Paul Reas - 'Military Wallpaper B&Q'It was while looking through the Cornerhouse Publications in the library at Bournemouth's College of Art & Design in 1990 that I seriously considered being a photographer. If you could travel the world and make people laugh, that was a fine way to live. If you could do it with a drink in your hand, that was the life for me. However, the image that really kick started my passion for pictures wasn't from a far flung location, but to me it was as exotic. Shot by Paul Reas from his book 'I Can Help', the image is presumably of a Dad, fag in mouth, resplendent in combat trousers, showing off a roll of military themed wallpaper in a B&Q store. I was astonished, it never occurred to me you could take photographs in places like this. My question now is where is the front line of domestic life. In this flikr'd world, is there anything left unseen. My last real photographic thrill came from Richard Billingham's 'Ray's a Laugh'. Where would you least expect to be photographed now. I don't mean the toilet, or having sex (although maybe if . . .) Suggestions and comments welcome.
Richard Billingham
