January 2015
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, 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. Initially my images were taken in daylight (with two night time shots) and the time of year meant my images looked cold and grey. My tutor suggested reshooting some of the images at night time or in low light to make the images more vibrant. Due to the time of year Christmas lights were unavoidable. There were plenty of people out on the streets in the evening and I spent time observing the changeover period from shoppers going home or staying to eat before going home to the people going out for the evening. I hoped to show a busy Nottingham. 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. With my reshoot images, the continental Christmas Market in the Market Square was in full swing with a large skating rink and this is where most people gravitated. I planned to include a sense of scale and to show off Nottingham’s better side, especially with the inclusion of public and voluntary services who are out in force to support the people enjoying bars and clubs in the city centre.
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.
My images
Initially I took about 400 images and narrowed my choice down to 22 before narrowing it down to 12. My tutor thought that 3 of these images were acceptable and suggested reshooting during low light and night time to provide more consistency. Having visited the American Night Photography in Nottingham University during the course of taking the images for this assignment, I felt able to change the direction and reshoot, which involved practicing and learning new skills before I was happy with my final selection.
My chosen 12 images
At the beginning of collating this assignment, I thought in terms of set one and set 2 of my images, reasoning that if I had two similar images, the “editor” would be able to choose one over another. I now think of them in terms as a set of 12 images because they feel more cohesive. There are similarities in content between the two sets – both sets include public transport (bus / tram), both contain voluntary and emergency services, both contain the people of Nottingham and both contain landmarks, entertainment venues and residential areas. I left the original 3 images in the first set and worked on taking a further 9 images to show a sense of place. These include a mix of landscape and portrait images.
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Image 1 1/13 f5.6 ISO200 105mm
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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.
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Image 2 0.6secs f8 ISO400 50mm
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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.
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Image 3 1.6secs f13 ISO200 24mm
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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.
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Image 4 f4 1/60 ISO400 28mm flash
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I came across these two St. John’s Ambulance volunteers outside the Victoria Centre (one of the main shopping centres in Nottingham) waiting for a call to help someone. I approached them for permission before shooting and they obliged. The bike is the quickest mode of transport in the city to reach those in need of help or assistance. I included this image as Nottingham has a reputation for alcohol problems and as I seemed to photograph at weekends and during the evenings, I felt that this team of people are actually part of the culture of Nottingham.
Photography is not permitted in the shopping centre and so this image gives an indication of the inside of the centre. Smokers often congregate outside the shops to have a cigarette. 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 believe that in this instance the architecture and reflections of the building fool the brain into making the space look larger than it actually is.
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Image 5 f4 1/40 ISO400 24mm no flash
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Nottingham Forest were playing at home during one of my visits. This chap (Pete) sells memorabilia from Nottingham Forest to the fans. He is usually around and has a gathering of collectors with him. By standing on a wall I was able to look down on the scene before me showing him interacting with the fans. I was drawn to the stance and facial features of the seller and the way in which he interacted with his followers. I considered the flood light to be distracting although it added drama to the scene. I took this image from the other side, asking for permission as by then I had been seen, but the seller’s cap was obscuring the details of his face.
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Image 6 f4 4secs ISO200 28mm
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Castle Wharf in Nottingham provides a venue for people offering comedy clubs, pubs and alfresco dining. It takes its name from the castle which overlooks the city. Nottingham canal opened in 1796 and much of it has been filled in. Areas of it still provide a thoroughfare through Nottingham for pedestrians and cyclists. Nottingham City Council have tried to preserve and regenerate the canal waterfront, set out in a character appraisal and management plan (2008) which encourages restoration of the old buildings and the addition of new architectural residential areas and offices whilst keeping a green open space.
The Fellows Morton and Clayton building was constructed in 1894. This company had the reputation for being the “largest and best known canal transportation company in England” http://www.fellowsmortonandclayton.co.uk/fmc-history.asp accessed Jan 2015. The boat fleet carried a diverse range of cargo including sugar, perfume from the Boots factory and cocoa beans to Bournville in Birmingham. In the 1980’s the building was converted into a canal museum and restaurant. The canal museum is now closed.
This image was taken at 9:15pm and I was surprised at how empty all the clubs and pubs in this area were. The attraction of this building for smokers is that they have somewhere to sit under the canopy. People came and went, but didn’t stay long despite it being the weekend before Christmas.
The clue that this is Nottingham and not another canalside building is on the boat with a sign called Nottingham Narrow Boat Project, and a further sign reads Nottingham City Council. I looked at making the exposure longer to smooth out the canal but the people under the canopy became too blurred.
Running alongside the pub is a row of terraced houses above a coffee shop. When I picture Inner Nottingham, I think of terraced houses. I was drawn to these with the inclusion of lights on because although one cannot see the residents, the lights make them look inhabited and gives a cosy glow to the image.
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Image 7 f4 1/60 ISO400 40mm flash
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Nottingham Christmas Market sells continental produce alongside Nottinghamshire / Lincolnshire produce. The seller was absorbed in making Churros for his customer. This image is bright and colourful, shows concentration and care going into the food for the customer. This is a character trait that I think is worthy of showing as customers are more likely to buy from this chap as he is taking care to arrange the third Churros on the top so that his customer does not drop it. I think it also demonstrates the pace of life at this stall. Churros are popular within the Filipino and Spanish cultures.
