The Direction Of Your Dreams...

Chasing a dream is one of the most invigorating and terrifying pursuits in the whole gamut of human endeavour. It invariably seems that for every inch toward your goal you make there is another entire foot that you must traverse before reaching it.Dreams vary but the theme that pushes us beyond our limits to create something out of our thoughts is always the same. It is one of self realisation, of acknowledging the limitations in our lives and endeavouring to go beyond them.So why do some people achieve their dreams and others do not? Well I guess it has something to do with the scale of their dreams and their tenacity, intelligence and humility. Yes humility...thats the important one...The profession of photojournalism has one defining character. That is that most people who want to tell stories visually, generally have some very good reason for why they want to take themselves and their cameras into places that they are often not even wanted. Some believe that it is because they don't want to lose the moment...to them to document it means that there is always a record of the existence of the person or place in the glance of the camera...and some believe that the existence recognised can go a long way to changing someones circumstances by highlighting their suffering...or their emotions...or indeed just the conditions of their lives...In the days of such a plethora of people with cameras and so many stories about the affecting plights of the poor, drug addicted, homeless and starving can a photojournalist staring at the world with sympathy in their hearts but no fundamental understanding of a situation really be in a position to change the way that people see?I think many photojournalists make such photos simply because they are trying to create proof of their own existence. Sometimes its a case of "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"...a sort of well I was there kind of moment...unless that person, holding that camera, at that particular time and place is as well aware of the privileged position they are in photographing whatever it is that is occupying their vision.... I think that ego can sometimes over ride intention.This is tricky territory I am entering into as so many well meaning people pick up cameras with a view to changing the world...An honourable dream in fact...but how much of it is truly successful?Head On Photo Festival is currently on in Sydney. Run entirely by the wonderful Moshe Rosenzveig and his partner Anita it is now the second largest photo festival in the world and next week I will be gorging myself on the visual treats on offer in over at least 200 different photographic exhibitions, displays and happenings...my own included... in the exhibition that I have written about for the last several months.So how does my own work stand up against the work of some of the luminaries of the photo journalistic firmament? Photographers such as Pablo Bartholomew, David Alan Harvey and Steve Dupont? I hope that I am pursuing my own dream in pushing the edges of the envelope photographically and that everyone will bring their own reading to my work...For those of you who are in Sydney and maybe interested in discussing more on this topic and have a few drinks on a hopefully sunny and chilled out  Saturday afternoon at St Peters I welcome you to come along to my artist talk at about 3pm May 19th at INDEX Gallery, 60 Hutchinson St St Peters.It would be absolutely fantastic to see you there...