Citigroup Photography prize, Joel Sternfeld and Peter Fraser (and me)

I went to the Photographer's Gallery in London last week. Currently there is an exhibition of work for the Citigroup Photography Prize, the results of which will be announced this week. Two of the photographers caught my attention Joel Sternfeld and Peter Fraser.
Joel Sternfeld actually has photos from several exhibitions on display, the ones which most caught my imagination were from the Walking the Highline. Oddly, Jason Kottke has also been writing about the high line, recently.

UPDATE: Joel Sternfeld won the prize, I'm really pleased about this, as I really enjoyed his work. I'd highly recommend that you visit before the end of the month.

I was very taken with Joel Sternfeld, so much so that I'd consider buying some of his books for inspiration. He has published quite a wide range American Prospects; On This Site: Landscape in Memoriam; Stranger Passing; Treading on Kings: Protesting the G8 in Genoa; and Walking the High Line. If you are US based then there are many other books by Joel Sternfeld from Amazon.com.

From Peter Fraser, I particularly like 2, 5, 7 and 8 from his selection of pictures on his website, as selected for the Citigroup prize. Deep blue and Two blue buckets are his available published work. I really enjoy the observed detail in his photography, the reds on the floor with the trapped dandelion seed. Or the small fragments of glass beside the paper plane, giving a subtle impression of narrative.

Both photographers capture something of the everyday and show that there are photographs all around you, waiting. Some of them need to be sought out or waited for until the right moment, others are fleeting and the others are always there. This mixture of photgraphic inspiration has encouraged me to start carrying my 35mm film camera again, as it is my best picture taking tool. I'm now seen walking around Covent Garden and up towards Broadcasting House camera in hand, look for simple scenes to take pictures of. I've decided to go back to basics and start retraining my eye to see the picture, concentrating on shape, light, colour and pattern, working only with a 50mm f1.8 lens, so that I have little room for playing, I can only think of composition, shutter speeds and apertures.