The Shot I Never Forgot
‘The Shot I Never Forgot’ is an Arts Council funded project in which participating artists were invited to share a photograph that has remained in their mind since they shot it along with the story behind its creation. Most of the artists instinctively knew which image they should share, sometimes because it was poignant, sometimes because of its personal significance or simply because it is a great photograph.
As photographers, we shoot many more images than ever see the light of day, often including fabulous stand alone pictures – shot on instinct – whilst making work for another project. Because these single images do not fit the brief, they sit gathering dust in an ever-growing archive. The Shot I Never Forgot is a chance for some of these images to be presented in their own right, for others to enjoy; a platform to enable some of these memorable photographs to be seen for the first time.
This project began in February 2013 and culminated in an exhibition and publication, held during the Brighton photo Fringe 2014. Since then, it has been lying dormant, ocassionally being dusted off to receive some new submissions!
John House, February 2018
Erica Mcdonald
‘Emily. NYC, Puerto Rican Day Parade 2008’ "I often come back to a photo I took of a young girl named Emily. It was after a parade in the city, and we were in Central Park and she was walking with her family, transitioning from the activity of the day and the public realm back to the a more private frame of mind. We met there, psychologically, and the photo happened very quickly. It was a quiet but real connection and was one of the first times I felt successful in communicating the honest quality of the moment. Maybe I see myself in her, or perhaps it is just that the photo combines many elements that I appreciate in photography, but somehow the memory of the meeting, and the image, stay with me as one in the same."
