Following on from assignment five of the Context and Narrative course I have been experimenting a little with some fantasy photography using not only the constructed set but also using costumes and props outdoors at different locations. I have been quite pleased with some of the results.
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Last week I was asked by a friend if I would photograph his Father's funeral. Understandably I was very apprehensive, street photography has always felt a little intrusive to me so photographing peoples grief seemed a step too far. However, I was going to attend the service anyway so to refuse the request would have seemed like an insult. I was initially worried about the reaction of the mourners, having a photographer present may have been seen as a little insensitive. The deceased was a keen photographer himself and the response from the other family and friends was positive with the general opinion being that they thought it was a fitting tribute to have the proceedings recorded.
The family's initial request was for a video to be made but I had to make it clear that a video recording would not be possible but I would be more that happy to take photographs. Afterwards, I used music played during the service to put together a slideshow and the family were overwhelmed by the result. The slideshow can be viewed here. Earlier this month I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days at Birmingham NEC to attend the Photography Show. I had purchased a ticket to see wildlife photographer Chris Packham on the Super Stage and was surprised and inspired to hear that the wonderful colours in some of his images were a result of him waiting by a pond for the arrival of brightly coloured waste transporter trucks so he could use the reflections to transform a waste ground into an area of beauty filled with wildlife. One of the all time great photographers, and one of my favourites, David Bailey also had a slot on the Super Stage. I was initially very disappointed not to be able to obtain a ticket for his talk as they were sold out. After speaking to an usher I was advised to wait at the entrance to the stage as there was a chance that seats may become available, as luck would have it I was delighted to be allowed in.
Mr Bailey is a very funny man and he pulls no punches when speaking his mind. His attitude, not only to photography but to life in general is brilliant. He presents himself just as he is, no airs or graces, he is what he is and he does what he does his way, if anyone doesn't like it they can lump it, simple as that. As a photographer he doesn't like anyone telling him how to do his job and stated "If I asked a bricklayer to build me a wall I wouldn't tell him how to lay the bricks!" This is a brilliant analogy and an attitude more people should have. Too many people these day put unnecessary pressure on themselves by worrying too much about what others will think. David Bailey is a great Photographer and an inspirational Human Being. This is a list of some of the books I have acquired so far. Whilst I don't claim to have read every one from cover to cover I have found many to be valuable sources of information. A few I have found very tough reading but the ones I get the most pleasure from are the autobiographical style books in which the photographer talks about their thoughts before, during and after the shutter was released, Don McCullin's Shaped by War and David Bailey's Stardust are two examples. Richard Salkeld's Reading Photographs is another which I found very helpful.
SHAPED BY WAR: DON McCULLIN WHILE NEWCASTLE SLEEPS: STUART DUNN TRAIN YOUR GAZE: ROSWELL ANGIER THE GENIUS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GERRY BADGER PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK CLEGHORN LEARNING TO SEE CREATIVELY: BRYAN PETERSON 100 IDEAS THAT CHANGED PHOTOGRAPHY: MARY WARNER MARIEN LIGHT IT. SHOOT IT. RETOUCH IT: SCOTT KELBY THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BRUCE BARNBAUM PERFECT EXPOSURE: MICHAEL FREEMAN THE PHOTOGRAPHERS MIND: MICHAEL FREEMAN PHOTOGRAPHY: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION: LIZ WELLS PHOTOS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: PRESTEL 50 PHOTOGRAPHERS YOU SHOULD KNOW: PRESTEL MASTERING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL FREEMAN PHOTO SCHOOL. LIGHT & LIGHTING: MICHAEL FREEMAN CHASING THE LIGHT: IBARIONEX PERELLO KEVIN KUBOTA'S LIGHTING NOTEBOOK: KEVIN KUBOTA WITHIN THE FRAME: DAVID duCHEMIN THE SPEEDLIGHTERS HANDBOOK: SYL ARENA THE MOMENT IT CLICKS: JOE McNALLY DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERT: COLOUR MICHAEL FREEMAN: LIGHT, SCIENCE & MAGIC: FIL HUNTER, STEVEN BIVER, PAUL FUQUA THE PHOTOGRAPH: GRAHAM CLARKE THE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK: DOUG HARMAN BETWEEN THE EYES: DAVID LEVI STRAUSS STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS MANIFESTO PORTRAIT/CANDID/STREET PHOTOGRAPHY COMPACT FIELD GUIDE: