Black+White Photography Magazine August 2009 Back Issue

Just recently a young photographer sent me some of his work. He is both
talented and enthusiastic (you will be seeing some of it in a future issue!)
and in love with reportage, to the point that one of his submissions was
simply entitled ‘Diary’ in which he described, in images, his daily life. As
a journalist and editor I’ve long been fascinated by autobiography in word form, and
am now increasingly intrigued by the idea of a wordless pictorial form. Interestingly,
the same rules apply – you have to be selective and you have to edit your work right
down to the essentials. Then you have a story.
For quite a few years I taught Creative Writing in Adult Education and, again
recently, a former student, now in her mid-70s contacted me. She wanted me to
‘direct’ her in some autobiographical writing to leave for her children, so I suggested
that she start by writing ‘snapshots’ about her life with the idea that they can later
be edited and developed into a coherent form – a kind of verbal photo album. I was
suprised at how easily the genres interchanged.
I think the key to good autobiography is making the ordinary extraordinary. If you
can transform the simple things around you (people, objects, spaces) into something
unique, it’s a very special talent. Like alchemy.
I’ve been thinking hard about this, so when it came to talking about a new angle for
Eamonn McCabe’s column (he’d written 100 and we thought he would like
a fresh challenge) I suggested that he should start a series based on the idea –
perhaps not quite of alchemy, but something close. You can see what he came up
with on page 32. I hope it sets you off.