Terri Dunbar-Curran
FOR photographer Ashley Walters, it’s all about the subtleties. He relishes the slight movements and gestures that highlight elements of the scenes he’s capturing, but mostly it’s the story behind the photographs that he treasures.
His first solo exhibition, Uitsig, is showing at the Sanlam Art Gallery in Bellville until August 16. The show features 39 works, including a 10-minute video which features fragments of some of the featured images.
Walters insists that Uitsig is not meant to be a representation of the community, but rather a way of capturing his own experiences of living in Uitsig and surrounding areas. From large images and a panoramic shot, to smaller, intimate portraits, Walters has captured the beauty found in everyday life. His subjects range from neighbourhood gardens, to a mechanic hard at work and even a trifle. “The images are almost like a performance, like theatre,” he says, adding that the story behind the photographs play an important role in the selection process.
It’s also important to note that Walters doesn’t pose his subjects. “I do not direct people. When there’s a pose, it’s them doing it themselves,” he says, adding that posed shots take time. “I anticipate what’s about to happen. That comes from spending a lot of time with the families and knowing my equipment. You also have to have a sensitivity to what you are photographing and where you are.”
With that in mind, Walters never just shows up with a camera to get his shot and leave. He spends time building relationships and becoming part of families. When he starts working with people they often put on a façade, but as they become comfortable around him and his camera they relax and he’s able to capture special, poignant, honest moments. “As much as it is about getting an image that tells a story, it also has to feel right,” he says.
When it comes to his artistic process, the photographer says that it’s not really possible to plan shots in advance. “To some extent you always have an idea, but it always changes. You have to allow for things to happen. Sometimes I go back to a location, and sometimes I’ll leave with just one photograph.”
While still studying, Walters wasn’t able to afford his own digital camera which meant using whatever the university had available. “Everytime I would sign out a camera I would get a different body, with a different lens. Which was good, I had to learn how to work with them. I had to create a consistency through my work with different equipment.”
Walters relishes the opportunity to learn new skills. Throughout his career as an artist he has honed his photographic skills, as well as learning about printing and framing and is now starting to dabble in film-making. He framed his entire fourth year body of work himself, but says that that level of involvement takes away the time he is able to dedicate to the selection process. It took him more than a year to settle on the final Uitsig exhibition.
Having relocated to Woodstock about two years ago, Walters is currently working on a new project focussing on that area and the surrounds. But as a photographer, he is never only working on one body of work. “Sometimes I’ll work on more than one at a time, it’s nice to go back and forth between projects.”
Much like with Uitsig, this new project saw him pick a central point and work outwards in a circle, then come back in again. He says that there are a lot of interesting things happening in Woodstock and he has made a point of really looking and seeing, planning his routes specifically, making it part of his routine. “As you get used to the space you start to see things differently.”
Walters carries his camera with him all the time. “And if it’s not on me, it’s very nearby,” he laughs. “I’m constantly photographing in and around the city and the Cape Flats, building this archive.”
With the walkabouts attached to this exhibition, Walters is aiming to approach it differently. “I want to try to focus on different aspects of the work. I want people to bring their own stories,” he says. “I want it to be a conversation, rather than just me talking about the images.”
He is also hoping to attract a younger audience. “I didn’t have that kind of exposure in terms of art, I didn’t even know you could go on to study art. I wish someone had come and told us there were more options other than electrician, motor mechanic, or fitting and turning.” He wants to encourage his audience to create opportunities for themselves where they live. He would like his works to be an inspiration, as well as catching the eye of art collectors.
l Free walkabouts on July 25 and August 15 at 10am, 021 947 3359.