DAVID BUSCH THE PHOTOGRAPH AS CONTEMPORARY ART: CHARLOTTE COTTON 20TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY: MUSEUM LUDWIG COLOGNE DAVID BAILEY: LOOK: JACKIE HIGGINS BAILEY'S STARDUST: DAVID BAILEY BAILEY EXPOSED: DAVID BAILEY THE PHOTOGRAPHERS EXPOSURE FIELD GUIDE: MICHAEL FREEMAN THE PHOTOGRAPHERS FIELD GUIDE: MICHAEL FREEMAN THE PHOTO BOOK: PHAIDON PHOTOGRAPHY: STEPHEN BULL READING PHOTOGRAPHS: RICHARD SALKELD WAYS OF SEEING: JOHN BERGER PHOTOGRAPHY: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION: STEVE EDWARDS ON PHOTOGRAPHY: SUSAN SONTAG AGAINST INTERPRETATION: SUSAN SONTAG REGARDING THE PAIN OF OTHERS: SUSAN SONTAG An update to the book list has added the following reading material to help me through Context Narrative: BASIC CRITICAL THEORY FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS: ASHLEY LA GRANGE STAGING DISORDER: DAVID CAMPANY THE NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHS: STEPHEN SHORE FRANCESCA WOODMAN: COREY KELLER WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS: BORIS FRIEDWALD VIVIAN MAIER SELF PORTRAIT: VIVIAN MAIER AUTO FOCUS, THE SELF PORTRAIT IN CONTEMPORARY ART: SUSAN BRIGHT MAGNUM CONTACT SHEETS: KRISTEN LUBBEN TOM HUNTER, LIVING IN HELL AND OTHER STORIES: TRACEY CHEVALIER JEFF WALL: PETER GALASSI ANNIE LEIBOVITZ AT WORK: ANNIE LEIBOVITZ TWILIGHT, PHOTOGRAPGHS BY GREGORY CREWDSON: GREGORY CREWDSON A recent business trip to London coincided with the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Justin Sutcliffe, the photographer behind my chosen subject for assignment four of Context and Narrative had two photographs included in the exhibition so I was thrilled to be able to visit while I was in the capital. There were some extraordinary and brilliant work on show including some from Adrian Peacock's Policewomen http://www.adrianpeacock.co.uk and Brigit Puve's Estonian Documents http://www.birgitpuve.com. The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait prize exhibition included some of the work of Justin Sutcliffe including The Shoe-keeper from his series People of Afghanistan.
As a follow on from the Portraits from the North East the portraits collective compiled a list of local WW2 veterans with a view to having portrait sittings with each of them individually. The portraits were to be exhibited in Newcastle Cathedral to coincide with a special remembrance service in November. The collective worked in pairs and each pair was assigned veterans from the list. We visited them in their homes and shot portraits and any memorabilia that they were willing to show as we listened to their wartime stories. A dictaphone was also used to make recordings of the stories with a view to maybe using them at a later date to accompany a slideshow of the images taken. The final exhibition was received very well and there has been talk of it being donated to the Imperial War Museum for their archives. Edith Hunter was was born in 1922 and signed up to the WAAF in 1942 where she served for four years. Dorothy Sugg was a civilian worker at Bletchley Park before joining the Royal Observer Corps. The Veterans on display at Newcastle Cathedral.
The RPS Documentary group were recently given the chance to observe and photograph Tyne and Wear Fire Service trainees whilst they were undergoing training and instruction at the fire service headquarters in Newcastle.
Ten documentary group members including myself were briefed at the beginning of the session during which we were told which parts of the training area were accessible and which were out of bounds. The day was very interesting and we all made some good documentary images. I was delighted to be asked back to the dog training centre to shoot the christmas photos for the December page of the 2016 Pawsup charity calendar. Once again lots of fun was had and we managed to get some good Christmas pictures for their calendar and Christmas cards.
Some family members got together with some friends to enter a team into the Tough Mudder North West mud run. For those not familiar with the Tough Mudder races they are a series of events help at various times across the country. The course is approximately thirteen miles long through muddy fields and over obstacles such as an ice bath and electric shock gauntlet. A perfect opportunity to practice my event and documentary photography.
The annual Pawsup photoshoot was arranged in August. Past years had seen it at a disused warehouse and golf course, this year it was held at Ushaw College in Durham. It was little different from past years in that the focus was to be not so much on the working dogs but on the retired dogs which the fund was set up to help. The retired dogs were paraded for the photographers with only a couple of demonstrations from the working attendees. Events like this are difficult to arrange due to work commitments of the dog handlers and a lack of willing volunteers but the day went quite well.
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