http://www.digitalcameraworld.com SPRING 2018 DIGITAL CAMERA^37
Benedict Brain reflects on the cycle of
life, the news and working on the go
The art
of seeing
C
oming back from a
fleeting visit to France,
I realised it’s the first
time I’ve left the UK
since autumn 2019.
How wonderful it was to
be on the road again. I’m not sure why it
feels so liberating – but for me, it does.
This was a functional trip that required
flying to southern France and driving back.
I always like these brief journeys, even
though I’m not really on a photography
‘mission’. More often than not, I find that
I make interesting work. I’m not really sure
why this is, but this time I wasn’t going to
waste the opportunity, and I went prepared.
I needed to travel light – hand luggage
only – but I still decided to take my bighttp://www.digitalcameraworld.com FEBRUARY 2022 DIGITAL CAMERA^37
Benedict Brain
http://www.benedictbrain.com
Camera: Fujifilm GFX 50R
Lens: Fujinon GF 45mm f/2.8 R WR
Settings: 1/125 sec at f/16, ISO 100ABOVE: The stark simplicity and subject
matter of this shot speak to the broader
events taking place at the time of shooting.Fujifilm GFX 50R, a 45mm (equivalent to
35mm in full-frame terms) lens, and a small
Godox flash. This is my absolute go-to kit.
There is something about being on a
journey in unfamiliar places that opens
one’s eyes to see the world differently.
Maybe this is why I find that these
trips stimulate my creativity.
I discovered this dead blue tit one day,
and felt instantly inspired to photograph it.
To me, it felt nuanced with metaphorical
meaning. I was in deep rural France, where
the elements, nature, the cycle of life and
the fragility of existence felt heightened
against the encroaching winter. These
feelings were exacerbated by the news,
dominated at the time by Omicron fears
and tragedy in the English Channel.
The delicate beauty and hues of the bird’s
features were in contrast to the starkness
of the cardboard, and this tableau seemed
in a way to speak to my thoughts on
the world around me at the time. The
harshness of the unflinching glare of the
on-camera flash intensified this contrast.
I ended up with about 15 images of the
journey; this is part of a set that I think
hangs together well, despite the disparate
subject matter. Sometimes it’s good, better
even, to work on a project quickly, within
the boundaries of restricted time.