Image series inspired by Pictorialist late 19th Century / early 20th Century figure studies of photographers such as Edward Steichen, Frank Eugene and William Mortensen.
Reacting to the viewpoint of the camera as a mere mechanism for recording 'truthful' images of people, places and events, Pictorialists sought to instead create a symbolic impression of a scene infused with psychological and spiritual meaning, in order to evoke emotional sensations and states of mind. The emphasis is on beauty, tonality, and composition and an otherworldly aesthetic.
Wet plate collodion on 4.5" metal plates
Brence Coghill and Sharon Blance have been working together as a creative partnership since 2010. Together they work as commercial photographers in Melbourne, Australia whilst also collaborating on numerous personal artistic image-making projects.
Their current focus is on traditional darkroom and analogue practices including the 1850s-era wet plate collodion process, as well as fine art drawing/painting techniques incorporated into photographic media.
Awards Collectively Sharon and Brence have won numerous awards internationally:
2019 Third Place (Film/Analogue) plus 6x Highly Commended and 3x Honourable Mentions – Australian Photography Awards
2019 Silver Winner, Bronze Winner and an Honourable Mention – Tokyo International Foto Awards
2019 Silver Winner – PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris
2019 4x Honourable Mentions – International Photography Awards
2018 Silver Winner – PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris
2017 Australian Photography Awards – Finalist
2016 Australian Photography Awards – Double finalist
