Martin Hulbert

Martin Hulbert

Artmoments

I am now living on the Moray coast in Aberdeenshire following retirement in England. I find the Aberdeenshire area a photographers' delight: whether the wild expanses of beaches and sea, a tiny cove, a village wrapped around the cliffs, surrounding countryside, old towns and not forgetting the amazing skies and ever changing weather.  I enjoy living here.

I have been fortunate to have been inspired by listening to, learning from and seeing the work of many photographers over the years:  

• In the 1960s early influences were primarily Life Magazine photographers Alfred Eisnsteadt for black and white photojournalism and Ernst Hass who showed different ways of seeing colour. 
• In the 1970s learning from Thurston Hopkins at Guilford School of Photography, West Surrey College of Art much about the practice of photojournalism and editorial workings and how to 'feel the light and exposure' 

What stopped me from joining the others who went to Vietnam at the time was probably 'life' and 'settling down'... perhaps I did not have the commitment to set off with a couple of Leicas or Nikons, three lenses and....  We will never know!  

At the turn of the century (this century) I spent some time re-learning large format photography - it was no longer the chore it had been in the 1970s - and viewing an image under a dark cloth helped me to slow down.  With further changes in direction the works of Bernd & Hilla Becher in particular taught me to appreciate space and structure - and to break all conventional photographic rules! 

In 2005 I completed an MA in Documentary Photography at Newport School of Photography, University of Wales I  explored the worlds of Post Modernism and 'After Post Modernism' in Documentary Photography. I found works by Sabastiao Salgado and Alfredo Jarr had come into the background of my way of seeing and telling - to paraphrase the books by John Berger. The idea of slowing down and making images that leave the viewer wondering and hopefully asking questions about the message they are being shown changed my outlook. I was challenged also  by documentary photographers Tom Stoddart and Susan Meiselas who showed, in a hidden way, the other side of conflicts. I also gained Associate Membership of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS). 

And then came digital photography….  

My work has travelled through Photojournalism and Press Work, hard hitting Social & Editorial Documentary, some Weddings, Documentary and Art Photography. Now I am often looking at images that go beyond the conventional ‘picture image’ and transcend the boundary into artworks. 

My galleries will have a mixture of work to see and I hope you will enjoy browsing… 

• Date joined: 07/07/2020