J Mark Dodds
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I'm a photographer with a lot of food and drink experience in restaurants, bars, clubs and pubs. The distractions of a life full of inescapable things gets in the way of taking and processing photographs. And I spend a lot of time with my boys who are becoming men. about.me/jmarkdodds
I've been unemployed and homeless since I was evicted, in September 2011, from the tied pub I owned for sixteen years. In this time I've been working (the Jobcentre know so don't bother) on project development for my next business, The People's Pub Partnership. www.peoplespubpartnership.org My work rate and displacement from a home means my upload rate has dropped dramatically too...
I'm also a blogger who hasn't learned fully how to make a blog, a British pub sector disruptor and anti pubco campaigner working for a better pub industry. I Tweet twitter.com/JMarkDodds and use Facebook www.facebook.com/JMarkDodds a lot.
I very much like Perpetuum Mobile, a piece of music by Penguin Cafe Orchestra: youtu.be/FvbCV6E0Wro
When I began taking pictures very few people took photography seriously. It was a thing which professionals did professionally and which amateurs used to record highdays and holidays without much consideration. Although I was rather unaware of this at the time, I realise now that I used photography as an aide-mémoire for the things I saw around me. A bit like an external hard drive really. As I grew up taking pictures I began to like the notion that photography can be a sublime, almost nihilist, art form entirely accessible to anyone who can afford a snapshot camera. Ubiquitous. Casual. Throwaway. Valueless. Personal. Precious. Priceless. And at the same time it can be an incredibly powerful tool of communication on many different planes.
Sometime in the 1970's one of Ansel Adams' photographs of Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, became the single most expensive photographic image sold at auction while at the same time its original negative was the world's most reproduced image. This struck me as a pure example of photography's potential power. It can be exclusive, egalitarian and all encompassing at the same time.
My memory is highly visual and works through pictures made in a blink. I see the world in pictures and frames and this seeing is my memory. I'm a collector of random, of things which catch my eye. I can sort these things into themes and streams but never have time to clear my thoughts enough to do so. One day before my death I will do this, in the meantime there is much to do that is much less important to me but more immediately pressing. I just have to be careful not to die before I achieve my very personal ambition which is to be a photographer more than a collector of images.
We are making the only place we can live in uninhabitable for... us. This is very odd. We know it and we're not doing enough about it. This is the greatest failure of Humanity. It is not rational and is very dangerous. But that's the way we are.
Somehow I manage always to see the bright side of life, which I love, even when I have been very depressed and at times suicidal I have seen humour around me. I'm over that period of my existence now but still completely struggle to understand how stupid we are collectively. I strive to equip my children, two boys, with the capacity to deal with life positively, to accommodate its pitfalls and grim realities constructively, sensitively and maturely. I hope to teach them that it is possible to do life by learning what thousands of generations of humans have already learned without first having to repeat all those previous generations' massive mistakes.
If I knew how to remove myself from most of the groups I've joined I would because I cannot keep up with them. I'm far too busy.
And, by the way it's not your fault, so don't blame yourself - blame your parents. It's most definitely THEIR fault. But remember that although it's THEIR fault, it's our responsibility not to do the same again. We have the chance to heal the past and make the future different, don't let your life miss that chance. And do turn off the lights when you're not there.
