I first went to The Photographers’ Gallery to view Burtynsky’s gallery re-opening exhibition.

How surprised was I to find the presentation looking like a totally different space. I have to admit to wondering at some of the press coverage but at the very least, I had high expectations of Pieter Hugo’s ‘The Hyena Men’.

Well, what can I say? I was totally uninspired by the the 4th floor offerings other than the space itself. I seriously wonder at times why certain collections are curated and presented in the name of photography. Certainly,  Stezaker had employed a level of cleverness in marrying male and female faces of long dead actors. Thank God therefore that the selection committee had included Pieter Hugo’s collection.

Faced with a 1.76m square image of such tender tonal ranges was mesmerising and indeed worthy of the rather expensive train fare into London that day. All of Hugo’s images were poetically composed images that left much to the imagination with the shadowy and ghostly backgrounds. The fact that these people graze the mountain of discarded toxic computer waste from the West whilst their cattle graze the same dumps showed a certain parallel with the Chittagong ship-breaking yard images of Burtynsky yet these were very much face to face personal images with grace and power quite different from Burtynsky’s biblical proportions.

Coupled with these rather sad and poignant images were a bundle of old TV monitors pLaying footage shot at the time the stills were made. This was a clever move to to highlight what it was that these people harvest. If only the smells could have been incorporated?

The quality of the prints and the framing was in a word superlative and the white frames were rigt for these images whilst black was fitting for Burtynsky. It just shows how important a consideration this is to presenting images in their best light.

Photography of this quality inspires me to make better images, more than I can say about the other shortlisters. If I had a vote, Hugo would have mine.

On the same day, 23rd July, in order to maximise the benefit of the train fare cost I trundled out to Royal Albert on the DLR to see Bailey’s exhibition at the Compressor House. How annoying to find that it is closed on every Monday. I do wish , when the press review shows, that instead of stating runs from 6th July- 5th August, they state that the show is closed on every Monday or whatever restrictions apply. I just will not travel up during the Olympics to see the exhibition apart from not being able to justify to rail fare again. Shame.