The Art of the Edit: An introspective on David Howlett’s ethical artistic edits
Fine art photographer, David Howlett reminds us of the greater, and often underappreciated, artistic potential in sports and landscape photography which dominate the commercial sector nowadays. Yet how much of this is due to his edits?
Kim, Dongmin. Howlett prepares for a rainy match.
On weekdays, Howlett is a marketing director for ICP, a global consulting and services company in the marketing communications space that has seen so much content move from physical to online media. On the weekends, he creates art on the sidelines of a rugby pitch for Wasps, an elite rugby club with both their men and women’s squads competing in the top leagues of English rugby. On non-rugby weekends, Howlett depicts the romantically breath-taking landscapes of the Chilterns with stunning clarity.
Howlett, David. Don’t look at me like that.
Howlett, David. Mist in the woods.
During his childhood, Howlett has been exposed to the genre through his father’s love of documentary photography that primarily favoured landscapes and portraiture. Howlett jokingly described his nascent period as being “quite narrow-minded” as he never tracked the progress of individual photographers. Instead, Howlett found inspiration through the technicolour pages of National Geographic and Sports Illustrated, the latter being especially revolutionary for sports photography as a genre. Howlett found improvement and growth after transitioning from film to digital which pushed him to join a group of hobby photographers where regular feedback and interaction through photography was available.
Rugby and landscape photography, Howlett’s main loves, are characterised by a very distinct style which is achieved through his camera mastery and a very artistic style of ethical editing. Favouring circular forms in high clarity, Howlett’s landscapes embrace curves and natural shapes with a sharp focus on every layer of the Chilterns. Furthermore, dramatic skies dominate Howlett’s landscape oeuvre with a particular focus on highly defined clouds and contrasting colours of sunsets and golden hours.
Howlett, David. Sunlight breaking through the fog.
For Howlett, editing is as much a part of the process of creating art as composing the image and he alludes to editing as an equally important application of, “artistic judgement”. With regards to editing, Howlett has always erred on the side of caution, and primarily tweaks lighting and clarity to amplify the intensity of the action, with the intent to show how the image had been witnessed in real time. For Howlett, editing should be inconspicuous, and not be a supplement to the photograph but merely complement reality. Howlett claimed that “the magic disappears,” when viewers can tell a photograph has been edited.
Emulating Da Vinci’s sensitive and almost scientific grasp of lighting, Howlett’s rugby photography evokes the same theatricality of Baroque Old Masters through heightened contrasts. This drama is balanced by the spontaneity of his subjects which he attributes to the unpretentious nature of sports photography.
Howlett, David. Floodlit lineout.
“Coping with the disappointment of capturing shots that don’t make the cut because the framing’s off or because your focus wasn’t ideal is a crucial part of the sports photography journey, you learn to move on quickly,” Howlett asserted.
Far from concentrating solely on the ball’s trajectory throughout the 80 minutes of a typical rugby match, Howlett’s eye is often driven towards more non-conventional subjects around a rugby pitch. From dramatic landscape lineouts, a nod to the Chilterns, to intimate and arresting portraiture, Howlett’s rugby photography encapsulates nearly every aspect of English rugby culture.
Howlett, David. 3pm Saturday waiting for Rosslyn Park to play.
Howlett, David. Pre-match preparation.
Howlett’s oeuvre which has evoked the same sensitivity to light and detail as that of Caravaggio or Da Vinci, has demonstrated the artistic potential of photography as a formidable fine art genre, especially when editing is utilised to enhance an image. Ultimately for Howlett, editing should be true to reality and true to how one perceives this reality. The landscapes Howlett walks through exude magic and romance, and the rugby matches he spectates are full of vigour and emotion, not unlike a theatrical stage production.
Howlett, David. Danny Cipriani unhappy with the last move.
Howlett, David. Gaby with his daughter.
A true community leader, Howlett has inspired a whole generation of young photographers to capture rugby. Ryan Redman, a constant and consistent photographic presence at Premier 15s games described Howlett as, “a leading light in the rugby photography community. Not only does he inspire other photographers with his stunning photography but he is extremely approachable and always happy to share his wisdom.”
In June 2020, Howlett was shortlisted as a finalist for Rugby Photographer of the Year in the Portfolio category, an inaugural competition run by the Rugby Journal. His work can be viewed in Issue 10 of the Rugby Journal and will be exhibited in the World Rugby Museum in Twickenham at some point in the future.
To view more of Howlett’s work, visit his Instagram, Flickr or Whisper Photography website.
Imagery courtesy of David Howlett and Dongmin Kim.
Dongmin Kim
Contributor, MADE IN BED