Assignment 5: People and Place on Assignment

October 2015

Preparation

Assignment 5 asks the student to produce 8-12 images for a notional client, much as a professional photographer would do. I had a couple of up and coming real life assignments planned and needed something which would give me a useful learning experience and good preparation for the two events. I researched lifestyle magazines and looked at the work of David Loftus (Photographs Jamie Oliver among his clients), Clare Borbosa who take the whole package of food from farm to table and later discovered Georgia Glynn Smith who photographs people such as Mary Berry and Gordon Ramsey.

The Client Briefing

My notional client is a lifestyle magazine who is running an article on a teenage boy who is inspired by the Great British Bake Off to enter a cookery competition at the Bramley Apple Festival in Southwell (home of the Bramley Apple). He has school cookery lessons for 6 weeks per year. There are no extracurricular cooking sessions, so Josh has to gain knowledge from other sources. I have assumed that a telephone conversation had taken place to book the photographer and a follow up information schedule had arrived by email.

First I defined the story I wanted to tell. This was a positive experience as it concentrated my mind. By giving myself a narrower brief, I could target the photos I really wanted. I had talked to an events photographer at the Great Notts Bike Ride who explained at the time that his brief asked him to target specifics such as different outfits including kids, fancy dress and different bikes such as Raleigh Choppers. I bore this in mind when organising my shots.

  ……………Media Publishing Group

Story	Josh making cake Entering in show to receiving judges’ comments Independent skills Local culture / environment Seasonal themed event celebrating Bramley Apple
No. of photographers	1
No. of images	8-12
Deadline	Mon 27th October 2014
Details of event	Bramley Apple Festival, Southwell, Notts
Date, Start/Finish times	Saturday 25th October 2014 9:30-3:30pm (Southwell) , Notts , and photos before at Josh’s house making the cake
Location	Josh’s home, Bramley Centre (Library) and Minster Southwell (maps attached)
Contact details	Xxxx Xxxx Xxxx xxxx
Style of photographs	Daylight
Target market	30+, local residents, national readership mainly females,
Image format	RAW and JPEG portrait and landscape images, choice of 2 covers
Props required	Bramley Apples
Equipment required	Flash, Tripod
Angles	Wide, above, close up, sense of place, festival, motion
Colour	Autumnal, daylight
Suggested poses	Think Jamie Oliver, relaxed poses, entice viewers to event, Josh holding apples, cooking skills, filler shots in minster
Post production	Bright, lift off the page
Notes	Flash Photography not permitted in Minster

How I set about planning the photography

Listing all the photo opportunities, I narrowed them down by deciding what could be done on the festival day and what should be done in advance.

Photo opportunities:

Reading schedule – before event

Planning recipe – before event

·  Cooking – close up, slicing apple, hand on chopping board, full length action shot – before event

·  Cake and recipe at home with Josh – before event (would need another cake – concerns around it being the same)

·  Arriving at venue – on day

·  Children’s entries – on day

·  Children’s class being judged – on day

·   Festival fillers – apples, Junior Masterchef demonstration, Bramley King and Queen,      Stalls, Morris Dancers, demonstrations, Window displays – on day

·  Josh buying Bramley apples from market –on day (Southwell Market held on           Saturdays)

·  Bramley seedling tree? – on day

·  Judges’ comments of cake on day – on day

·   Prize giving – on day

·  Tasting cake or cake on table with server underneath a slice (concerns – judging removes a slice – two cakes may not look the same)

·  Cover – cake on location (concerns re incomplete cake), portrait style shot at home – before event

So actually the day in Southwell would be very busy if I achieved everything adding stress and time constraints. I needed to get the balance right between the at home shots and location shots.

I knew for the home shots I would have to use flash, (with which I am not totally confident) so extra time was needed to review the images.

I think sometimes one also acts on creativity, and although a list has been drawn up, deviating from it slightly can produce better images. For instance, I had my cover image firmly in my head. Josh and I were talking about the type of image he would submit if he entered the photo competition, although he didn’t want to enter it. I reworked my cover image idea to incorporate Josh’s idea which probably created a better working environment because he knew I listened to him.

I visited Southwell a couple of days before the festival to look at the library as a reminder of how it would look on the day, how much room I had to manoeuvre – (tripod or not?), look in the shop windows at the displays and suss out the natural lighting for my idea of the library shot . It was important to remember the distance between the Minster and the Library to sort out parking for the day. I thought being as mentally prepared as possible would give me more time to focus on the event.

How well you succeeded, including the difficulties and opportunities you encountered at the outset

I kept a check list of the images I wanted on paper to refer to so I could tick them off when I had achieved something or cross through them when processing and something hadn’t worked.

What worked well?

·         I spent time researching the type of cover shot I wanted. I had the experience behind me of completing Digital Photographic Practice 1 and an awareness of what would work as a cover image.

·         Experimentation and creativity – I had an idea of something I have been looking at through people and place. I wanted a shot showing the main street of the town reflected in the shop window with Josh looking in. The shop I chose was advertising for trainees which I thought it was quite fitting to the theme.

·         Flash- My images using flash were better than I expected once I altered the last used settings. There was not much light getting into the dining room which I wanted to use for the cover. Two days later, trees in the neighbour’s garden were cut down and light came flooding in!

