205dpi
Becki Farmer Illustrator rebeccajaynefarmer@hotmail.co.uk
This issue Nov’14
Who are we? We are photographers. Journalistic ones. We document, record and capture anything we find interesting, beautiful or captivating. Sometimes our stories may seem strange or unusual, but we are the eye behind it all; and that’s what this magazine is all about. From cakes to paralympics, graffiti to kickboxing, our editorial documentary style takes us around Cornwall, the UK and the rest of the world. Follow us and our collective of photographers as we capture our adventures, our remarkable stories and our everyday
What’ve we been doing? Christmas is closing in and we’re taking time to reflect over the photography of 2015. This month, November’s work brings us a step into the fashion circle with Jack Codling’s elegant series, alongside manipulated film stills by Marcus Thurman. We hope you enjoy this issue, and have a great Christmas!
p.s. keep updated: 4.
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36 Feature Story with ‘Tez’ Photographer Scarlett Purdy shares her touching interview with homless war veteran, Tez.
18 2. Jack
Codling
Jack shows us his beautiful editorial work in a Cornish caravan park, reflecting on his own holiday experiences.
Monthly Single Images: Dominic Steinmann Gemma Abbott
26 3. Robbie Dark
An insight into Robbie’s drive behind his two main passions: surfing and photography.
1. Madeleine Gleed
Documented this years MCM London, and it’s array of Cosplay characters.
32 4. Marcus
Thurman
Marcus explains his on-going theory behind the images in modern film, often idolised by many.
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Real talk with Tez; a homeless wanderer
This month, we have something a little different. Fused by a combination of utter beauty and a uniquely touching story, we’re running an interview by photographer Scarlett Purdy. Scarlett spoke to a homeless man named Tez, currently living in Falmouth, and over these pages we explore the incredible journey, which is Tez’s life.
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Feature - Real Talk with Tez, by Scarlett Purdy
Scarlett: I see you’ve kept your sense of humor!?”
Tez: “You’ve got to have one to survive.”
One evening, whilst out hunting for traces of homelessness for my current project, I was abruptly interrupted by a man, bustling into my frame, donned in a full army kit and seemingly homeless. Seizing this fortuitous opportunity, I approached this man and asked for a moment of his time and if I could take his photograph. After a moment of consideration he accepted - throwing his bags down and posing proudly. Seeming happy enough to chat to me we agreed that I would return in the morning for a proper talk, and so I could prepare myself more adequately to document our next meeting... I quickly learnt that his preferred name was ‘Tez’, he was ex-forces - SAS - and had been wandering since he left the force in 1984. Now, at age 64, the road seems to be taking its toll on him.
What were your reasons for leaving the forces? I served in the Falklands. Three days before I was due to leave I had the misfortune to cross a mine. I lost a lung, half a kidney, two fingers, most of the bone in my right leg and most of my skull is now metal plates [shows scars], which is why I always wear my hat - they get very hot in the sun! I still have my hospital band on it’s now my only form of identification [shows band]. That’s a terrible ordeal, how did you survive it? It was tough, I had to crawl for miles until I reached any help - but I pulled through. What happened after this, how did you end up on the road? Well, before joining the forces I came from a family of tinkers so I was used to being on the road. After I got out I tried to find a job but I just couldn’t adjust to civvy life, so I took to the
road to live by my own means - you can turn a civvy into a soldier, but you can’t turn a soldier into a civvy! You must be very prepared for this life after those experiences then? Yes, I learnt trade skills from my family, and valuable survival skills from the forces. I even find my own natural remedies and pain killers from the bush/land, you just have to know what to look for. And I’m always prepared preparation is key. Tez then proceeds to show me his ‘life lines’ - a first aid kit, radio, binoculars, knives, sleeping bag, burner - the list goes on! All of which are expertly packed into his 100 litre capacity burgan. He appears to still be in army mode - everything has a specific order to it for maximum efficiency. He’s still even wearing some of the kit that was issued to him over 45 years ago! Clearly he still cherishes
Feature - Real Talk with Tez, by Scarlett Purdy
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his memories of his term of service, as he talks animatedly about all the shenanigans him and his comrades used to get up to and how they used to harass the poor nurses and naive newbies to join their ranks. Here, try this on [gestures to his bag]. [I attempt to pick it up but fail miserably]. I carry that around almost every day - some days I even walk to Truro with it. Sometimes the drunks and druggies try to steal it and its always too heavy for them, but I’m used to it. As he smugly proclaims about his ease in carrying this heavy load, he tells more tales of encounters he’s had, problems he’s faced and cruelty he’s endured from others (mainly other homeless people) - all making me question - what is wrong with humanity? How can people treat others in this way? Especially as the worst treatment comes from fellow homeless people, telling me that recently he was beaten almost to death by a group of three just outside of Truro, resulting in three operations and one month in hospital. He says that this is why he now keeps himself to himself. I now struggle to find as much work as I did before - its down to the homeless that drink, do drugs, steal and cause problems that give us all a bad name. Now no one wants to take me on. By this point he had finished packing away and had begun to make himself a cup of tea, ready for breakfast, “the most important meal of the day you know!” he claims. Tez likes to pack everything away ready as soon as he wakes up - as to be prepared for if he ever needs to make a quick exit - which he’s been doing as we’ve been talking. How do you keep yourself busy during the days?
