'American Granite' - Sarb Johal, 22 June-16 July 2018

"Often, there is a view that taking photographs of objects and scenery somehow interferes with our enjoyment or experience of being in the moment. However, the reality is more nuanced than this simplistic view. Taking photographs can also heighten our sensibilities and sensitivity and increase our engagement in our experiences.  For me, walking around a snowbound Yosemite National Park was a truly wondrous experience. My wife and I were amongst the last to be admitted into the Park for two days as the snow mounted up and transport options both into and out of Yosemite became difficult. Many of these photographs were made wandering around with a Park Ranger in sub-zero temperatures one morning. I went back to my room so cold that I couldn’t actually move my fingers for a few minutes. I remember nervously checking my camera memory card to see that my fingers were working well enough in the field to have actually pressed the shutter when I thought I had. "

Dr Sarb Johal is a Clinical Psychologist and photographer. He enjoys experimenting with different styles of photography, including documentary, portrait, travel and landscape. He has been taking photographs for as long as he can remember, first using 110 and 126 film cameras before moving on to 35mm film with a Praktica B100. He was an early adopter of digital photography, and has recently moved to the Fujifilm mirrorless camera system. These photographs were made with a Fujifilm X-T1 and 18-55mm lens.