Visited the Don McCullen exhibition again. This time not at the weekend – it was still busier than usual but this time there was plenty of space to look round properly.

Don had visited Bradford on a number of occasions in the 70′s finding it a fertile photography location – people friendly and open to him, inviting him into their houses to photograph the squalor and ‘long tails’. ‘You couldn’t fail’ in Bradford…

I think this made the exhibition of particular interest to local people, and there are quality shots of local scenes/people from this period. There was none of his war photography, and some surprises – such as winter landscapes – which is a period he particularly likes to photograph … waiting keenly for the winter months when he can photograph the English rural scenes in the ‘cold harsh’ months.

There was a series of 4 short interviews on video. McCullen (in his late 70s?) talks about his early career, poverty, and Bradford interestingly, and the discussion of his roots in Finsbury Park, London, explains how he got into war/political photography – through national service in the RAF where he was posted in the photography department and pretty much taught himself, and says that had he not gone into to photography he would have probably become a criminal in the tough London area where there was little else for young men at the time.

He described his methods of driving into London from ‘the country’ putting on an overcoat and doc marten boots and walking into deprived areas of London … walking all day … sometimes getting pictures, sometimes not – but he would just come upon pictures as he turned the corner.

He says he makes himself obvious to his subjects and visually engages them so they are aware of him, before taking a photograph. Getting their implicit consent even if no words are spoken. There are clearly pictures where he hasn’t done this, and he talks in the interview about a man on crutches in Lumb Lane Bradford where the man attempts to hit him with a crutch … so it seems this is not his approach in every instance.

A quality exhibition … which it’s good to have locally – and good to see it being patronised well.