Photography is woefully underrepresented on broadcast media. Occasionally there will be a photography challenge style programme on television filled with the top tips that are the staple of many of the popular print magazines. Or, from time to time there is a monograph style programme on a photographer’s life work, normally one from the established cannon of ‘greats’.
Rarely do we get an insight into photographers working on projects in the current time.
Then there is radio, which from time to time has small gems of audio on photography.
Currently on Radio 4 we are half way through some audio gold with a series called ‘Snapshots’.
The programme description is:
“Series that follows photographers at work, exploring both sides of the story: the process of photographing and of being photographed.”
This is radio broadcasting at its finest. We have first-hand accounts from photographers about their work. Each of the photographers featured so far work in a very different way and we gain an insight into their projects and how they approach their work.
Episode 1 meets Matthew Finn who has produced book of photographs of his mother.
Episode 2 follows Mark Neville as he photographs at the Seaside Social Club in Port Talbot.
Episode 3 travels with Joanne Coates as she photographs abroad the Happy Hooker
Episode 4 talks with Mahtab Hussain about her project of photographing British Muslim women.
If you haven’t listened to photography being discussed on the radio before, do give it a go. See how your mind conjures the photographers work - there are links to a gallery of work by each photographer via the BBC iPlayer to satisfy your curiosity.
(You can download the episodes, but the episodes are only available for 4 weeks after first broadcast date so do not delay if you wish to listen to them.)