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Feature - Real Talk with Tez, by Scarlett Purdy
I like to read a lot, [gestures to open book from the night before] and I often go to the library to warm up and pick a new book. I like to keep myself clean too. I bath regularly in the sea - I’m a hairy buggar so I need to keep the lice off of me! I see you’ve kept your sense of humor! You’ve got to have one to survive. So, how did you end up in Cornwall? Your accent doesn’t sound local. I’m from Ireland originally, but my parents were from all over the place - Cornwall being one of them. Up north is cold and rough, although its getting a lot worse around here now. I’ve been thinking about moving on up to Okehampton soon as its safer and I’m not getting any younger. After telling me more tales of the forces, fights he has had with other outsiders, how he lost his wife to a fatal skin condition, Tez allowed me to take some photos as thanks for the food I had brought him before making our separate ways. I couldn’t have wished for a better chance meeting, especially as he was so willing to share his extraordinary life experiences with me. Experiences that would leave the average person bitter, angry and lost. But, he has turned this around into a peaceful, compassionate life on the fringes of society, keeping his morals alive and his heart kind. I intend to find him again and delve yet deeper into his life choices, as to gauge a better understanding of, and hopefully a friendship with this incredible man.
Feature - Real Talk with Tez, by Scarlett Purdy
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Dominic Steinmann Monthly single image www.dominic-steinmann.tumblr.com
MCM, London Madeleine documented ‘Movie, Comic, Media, London’ - an exhibition for all things fiction.
From the 24th to 26th of October I was in London, photographing, the MCM Comic Con. This is an event held up and down the country and over the last few years has seen recording breaking attendance. Over the few days in October, the ExCel exhibition center saw a total of 110,197 vistors come through the doors to experience the weird and wonderful world that is ComicCon. The exhibition was crammed full of stalls, selling everything from costumes and comic books to sweets and noodles. There were also game
16. Madeleine Gleed
stalls where you could play new unreleased games such as Assassins Creed Unity, Mortal Kombat X and Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor. If that wasn’t enough the Yu-GiOh Championship Series took place in one hall while in another there was an on going Legue of Legends tournament, where throughout the weekend, two teams battled for the ₏5,000 prize pool, whilst watched by spectators on large overhead screens. For movie and TV fans huge seminar rooms filled to watch special guests talk about the series they are part of,
including members of the cast and crew from Under The Dome, Teen Wolf, Salem, Hunger Games and a special guest appearance from Daniel Radcliffe talking about his appearance in his new film, Horns. And of course there was also the Cosplay. This year, MCM London held host to the Euro Cosplay Championships and the results were not disappointing. Cosplayers from all over the world flock to conventions where they can meet old friends and make new ones while dressing as characters from movies, anime, manga and video
games. Partakers can spend hundreds of pounds and even hundreds of hours creating their outfits for the weekend. The costumes range from the simple to jaw-droppingly impressive with extreme attention to detail, wielding handmade weapons of all shapes and sizes. Comic con is truly something you have to experience to fully appreciate and if you have an interest in anything related its well worth visiting at least once!
Madeleine Gleed
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Means of Escape Jack Codling explains his elegant editorial series, and how he drew inspirations from his childhood holidays.
I‘m always inspired by popular culture and the way we live. I’ve recently been inspired by the BBC series “Great British Holiday”, which got me thinking about my own caravan holidays as a child. My family and I went on a caravan holiday once, and my most vivid memory was the constant rain - and it’s this fed-up-tourist feel I wanted to replicate. I felt it appropriate to cross two of my biggest style influences of British-meets-American culture, to really accentuate the atmosphere. Cornwall is such a great place for locations so finding a caravan park with the right vibe wasn’t too difficult at all, it was such a fun day going round the park and I’m really pleased with how the shoot turned out. I’ll be carrying on with this theme of British holidays throughout the year, so I’m looking forward to getting back out onto the Cornish coast and hopefully turning fish and chips into high end glamour.
20. Jack Codling
“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.�
- Dorothea Lange
Surf Robbie Dark explains his journey as a photographer, shooting the things he feels most passionate about.
