I first came across David Gibson a year or so ago when I went on one of his photowalks in the East End of London. His work is full of dark humour and he has very observant presence on the streets. When I look at his pictures I feel that I have walked past many of his humorous moments and have failed to see. His work has taught me that simply seeing is not enough you have to have the vision to see a story unfold and it is your job as a photographer to convey that scene.
He emphasizes the importance of studying the work of other photographers to improve your work saying that he spends more time looking at pictures as opposed to shooting them. This is good advice and is something that I need to do more of if I am to become a better photographer.
Throughout his work you will see one word juxtapositions and visual puns. After walking the streets for many days over the last few weeks I now truly appreciate how special these moments in his work are. They are hard to come by and you have to be ready when they do. It is now with this in mind I am determined to bring my camera with me whenever I leave the house.
It was through looking at Gibson's work that I felt myself move away more from black and white images and to appreciate the diversity offered by colour. I think people tend to write colour off too easily and I can see from his images that those in colour are as good if not better than black and white.
His work can be seen on his website. I particularly like the series Subtitles for Life and Colour Street.
http://www.gibsonstreet.com/
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