Pembroke Alumnus Frederic Aranda Selected for Annual International Photographic Exhibition

Congratulations to Pembroke alumnus Frederic Aranda (1998) who recently had his portrait of Sir Ian McKellen selected for the Royal Photographic Society’s prestigious annual International Photographic Exhibition.

The exhibition, which is being held for its 162nd consecutive year, consists of a total of 100 images, taken from photographers around the globe to celebrate “a wealth of international talent”. Given that thousands of photographers enter the competition each year, it is highly competitive.

Providing more insight into the nature of the photo, Frederic commented; “The line between reality and fiction is often blurred for an actor and I wondered how we could express this visually in just one photograph.” “Instead of him posing in front of a photographic backdrop, I felt he should be ambiguous about what's ‘projected’ and what's real.”

“I often get asked why on earth I haven't airbrushed the socket on the wall, the radiator, the clamps or even the tape and scissors on the radiator. What's more, why isn't everything just cropped out around the fabric? The reason is that it's so much more interesting to let reality creep in to something staged and to show the contrast of high and low, what we want to show and conceal."

The show will open at Royal Photography Society House in Bristol on Feb 15 until March 22nd and will then tour the country with a first stop at Royal Albert Hall from April 1-28th.