205dpi Issue July’15
Tom Stockley Artist www.tomstockley.weebly.com
This issue July’15
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? This month at 205DPI we’ve got a huge variety of story types. We’ve been busier than ever, and with a constant full inbox, it’s great to see so many photographers and artists wanting to take part. If you’d like a chance of being featured, email us at team@205dpi.com
p.s. keep updated: 4.
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42 Feature Story Dom Steinmann A photographer close to our hearts, Dominic is a great recent success story from Falmouth University.
22 2. Ben
Kelly
Documented landscapes in West Britain, framing the left-behind architecture found in social housing.
Monthly Single Images: Toby Holbeche Rita Kazakevica
1. Nicola Miles
Travelled to Southeast Asia to uncover a special and mysterious community like no other.
30 3. Jessica
Ashley-Stokes
Became aquanted with her neighbour, in hope of uncovering the lost connections in neighbourhoods.
36 4. Jack
Hendy
Reports from the Cornish Heathland, documenting and explaining a deminishing conservation process.
5.
Real Talk with
Dominic Steinmann
“Use social networks and speak about what you’ve done but don’t post crappy holiday pictures or shots of your cat.” 8.
Feature - Real Talk with Dominic Steinmann
This months Real Talk feature is close to home for us at 205dpi as we speak to one of our first contributors, Dominic Steinmann, who since leaving Falmouth University last summer has entered the Press industry in his home country of Switzerland. In recent weeks, he has seen his work published across the world including being featured as New York Times picture of the day. Here he gives us an insight of what its like to go out and challenge yourself in the industry and explains just how quickly success can appear. All photographs credit to KEYSTONE/Dominic Steinmann
Feature - Real Talk with Dominic Steinmann
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Hi Dom, So what was it like in the first few months after you left Falmouth University? What do you recommend to fellow recent graduates who are going through that experience? Well, first I joined a Swiss team taking part in the Race Across America as a supporter – one of the longest and hardest endurance cycling races in the world. There I did everything at once: shooting for the newspaper, recording audio for the radio, filming video for the TV, and writing for the online and print publications, as well as my main job as navigator. For 8 days I only slept 2 hours per night. This was an incredible fast-paced learning experience for me. Back in Switzerland, I had the chance to assist a photographer on several assignments per week, and thanks to him, I got my first
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own proper assignments. In the winter I shot Snowboarding and Freeski competitions, going back to what I had already done before University. Despite this it was quite hard for the first year. Most of the time I had nothing to do and often sat at home. Looking back, I would suggest to other photographers they look for a part time job in a related field for half their time and shoot their own projects which they are interested in for the other half of their time. You now work as an intern at Keystone, what is it like working for the biggest news agency in Switzerland? I love it! But it’s also hard work! I shoot up to 3 assignments per day plus editing, captioning and travelling. Most of the time I spend riding
Feature - Real Talk with Dominic Steinmann
in my company car. Lots of the pictures I shoot get published online a few hours after they happen or are published in print the day after. It’s very rewarding to have several pictures published on a daily basis. It is also a very selfdependent job. I see my boss less than once a week and I hardly ever met my co-workers at Keystone as we are never in the same place at the same time.
might also happen that I get a call from the editor on route to an assignment and have to turn back to shoot something more important or more news-relevant. Yes, it can be quite busy and hectic. For example, one day I could work for only a few hours, but on another day I can work for over 12 hours. You have to be very time-flexible and adaptable to different cultures and groups of people.
The press photography industry is known to be busy and hectic, what is a normal day like for you?
And how do you treat your days off ? Do you shoot for yourself or do you try and distance yourself from the camera as best as possible?
The day usually starts the evening before. I check the calendar, which is synchronized with the one of the picture desk. Then I plan my assignments for the next day, check the journey time and write the caption as best as possible. Most assignments are planned the day before. Other things like accidents you cannot plan. It
If I see something interesting to photograph during my off-days, I tend to pick up my mobile phone and shoot it. Then I don’t have to care as much about composition or lighting. I don’t like to carry huge DSLR’s in my spare time but they are still indispensable for a news
Feature - Real Talk with Dominic Steinmann 11.
