David Simper bussed it down to the Tea Amantes cafe and gallery to catch this excellent show of contemporary street photography in the North West.
The Tea Amantes gallery is always conducive to an attractive and intimate show such as this, together with excellent snacks. On arrival a good crowd was already there creating a homely buzz of conversation. I noticed a good number of excellent photographers in the throng, and then there was me but I hardly count.
Street photography has always fascinated me and I’ve never really had the nerve to pursue it properly. Nowadays a lot of people are inclined to think they’re being ‘papped’ and there’s a strong risk of objection. I don’t think that Henri Cartier-Bresson had such issues in a more deferential age. Don McCullin is another favourite, but if you’re taking pictures in a war zone, it’s pretty obvious what they’re for. There might be a fine line between snapshot and street photography, but when considering an image it’s pretty obvious what side of that line it is. These images were on the right side.
The group has dubbed itself the self-deprecating StreetSnappers North West, an exclusive invitation only collective of 15 members. It describes itself as a ‘poor man’s Magnum’, referring to the high quality photo-journalism agency, lacking in opulence but rich in camaraderie. The group creates a space for aspiring photographers, enabling them to hone their skills. It aims to create a tapestry of local life created by local artists.
The images on display were of high quality packing considerable punch in both colour and monochrome. All were taken digitally, but some members do also shoot on film. Composition is so important in any image and these were well put together, with a great use of form and tight cropping taking out distracting and superfluous detail. There was also a great deal of humour in these images, showing people enjoying themselves, at least for a while.
I spoke to Kenny McRae from the group and ask him what its roots are.
“We all did a workshop with a photographer called Brian Lloyd Duckett, who started StreetSnappers, and because we’re all based in the North West we thought we’d start a local group. The idea was that it would be easier to arrange meets and exhibitions outside of London.
“We started the group late last year and did our first exhibition in January 2024. This is the third venue we’ve exhibited in, it’s a travelling exhibition. The plan is to work towards more exhibitions in the future. We have an idea in the pipeline, but haven’t actually set a central theme.”
Kenny says the group might. venture into more film photography and is keen to hear about the Blackpool Community Darkroom.
“I have just actually just started developing my own films after some developing tanks were donated,” he says. “We’ve got plans for a photowalk in Blackpool at some point.” I would certainly like to see those shots and indeed another group show and possibly individual exhibitions.
It was good to get Kenny’s picture of the group’s role and something of a vision as to where it’s going. Street photography chronicles society and its images get more valuable as they get older. Switching art forms, did Lowry realise he was painting a dying industrialised world? Taking stock photographs I’ve often taken stick, ‘What you taking a picture of that for?’. Because what you are taking for granted soon slips away without a decent image of it.
I helped myself to a delicious if calorific, piece of cake and sampled one of the venue’s many teas. This led to to some nice chats among the amenable crowd.
Northern Exposures runs at Tea Amantes until the 5th May. Be sure to pop along and see it.
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