{"id":8205,"date":"2017-04-28T09:26:30","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T08:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/?p=8205"},"modified":"2017-04-28T10:57:52","modified_gmt":"2017-04-28T09:57:52","slug":"a-canterbury-soundscape-new-photography-exhibition-coming-to-colyer-fergusson-gallery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/2017\/04\/28\/a-canterbury-soundscape-new-photography-exhibition-coming-to-colyer-fergusson-gallery\/","title":{"rendered":"A Canterbury Soundscape: new photography exhibition coming to Colyer-Fergusson Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our new exhibition in Colyer-Fergusson Gallery,\u00a0A Canterbury Soundscape<\/em><\/strong>, which opens in ten days’ time, features the work of local prize-winning photographer and musician, Molly Hollman<\/strong>. Combining her passion for landscapes and wildlife with being a professional musician and music teacher, Molly has spent the past year capturing the life of the Music department here at Kent.<\/p>\n

\"\"With an eye for a dramatic moment and an imaginative sense of space, Molly’s photography breathtakingly captures the spirit of people and of place. Her work turns a fleeting moment into a universal truth, responding to the beauty in landscapes, in venues and the people within them, in the way they interact with each other. \u00a0Whether in the intimacy of a single flower within a landscape or the intensity of a musician concentrating in rehearsal, her work transcends the temporary moment, turning it into a timeless statement that skilfully captures the dynamic at the heart of what she sees through the lens.<\/p>\n

Ahead of her exhibition launch, I caught up with Molly and asked her about her work.<\/p>\n

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How did you become interested in photography ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Molly Hollman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’ve always been an artist (my parents are both artists and potters) and have enjoyed painting throughout my life, although when my children were born time somehow seemed to disappear…. So I turned to photography, something I’d always enjoyed but never fully immersed myself in until then.<\/p>\n

What attracts you most about working with images ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love to capture the world around me and have always had a love of nature; with photography I can capture the image as I see it, for posterity. Photographing the candid and everyday is as important to me as the grand and splendid.<\/p>\n

What were you looking for in\u00a0taking the pictures in this exhibition ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always try to capture a moment – many of the best photographs have a narrative, making the viewer reflect and be drawn into the scene. Posed photographs are often very staged and reveal no story or emotion.<\/p>\n

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\nAre there any photographers you particularly admire, or whose work has influenced you in some way ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have many influences, looking at as many photographs as possible is the best way of improving your craft. Aside from the classics, such as Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier Bresson, I like many contemporary photographers, such as Julie Blackmon, Henrik Kerstens and David Chancellor.<\/p>\n

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\n What\u2019s been your best\/most fortuitous moment taking pictures ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Any time where the light has been amazing! Be as observant as you can – I won a prize in an international competition with a photograph of birds feeding, they were on a white fence with a white wall behind which then lent a touch of minimalism to the image and made the photograph more powerful.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s been your worst ?!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grey, flat skies (as opposed to stormy skies which I love) are hard to do anything with, as are sobbing toddlers!<\/p>\n

People or places ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like both, capturing a person’s character in one image is a real challenge that I relish, but my love of nature pulls me outdoors as much as possible. When I do portrait shoots, I try to do them on location if possible, thus combining the two.<\/p>\n

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A Canterbury Soundscape\u00a0<\/em>opens in Colyer-Fergusson Gallery on Monday 8 May<\/strong>, and runs until September; admission is free, the gallery is open during normal working hours, and there is disabled access. Find out more about Molly on her website here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n