North and South Light

Light is the fundamental element in the rendering of the photographs we offer you in this issue.

Talking about light in photography is like walking through a minefield. Here, we have selected four

photographers – two from the Northern Hemisphere, two from the Southern Hemisphere –, and asked them how they relate to the atmospheric light of their cities.

In a way, John Adams doesn’t really use the light and shadows created by the buildings in the city like the other three. But his search for light perfectly blends in with the composition he seeks. For him the group is the main thing, the interaction of people with their environment.

What unites these four photographers is their ability to  tell a story through the use of light, clearly and concisely. Their photographs could be interpreted as narrative sparks.

Batsceba Hardy

It’s all Greek to me: photography is writing with light. The challenge of using a camera to write with light is to tell a story that resonates with an audience, and expresses a truth to better guide us through life.

Photography is about more than a specific genre. It’s a philosophy of life and light and wonder. Photographers must know what they want to see, what they need to see, and what they love to see. When those things come together, magic happens. Camera obscura. In modern translation: dark room. In contemporary application: a camera.

John Gellings, Robert Adams, John St, and Charles Lafrance are four superb photographers who know how to write with light, and their talents offer us a better guide through life.

Michael Kennedy

Light! From the use of shadows and silhouettes to creating shapes and grandeur, patterns and illuminated stories, this is a must read issue. Prowling, waiting, catching. All four know their territory, through study and understanding.

Even for someone like me, having to work with the relatively dismal light conditions of Britain, there is a lot to be learnt and applied from these articles and photographic explorations.

Recognising styles is one thing, understanding how the geography and different urban structure affects both the light and mindset is another. What I found particularly inspiring was how the background stories helped shape the journeys and results. As wonderful as the shots were, the backstory gave me still greater appreciation.

Keef Charles

John Gellings

I was born in New Jersey, USA, and I lived and photographed in NY until April 2017. Since then, I have been living and photographing in Santiago, Chile. I graduated from Mason Gross School of Arts (Rutgers University, New Jersey) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography in 1998.

John St

I’m originally from South Shields, England, but I’ve now lived in Adelaide, Australia, for the majority of my adult life. I participated in my first ever exhibition which was held in Melbourne as part of SITHOM 2019, and was most recently invited by the Adelaide City Council to be a part of their SALA 2019 exhibition. I was nominated as 2019 SALA finalist for best latent image and in Nov-Dec 2019 held my first solo exhibition. By pure chance photography has opened up a door and taken me down a path I never thought was there, let alone possible. Website: https://www.thepictorial-list.com/photographers-1/JOHN-ST

Robert Adams

I was born in Long Beach, California, in 1952, and came of age during the cultural revolution of the late 1960s, early 1970s, which influenced my life as an artist. Earlier in life I worked as a freelance advertising illustrator. I am also a musician and songwriter, recording music for film, television, and other licensing. For the past twenty-five years I have lived in Vermont, and travel frequently to Montreal where most of my street photography is done. Aside from the street photography genre, I also produce photographic abstracts with a completely unique process that has evolved with several years of innovation. Website: https://robertadamsphoto.com

Charles Lafrance

I‘m in my fifties. I’ve been practicing photography for the last four years. I shoot with prime lens, and my cameras are either Nikon or Fuji. 

and featured: Fourth Barleta

An art director and a street photographer. I was born in a small town called San Pablo City, Laguna, in 1991. I started doing photography back in 2009, but due to an incident I stopped; then I picked up a camera and started shooting again around early 2019. I focus now on street photography, shooting daily lives, and it’s beauty based on my taste or mood, either in color or black and white. I think my works are highly influenced by my job as a designer. I also recently discarded my digital camera and went full on film. Instagram: fourbars_

Editor-in-Chief & Publisher 

Batsceba Hardy

Editorial Team

Michael Kennedy

Keef Charles

Fabio Balestra

Cover Photograph

John Gellings

Concept

Batsceba Hardy

Graphic Design

Olivia Agostini

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