·         Editing – use of Photoshop to remove most of the radiator from the cover image.

·         Dress theme – I insisted on Josh keeping outfits subtle but distinct – i.e. apron for cooking shots, no apron for cover shots, hat on when about to go outside, and hat and fleece for the market shot. I feel it adds a sense of place and another reference point for the image, although some people who I have shared my images with did not understand the relevance of it. To me it is like using an image for clipart for work of a nurse with a watch on.

Difficulties encountered and how I overcame them

·         Josh is left handed – I had never considered that to photograph a left handed person, I would have to reverse my planned images before shooting. E.g. the oil shot – this was set up on a different worktop in the kitchen to give a wider angle and say “kitchen” to the viewer. He cannot work well with his right hand (oil went everywhere) so we had to change it around so that the camera (and viewer) could see better. Once I had worked this out, it wasn’t a problem.

·         Lighting– I use flash when I have to although I still don’t feel comfortable with it. I regard it as a dark art. I understand that for commercial images, the lighting should be as even as possible with no shadows across the face and flash helps to “lift” the subject off the page. For the home shots, I used flash, and set up a flash gun either remotely on a tripod or the camera, where I thought it would help. However, flash photography is not permitted in the Minster, meaning I had to use a high ISO and reduce the aperture to get a better exposure. Some of my images were grainier than I would have liked, despite using a wide lens and a wide aperture. Highlights became burnt out (unable to rescue in raw) or there was too much movement in the images. I had to work fast and take several images to get a few without arms in the wrong places or people looking the wrong way.

·         Space was limited at home, in the show room and the Minster. I was able to use a tripod at home for some of the images, but there was no room in Southwell. This meant finding different viewpoints, being patient and taking several shots.

·         Time – We arrived at the show to find a disappointing number of entries. One of the main roads was closed due to repairs and the diversion had seen a big accident meaning people were delayed. As entries were pre-booked, the organisers knew how many entries they were waiting for. Hence judging started late and the opening of the baking show (and results) clashed with the Junior Masterchef demonstration in the Minster. This was one of the images which may have fitted in well to my story.

·         On the scheduled day for the photo shoot, Josh decided he was going out with his friends and would not be back until just before dark. I had planned to use the same type of lighting throughout so that it did not matter in which order I placed the images. I re-scheduled the shoot in for the following morning. By then Josh was bored of the idea as he had pulled in making the cake the evening before the show. For a commercial venture this would have wasted the photographer’s time.

·         Expression –The images of an active and engaged Josh were much more inviting that a bored teenager, so I varied the type of shots I did with him to take account of this.

·         Mood – Josh refused to buy an apple from the market because he is unfamiliar with talking to retailers. He would have been happier in a supermarket. Once I explained to him that I would need permission to do this he was more understanding and reluctantly agreed to purchase an apple for me. It reinforced to me the need to include the child in the plans (firmly without giving them room to change the plans).

Discernment with choice of images-I narrowed my selection down to 21 images from 500, printed 

20 as a contact sheet, cut them out and grouped them to see what worked well together. I had 

an idea of the story I wanted to tell and how I thought it should look. I was keen to see that it 

worked and the images looked OK (in my opinion). I played around substituting one or another 

in Publisher and linking it with the story to ensure that the words and images lined up. I also 

wanted to check orientation, colours and the mix of active and passive shots. From here I 

categorised the images, sorting them into landscape and portrait, compared similar and 

contrasting colours. 

 I had given myself six A4 pages to fill in Publisher with the idea of grouping shots down either side. I toyed with the idea of a circular shot, as some magazines featured these. Image 9808 would have made a circular image and cropped out the unwanted background by doing so. I also deliberated over whether to include the prize giving as an ending. I chose a shot with the cake and third prize as more creative than the prize giving. I was interested to note the similarities in the photo story of “High Wheel Bicycle enthusiasts gather for Prague Race” (Matej  Divizna / Getty Images, 4^th November 2014) via MSN news who  included the start of the race and not the finish. I also abandoned another possibility (cake on the table at the beginning) as there were very few entries and I wanted all the images to represent busyness.

Reasons behind my chosen images

All images submitted were taken with 5D Mark 2 full frame camera 24-105mm lens). I had carried my 40D with 18-200mm (29-320mm) to save keep swapping lenses but did not use any of these images.

1/8 f8 ISO400 35mm +11/3 exposure compensation flash

Josh had an idea that plunging a knife into an apple would make a good image. I developed this idea by looking at the size of the knife to give impact (too small and it had no impact, and too large and the knife dominated the scene. One of the recognised skills in cookery is “knife skills”, so it was important to get it right. I was inspired by the work of David Loftus (who took photographs of Jamie Oliver). In comparison, Loftus’s image has more contrasting colours than mine and he has a framed it differently (less in the foreground than my image.) I had to leave room for a title in mine and my image could be adapted for use in other people’s houses as most people have a plain wall somewhere.

Brook (2014) states about the importance of separating arms away from the body to make a statement. By posing Josh in this position and shooting down rather than across at him, I think he dominates the image. Diagonals of arms add impact and movement to the scene. Round board and round apple on round table balance out the head. I felt this was a balanced image. The colours are complementary; reds, greens and browns. Josh never smiles for the camera unless caught unaware. This look was more of an enquiring look. 

