Supermarket Portraits / Supermarket Checkouts by Nigel Shafran (November 30, 2009) 
(2 votes, average: 2.50 out of 5)
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Categories / Human Interest / / Click here to open comments section, click again when done to close / 4 Comments
Stuck at my Desk - general statement by Gordon MacDonald
I, like most magazine editors or publishers I’d imagine, spend most of my time stuck behind a desk reading emails, considering or editing texts, opening or sealing letters, looking through books and reviewing portfolio submissions from photographers and artists. Most of what I review, sadly, is not up to much – either being technically or conceptually underdeveloped – but occasionally I get to see new work, which is accomplished on all levels and this is what keeps me here at my desk and happy. This week I am pleased to present some projects - by photographers based in the UK - that have recently made me excited about being involved in photography.
Note: When I say that work is technically accomplished, it is not about the practitioners' ability to use a camera – I am not a techno or stylistic bully – but is about the use of the camera in a way that suits the subject matter being explored. This may be the worn and torn remnants of a personal archive or the beautifully lit and photographed result of a studio project.
Next / Cartoon-like Exaggerations / Previous / The Loss And Rebirth Of My Family /
Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
Having established himself as one of the most respected fashion photographers in the UK during the 1990s, Nigel Shafran’s more recent work has been widely exhibited, including shows at The Photographers’ Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Fig-1, and MW Projects.
Shafran’s work is characterised by the quiet observation of everyday life. His chosen subject matter is deliberately low-key and often domestic in nature: the washing up, his Dad’s office, charity shops, car boot sales.
And yet, his work extracts something profound and consistently beautiful, the sense of a natural order in ordinary things, or, as Shafran says ‘an acceptance of how things are’ (source: Steidl).
The high production values of this work together with the artist’s deep interest in the commonplace, has led to the creation of melancholic portraits of people and places.
Gordon MacDonald is head of publications at Photoworks and editor of Photoworks magazine.
Nigel Shafran (1964) lives and works in London, UK.
Click weblink nigelshafran.com or browse our archives
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Posted in category 652
prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfffffffffffffffffffffffft
Here the speciality could be that they asked permission to take photos in sainsburys (and usually they don’t want people to take photos in their stores) and… that’s it.
Not to be unkind… but I really think that with the latest british photographers shown here on the blog I can almost tell United Kingdom photo artists are disappearing from the nation. Mumble mumble… in other words…: I quote Unch :)
As mentioned a while back, I don’t like to give negative comments… but I, too, am a bit disappointed here really… this kind of reminds me my first days with a camera in my hand, pointing it at anything that stood still long enough to be captured… or has life in the UK become so uninspiring since the last time I visited?
…apparently boredom sells well !!