My website - why create a photography website?
Why create a website or put all that time and emotional energy in revamping a tired old one? Like many artists I pondered long and hard over this question and after months of dithering, bit the bullet. But what was bugging me was that I was not really clear about why I should do this. So I spent a lot of time clarifying my purpose. This significantly influenced the pace of work and the look and feel of the new website.
My old site has served its purpose. It was put together in a hurry so that I could showcase works I had completed for my MA in Photography Arts in 2018. It was now completely outdated and was living proof of something that no longer represented my approach. So it had to be redesigned from scratch. And I don’t mean just the graphics or structure; it needed a much deeper examination. The new website had to convey a sense of my vision, aesthetics and purpose for my art and why I want to promote it. I also need clarity about my audiences – who they were and what they would find engaging and useful. Eventually, after talking to friends and colleagues it became clear that my primary reason was to provide a platform to showcase my work because opportunities for exhibitions and published books are limited and expensive. And both depend on the judgements of others and I wanted to take control. The second and just as important was my desire to share ideas and thoughts about photography. As editor of the fLIP magazine, I interviewed many talented and influential photographers and gained insights into their imaginations and ways of working. I thought I could do this and stimulate discussion and debate through articles, interviews and blogs. I must admit I don’t like the word blog - it sounds lazy and lethargic but more about that later!
Finding the right support
How did I go about it and how did I navigate potential pitfalls? I needed someone who could help because I didn’t have the technical skills or the inclination to learn the hard way. I was lucky to find Sarah-Jane Field. Sarah-Jane was brilliant, had a wonderful combination of technical skill and artistic talent and a deep knowledge of how social media could help in making my works more visible to others.
Sarah-Jane advised that a project plan was essential: a brief for the work, an outline of my vision, a menu structure, an outline for the pages and their purpose, a navigation structure etc. What followed next was the selection and preparation of images, writing and checking texts, and then developing and testing an aesthetic approach that would complement my work and have my ‘voice’. This for me was critical because the website had to reflect who I am as an artist. We tested the aesthetic look and feel as well as the ease of use with a small focus group of artists, and importantly, non-artists.
Looking back I think what made my relationship with Sarah-Jane Field a smooth and fun experience was:
Having a clear idea about why I was creating a new website
Having an idea of the structure and content
A clear idea of the aesthetic look and feel of the pages
Having helpful and interesting content for the audiences I wished to engage with.
Testing, focus group feedback and a planned launch for the new website.
Updates
And finally, a thought on blog; my aversion to the term is not only due to its sound but also its meaning. Blog is shorthand for web log. Why anyone would be interested in logbook-type records of my activities baffles me. Why would my readers be interested and why? Would it not be more valuable to write about particular topics in greater depth and focus so that at least some people may find it helpful in some way? After talking this through this with Sarah-Jane Field we decided that I would call these Thoughts because I wanted this part of my website to be engaging and thought-provoking. Journals could also have work – what do you think?
My first three thought posts were about Emotion, Transience and the Power of Silence.
The next will be about the creation of my first zine called A new life in Zambia: Early photographs by Sant Kumar Jain which was published in December 2023 and is being stocked by the Photographers’ Gallery Bookshop in London. Making this gave me a kind of thrill I had not experienced before and I think that this came from looking at old family photographs which rekindled memories of a bygone time and revealed hidden histories. After this, I will ponder the philosophical question: Is possible to photograph joy and to wholly recreate that sense for the viewer? Watch this space.
Bye for now.
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Breaking news
1] I am exhibiting at the London Independent Photography’s 35th annual exhibition Construction / Disclosure and am delighted that my image Testimony of Silence has been selected for display. This is from a small body of work that examines our experiences and responses to traumatic or joyful human activity and my approach in this was inspired by abstract expressionistic art and the use of non-objective imagery.
The LIP Annual Exhibition is being held at Espacio Gallery, 159 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 7DG. It features a line-up of over sixty diverse international artists demonstrating their broad range of approaches to photography. The exhibition selectors are Dr Junko Theresa Mikuriya and Professor Paul Hill. The gallery will be open to the public from 23rd to 28th January 2024.
2] My latest photo book A new life in Zambia: Early photographs by Sant Kumar Jain was featured in issue 56 of fLIP magazine, Spring 2024 edition, on the theme of global warming.
3] fLIP 56 also features my image, Earth on fire on the front cover.