Image 2 1/100 f8 ISO400 24mm 

Josh looking at the apple displays in the windows. This one caught his eye with Halloween only a few days away. The candle was burning in the apple giving it a golden glow inside. This appealed to me because of the trainee sign. Josh’s face shows up well against the dark blue door which adds contrast to the image. His face is free from harsh shadows. The reflection in the window shows the profile of the main street with people which adds depth to the image. The colours work well together to create an autumnal feel to the image – crunchy leaves and a hat encourage people to associate with the season of the year.

Image 3 1/60 f8 ISO400 58mm

Welcome to Southwell Market – a small and friendly market with about 16 stalls on a Saturday, one of which sells fruit and vegetables. Josh was very reluctant to do this set of shots for me as he is not confident with traders engaging in conversation with him. I had to crop in fairly tightly to capture the action as there was such a lot happening. I planned a wide shot to show the atmosphere as a contrast to Josh being on his own. (My lens is a zoom lens, so I was pleased that I had planned about 50mm and I achieved 58mm without looking at the camera.) There is lots going on in the background of this shot – and two people are holding cauliflowers which I think gives it a rural feel. The line of bananas hanging up creates a frame for the image. This image introduces a wide variety of colour to otherwise fairly neutral colours which people expect to see and I think it works with the collection of images. It is a shame that it wasn’t Bramley apples on the top of the stall (the apples came from New Zealand). My only criticism is that people’s faces are obscured by the market frames. The action of this image is a change from the first 2 passive shots and hopefully entices the viewer to turn the page.

Image 4 1/15 f8 ISO800 50mm +11/3 exposure compensation flash

When researching images of chefs cooking, it was the action shots that appealed to me. I did want them to be natural though, even if a little flamboyant. I had observed that the cover of Mary Berry’s latest cookery book had her sifting flour high in the air for added impact (Photographer Georgia Glynn Smith). On further research, I found that the style of her images in Mary Berry’s book showed that home cooking was achievable by all and was fun as well as demonstrating step by step techniques. I had planned to use a different work top and include a long shot of the kitchen. This was the point at which I discovered that my planned shot on paper would not work because Josh is left handed. I did not have enough space to set up and get the camera in.  This image worked better in portrait rather than landscape so I cropped it into a square to fit the magazine to remove the wasted space. I took several images of Josh pouring the oil with him looking at me and concentrating on the task in hand. Josh engaged with the fun behind this shot. The light from the kitchen window helped brighten the image and the flash filled in where necessary. This resulted in more even lighting.

Image 5 1/80 f4 ISO800 55mm +11/3 exposure compensation flash

This image shows Josh cutting an apple using a safe technique and the correct size knife. I thought it worked quite well as an action shot. I liked the subtle colours and shapes such as an implied triangle. Using a soft window light and a little flash to brighten the image gave a soft image with some shadow detail. Reading through Mary Berry’s latest book, it occurred to me that the close up action shots of peeling and slicing an apple were not too dissimilar from mine. I had not seen this book before I took my set of photos, and further research showed that Glynn Smith has worked with several of the TV chefs whose books I have or have read. She also works for magazines such as Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, The Daily Mail, Country Life, and I think I have quite possibly been influenced by these images without realising it.

Image 6 1/30 f4 ISO800 35mm +11/3 exposure compensation flash

Josh was able to do this shot with his right hand for me so I could show a long shot of the kitchen. This sets the place of where he is. By positioning him here, the natural light was behind him so the lighting across his face was even. The sugar crystals are in focus and Josh is slightly out of focus which I thought was acceptable because my focus was on the action of the shot. Partial inclusion is enough to show he is there and he adds contrasting colour to the image.

The last 3 images were designed to fill one side of a page. All are action, landscape shots with the colours and tones working well together.

Image 7 1/125 f4 ISO800 105mm

 +1/13 exposure compensation flash

I shot this image looking down on Josh’s hands to give a different view point. Again this is an action shot and we had to change worktops from what I had planned to get the shot to work. I felt the 

colours contrast with the background.I considered 

cropping out the corner of the worktop but this made 

the length of Josh’s arms too short.Diagonals and 

implied triangles add dynamics to the shots. Use of a

 wooden chopping board add a natural, rustic feel

to the image.

Image 8 1/8 f8 ISO400 60mm flash

This image shows Josh putting his cake into a tin to transport it to the show. Again it is an action image because although I tried to take Josh and his cake after the show, he felt embarrassed about it. By asking him to do something, it took his mind off being photographed. As we decided to use the same cake for the images to maintain consistency, I had to capture the whole cake before it was judged. Rather than set up a still life, I thought this showed care and attention from Josh. In a different article (such as how to make the cake, a shot of the finished product on its own would work.) My only criticism is that the fluctuation in light levels meant my flash was too bright and it produced a big shadow on the cupboard which I toned down in Photoshop. 

