30
B+Wor fields. He uses 5x4 black & white film and
exposes each negative for 24 hours at a time- something he calls a Day in a Life period.
This patient approach was inspired by an
essay on spirit photography that he wrote
during his MA in Photographic Studies
at the University of Westminster. ‘I read
about this woman called Ada Deane who
took images of parents and falsely placed
an image of their sons in uniform in the
background during the processing of the
prints. I don’t believe that spirits can appear
in photographs but it got me thinking of the
landscape that I work in and the atrocities
and horrors that were committed there. This
is now part of the make-up of the land and
I wanted time to absorb this into my images.’
The one downside of such long exposures
is that it seriously limits the number of
photographs that Brett can take in a single
trip. ‘As I only have a few weeks a year to do
this I needed a lot of cameras!’ he says, with
no little understatement. ‘My relationship
with Ilford Photo was very important to
this whole project for, without their support,
I could not have afforded to do this.’
T
he 130-year-old company was
keen to support the project, given
its own links to the Great War.
Nineteen Ilford employees died
during their military service, a fact that is
commemorated on a plaque at its Cheshire
factory today, and so it was decided that they
would supply Brett with 19 Harman Titan
pinhole cameras for his Project WW1.
With four Above Ground portfolios now
completed and plans to continue until
2019 with a trip to Gallipoli mooted, the
Bristol-based photographer is beginning
to develop a more instinctive idea of
what makes a successful pinhole picture.
‘Like all photography it comes down to
composition, which is a bit more difficult
without a screen to see what your image
will look like,’ he explains. ‘But this is one
of the exciting things about the work –
I don’t know how it’s going to look until
I process it when I get home. This allows
for imperfections, which don’t come
with the digital image.’
The pursuit of an imperfect finish comes
as a complete contrast to the way in whichBrett began his career. Born in Napier in
1964, he trained as a photographer during
a five-year stint in the Royal New Zealand
Air Force, before starting his own business
shooting weddings, commercial projects
and, later, advertising work. All of these
jobs required a high standard of technical
excellence so when Brett moved to
England in 1996 he began teaching at
Swindon College, where he now leads the
diploma course.
Asked what he looks for in a prospective
student and Brett admits that it isn’t just
about a dazzling portfolio. ‘I am looking
for images that show me that this person
sees the world differently from the norm.
They must have passion for whatever style
of imagery excites them. I do not want to
make clones of me – I am looking to help
individuals explore the medium in a way
that will allow them to develop into the
photographer and person they want to be.’
By searching for an alternative perspective
on a century-old conflict, this adventurous
and experimental photographer is well on
his way to heeding his own advice.‘I don’t believe that spirits can appear in photographs but it got me thinking of the
landscape that I work in and the atrocities and horrors that were committed there.’
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