for authenticty, but will it be worth millions? Will its value stay the same? Who really cares?

I love it.



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