Image 9 1/125 f6.3 ISO800 35mm No flash permitted

This image shows the hustle and bustle inside the Minster. The food stall was cooking and combined with the light pouring in through the Minster windows made quite an interesting scene. This is an image that I didn’t expect to find and thought the lighting and activity added to the image making it stand out from my other images. The background of the image (windows and walls) sets the place. All the spectators are interested in what was going on. There is eye contact between the sellers concentrating on their tasks and the purchasers watching the cooks. The image has some colour; pinks, blues and yellows which add to the image without dominating with it and fits in with the tone of the collection of images.

Image 10 1/13 f6.3 ISO1250 40mm no flash permitted

This is another image which shows the place and people interacting with it. Starkeys are a local family who have been growing Bramley Apples in Southwell for over 100 years. They sell apple juices and compotes with no added sugar. Local interaction with their customers through informing and sampling helps promote their products, sold in farm shops and at shows. The light was coming in through the clerestory windows above, falling on the apple juices giving them a lovely colour. People were interested in the products and there was interaction with the stall holder. The pillars of the minster helped to set the place.  Flash was prohibited which would have ensured that the people were in focus, although I don’t think that matters too much. I decided to focus on the bottles rather than the people. 

Image 11 1/15 f8 ISO200 58mm flash

Josh received third prize for his entry. Space was limited in the show room, especially as people were keen to come and see how well they did. I had planned a wider shot of Josh looking at his entry surrounded by the other winners. Due to the space in the room, I worked on this idea as it was less cluttered. The children’s entries were cramped onto a little round table joined on to the adult entries on the rectangular table which creates a division between the two. Without rearranging the table and entry cards, this was the best I could manage. I preferred this over the presentation images as it was less staged. The pink and green worked well together but the brown cakes covered in cling film were not very photogenic.

Image 12 1/30 f4 ISO800 35mm

 +11/3exposure compensation flash

I wanted to include an image of Josh holding apples. I had planned a casual relaxed image of Josh leaning against a wall partially obscured which may have been a cover shot. I favoured Josh with a singular apple at the table. Offering the apples on the table worked well, and on reflection I could have used a tablecloth on the table to break up the similarity with the cover image. So under my props section, I could include that. I liked the triangle of apples and the diagonal arms. Showing Josh’s fingers put the size of the apples into perspective. The flash is slightly too bright. This was one of the first images I took and hadn’t checked the flash settings. I discovered that it was set too bright.

How well did I stick to the brief I gave myself?

Having developed a story before I started taking the images definitely helped me to focus on what images I needed to take. I still took 500 images so that I could select the best from each group and could substitute another shot if necessary. It is time consuming to sift through them all and I am sure that as photographers become more experienced they can take less photos. I don’t think I have reached that point yet. I think including a tablecloth in the props section would help. I had drawn images roughly on paper, and given thought to the apples and hands but not the background. It was a valuable learning point for me.

References

Anon, High-wheel bicycle enthusiasts gather for Prague race. Available at: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/high-wheel-bicycle-enthusiasts-gather-for-prague-race/ss-BBcwMSS [Accessed November 4, 2014a].

Anon, Available at: http://petapixel.com/2014/10/29/dear-bride-tips-model-looking-best-camera/ [Accessed November 4, 2014b].

Bibliography

Angier, R., 2007. Train your gaze: (a practical and theoretical introduction to portrait photography), United Kingdom: AVA Academia, Lausanne, Switzerland

Freeman, M., 2013. Capturing Light The heart of photography, UK: Ilex Press.

ABC1 Demograpahic. Available at: http://www.abc1demographic.co.uk/ [Accessed October 21, 2014a].

David Munns. Available at: http://foodphotography.co.uk/ [Accessed October 21, 2014b]. Latest News. Available at: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/press/news/article/bauer_launches_landscape_magazine [Accessed October 21, 2014c].

http://www.timhill.co.uk/ [Accessed October 21, 2014d].

http://www.deliciousdays.com/ [Accessed October 21, 2014e].

http://www.marcusnilsson.com [Accessed October 21, 2014f].

http://www.mittongtarestudio.com [Accessed October 21, 2014g].

http://www.davidloftus.com/ [Accessed October 21, 2014h].

http://www.beatricepeltre.com/ [Accessed October 21, 2014i].

http://www.glynnsmith.co.uk [Accessed November 5, 2014j].

http://clarebarboza.com/ [Accessed October 21, 2014k].

http://www.davidloftus.com/jamie-oliver#5 [Accessed October 21, 2014l].

http://www.thewi.org.uk/wie-and-wi-life [Accessed October 21, 2014m]

Assignment 4: A sense of place

November 2014

Assignment 4 A sense of Place

This assignment draws together all the learning from the previous exercises and the appreciation of what buildings and spaces mean to the people who live amongst them. The aim of this assignment is to produce enough images to fill a six page, intelligent, thoughtful travel publication (not touristic). In total 12 photographs are to be chosen with 6 to be selected as a first choice.