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Image 8 f4 1/60 ISO400 50mm flash
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The shoppers at the Christmas Market demonstrate the variety of Christmas gifts that can be sourced from elsewhere. The lady is trying gloves on. The stripy gloves at the front of the basket create a focal point for the viewer to explore the customers.
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| Image 9 f4 1/60 ISO400 50mm flash |
The viewer is left wondering if this group of ladies have met up after a shopping trip to share experiences or plan where to go next.
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Image 10 f8 1.3secs ISO200 24mm
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Nottingham Trent University’s new residences are served by the city tram. Taken at twilight, the shape of the building shows up against the dark sky. The colours are warm and inviting and the lights on in the buildings make it look as if there are people around. I like the solitary figure who is walking in through the open door the other side of the tram.
If this image is enlarged, the viewer can see another tram further up the tracks with people on the street. This is one image which could be enlarged to use as a double page spread within the magazine. (Image is labelled combined as I substituted a green traffic light for a red one to add warmth to the image)
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Image 11 f8 1.35 secs IS0200 35mm
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Nottingham Forest Football Stadium moved to its current location on the banks of the River Trent when the stadium was built in 1898 and renamed City Ground in honour of the city status awarded to Nottingham. Work was undertaken to modernise “Trent End” in preparation for hosting the European Championship in 1996. The ground’s capacity is 30,602.
This image could also be used as a double page spread in the magazine by the editor. Although this does not say Nottingham, football fans would recognise the Nottingham Forest football symbol on the side of the building. When this image is enlarged, the television screens inside the building are all showing the same programme apart from one. The people inside the building have stayed still whilst the image was taken, but most of the people outside are motion blurred as they made their way down to and into the stadium. It is only the security guards and the people looking at the memorabilia who have not moved.
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Image 12 f4 1/15 ISO800 28mm
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Nottingham Market Square on a Saturday Night. All the hire bikes have been returned and the party goers are out in force. Emergency Vehicles in the form of ambulances and police and the St. John’s Ambulance create a community hub in the centre of the city. This along with measures put in place for bouncers in 22 pubs to breathalyse people who may be over the limit ensures the vulnerable party goers stay safe as pastoral care will be given advising people of what to do next. This is Nottingham’s latest response to the drink problem which sees paramedics, ambulance drivers and police working hard to stop patients from attending an already stretched Accident and Emergency Unit.
How well I think I succeeded
My original plan had been to look at taking images for an overseas business brochure. 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! Following my tutor’s advice to reshoot some of the images and take them at night or in low light to ensure the shots were more vibrant.
Conversely, some of my originally planned daytime 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. People use the city differently in the evenings which called for me to look at the city in a different way. My tutor encouraged me to look at the work of Dougie Wallace who concentrated on an area in Shoreditch. Although I appreciate his work, I do not feel comfortable taking images like his. I had time to examine the reasons behind this and I think there are two issues here. The first is that in my job as a Theatre Nurse in the Emergency Theatre, I look after a lot of patients who have done silly things on nights out such as trapped their fingers in Taxi doors, fallen over when they have become intoxicated or harmed others and to me these people are all vulnerable and I may at some point come into contact with them. I would always help someone in need rather than take their photograph for example at the scene of an accident. The second issue I had was that I felt vulnerable not knowing how many of the intoxicated people were carrying weapons which they could use if they thought I was taking their photograph without their consent. I discovered through talking to several work colleagues that they were unaware of the law that allows street photographers to practice in public spaces. All that aside though, I appreciate that street photographers take photographs of people without their knowledge and I have a greater understanding of the type of photography. I did not have any issues with taking images of people unseen in Assignment 5 which I had done before this one because it was a different type of situation.
Attending the exhibition on American Night photography encouraged me to extend the time spent in Nottingham and look at evening nightlife. 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.
Following my reshoot, my images feel more cohesive. Apart from one image, the ISO varies between 200 and 400 so the amount of visible noise on the images is similar. The images all use night time or low light which aids the consistency. I was still able to keep to my original plan of working in a mile radius from the left lion (although I had to take the shortest route possible to the football ground to achieve this). The image I thought I might get when I planned my reshoot was customers leaving a concert venue as I had seen this done before. On the night I planned to stay late in the city centre, the concert was too small to make the image effective so I had to abandon the idea.
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 focusing 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 p26
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 p62
Nottingham City Council (March 2008) The Canal Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan http://www.nottinghaminsight.org.uk/d/96054 Accessed Jan 2015
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.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.francisfrith.com/uk/locations/nottingham/photos/nottingham-bridlesmith-gate-c1950-710675 Accessed Nov 2014
http://www.fellowsmortonandclayton.co.uk/fmc-history.asp accessed Jan 2015
Nottingham City Council (March 2008) The Canal Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan http://www.nottinghaminsight.org.uk/d/96054 Accessed Jan 2015
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