Roger Bamber: Out of the Ordinary. Exhibition Reviews by Photography Club Participants

Oliver

I really enjoyed the creativity of taking photos of another person’s work, and then making it my own.

I found out that Roger Bamber was an amazing photographer, and I really love the unique style of his art form and his unique expression of the dramatic darkness he has in his creations.

At first, I thought that the image (train) was a soldier hiding in a bush in a war. But, it’s a train! As a whole, I think the exhibition was really great and very fascinating with all the different images. I liked the high contrast that Roger Bamber used.

Visiting this exhibition has inspired me creatively. I think I will use these pictures to inspire new music that I make, or use as album art.

Lenny

I really enjoyed Roger Bamber’s images, and it took a while to select a favourite photo. The photo I took depicts a man who had got caught in an IRA bombing. Although it’s such a tragic story, the way the photo is taken almost adds humorous undertones to the image, showing Bamber’s ability to not just tell, but warp a story, and allow many interpretations from his viewers.

I really liked this exhibition, I like how each photo has its own little story. I think that’s something that I will use in my photos.

Alexia

I chose this picture as my favourite as I love their position, the lighting, and the story behind it. I find so fun and interesting.

It was so fascinating to see all the different photos Roger Bamber has taken, his journey, and the effects he used in his photography.

It was a cool exhibition. It’s worth seeing this exhibition because it shows you a perspective of how Roger Bamber interpreted what he saw. I think this exhibition will inspire people to feel an interest in photography and in Brighton’s history. The exhibition really drags you in and makes you want to find out more.

It’s inspired me to take more photos and to revisit places that Roger Bamber photographed to try and recreate the images.

Louie

I really liked taking the pictures of the images in the museum. This time I took my picture in a portrait orientation, and I quite liked the frame and the look of it, which I am very happy with.

I would definitely recommend visiting this exhibition and seeing the photos in the gallery, because there are so many pictures to look at and it’s quite fascinating. There’s a lot of options, so there’s surely something for everyone, and the captions to the images are really interesting.

Something that really made an impact on me were the shadows and lighting in Roger Bamber’s pictures, as well as the cameras that were on display. That’s something I’ll definitely remember.

Ruben

I picked these two photographs as my favourite because they are opposites. The right one has dark undertones, and the left one is very colourful. For the right photograph, I picked it because it has really strong silhouettes and the mist covers the bridge in a way that puts the middle part of the bridge in focus. I chose the left image, because the man in the middle of the picture stands out and makes the photograph feel peaceful.

I thought the exhibition was quite good, but it was a little bit repetitive. A lot of the pictures were quite similar to each other. It was still interesting, but it would have been better if there were more colour photographs. The black and white images were more abstract and harder to understand. I would probably still recommend this exhibition to a friend, as it’s still interesting for a short visit.

The camera angles and the composition of the images really Inspired me and I learned a lot. I want to try to learn how to do this too, to capture a whole scene in a way that still looks good, and to use high contrast in my images.

Theo

I really loved going around and looking at Roger Bamber’s work, because it was eye-opening and all of the pictures were framed really well.

I found that the black and white pictures were very unique, and they made the colour pictures really pop in comparison. My favourite picture was Going Up In Smoke, because it’s interesting to learn about what the West Pier used to look like, as I wasn’t there at the time. I had a lot of fun visiting the exhibition.

This exhibition had an impact on me because it was really fun to practice photography in a gallery. It would be fun to look around and see how other photographers view the world. I hope to visit another exhibition like this in future.

I would rate this exhibition 9/10. It lost a point because some of the pictures I didn’t really understand. I wish there had been a bit more information about where the photos were taken.

Chinmay

I really enjoyed looking and reading Roger Bamber’s picture descriptions.

I love the way that he gave titles for his pictures and the descriptions were really good. I also liked looking at the old cameras that Roger Bamber used. The black and white photography made my day, because the contrast was so striking.

The exhibition was a wonder. It was fascinating and beautiful. It made me feel really inspired to do more photography and pursue my dream to become a photographer. I really liked the photo of the pavilion reflected in the water. I still can’t figure out how Roger Bamber managed to capture that extraordinary picture. The picture is ironic because there isn’t much water there, but the perspective makes the pond look like an enormous lake.

I would rate this exhibition 7/10. I liked the photography, but I prefer landscape photography.

Sasha

I really enjoyed the Roger Bamber exhibition. My favourite work was “Moos Paper”. I liked it’s randomness. Another one I liked was the flowerpot heads, because it was odd and out of the ordinary.

I liked the photographer’s style and the way the photos looked. I liked that it was serious but still humorous in a way. The exhibition would have been better if the images that were running on the projection had been printed and framed, too. That’s the reason I’m rating it 8/10.

This exhibition inspired me to capture more random parts of Brighton and look for things that are out of the ordinary.

Zayd

Roaming through the Roger Bamber exhibit was a truly immersive experience that etched lasting impressions.

Each photo showcased Roger’s ability to capture the essence. Among the frames, it was Brighton’s worn West Pier, set against a backdrop of starlings, that seized my gaze. This image, with its crumbling Arcade Hall and 50,000 birds in flight, sparked a dual feeling of reminiscence and anticipation for the starling’s path. Roger’s artistry came alive here, rekindling appreciation for visual storytelling.

Personally, the picture portrayed the delicate dance between heritage and nature. It urged me to ponder history’s weight between modern strides. Roger’s lens spun this intricate connection, stirring both admiration and reflection.

Beyond this, the exhibit stirred my fascination with the tales concealed within our surroundings’ visual fabric. Roger’s capture, along with the larger collection, will endure, reminding me of the emotions kindled by a well-framed photo.