Whilst working through the set of exercises for part 4, I moved around through various locations fairly close to home. In part 2 of this course, I encountered issues of feeling uncomfortable with photographing in my home town of Mansfield. I gained in confidence during part 3, and put it to the test again in part 4. At the beginning of the exercises I still felt uncomfortable and sensed that people regarded my actions as suspicious (I think because it is a town of high unemployment and benefit claimants) so I decided to use my local city to “hide” and work through a period of self-development, gaining confidence with street photography. Eric Kim wrote an article published by Digital Photography School which I found very helpful, suggesting that if one stood in the middle of a road junction, no-one would take any notice of that person, which put photographing people without asking them into perspective for me. Having looked at the idea of basing this assignment in Lincoln because I could hide behind the mask of a tourist, I felt I would get more out of the assignment by challenging myself and using Nottingham which I know equally well. The point of decision came when I was asked if I would be willing to take some photographs for a friend who is writing for a winter sports magazine of Winter Olympians in Nottingham.

The essential character of Nottingham

I held my own opinions of the character of Nottingham and to test whether these were similar to other peoples, I discussed them with a number of work colleagues. I was interested to note that how one views Nottingham and what one associates with depends on social class and sex. Men tended to look at the buildings from the outside whilst women saw it as a place to socialise, meet friends and shop. Not everyone went out to eat in Nottingham (only those who were more affluent or going with work colleagues.) Nottingham is famous for the legend of Robin Hood, and the tourist attraction closed in 2009 (5 years ago). It seems that since then, Nottingham entered a period of decline with shops and businesses closing down fairly quickly. Last year the city ran a project to fill 20 shop windows with exhibitions in an attempt to make the shopping area more enticing to consumers. University and student accommodation buildings are now on the increase along with the redevelopment and modernisation of two shopping centres and zones are being created such as the Lace Market (Cultural Quarter) and Sneinton Market (Creative Quarter).

I see the redevelopment in a positive light. Nottingham has been the founding home of huge companies such as John Player Tobacco, Boots Pharmaceuticals and Raleigh Bicycles. Nottingham’s history involves  lacemaking in cottage industries and within the city, Robin Hood and the Sherriff of Nottingham are world class fictional characters and sporting legends such as Jane Torvil and Christopher Dean, Carl Froch and Brian Clough have over the years captured the lives of many and put Nottingham firmly on the map. Nottingham is proud to present two long standing football teams (Nottingham Forest and Notts County), a National Cricket Stadium (Trent Bridge), National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham Panthers Ice Stadium as well as concert venues such as Capital FM Arena and Rock City. Fashion designer Paul Smith also comes from Nottingham. We boast two Universities; Nottingham Trent University and The University of Nottingham. More recently we had a visit from Batman as Wollaton Hall became Batman’s home in The Dark Knight Rises, and tourists can find the village of Gotham not too far away. Nottingham has a lot to offer to investment companies, students, tourists and locals alike.

The Council House boasts two art deco lions; Leo and Oscar. Leo is the Left Lion, and one of the cultural magazines sports this name. The Left Lion is a well-known meeting place for people of all ages. The Old Market Square, the largest in the country, holds food fairs, shows, Christmas Markets, the Seaside in Summer for children and political demonstrations. At lunchtime, workers and visitors alike can be seen sitting around. This is where the youth of today meet. The fountains (redesigned from old public toilets) provide a playground for toddlers to teenagers whatever the weather.  Nottingham has several buskers, but none replace the memories of the Xylophone Man who always played outside C and A and died 10 years ago. A petition was started to ask NET to name a tram in memory of him. Nottingham also has its own religious informers who have the same spot outside Marks and Spencers. Nottingham, like most cities, has its own dialect, although this is harder to capture in photographic form.

What I set out to achieve

I started off with quite negative thoughts towards this assignment.  Having read around street photography and visited the exhibition at The University of Nottingham on American Night Photography (see exhibitions page on my blog), I was left wondering how to present this positively. Nottingham is trying to move with the times to upgrade the derelict areas and attract more people in. However, I feel that money is not always spent in the best of ways such as the closure and redesign of a public space at great cost to the taxpayer within 2 years of a makeover.  Change is always going to be there – some people see is as positive, some as negative such as the stall holders of Sneinton Market who are unhappy that their market is going to be turned into a gaming area. There are less affluent areas, and gun crime is high, so for my own safety I planned to stay in the safer areas. Nottingham is a large city and if I took images of certain buildings, I would waste space on a “snapshot of Nottingham’s buildings”. I narrowed my area of Nottingham to within a 1 mile radius from Left Lion, in the Old Market Square of Nottingham. This encompasses several of the landmarks of Nottingham that people use and or associate with.

I drew up a list to carry with me to look at certain aspects.

My list of suggested shots:

Citycard Bike hire long shot towards city

Left lion across market square (busy people)

Trams up South Parade (side of council house flying horse walk) – busy traffic

Park Tunnel (city of caves) – single person? steps

Sneinton Market redevelopment no people

Busker / Religious informers

Nottingham Trent University (Newton Building) Students (group) small and many

Nottingham Playhouse (Sky Mirror) / Broadway Cinema (people anonymous) silhouettes in windows

Maid Marion Way (legend of Robin Hood without using the statue)

Exchange Walk or Kings Walk (shopping)

People in coffee shops (or outside)

Groups of picnicking people in market square

People at tram stops

Ice arena

I planned my images to be bright and colourful to attract people to visit. This meant underexposing slightly to make the colours more saturated to add colour to the cold, grey winter season. Puddles would be acceptable and add another dimension for reflections. Christmas lights may be unavoidable and I wanted lots of people to show Nottingham being busy. Nottingham has worked hard to incorporate a continental feel with cafes extending their seating to outside, but I didn’t think I would capture this at this time of year. I wanted a sense of scale and to show off Nottingham’s better side.

