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
Rob Macdonald
‘NEW YORK 2000’ "You shouldn’t be looking at this image. Or, more precisely, I shouldn’t be showing you this image. I promised I wouldn’t. Most of my images are made on the street, in the city. I will never forget this shot because of the reaction of this man when he noticed I had included him in my composition. Usually when people feature in my work they are figures or shapes, perhaps giving scale to a scene or becoming a dynamic element within the balance of a static composition. A person in my shots will be anonymous really and so I don’t feel the need to seek permission. On this day in New York in 2000 I had noticed this very smartly attired businessman sitting on the ground, in a patch of harsh sunlight, engrossed in his newspaper. Something about his pose caught my eye and from a distance I took a couple of shots and then on the third click of the shutter, this shot, he turned and spotted me. The ‘prey’ had spotted the ‘hunter’. In a flash he was in my face and angrily protesting that I could not take his picture and that I must never show it to anyone. I remember being shocked at the intensity of his reaction and I had to firmly hold my ground when he demanded that I tear the film out of my Hasselblad and destroy it. There was no way I was going to agree to that so I managed to persuade him that I would never exhibit the image. As he walked away I was left spinning – in my mind I created a fictional reason for his wrath – was he hiding something? Did he have a secret identity that my image might threaten? I will never know his reasons and I remember clearly that in that moment to have asked him would have been impossible – it felt like his life depended on it. Why would someone be so threatened by photography? Over many years as a photographer I have occasionally met opposition to my camera and one of the ways I form an impression of a city and its people is by how welcoming they are to a visiting street photographer. But I have never been challenged as intensely as this and that is why I will never forget this shot. I don’t even think it is especially strong and probably would never have exhibited it anyway but it has been interesting to have this opportunity to present it and in a way assert my right to present it. This is the first time I have ever looked at it bigger than contact sheet size and even now, all these years later, I feel a pang of guilt about showing it to anyone, breaking that promise I made in the heat of the Manhattan sunshine."
