This is my first blog . Just spent a week in Arles, France at Les Rencontres Arles photography. A huge photo festival with scores of great exhibits and events. It seems the photo world is now in the arena of making stars and creating fans and groupies. What struck me about a large proportion of the exhibits is how much art now is concerned with the “Me” and “I” . Gone are the days when art was about the “We” as a society. From Nan Goldin to the vast majority of the Voies Off entries there is an obsession for our personal and intimate details. Great work much of it is. It was interesting to hear Goldin moan on about how tired she is still to be talking about work that was done twenty years ago. The problem of pigeon holing is still as strong as ever. Critics and fans alike love to love whatever is this weeks thing but be careful the artist who changes too much. Wonderful to see so many huge and on the whole well laid out exhibitions. As a Brit it was great to see how the French can put on a show and get huge audiences to come , look and talk about still and moving photographs. I hope the photographers showing were paid in more than just exposure. While here in the UK the “creative Industries” are apparently ever important and growing, it is always the administrators who are the only ones getting a living wage. The artists are to be glad of the exposure and to some how physically survive on the admiration of the public.