I used the same camera throughout (Canon 5D mark 2) with the same lens (24-105mm) to capture wide angles, height of buildings and a tripod for the night time images. I used a variety of portrait and landscape and spaces where captions could be added.

I wanted to make people feel that they could associate with the people of Nottingham, even if it was to say “I behave like that” or “that looks like …..”

My images

Having taken about 400 images, I narrowed my choice down to 22. Having formulated my own ideas of which ones to use, I took them into work to discuss with some work colleagues to see whether the images said “Nottingham (not touristic)” to the people of Nottingham.

Discussion took place around whether Robin Hood was a landmark or a tourist attraction.
It features as a photograph in Debenhams coffee shop along with an image of Trent Bridge (not the cricket ground) and so it could be seen as a landmark. The definition of a landmark is something which “marks a site or location” and as it is next to the castle, I see it as a tourist attraction rather than a landmark.

Set 1

Set 2

Why these sets are organised as they are

Set 1 tells a story of what is happening in Nottingham, from what the city council wants to showcase (the posh shopping centre and lit up council building) to our more creative side (knitted bicycle stands and the busker) and what the real people get up to. Set 2 provides an alternative couple of images such as the cinema at night and what’s really going on behind the scenes (Sneinton market buildings being regenerated and people in alleyways.) The 2 people shopping are down a pedestrianized street showing Ted Baker and Hollister on one side to the British Heart Foundation on the other. The religious speaker shows how people keep a wide berth and on a busy shopping day, this space is not being utilised to its full potential.

1/80 f8 ISO800 24mm

Inside Exchange Arcade – a Grade 2 listed building which stands at the head of the Market Square. Built in 1927, it has retailed for 85 years. It is joined to the council house (used for civic ceremonies including weddings) and the dome (at the back of the image) houses a bell called Little John which claims to be the deepest in Nottingham and can be heard up to 7 miles away. Nottingham’s two shopping centres are both undergoing renovation. This is more exclusive housing designer shops. One feels one has to be dressed appropriately to enter the building. The clientele have money to spend. The visitor would not find a group of teenagers hanging around in here.

The building is light and airy with a glass domed roof making it feel cathedral like. It was important to capture the sense of space and height, lighting and smartly dressed people. The people show the scale of the building. I was unsure of the photographic policy of this building so I handheld the camera although it would have been better taken on a tripod. I used a high ISO to obtain a fast shutter speed and I think the amount of grain is acceptable. By standing slightly off centre the building is not symmetrical, and shows the direction of travel of the  shoppers. The building is busy, but not as busy as the other shopping centres. The people are not recognisable on their own as they are small in proportion to the building and there are several of them.

1/30 f8 ISO400 24mm

This image captures the creativity of Nottingham’s Creative Quarter. Geographically the creative quarter encompasses Sneinton (will be home to a five storey video games exhibition in conjunction with Nottingham Trent University and the Science Museum), the Lace Market – centre of the lace making industry during the days of the British Empire and Hockley (where this image is taken). The tall Victorian buildings (one of which was owned by Jesse Boot founder of Boots of Nottingham) are home to the alternative shops such as gothic and vintage clothing shops with a number of bars and restaurants with outside seating. This image shows different coloured knitted covers to the bike racks which I think express creativity. The two passers-by on the left hand side of the image have shown an interest in what I am looking at. They are motion blurred making then less distinctive. The day was cold and misty depicted by a trail of cigarette smoke. The bikes added a splash of colour to the image. Nottingham’s winter deal for the lime green city cycles is to make them free to borrow which is a great idea, and meant they were not at the locations which I had planned to capture them so this was my alternative idea. Nottingham is home to Raleigh bikes so bikes had to feature on one of my images.

Todd Hido (2014)(p20) suggests that when one is photographing space, “it is useful to use the perspective to draw the viewer into the frame. The diagonal line creates depth, and depth often works well in describing an environment. The diagonal lines extend your photograph into infinity.” I discovered this was true when photographing the space inside Southwell Minster, and one can imagine how the line of buildings looks going off to the left. I also believe that in this instance, repetition of the buildings fools the brain into repeating the pattern. This does make the space look larger.

1/100 f8 ISO640 45mm

Low Pavement (above) used to be one of the main coaching routes in Georgian times. The last white building on the right hand side towards the centre of the frame was the old assembly rooms. All the buildings are listed and several contain caves as basements. The point at which I am standing is the main thoroughfare through the designer shops and links to the second shopping centre and the Lace market. Jamies’s is marketed as family friendly dining so I included the child in the image. I had hoped to capture alfresco dining, but the time of year was against me. However, people do look at restaurant menus. I like to think of Nottingham as becoming more multicultural and inviting people to have the opportunity to sit outside.

The two red telephone boxes have become a landmark for the people of Nottingham. This image shows that Nottingham is not flat. It also illustrates the mix of modern and old buildings which can be an eyesore or urban infill depending ones views on architecture.

