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
Willie robb
‘Berlin Lady’ 2004 "I made this photograph on a trip to Berlin in my Foundation Year. Like so many aspiring photographers I hadn’t used colour film yet so every image was black and white. The sky was consistently overcast which in hindsight made the experience good for monochromatic vision. I had borrowed a medium format Bronica from Filton College in Bristol and was just getting used to looking down onto the ground glass. It was a wonderful experience to discover photographic emersion; the feeling that you’re removed from a situation, that you’re somewhere else looking in. All those elements, the black and white film, the camera and the fresh perspective add to this image but it’s the Berlin Lady that really makes it. She is looking at me, looking at her through the camera. It takes her gaze over the frame giving the scene an element of Film Noir mystery. She is very attractive. I have to admit I fell a little bit in love with her. The image stands alone in a sea of single images from that trip. The notion of making a consistent series was foreign to me so I came back with a lot of exciting but fragmented photographs; perhaps something closer to memory. I still consider the image to be one of my best though. And I’m still a little bit in love with the Berlin Lady."
