Signs of our Times.
Written by John MacphersonI like signs. They tell us stuff. They tell us stuff about the things around us. But they also say a great deal about us humans too.
My old pal, professional photographer Niall Benvie, has a growing collection of signs he’s created and which he photographs in an appropriate location, to point out the irony, humour or sheer stupidity of modern life. I think its an inspired way to make images work a little harder.
© Niall Benvie
Much of Niall’s work is focused on the environment and our mercurial relationship with it, and tackles subjects as diverse as our obsessively stifling risk-averse culture, or overfishing and the collapse of a major species and its associated industry. Yes there’s humour in abundance, but like most really good humour it has its roots in something that is far from frivolous.
© Niall Benvie
© Niall Benvie
But recently Niall has adopted a ‘panel’ approach to presentation, accompanied by words, which are equally engaging, such as this one about depression:
© Niall Benvie
Simple lesson really. Want to make your images work harder? Give them some carefully selected words to keep them company.
(ps for the last one to work at its best you might need to know that a ‘melancholy thistle’ is a specific type of thistle.)
Author — John Macpherson
John MacPherson was born and lives in the Scottish Highlands. He trained as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards, before completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and then qualified as a Social Worker in Disability Services. Along the way he has cooked on canal barges, trained as an Alpine Ski Leader & worked as an Instructor for Skiers with disabilities, been a canoe instructor, and tutor of night classes in carpentry, stained glass design and manufacture, and archery. He has travelled extensively on various continents, undertaking solo trips by bicycle, or motorcycle. He has had narrow escapes from an ambush by terrorists, been hit by lightning, caught in an erupting volcano, trapped in a mobile home by a tornado, kidnapped by a dog's hairdresser, rammed by a basking shark and was once bitten by a wild otter. He has combined all this with professional photography, which he has practised for over 35 years. He teaches photography and acts as a photography guide & tutor in the UK and abroad. His biggest challenge is keeping his 30 year old Land Rover 110 on the road. He loves telling and hearing stories.