1/40 f8 ISO400 58mm 

Whilst in Nottingham, most people come across the street busker. I wanted to capture the loneliness of this chap and people’s attitudes towards him.  This image hopefully captures the tension surrounding him. In this image, the lady on the right is waiting for someone. She may hear his music but she is not watching him. The lady on the left is marching straight past him pretending not to notice him. The other people are already on their way out of the picture. His violin case did not have many coins in and this image was taken at 3:19pm. A higher vantage point would have helped capture the lack of money. (I was below him and the walkway goes uphill). The image would be better if it included more of the lady on the left. She was on the edge of the frame and my image needed straightening slightly. This was an image where I had to demonstrate quick reactions. I saw something and acted upon it.

1/50 f8 ISO400 75mm

Friar Lane, Nottingham has nothing to do with the story of Robin Hood and Friar Tuck. One may be excused for thinking that the two are linked, given that its location is fairly near to the castle. The name comes from the Carmelite Friary (visited by King Henry 8^th), although no trace of the building remains. To me, this image shows the real Nottingham; kids sitting on the pavement waiting for a bus, exhausted shoppers, and behind the bus stop is Chocolate Utopia which in my opinion looks dirty and unappetising. Even the silver birch tree has been chopped down leaving a tall stump.

0.6secs f8 ISO400 50mm

This is my favourite image. Nottingham’s Council House dome is lit up for occasions such as Children in Need, Nottingham Night Light and as part of the Christmas decorations. The colours change and unless I take several images, I cannot guarantee what colours I will have on the image.  I was pleased with the blue lighting which is both masculine and emotional. I mounted the tripod on the edge of the fountain which was above head height and stood in a trough of water, waiting for the man on the left to stand still. Fortunately he did, and the people with him moved away from him. The man is balanced by the lights on the right hand side and the hint of Christmas decorations on the left sets the time of year. Separating the image from the reflection are a group of people enjoying themselves on the temporary skating rink. I liked the fact that the man has long hair and a carrier bag. When I analysed this image on the computer, I decided could see more about it than when I took it. It told a story of a man looking at the Christmas lights and wondering about the expense of it all. I thought it was quite reflective (contemplative) as well as the reflection adding to the “stop still and think” notion I was trying to convey. I was inspired to revisit night photography after seeing Todd Hido’s work at the University of Nottingham this month and reading his book.

Set 2

1/80 f8 ISO500 24mm

The statue of Robin Hood was gifted to the City of Nottingham in 1952 by a local businessman to “provide something tangible for visitors to see relating to Robin Hood” (http://www.experiencenottinghamshire.com/discover/robin-hood-statue-p586071) accessed Nov 2014. The sculptor based his work on historical references. It caused controversy when first exhibited as the citizens expected to see a piece of work based on the 1938 Errol Flynn movie entitled The Adventures of Robin Hood. Robin Hood is now located outside the Castle walls which befits the legend. The statue certainly draws the tourists and people queue to have their photograph taken next to it.

The statue stands on a narrow concrete plinth about 2 feet high and becomes very slippery during the wet weather. Without a step, I found it difficult to balance on such a narrow plinth and take the image. The image could be better if there were less tourists around (e.g. on a weekday) and if I had carried and used a step (which was impractical). The tourists in the image are small and many, making them unrecognisable. It gives a sense of scale to the image, although not arranged brilliantly.

1/125 f8 ISO500 55mm

This image of Bridlesmith Gate from a low perspective captures most of the reflection of the two shoppers in the puddle. The designer shops are mixed in with one charity shop. The buildings along this stretch are a real mix of old and new. The man with a Moss bag hurrying through the shoppers adds movement to the image. I found a photograph taken by Francis Frith in C1950, in which the shop front of Coast onwards on the left hand side look similar. In those days the road still had cars travelling along it.

1/80 f8 ISO400 32mm

Sneinton Market through the eyes of the developers was an interesting perspective.  I came face to face with a security guard! People of Nottingham recall Sneinton Market selling all sorts of things that you couldn’t buy elsewhere during their childhood. It is part of Nottingham’s heritage with buildings dating from the 1930’s. There has been a market here since 1860 and it was always seen as important community space – not only the buildings here but the open plan market square too. The square has undergone considerable redevelopment – turning it from a car park in the 1990’s to a square with colour changing fountains in 2014. On the recent occasions that I visited, the space was occupied by 3 sellers determined to hold a market although people just use it as a place to walk through on their way to the city centre.

The day I took this image the day was foggy and cold – in keeping with the run down area. I think the fact that it is boarded up with a skip outside suggests that work is happening and although there are no workmen in the image, it still looks like work is imminent. Evidence of constructive human activity is shown.

1/30 f8 ISO400 32mm

Like the busker, the other type of person who people of Nottingham talk about is the preacher who stands outside Marks and Spencers. Sometimes there are more than one, and sometimes he has a board. By taking an aerial perspective on the pedestrianized street, I was able to see that people were giving him a lot of clearance and not paying him any attention. It occurred to me that this space was under-utilized.  The people are unrecognisable as there are many of them, with some taken from behind and others have motion blur. The bright coats and few leaves add some colour to the image.

