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
Jonathan Cherry
Purple Fleece, Falmouth, 2009’ "While in my last year at University College Falmouth I spotted this woman in her purple fleece sat outside my house. I was on my way home at the time in the middle my final major project and wondering if I would ever be happy with it. Upon seeing this woman it suddenly felt right to run and get my camera asking her if I could take her picture. She agreed so I set up my 5×4 Wista Field camera on the pavement. The sun was blazing straight onto her face which is why she could barely keep her eyes open but I didn’t mind that. I was simply inspired to take her photograph and that feeling hadn’t happened for a while since I was trying to force creativity upon my University work. From that point on I changed my project’s direction to photograph some local fire fighters rather than continuing with a project about people on the night shift. This was certainly a turning point for me and there is no doubt that this woman in her purple fleece was the catalyst for it. I often refer back to this image in my mind and although I haven’t looked at it much over the years I have thought about it a great deal. So if you are in the middle of a project that you feel is going nowhere or maybe you are yet to start then find a woman in a purple fleece to photograph."
