Magic Eye

The Workers Gallery has form for taking artworks out to the people - but it's currently bringing a snapshot of the Eye Festival to the Rhondda Valley. The exhibition A Look In The Eye, which runs until 30th October, features images by some of those scheduled to speak at this year's event in Aberystwyth, including Matt Black, Melanie Friend, Anita Corbin and organiser Glenn Edwards.

Last night saw Edwards - a former UK Press Photographer Of The Year - in conversation at the Workers with his one-time teacher/mentor and now friend David Hurn. The pair inevitably talked about Hurn's documentary photography course in Newport, and particularly its practical focus on learning how to make a living out of taking pictures. When Hurn asked Edwards what motivated him to go into a profession that pays so poorly, he recalled stating in his application form that he wanted "to show people what they want to see - but also what they don't".

Edwards revealed how he got his big break through serendipity; a school visit to photograph some pupils learning to play bowls alongside pensioners while he was studying at Newport led indirectly to a number of trips to India to capture the voluntary work of a Welsh doctor. Dozens of foreign assignments followed, frequently with NGOs, as he racked up experiences that many people can only ever dream about. If there are two key qualities you need to become a successful photographer, he would argue that they're an inquisitive nature (or the more blunt term he prefers, nosiness) and an ability to network effectively.

Hurn and Edwards might have different working methods and approaches to making the job pay, but both bristled at the suggestion that photojournalism might no longer be relevant. That said, Hurn readily accepted that he was fortuitous to live and work during a golden age for the profession, and that times have changed. These days, he sounds rather despairing of the younger generation, arguing that they seem more interested in themselves than in the world beyond them, that they don't have enough creative/inspirational ideas for pictures and projects (or certainly not the sort he would want to steal), and that everyone now considers themselves a photographer simply because they have a camera phone in their pocket.

Edwards admitted afterwards that he hasn't taken any more pictures for his A470 project - not least because he's been working on a forthcoming book, Yucker's Year, for which he shadowed a Newport-based boxer for 12 months in the run-up to a British heavyweight title fight, back in 1983 during his final year as a student. Some of the images are currently on display in the Workers' window, and a full exhibition opens at Ffoto Newport on 30th September.

Organising and promoting the Eye Festival also takes up a considerable amount of Edwards' time, and some of the talk revolved around the various challenges involved - particularly securing funding and generating interest and ticket sales - as well as possible options for the future. To stay in the present, though, here's hoping that this October's event is a success. Like the Workers itself, the Eye is a gem that deserves enthusiastic support.