“My photography is fulled by an obsession for the sea and surfing - for me, they’re both about enjoyment.” The process is exiting and visceral. I tend to enjoy the process more than the end product. I photograph things because they captivate me, it’s completely subconscious. From light falling on a small ripple on the surface of a vast ocean, or the moment of equilibrium when a surfer perches their toes over the nose of their board for a brief second. The sublime and the beautiful are things I’ll always point my lens towards. All my images seem inherently simple and clutter and information is not something my images usually contain. It would be brash to say I have defined my aesthetic style, but I do consciously try and make my images unique - twisted towards the strange way I see the world. This act is two fold, it gives the work a personal touch but also makes it stand out from the white noise. It’s good to know, when more photographs are being taken in the world than ever before, there is still a market for quality photography and people still recognise that.
28. Robbie Dark
I get a lot of fulfilment from sharing my work too. I often feel guilty for pursuing surf photography but then I realise the act can be considered altruistic based on how the photographs make people feel. If the images make people happy, or calm, or excited then I consider my job done. Social media enables this too, and being able to share my personal experiences so intimately with people that that are halfway across the world is amazing. I’m too young to announce myself as an artist with a cause and a mission. I just try and be a good person and do what I love. I intend to remain humble - constantly learning, constantly working and just see where my passions lead me. Studying at University has helped me discover that my next path is to focus on surf photography, which is why I’ll be leaving Falmouth to save so I can travel to Western Australia and California.
Biopic
Marcus’ photo-altered series explores the image of ideolised lifestyles within cinema.
“Popular cinema was and remains escapist fantasy.” This quote came from the book ‘Film and Photography’. The author, David Campany, looks at how the invention of cinema developed from photography and how each has influenced the other throughout history. My series ‘Biopic’ explores the same notion, except more directly and how my photographic interests and nascent style has developed from the films I grew up seeing. Using popular contemporary techniques of narrative, appropriation and most importantly, representational fiction, I am beginning to create a series although on-going and developing, in hope to finalise a set of edited film stills which I am collaging self-portraits into. My life has been interspersed with the imagined realities of films, although this is confusing the factual and fictional events from each into a hazy memory of being. With this series, I am expressing the way in which I see this confusion, obviously imagined and fictitious yet convincingly accurate and believable. I become part of the worlds in these films. The characters interact with me and I
interact with the spaces, but I do not become the characters I am replacing. I remain as myself, yet the worlds and events replace the ones I actually lived through. The series itself works and develops on a personal level, but within it, I am exploring the way in which society is influenced by western culture and its entertainment. For most human beings the world in which we exist is not entirely adequate for us. The world in television, cinema, books, celebrity culture and reality shows present substitute realisms as a way to escape the monotony we perceive our own lives to be. Most of the entertainment we are subjected to is from or based on the way it is in the western world. I am planning to further this project, by taking photographs of me as a child from my family album, and recreating them in a way that is cinematic and dramatized. Using the falsified film stills combined with the tableaux family album imagery, I plan on bringing them together in a harmonic fictional narrative, set in a way that suggests a series of fake stills from a ‘Biopic’ of the imagined reality of my life.
Marcus Thurman
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Gemma Abbott Monthly single image
www.facebook.com/gemmaabbottphotography
This issue’s stars 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 38.
Dominic Steinmann
www.dominic-steinmann.tumblr.com
Madeleine Gleed ‘MCM London’
07810 284646 maddygleed@hotmail.com www.madeleinealicephotography.tumblr.com
Jack Codling
‘Means of Escape’ 07429 442599 jackcodling@hotmail.com www.jackcodling.co.uk
Robbie Dark
‘Surf’ 07775 354196 robbie.dark@gmail.com www.robbiedark.com
Marcus Thurman
‘Biopic’ 07580 158563 marcusthuman@outlook.com www.marcusthurmanphotography.4ormat.com
Gemma Abbott www.facebook.com/gemmaabbottphotography
With thanks to.. Lois Golding
Editor-in-chief www.loisgolding.carbonmade.com
Production team Tom Sandberg Manager
Paige Harrison Editor & Writer
Sophie Sear
Assistant Manager
Ella Nicholas-French, Tristan Potter Nathan Still, David Blanks & Harvey Williams-Fairley Assistants
Matt Cox
Brand designer & sign writing god Instagram - mattcox904
Scarlett Purdy
Special feature photographer and interviewer. scarlett_purdy@hotmail.co.uk
Heather Golding
Support & assistance.
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Becki Farmer Illustrator rebeccajaynefarmer@hotmail.co.uk
To contact for requests, questions or more information: team@205dpi.com All images and text published in 205dpi are the sole propertry of the featured authors and the subject copyright. 2014 Š 205dpi