When we talk of photography, it’s not something we think of in a ‘private’ sense all that much.
“Let me Share some Pictures I took”, “Here’s a shot I made at the park”, “This is some pictures I took on my holiday to Tuscany last year.” “My granddaughter’s graduation photos are here.”
“I photographed this Flame Robin at Woodlands Park in June.”
We share, Messenger, Facebook, Instagram, (No, No, not Tic Tok), prints, email and blogs to name a few.
Photographer type conversations sometimes start, “Whatchabeendoinlately?”
Yet one photographer I’ve followed over the years has the concept of “Private” as part of his creative approach.
His work is characterised by enchanted worlds full of subtle contradictions.
His name? Rodney Smith.
Noted for sharing his vision of the world with Humour, Grace, and Optimism.
He has since passed, but on his blog entitled intriguingly enough, “The End‘, Rodney Smith would describe his creative process as being “intricately connected to how I examine my own life, how I got to know myself, and how I drew clarity of my emotions and translated them into pictures.”
So, if you want, you too can Go To The End
A further quote, “I want people to see the beauty and whimsy in life, not its ugliness. I feel the need to reach out for its soul, its depth, and its underlying beauty. I represent a world that is possible if people act their best. It’s a world that’s slightly beyond reach, beyond everyday experience, but it’s definitely not impossible.”
So here’s your humble scribe’s challenge. If you’ve manage to read this far without your eyes glazing over. (well done of you have!)
Follow this link over to his Gallery – the Humor Section.
While you’re there, have a look at several of the others sections, but do visit the Surrealism one as well.
Hopefully one or two will make you laugh, or smile, or just ponder a bit, or at least cause you to be amazed at Rodney’s sheer visual audacity.
Second part of the Challenge.
Pop a note into the Comments below, let us all know which one ‘privately’ appealed. Don’t have to say Why. Just enjoy the trip.
Next week I’ll reveal my fav. Hint, its neither of the ones with Hay Bales. But they did run a close second.
Took me a while to find a “Rodney Smith” Private moment among my own recent shots.
Don’t think its a great example, but at least I remember smiling when I pressed the shutter.
As Rodney is quoted, :”Choose Photography for Love, rather than fame, fortune or glory.”
I look forward to hearing from as many as possible.
Go on, you can do it.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
With just time for a quick peek tonight my fave in the humour section is the guy with the newspaper cone hat, and in surrealism the arm through the painting. Will pop back sometime in the next day or so, when I have more time, and well may change my mind!
Love the image of the two B-s K’s a wonderful moment captured. Ad, I must add, the minute I stop loving photography is the minute I stop. Just wish I could get out, even for 1/2 an hour. Seems we will know the extent of the tighter restrictions by tomorrow evening. Lots of speculation ‘on the wires’ but I will wait until we hear from the premier.
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There is an element of ‘love’ in the pursuit of this wonderful creative experience. Sometimes its a bit of tough love as things don’t always seem to work the way we like.
I think that Rodney’s amazing ability to concieve and then bring into reality, the unreal, is a challenge for all of us.
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That’s such a lovely image David – charming and touching.
Smith’s photographs are fascinating, and I couldn’t pick just one. So: the leaning house from Humor, “Bernadette Twirling” from Storytelling, “Caroline running through doorway” from Surrealism, and Boat on Water, Vietnam from Landscapes. But then there’s the man and the dog on the dock in Humor as well …
I didn’t know his work, so thank you for the introduction.
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Ha!, and then there is… its such a tough call isn’t it.
I remember seeing the one with the man on the rubber tube with the sharks circling such a long time ago.
Still makes me smile.
Glad you enjoyed the momentary relief
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Now we are talking classy entertainment, David. No way to do the Challenge in one go! So far I’m at Rodney Smith, despite some scary warnings, when I tried to follow the link in your blog. I’m there and I intend to stay for a while, I’ve found so many similarities in his “la carte sentimentale”…
As regards my favourite photo, I have some difficulties to choose any of the excellent funny and surreal shots (I can see big influence of my favourite painter René Magritte) but I stopped for a long while at that image of a lady on a boat amongst sunken forest. I’ll return here after some time to talk about the second part of the Challenge. No TV tonight, except for the news…
Thanks again.
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Hi Adam, hmm didn’t know about the scary link. Must be browser specific I’d guess.
I think somewhere or other I read that Magritte was a bit influence on his Rodney’s work.
I think its because they are such simple yet contasting elements that we are drawn to them to work out the visual impact.
I still smile years later at some of intruiging relationships he sets up.
Enjoy
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… I’ve forgotten to tell you how much I like your B/W photos. So much, that (under your influence) I’ve downloaded Nik Collection and I’m trying my hand at it. You’ve probably noticed on Flickr. It’s all your fault 😉
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Thank you Adam, I really love the simplicity of an image in Black and White.
I’ve used Silver EFX Pro from the beginning. It Always gives me a blast to see how an image will standup to the reduction to tones, shape and texture.
I did note the Kite pictures on Flickr and thought, Oh No, I’ve influenced Adam to buy the Collection. It runs out of DxO PhotoLab 3 with a button you can activate at the bottom lhs of the main window.
I like to be able to use the old Filters to enhance a colour, or reduce it depending on the vision.
Good luck
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I’m still reading Rodney’s blog and I keep on experimenting with Nik Collection. Thank you Mr Influencer 😉
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Nice blog
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