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
John House
'‘City Limits’ "When I first came up with the concept for ‘The Shot I Never Forgot’, four images appeared in my head within a few minutes. This image, taken whilst studying for my degree was one of them because it marks a significant learning point in my photographic practice. I was trying to create a series of images that were constructed – something I had never done before and have not really attempted since. My concept was to make surreal scenes that made comment on the urbanisation of our lives, in particular our leisure activities. For the most part, the pictures I made were quite unsuccessful – however, I have always enjoyed this one and returned to it time and again. In part, I think it works due to the rather striking pose and styling of Ahmet Unver, who kindly agreed to play golf around a car park for the afternoon. I have always enjoyed how the shot is framed and how Ahmet genuinely looks like he is sizing up his shot towards the tower block. Whilst I never went anywhere with this series of images – I found the experience a poignant lesson. Constructing an image forces you to consider how to build narrative and meaning into a Photograph by controlling all aspects of it, ideas which can be applied to any style of Photography. Whenever I look at this image, I wonder why I did not pursue the constructed image idea further within Photography as it offers a uniquely alternative way to work with the medium."
