Shooting film is a journey, I have probably always known that, but I had never realized it, until I stumbled on Ian Howorth blog. There is no debate digital vs analogue for Ian, only two different way to live this journey called photography. Clearly, film is the most tangible between the two ways of conceiving photography, due to its physical presence, but also different in its aesthetic with its mystery and imperfection.
Ian Howorth comes from a generation that was born into an analog world but grow up in a digital one. He uses digital devices, but he also accepted the film challenge to create his photographs. Howorth photography range from cinematic to documentary and street tied to the quest for authenticity, in fact only very few of his images are staged, he said “A photograph isn’t reality, everything I do in my staged work really did happen except that I’m the puppet master rather than a chance observer”. Howorth imbues his shots with a bit of mystery and complex lighting that add a feeling of isolation and forgotten highlighted often by shadows. The shadows complete the scenes and become subjects as well as people and cars.
Make-Out City portrays a couple immersed in a kiss interrupted by something, this shot is the essence of mystery, the girl who looks at the shutter intensifies the riddle, was the photographer to interrupt it? Did she look spontaneously at it? This shot as many others are clearly influenced by painter Edward Hopper and the photographer Gregory Crewdson. The quest for authenticity in every shot and the brilliant use of light will make you love this contemporary artist.
All images © Ian Howorth
Written by Anna Trifirò
