Sunday, 17 April 2016

Bill Frakes

“Many years ago, a young American mother named Agnes Frakes pointed out images all around her tiny Nebraska town to her four-year-old son Bill: a cat’s shadow, a pool of oil beneath a car, his own name etched in a cookie tray of caramel popcorn. The boy looked at the objects and saw nothing. ‘Look again,’ she said. ‘There is always more there than what your eye sees…’ Twenty-five years later the boy became one of the most accomplished sports photographers in the world.”
— James McBride, part of his introduction in the book “Family: A Celebration of Humanity”; taken from Bill Frakes’ website.

I just love Bill Frakes’ strapline; ‘Emotional motion’; those two words sum up everything I aim to be as a photographer. About a year ago, I was advised that to find my personal voice, I should write down the three words that mean the most to me as a photographer and always strive for that in the images I shoot. My three words were active, emotional and natural.

Active - because although I love to photograph people, I don’t consider myself to be a portrait photographer. I’ve never been a massive fan of posed portraits; I don’t want to know what a person looks like, I want to see what they are doing, what they are thinking.

Emotive - because when I look a photograph, I want to be able to feel something. I want it to evoke a memory or a feeling, maybe a memory of a feeling. I want people to see what I saw when I pressed the button or to feel what my subject felt.

Natural - because as well as my images being real and natural, I’m all about the natural environment. I’m at my best outdoors; I feel that the texture of a red brick wall or the bark of a tree provides a far superior backdrop than a piece of rolled up vinyl and although studio lighting can enhance an image, it can’t replace the warm tones of the golden hour or the cool light reflected from freshly laid snow.

I have had these three words on my computer desktop ever since, although I very rarely look at them as I strive to achieve this every day.

Bill Frakes has definitely achieved this; his website archives, split into faces, games and places all carry the same theme; an intelligent use of colour, light and shape to bring together a sense that something is happening, whether it be a dramatic landscape, a sporting moment or in capturing the chemistry between a young couple.  


Frakes describes himself as a photojournalist and professes to retain this title, even when shooting an advertising campaign. Whether photographing landscapes or sport, he is looking for what is important and aiming to show it artistically, aiming to create a visceral and evocative experience.


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