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A slice of ham - The Open College of the Arts

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A slice of ham thumb

A slice of ham


Getting a good image does not necessitate going to exotic locations or risking danger, sometimes the seemingly everyday has the potential to generate a meaningful image. OCA student Amano Tracy talks here about an image he captured in his mother’s house. I love it, even if I couldn’t remember the title.
Recorded in the cafe at Tate Modern, so lots of background noise bouncing off all those hard surfaces I’m afraid, but still worth a listen.


Posted by author: Genevieve Sioka

7 thoughts on “A slice of ham

  • What an enjoyable image Amano. One that captures my attention more and more the longer I view it. As you say, the dog is the focus of our attention or rather her ‘anticipation’ . Surprisingly the dog’s eyes seem to be focused not on the ham but higher up on the provider? For me, this is a quiet, delicate & private moment between the dog and the woman …. a moment shared. Was either aware that you were capturing this? I would think not. Flash would have lessened the atmosphere greatly. The sunny room is, just that, with all it’s highlights.
    You talked of the image being captured spontaneously and of the ‘Decisive Moment’. I’ve always been puzzled by this ‘Decisive Moment’ concept. Did Cartier-Bresson really recognize a developing set of circumstances coming together and decide to record the result at it’s pinnacle, as a ‘decisive moment’ …… I do know the feeling that flows through the photographer on those rare occasions when everything is just “right” at the point of pressing the shutter release however is the ‘Decisive Moment’ not just a description we apply after the event when we see that what we hoped for has been successful.
    Thanks for sharing this with us.
    Dave B.

  • Thanks for your comments Dave.
    In regard to the Decisive Moment, I guess this term does have different meanings. For Cartier-Bresson, it was not what you pick out from a sequence created with help from a motor-drive since such machinery did not exist in his day. From him, I understand it is something one feels.
    In this situation, I was not on high speed motor-drive which would have allowed me to pick the best image but aware of what was happening and being careful not to interfere and so distract the dog. Of course, much of what I say in the interview is retrospective yet I was going for a certain kind of image rather than just making a snapshot.
    With Regards
    Amano

  • I think it’s a great approach to looking at images – to focus on one and make a short film that helps draw out what there is to see, discover and appreciate in the work. Thanks to you both for making this available.

  • Well done amano.
    Thank you for having the foresight to capture
    the moment.How many times on moments like these do we either
    walk away or at that moment we do not have our camera with us
    And regret having missed the moment.sometimes our own instincts
    can create great moments like these. Thank you also gareth for
    producing the article.

  • I like the pastel colours, Amano, and the billowing shrubs and trees outside. It must have been tricky to get the light right, photographing towards the daylight. I know that attentive look as my miniature poodle, long dead, used to contemplate cheese in the same way. It’s an imaginative and very English choice of a photographic subject. I’m a writer, not a photographer, but this photograph looks perfect to me. It has humour. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear your interview with Gareth very well as it downloaded in fits and starts, but I’ll keep trying. I’m in the remote Ethiopian Highlands and the Internet connection is sluggish.

  • I should add that I was at the Tate Modern when Gareth was interviewing you, so I perhaps I should have sat down and listened then instead of rushing off to spend too much money in the book shop.

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