What are Personal Truths?


"Realizing Personal Truths in
Photography" by William Bishop

Review by Virginia Khuri

What are 'personal truths'? The phrase mystified me many years ago when I first came across it in the introduction to 'Three Perspectives on Photography". I was then just beginning the search for my own voice in photography and for some sort of validation for it, or at least some explanation of it. It was a difficult time because I was working very much in isolation as well as outside of the publicized socially and politically concerned mainstream of photographic practice. It has taken until now for me to begin to understand why I photograph - and I am still learning. If only I could have read William Bishop's insight-full book twenty years ago. It would have been a source of inspiration. But then, these past twenty years are what the book chronicles by way of explaining the photographic search for 'personal truths.'

The unassuming nature of this small book belies its importance. In unpretentious, clearly written prose it recounts the growth of a rekindled interest in creative personal photography in Great Britain from 1970's to the present The roots of this interest extend back to the very beginning of photography, a fact acknowledged by the author in an image by Fox Talbot as a 'keynote' to the text. From these roots, William Bishop traces a brief history of the 'movement' in England through the 19th century and early 20th century, noting its interruption in England during WWI and its continuation in the US which after the war spurred a new impetus in England fostered by the likes of Norman Hall, editor of Photography magazine.

Thus the seeds were sown, but, since nothing comes into being fully formed, there being always a gestation period, long or short, it took until the 1970's for the development of a cultural milieu rich enough to encourage a flowering. This is traced through the work of people involved with The Arts Council and the influential magazine, Creative Camera, in the late 60's and early 70's and in the formation of the highly influential Trent-Derby creative photography course. In discussion of the influence of this course, there is some of the most incisive and thought provoking commentary I have read on work by John Blakemore, Thomas Joshua Cooper, Paul Hill and Raymond Moore.

In thus outlining the recent historical context for the 'realization of personal truths,' insight is given into the nature of "personal truths," while perhaps more importantly a context for work is provided to those of us who are struggling through photography to discover and express them. Although the cultural milieu today may not be so fertile, it is made evident that such evolution (of movements, groups, individual work) continues to be possible.

This evolutionary aspect of development is made particularly clear through the discussion of how the 'Photographers Place' came into existence and of its enormous influence on individual photographers and its role in the formation of 'independent' photography groups such as London Independent Photography. Oddly in contradiction to the general principle of evolutionary development, I feel that the impression given by the book is that London Independent Photography arose as a fully formed grand vision of a regional association of independent photographers; it did not The seed was a wish simply to facilitate meeting and discussing work with fellow photographers who had been to the 'Photographers Place', and did not begin to germinate until Janet Hall and I met on a workshop, together deciding to see what could be done. The story from then on is one of evolution, depending upon the work of Janet, myself and many others, but primarily on the determination and perseverance of Janet, and in fact, one might say that LIP itself has become an expression of her 'personal truths'.

While the book is effective in sketching a history of the movement to 'realize personal truths in photography,' I feel that it is just a beginning, and that there are many areas and people only briefly mentioned that deserve fuller treatment. That said however, for me the real importance of such a book, and indeed of the parent journal, 'Inscape,' is that it keeps alive the flickering flame of individuality, of the unique creative potential of each and every human being in an age which might be said to be characterized by a potential for cultural totalitarianism through political correctness and 'art market' gallery dictates.

We are all individuals, unique in our physical characteristics, temperaments, abilities, and personal histories all of which create the inscape of our I personal truths.' And none of us are finished products; in each lies the potential for further development, especially in the area of heightened awareness or consciousness which may be an avenue for the discovery of ‘personal truths' and is also, perhaps, the place where a universal human bond may exist. I like to think that in this photographic search for 'personal truths' we might touch upon more universal truths out of which a form of communication may take place. Post-modernism may proclaim the death of ‘authorship', of the validity or possibility of individual creativity, and perhaps the old idea of art created by born geniuses has had its day and should be made redundant, but certainly the creativity uniquely possible to every individual still lives - a thought to which this book is a testament.

(C) Virginia Khuri 1977



Sept 97 Index page