The Great War Exhibition 1.33

This is not a ‘photographic’ exhibition, but an exhibition on The Great War using documentary style photographs as a means to that end. Any photographs that have the appearance of being pretentious have usually been brought about by my visiting the larger sites in the early morning. I try to avoid people in my photographs and the best time to visit sites which have a high visitor footfall is early in the morning. This practice does have its drawbacks as early morning mist in July rising from the ground can prove a hindrance to the clear type of photography I am seeking. I wish my photographs to be straightforward and honest; no nonsense, no drama, just the truth as it was when the motifs presented themselves to the camera. This is no place for ‘pretty’ pictures; serene and beautiful is good. The subject of the picture is in this case far more important than the picture.
However, the one liberty I have taken is with regard to some of the panoramic photographs. Without going into the technicalities, a photograph with an angle of view in excess of 140 degrees will be distorted when displayed on a flat print. If the print is viewed curved, as say the new curved TV screens, the picture loses the distortion. A few prints are provided for demonstrating this phenomenon.
A ‘panoramic’ photograph is usually either of a scene with a wide angle of view and/or with a letterbox style presentation where one side is, say, at least twice the size of the smaller side. I prefer an aspect ratio of 3 to 1, but not all subjects suit this format.
When something excites me, I am eager to share my enthusiasm with others. For me, the best way of communicating my passion for the whole of the Western Front is through my lifelong interest in photography. My only wish is that I had discovered the spell which the Great War has cast on me much earlier in my life.
One problem I have had in preparing this exhibition has been choosing the subjects of the exhibits from approximately 6,500 photographs covering over 200 locations on the Western Front. Notably missing include, Newfoundland Memorial Park, 80 acres of the Somme battlefield where the actual trenches remain as they were left in 1918; many other trench sites; Sanctuary Wood and its trench museum; stained glass windows dedicated to the war; Talbot House; the Christmas truce; some fine monuments; other stories such as Lt-Col Emile Driant and many many more. Of course, the Great War covered a much greater field of operations than Flanders and France; it was after all a World War.
There is so much to see and generally within a small area that there is no need to travel great distances. Ypres, centre for the northern battlefields, is less than 80 miles from the Channel Tunnel, an easy 90 minute journey. Amiens or Albert, central to the Somme battlefield sites, are less than 120 miles. The roads are good and unbelievably quiet which makes for pleasant motoring.
The visitor does need to plan ahead in order to make the best use of the time available. There are many good guide books with planned routes. Major and Mrs Holt’s Battlefield guide books are a good basis for planning a trip and there are many other specialist battlefield publications. With the aid of Satnav, getting around is a doddle!