Finalist – 2012 Sony World Photography Awards
Congratulations to Michael Blann, who was selected as finalists in the category Campaign for the 2012 Sony World Photography Awards
Michael took his first “proper” pictures in Sofia, Bulgaria, which impressed his course examiner enough to give him a degree and got his book in front of Eamonn McCabe at the Guardian who encouraged him to keep going. He spent the next few years cutting his teeth as a studio manager in advertising agencies whilst immersing himself in his newly found passion for photography. Eventually, buoyed up by a healthy economy, he took the handful of pictures he had and said goodbye to the agency, heading out into freelance world of Photography. Getty Images came knocking offering him the post as their “London Creative Photographer”. Naturally the promise of shooting all over the world working alongside some great art directors and all his equipment supplied with a monthly salary on top, swayed his decision to join. He stayed there for 6 years shooting everything from still life to exotic locations. But eventually the drive for self-expression and autonomy won out and he left to set up my own studio from which he works today. Michael is now working with some of the best brands and advertising agencies in the world.
How did you get into photography?
I first picked up a camera when I was studying printmaking at Kingston University. Initially I only took pictures to include in some of the silk screens I was making but soon fell in love with the medium. However the first real project I embarked on was a trip to Sofia in Bulgaria where I spent a week photographing people and life in the city. Back then I was inspired by the whole black and white reportage thing.
Is there anything/anyone you?d love to photograph?
I’ve always wanted to take the Trans Siberian railway across to Mongolia and Ulaan-Baatar and Lake Baikal to photograph the vast wilderness along the route.
Why did you enter your image to the 2012 Sony World Photography Awards?
It’s probably the most prestigious photography award and great exposure if you get selected.
What’s the story behind your shortlisted image?
It was a commission for PwC who wanted to get across the idea of people and people relationships within a business context. The idea to shoot people moving about the city from above helped to give a global context to the campaign. The viewpoint has the effect of making everyone equal in size and focuses on their relationship to each other within the space and confines of the image.
What are your future projects?
I’ve always liked this viewpoint and space within my imagery. Maybe I’ll look to do something similar around sports. The Tour de France would make a good subject!
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Stephanie,My book Sensitivity 101 for the Heterosexual Male is a narrative non-fiction story using many of the felmaes I met as I grew up and the lessons they taught me. Not only did I change names and appearances of everyone except myself, I also addressed this in my preface by saying This presented quite a dilemma for me. How do I write my memoir, supposedly based on facts, and at the same time disguise these women so that even their close friends would not recognize them? For days, weeks, months I stewed about, chewed on, and anguished over this seeming conundrum. And then, as luck (or providence) would have it, I stumbled upon the movie, Rashomon, a 1950 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, involving the widely differing accounts of four witnesses to a murder. The stories are mutually contradictory, leaving each viewer to determine for him or herself which account, if any, is the absolute truth. Yet each story is clearly that particular teller’s heartfelt truth. Many of the girls who the characters were based on read the book and they had no idea I was talking about them. And the ones that did know it was about them actually seemed impressed to be included in the book.Thanks for a great article.