24.4.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #27


Here we have another car for sale. A nearly used Corvette with a total rebuild, 800bhp, 4 new tyres and it's guaranteed to get you across a muddy bog quicker than you can say "I can't see shit! Can you?" (sorry for the Cannonball Run reference, it just seemed fitting.)
I feel conflicted. I love the idea of saving the world by driving a hybrid, electric or alternative fuel car, but in the same breath I love the feeling of redlining a car and revelling in its power. I grew up with motor racing. I followed the late great Ayrton Senna from the age of four, I still miss him today. I even followed my own aspirations to race, from karting to getting a National B racing licence in the UK. I soon realised that I could have all the pace in the world, but if you don't have the wallet to match the pace, you may as well sit yourself back on the sofa.
I took this shot in Old Town, Florida. The Corvette was going for around $18,000. I reckon that's about half of what the white Prius cost and dare I say, possibly a more sustainable car? 

P.S If anyone wants to give me a drive in their race car/ team I'd be happy to drive for free (just putting it out there!)

Simon Hewson©2012

18.4.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #26

To most, the word 'prison' is intimidating and unnerving. Is the idea of imprisonment out dated in today's society or is it a vital part? Do we look deep enough at the issues behind the crimes or do we just adopt the idea of you do the crime, you do the time?
Worldwide there are around 8.5 million people in prison, of which around 2.2 million are in the USA alone.
The current population of Sydney is around 4.58 million. The current amount of people either on parole or probation in the USA exceeds this number by almost 400,000 thousand. In Australia, we have 116 prisoners per 100,000 whereas the USA leads with 715 per 100,000.  Why are these figures so widely different when on the face of it both countries are similar in ideals? What about the health of the inmates? It has been stated that around 50% of US prisoners suffer from mental illness. Surely this would relate to many of their original crimes and thus convictions? Is there a better form of rehabilitation and integration?

Simon Hewson©2012

10.4.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #25

It seems to me that life is fragile. We have the ability to give and take life, sometimes with love and sometimes with misguided motives. We humans are a strange and curious bunch. Over time we have strived to preserve and protect but we have also destroyed so much greatness.

This weeks image comes from Belchite, Spain (for a beginners guide to Belchite go here). When you walk the ruins of this town, you are filled with a quiet eeriness that makes your hairs stand on end. The dust kicks up as you walk and the air is dry with heat. You look around and all you see is destruction. What could be mistaken for a lavish movie set was once a beautiful town. You can see glimpses of its former glory, the ornate architecture and the stunningly detailed frescos are still visible in parts. Due to civil war, the town of Belchite was frozen in time in 1937. Once the battle was over, Franco ordered that the ruins of Belchite be left as a monument to a bloody civil war, the remaining residents had to build a new town right next to the ruins. 

Simon Hewson©2012






PLAYGROUND

I'm happy to announce that I will be showing again at gaffa gallery, as part of the Head On Photo Festival 2012.

Playground is a series of images from colourful Coney Island, NY, USA.
 The air is full of screams, laughter and music, with the smell of hotdogs, fried onions and the occasional whiff of suncream floating by. Hewson set out to capture the simplest of encounters, focusing on what makes Coney Island so wonderful, the people and its culture. A couple sharing a stolen kiss, a bored snake waiting to have his photo taken, the sun scorching colourfully painted walls and beach goers taking refuge under a water fountain. Having captured people unguardedly shedding their inhibitions, getting lose and revelling in the gift of a sunny day by the beach, it results in an intimate body of work that celebrates fun, joy and life at Coney Island.


We would love to see you at the opening! Thursday 3rd May 6-8pm, gallery 2, gaffa gallery, 281 Clarence St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.














3.4.12

IMAGE OF THE WEEK #24

Like many kids I was fascinated by outer space, I so desperately wanted to be an astronaut. Sadly the dream slowly wore off, I put this down to being repeatedly told by teachers and other so called grown ups that "You will never be an astronaut!" I remember being nine years old, the kid that sat next to me at school went on holiday to the USA. He came back with a multitude of tall stories, the ones that mesmerized me were the stories from his visit to NASA. Tales were told of the launch pad, the space suits, moon buggies, you name it he knew about it, or had touched, sat in or smelt it. I was at the very least dripping with envy. From that day forth I wanted to go to the Kennedy Space Centre. Last year my dream came true. It seamed fitting that as my wish to be an astronaut had passed me by, so too had the shuttle program, which ended a week before my pilgrimage. The place was filled with nostalgia, it was also curiously filled with space aficionado's (nerds). I almost bought myself a mug that said "I need my space" very apt. I made sure I also had my photo taken in front of the NASA sign, this was the closest I had ever felt to become an astronaut, a very proud moment. What I didn't do however, is get my mum to take a photo of me, tell her it was no good, or rather shout it at her and then proceed to take a shuttle load of photos of myself looking cool. OMG.

Simon Hewson©2012