1/13 f5.6 ISO200 105mm

I came across this image of a man sitting at a table looking at his phone down an alleyway whilst walking around Nottingham Playhouse. Nottingham has a lot of alleyways or twichells (Nottinghamshire slang), some with shops and some without. I was unsure if he was connected to the Playhouse and just having a break from working. I assumed by the shadows cast the man had additional lighting on. He is partly obscured by the stair case leg. I think the clutter in the background and the uneven paving add to the character of the building. The man contrasts well against the brighter background. The beer barrel in the foreground helps to set a place to the image.

1.6secs f13 ISO200 24mm

The Cornerhouse cinema complex (opened in 2000) houses a collection of eating establishments, a night club and crazy golf. When it first opened, visitors used to spend time going up and down the escalators to look at the view of the city. Standing on the outside at night time watching the traffic drive past, one has the feeling that people are in such a hurry. People who are not local remember this building on their drive through the city centre. I like the people positioned at the pedestrian crossing, showing that they are waiting for the traffic lights to stop. The streak of the bus going past with the cars suggests that the area is busy with people coming or going. I think the night shot adds an air of mysticism to the image.

Initially, I had wanted to include silhouettes of people in the windows. Hido (2014) (p26) made me question whether this was necessary or whether it was better to let people draw their own conclusions on what was/had happened. Hido explains that “what’s not shown is of more interest. It activates the senses.” I now agree with this and questioned whether it mattered how many people were on the bus, or what the people in the Cornerhouse building were doing.

How well I think I succeeded

My original plan had been to look at taking images for an overseas business brochure. I narrowed down my images to include a group of students outside the university, a scene with people including a bank in the image, transport (bikes / buses / trams), eating out, wealthy shops and people enjoying themselves. I looked at a few examples on the internet and the use of bright sunny days made these images more cheerful and saleable. Realistically to achieve this in October / November was going to be very weather dependent, and unfortunately on my planned photography days the weather was cold, wet and misty. Fortunately the time of year was great because at weekends the city came alive with so many visitors and Christmas shoppers that I times I thought I had too many people to choose from!

Conversely, some of my planned shots were unattainable due to the Christmas Market. I had planned the left lion juxtaposed in front of a mock Tudor shop front. On the occasions I visited access wad denied as the Christmas Market was being set up or once up, it was too cluttered.

Attending the exhibition on American Night photography encouraged me to extend the time spent in Nottingham and look at early evening nightlife, although at 6pm blue flashing lights constantly drove up and down the city centre roads. I benefitted from knowing the city. To include local colloquialisms, I had considered using a derelict railway grain storage warehouse on a piece of wasteland which was within my mile of the city centre which has Nottingham slang graffiti painted on it. I think this would be a good future project which I contemplated but the thought of being unaccompanied due to the structure of the building and its current use were enough to stop me from visiting alone. There were enough people I encountered sleeping in doorways and next to cars in the more run down parts of the city. My list of places to look at helped save time and also meant I could plan a rough circular route. 

How I might have approached the assignment if there was no end result in mind

I think my images would have been more about the buildings than the people using them if I did not have and end goal in mind. The assignment was good for focussing my mind, and once I became absorbed into the subject, I became more confident at capturing images without worrying what people might think. Am I done with this subject? I am happy with the outcome for the purpose of the assignment as what I want to take will not happen until after Christmas when the lights and market stalls are taken down. By then there will be less people around and the weather will still be unpredictable. I think this will be a case of carrying a camera around with me when I go out and about. The exhibition by Hido came just at the right time for me to open my eyes and make me take note of the world around me. I can now see how I could do the assignment differently using other places Hido (2014) (p62) suggests that “That’s when you’re done: when you’re not compelled to shoot the subject anymore.” I still feel I have more places and people to explore and so I can associate with this quote.

References

Hido, Todd (2014) on landscapes, interiors and the Nude, aperture publishing, New York p20

Hido, Todd (2014) on landscapes, interiors and the Nude, aperture publishing, New York p26

Hido, Todd (2014) on landscapes, interiors and the Nude, aperture publishing, New York p62

Bibliography

ALHS N, 2009, Newark through time, Amberley Publishing, UK

Hido, Todd (2014) on landscapes, interiors and the Nude, aperture publishing, New York

Freeman, M (2014) Capturing light, The heart of photography, Ilex press, Lewes, UK

West, J (2001) Memory lane Newark and District (Memory Lane) Breedon Books Publishing co ltd Guernsey

Eric Kim, Digital Photography School http://digital-photography-school.com/10-tips-for-the-aspiring-street-photographer/ accessed October 2014

http://www.experiencenottinghamshire.com/dark-knight-rises accessed Nov 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/sense_of_place/documentaries/nottinghams_pride.shtml accessed Nov 2014

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/landmark accessed Nov 2014

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Creative-Quarter-support-nurture-Nottingham-s/story-19681078-detail/story.html accessed Nov 2014

http://www.ntu.ac.uk/apps/news/166043-15/Worlds_first_cultural_centre_for_gaming_to_be_opened_in_Nottingham.aspx accessed Nov 2014

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029843/ Accessed Nov 2014

http://www.experiencenottinghamshire.com/discover/robin-hood-statue-p586071 accessed Nov 2014

http://www.francisfrith.com/uk/locations/nottingham/photos/nottingham-bridlesmith-gate-c1950-710675 Accessed Nov 2014