These are places I had a hand in making happen:
My photographs have been used in many publications under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License: If you want to use any photo that does not need model release you can do so as long as you ask and give me a credit. Please read the small print. Here's my Instagram stream: instagram.com/jmarkdodds
Showcase
- JoinedJanuary 2006
- Occupationparent publican protester people person photographer picky prefect philosopher
- HometownNewcastle-Upon-Tyne
- Current cityBrockley SE4 London
- CountryUK
- Websitehttp://www.peoplespubpartnership.co.uk
- FacebookJMarkDodds
- TwitterJMarkDodds
- Instagramjmarkdodds
- Tumblrj-mark-dodds
Most popular photos
Testimonials
As LoopZilla says, Mark is a tall Geordie with an eye for detail and composition. He has found his niche here on Flickr, whereas I am a chaotic photographer always looking to bend the rules and always after 'that picture', the one that tries to get away. At college Mark was not in his comfort zone, he was bored of the… Read more
As LoopZilla says, Mark is a tall Geordie with an eye for detail and composition. He has found his niche here on Flickr, whereas I am a chaotic photographer always looking to bend the rules and always after 'that picture', the one that tries to get away. At college Mark was not in his comfort zone, he was bored of the bullshit the tutors spouted and did not think much of their photographic skills - are all lecturers in Photography failed photographers ? ...I don't know, all I know is that he is passionate about his craft. The shadow of his future self is an interesting take on light and shadow, which after all is what makes a photograph exist....I am sure he will continue to post great images until the Flickr servers start to crash and burn.
Read lessMarks photostream is one of the reasons that Flickr is such an addictive pastime.... the images here are a perfect combination of really beautiful subject matter and great techincal photographic skill all created by one with the soul (and eye) of a true artist. Thank you for sharing your work with us on Flickr! I … Read more
Marks photostream is one of the reasons that Flickr is such an addictive pastime.... the images here are a perfect combination of really beautiful subject matter and great techincal photographic skill all created by one with the soul (and eye) of a true artist. Thank you for sharing your work with us on Flickr! I urge you to take a careful look through this photostream... these is so much to see here, both to delight you and indeed to challenge you to greater efforts in your own works... but be warned... these picture are addictive!
Read lessI have met Mark at last, and he is much taller in real life.
i've been thinking about writing a testimonial for Mark for some time now... here it is. one thing that i've really enjoyed, and have tried to incorporate in my own photography because of him, is viewing settings around me in a different way. i'm in awed and in envy of how Mark presents geometry of everyday thing… Read more
i've been thinking about writing a testimonial for Mark for some time now... here it is. one thing that i've really enjoyed, and have tried to incorporate in my own photography because of him, is viewing settings around me in a different way. i'm in awed and in envy of how Mark presents geometry of everyday things. i think that's what stands out most for me. in addition to that, if you read his observations about the photographs he comments on, you can see yet another perspective that, i think many (including myself) miss. kindev like a different layer, it's hard to explain but very rewarding. not only is geometry covered by Mark, if you take a stroll through his stream, lots and lots of variety becomes available and, to me at least, there is a sense of cohesion in his work. not only cohesion, but progression. it all ties back to his flickr username the more you think about it imho. he's been a good friend while here on flickr and i always look forward to his posts, comments, humor and his vacations - yes his vacations, since he tends to bring back some very enjoyable stuff from his travels. all the best to you Mark and it's been a pleasure to get to know you over the last few months. ;o)
Read lessMark has a great energy for ideas and words. His commitment to the earth and the creatures that live on it is commendable. If only I had an ounce of that energy I'd at least be out of bed and someday I might just get a car. But probably not. His intelligence and eye for the subtle detail of this world keeps me in… Read more
Mark has a great energy for ideas and words. His commitment to the earth and the creatures that live on it is commendable. If only I had an ounce of that energy I'd at least be out of bed and someday I might just get a car. But probably not. His intelligence and eye for the subtle detail of this world keeps me in awe. I'm always in suspense when I open a window into his photo stream and into his world.
Read lessI could have written all that great stuff in my profile but I didn’t. Why? Well because I did not think of it! Mark has thought of all this stuff and he has thought about the pictures he takes too! None of this stuff is obvious until you experience it. We are all lucky Mark is here on Flickr putting his experiences… Read more
I could have written all that great stuff in my profile but I didn’t. Why? Well because I did not think of it! Mark has thought of all this stuff and he has thought about the pictures he takes too! None of this stuff is obvious until you experience it. We are all lucky Mark is here on Flickr putting his experiences of the world and his camera here so we can all enjoy them. Smart pictures from a clever and intelligent photographer. Thanks Mark.
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