The Sunday interview: 5 questions for Ralph Turner

Today I will present Ralph Turner the author of Faffy’s Fotos. Ralph is photography enthusiast from Scotland, lover of Mother Nature in all her glory.

1. Why photography?

I've enjoyed taking photos since I was a kid, most likely inspired by my older Brother's interest in photography at the time. It was some gently persuasive prompting from a good photographer friend back in the mid 1980s to get a 'proper camera' that started the ball rolling. I'm glad he did. Once I'd bought my first 35mm slr (my Brother's old Pentax ME kit) I'd been bitten by the bug.

Art was a subject I enjoyed at school but once I'd left and headed out into the world of work, that creative outlet fell by the wayside so, I suppose, photography stepped into it's place. The tech side of photography also appealed. My enjoyment of the medium in the early days was buoyed by my friend's passion and energy for it and it's stuck with me, in one form or another, ever since.

2. What is your favourite gear (camera, lens)?

For colour work, that's straightforward, as most of the time I shoot digitally. I've had my trusty Canon 6D with it's accompanying Sigma 24-105mm zoom for about ten years and it's the most versatile and all-round capable photographic tool I have. I'm not a fast worker by any measure but it's ease of use made my handling of it surprisingly instinctive and responsive. The only real weakness is the man behind it.

For black and white, my choices are nowhere near as clear cut as I shoot it almost entirely on film. I'm fortunate enough to have various options to play with. It depends on what I kind of images I want to create or which camera takes my fancy at the time. If I had to 'stick a pin in the map' though, it would be my Bronica ETRSi kit. It's not the easiest to use due to it's size and heft if I'm lugging the kit around for a day (interestingly, the basic set-up doesn't feel any heavier than my 6D dslr). It can produce fantastic results and is relatively economical to use as 120 format cameras go, with it's 15 frames to a roll. Unfortunately it doesn't always get the love it deserves - something I hope to put right as time goes on.

3. What are your favourite subjects to photograph?

That's a little difficult to pinpoint. It's most often a case of whatever catches my eye. Trees are a major attraction for me, their animated appearance in the context of their environment is always draw for me; Beautiful skies never lose their appeal; Aspects of the landscape that grab me, often involving elements of the above. Since coming back to film and my conscious decision to explore the world of black and white much more, my tastes have changed or, perhaps more accurately, expanded. Abstract shapes and textures and the beauty that can be found in the mundane I find quite enjoyable. Often when the linear world of humans meets the glorious chaos of Nature, the contrast of the two realms appeals. My weakest genre is people and portraiture. I've never felt comfortable or confident in that scenario, though I can appreciate the fine work created by others who are gifted in this genre. The only exception in my case is when photographing at specific events where casual and candid photography is more acceptable and there's less anxiety on my part and less annoyance (hopefully) on the part of other folks.

4. Can you name a few of your favourite photographers?

There are a few names that come immediately to mind for their exemplary landscape work that have stuck with me since my younger days. The great Ansel Adams for his technical and aesthetic mastery of black and white, Charley Waite for his beautifully balanced, colour images in the square format and Joe Cornish's fantastic works looking the area near where I used to live in northeast England. I've had the privilege of visiting his gallery in Northallerton a few times. It was about a ten minute walk from where we used to live, so easy to get to. One photographer that I've discovered since living in the Northeast is Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, who was based in Whitby in the late nineteenth, early twentieth centuries. His photographs of ordinary folks in the fishing community of the town and views of life in the local area of the time are stunning. My most recent discovery is Erich Auerbach, the Czech photographer who I've written about previously. He produced an outstanding body of work featuring so many well known performers and composers from the middle part of the twentieth century in their natural environment in the Albert Hall.

5. What can Substack community expect from you/your publication in the future?

Now, therein lies a mystery.. I'm not sure myself at this point. There's no 'grand plan' as such. For now at least, as time and energy allow, I hope to continue writing about subjects that interest me - usually of a photographic nature. Who knows what the future holds? I'm grateful for being a part of the friendly and very talented photographic community here on the 'Stack. Hopefully folks who have kindly joined me on my meanderings continue to enjoy them.