Book Review: "On the Idle Hill of Summer" by Joshua Sneade
Oh fair enough are sky and plain,
But I know fairer far:
Those are as beautiful again
That in the water are;
The pools and rivers wash so clean
The trees and clouds and air,
The like on earth was never seen,
And oh that I were there.
These are the thoughts I often think
As I stand gazing down
In act upon the cressy brink
To strip and dive and drown;
But in the golden-sanded brooks
And azure meres I spy
A silly lad that longs and looks
And wishes he were I.
A Shropshire Lad - XX
by A. E. HousmanThrough the devastation and transformation the world has experienced over the last year due to Covid-19, we have been bombarded with imagery of destruction, hopelessness, and outrage. Along with the rest of the world, 25-year-old photographer Joshua Sneade experienced this too. His world was flipped upside down when he was forced to move from the Bristol metropolis back to his hillside hometown of Telford, Shropshire, UK in March 2020, after spending five years developing his career as a professional fashion photographer. This was a devastating setback that would cause most working photographers to take a second look at their career aspirations. However, Sneade chose a different path, and the result was his photobook On the Idle Hill of Summer.
Initially, Sneade’s time was spent restlessly indoors, reading the bucolic poetry of A.E. Housman’s A Shropshire Lad, whose poems are sprinkled through his photobook. As the spring morphed into the humid UK summer and lock-downs loosened, the words of this poet inspired him to take this initial setback and turn it into a chance to rekindle old friendships, ones lost and neglected amongst the rigors of modern life from his time in Bristol. Together, he and a group of friends began to take almost daily walks to explore the areas they once took for granted by discovering the joys of wild-swimming- the exploration and diving into wild and natural bodies of water. Through this, Sneade recaptured the spirit of his carefree youth as they uncovered the riches of the local landscape and meditative properties of the region’s waters and natural swimming basins.
It’s important to note that Sneade, living in his carefree youth once again, didn’t actually have permission to go to any of the swimming holes he had visited — which is exactly what initially drew me into his work. There is something beautifully innocent about breaking laws and ignoring signs that don’t actually hurt anyone but definitely increase the excitement level of an afternoon with friends. We live in a world where we grow into conforming followers of society's polite and idealistic expectations of us, instead of screaming at the top of our lungs, “Cannonball!” If we are going to lose our jobs, our homes, our families, and our whole way of life due to a pandemic, we might as well live with intention. Even if it’s just until the world “goes back to normal.”
On the Idle Hill of Summer is exactly that. Forty-eight 8x10 pages that transport us back to the paradoxically halcyon days of the summer of Covid-19. Filled with golden lit portraits of friends and black and white landscapes captured on a Contax G2 with Kodak Portra 400 and Ilford HP5, the images presented perfectly capture the days spent in the pursuit of something that, just for a while, could distract from the uncertain future of a world in turmoil. Combined with the poetry of A.E. Housman that inspired him, this book is a celebration of the equanimity found amongst the unchanging stillness of the Shropshire Hills and in the cold embrace of rivers, lakes, and quarries. Most of all, it is, in retrospect to Joshua, “a reminder to savor the smallest moments: the anticipation of poring over maps, tracing lines of blue ink; the satisfaction of the weary silence on the journey home; and the exasperation of the days spent looking out of the window, waiting for the rains to pass, promising to never again under-appreciate the beauty of the sunset.”
With that being said, if you haven't had the ability to escape the last year’s effect of the pandemic, you should take the photographic advice of Joshua Sneade and let loose, even if it’s just in the form of reconnecting with friends, your family, or the places you grew up in. If you need the inspiration to dive back into or reminisce about a world once free, go pick up his book here. It’s as close to freedom as you’re going to get.
GALLERY
ABOUT THE PROJECT
"On the Idle Hill of Summer" by Joshua Sneade
Self Published, 2020
10 x 8 Inches
29 Photographs
3 Poems
48 Pages
Uncoated Paper
Thread Sewn
Gold Foil Stamped Cover
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Joshua J Sneade is a 25-year-old photographer based between Bristol and the West Midlands, UK. Coming from a self-taught, informal, and ad hoc photographic background, Joshua eventually combined his love of photography with his interest in fashion and began to focus on producing work for a number of different brands. Some of his favorite collaborations to date include Urban Outfitters, Olive Menswear, and the YouTuber quartet PAQ.
Once established as a full-time fashion photographer, Joshua turned his attention to producing more documentary work. A selection of images from his first documentary project Nomads earned him a Silver Award in the Association of Photographers "Emerging Talent Award" 2020. His latest project, On the Idle Hill of Summer, was a chance for Joshua to add a more personal element to his documentary photography, something that Nomads was lacking in favor of a more straightforward documentary approach.
Since the beginning of his photographic journey, Joshua has always shot on film - preferring the slower, more intimate process over a digital approach. He now tries to print most of his personal work, both color and black and white, in the darkroom as he finds that this brings out a richness to the colors and a feeling to the images that can't otherwise be emulated.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Michael Behlen is an instant film addict and the founder and publisher of Analog Forever Magazine. For the last 6 years, Behlen has become an obsessive community organizer in the film photography world, including launching the independent publishing projects PRYME Magazine and PRYME Editions, two enterprises dedicated to the art of instant film. Through these endeavors, he has featured and published 200+ artists from around the globe via his print and online publications.
He has self-published two Polaroid photobooks -“Searching for Stillness, Vol. 1” and “I Was a Pioneer,” literally a boxed set of his instant film work. His latest book, Searching for Stillness Vol II was published in 2020 by Static Age. He has been published, been interviewed, and been reviewed in a quantity of magazines and online publications, from F-Stop and Blur Magazine to the Analog Talk Podcast. He loves the magic sensuality of instant film: its saturated, surreal colors; the unpredictability of the medium; it’s addictive qualities as you watch it develop. He spends his time shooting instant film and backpacking in the California wilderness, usually a combination of the two.
Connect with Michael Behlen on his Website and on Instagram!