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Published: April 17, 2019, 9:07 a.m.

We’re 40! How did that happen? 

We grew up so quickly….. It doesn’t seem like two minutes ago that Bradley and I recorded the first, very shaky and nervous, episode back in January 2018. A lot has changed since then.

Outerfocus started as a way to introduce some photography history, in an easily digestible manner, and to have conversations with photographers, about photography. The two things that helped me most with my own photography were: An understanding of where photography came from, and, what drove photographers to practice. 

Although the photography history aspect of the podcast has dwindled somewhat in the past few months, I feel the conversations are becoming stronger, and that takes us on to the, ‘why’. The, ‘why’, is what helped me to understand myself and the world around me. I learned more about photography by understanding the philosophies of photographers than I did by looking at their photographs. It made me realise that the idea is important, and the photograph is just a consequence of our study and practice. Maybe not for everyone, but that’s how I came to understand it and it fundamentally changed me as a human being. It also freed me from not just the constraints of industry expectations, but societal expectations, too. 

So, Happy 40th to Outerfocus! I hope that me passing on some of what I think is important in photography, and life, can raise some questions and create some new ideas for you. I’m not doing this alone mind you. The guests are adding their own unique perspective to the Outerfocus archive, and I’m still learning, a lot, and long may that continue.

I expect you all know of the photographers that had an influence on me, but there are some that never really get a mention. Mostly because the genres they work in don’t come up in conversation too frequently. I mean, name one architectural photographer…….I could easily name a few, but that’s because it’s something I have a great interest in. I know who the first one would be, though, and when it comes to individuality there aren’t many better than the rather exceptional, Hélène Binet.

Hélène is a Swiss-French architectural photographer living in London, and she is one of the leading architectural photographers in the world. Best known for her work with architects Daniel Libeskind, Peter Zumthor and Zaha Hadid, she has published books on works of several architects. She is the recipient of many awards over her 30+ year career including an Honorary Fellowship of Royal Institute of British Architects, 2008.

Most recently she was honored with the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award in 2015, The Ada Louise Huxtable Prize 2019 ..........

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