photographer who tends to shoot sports. One of my mobile phone pictures I took one year ago in my spare time has even been published by an online publication. So there is not always the need for full frame DSLR quality. In some photography genres, kit is not the most important. They can tell their stories with just one lens and a body, but for a press photographer it’s a bit more complex. What is your essential kit for a day at work? The agency lends me three full frame camera bodies, a 16-35mm, a 24-70mm, a 70-200mm and a 400mm lens plus an on-camera flash. Two of the bodies and all the lenses (except for the 400mm) I usually carry with me. I would prefer to work with only one lens, but as a Keystone photographer we shoot for around 80 customers and they expect a variation of styles - close-cut/loose cut, wide-angle/tele, backlight/no backlight etc. This is needed to meet each customers individual visual identity and brief. Your assignments must vary dramatically - what has been your favourite job to date? Flying around Matterhorn mountain photographing 40 alpinists on the summit out of a helicopter was quite cool. But not every assignment is fun and nice. The next day I had to photograph an airplane crash, where four people got injured. You’ve seen your work in publications across the world including The New York Times. To you, what’s your biggest achievement in photography? Switzerland is a small country and Keystone a small agency compared to global players. Despite this and thanks to contracts to partner agencies like European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) and Associated Press (AP) I’ve got publications around the world. Keystone is
also an agency where the photographers are at least as important as their shareholders. This gives a good work-atmosphere and not only profit-oriented behaviour. What are your aims and dreams for the future? Getting a contract as staff photographer for a news photo agency or a national paper would be amazing. But nowadays as a young shooter, it’s pretty much impossible. I do also enjoy working as freelancer but having the support of experienced editors and administration staff gives you more time to really concentrate on photography. I’m also very interested in developing my skills in the direction of editorial portrait photography. I don’t want to be the guy who will shoot the same thing for the rest of his life. I need variation, which is exactly what I get a lot of during my current internship. For recent graduates or photographers looking to get into the Press Photography industry what advice would you have for them? Keep on shooting what you are passionate about, for me it is freeski and snowboard photography. Also get up and shoot your beloved genre – even if you feel bad or the weather is miserable. That’s how you would work as a staff photographer. Use social networks and speak about what you’ve done but don’t post crappy holiday pictures or shots of your cat. You should use social networks as a promoting tool of your abilities as photographer. Post only your good work or create a second account for pets & selfies. It sometimes helps to sleep over an edit. The day after a shoot you will be able to think more objectively about your work. And: less is more!
Interview: Tom Sandberg Photographs: KEYSTONE/Dominic Steinmann
Feature - Real Talk with Dominic Steinmann 13.
Toby Holbeche Monthly single image tobias.holbeche@gmail.com
Come Back Soon Nicola has been documenting the lifestyles and charm that you can only find in Myanmar.
An author once noted:
“This is Burma. It is quite unlike any place you know about.” How right he was.
Myanmar, otherwise known as Burma, is a located in Southeast Asia, just North of Thailand. The country is yet to be Westernised, and therefore carries a timeless essence. For me, the main charm of this place is the people. The communities are renowned for their welcoming spirit, and it was this that touched me the most. Myanmar fascinates me, every single detail. Its intense colours, magnified with the changing shadows and light. The endless blue skies, the heat, the rich red earth. The exquisite crumbling buildings, and behind it all is the old making way for the new. The tranquil rhythm of the streets, even at their busiest. The great diversity of its people. A turbulent history, oppression, an uncertain political future, hope in the air. Visiting Myanmar is a feast for all the senses and a great heart-opening experience. The folk I’ve met are absolutely beautiful, always leaving me
18. Nicola Miles
with their words ringing in my ears: “Come back soon, bring your friends”, “Please keep me inside of your heart.” I’ve lost count of how many chairs have been pulled up for me on street corners, in front of a store or around a fire, as nothing but their kindness and good will are what come first. I’m intoxicated by the interaction & the stories we exchange, the inquisitive, curious & often forward questions “How much do you earn?’’, ‘’How many lovers have you had?’’. The hellos, waves, ‘’Take my photo!,’’ smiles, gifts of food and green tea. The laughter and singing - such melodies! I think about why I’m here. A fortunate white westerner, coming and going as she pleases and who has no real ties with the land except that her own country once colonized it. I’m here to photograph, to document the landscape and the souls that I come across, and to make friends. To be around so much kindness & generosity of spirit, and also join in, seems good enough reason to be here.
The New West ben investigates the archaic architecture and landscapes that come with social housing.
24. Ben Kelly
This body of work explores clustered social housing estates in the North and South West of England. I wanted to photograph the areas I felt were being left behind, in both upkeep and aesthetic, as we become more modernised throughout the country. The architecture and colour in the housing estates lend themselves to a time we have come through, in society and photography, and the topographical way I have recorded the locations comments on the dated, and often deprived, social housing estates in two very different regions. It was quite eerie wandering around the housing estates. Very rarely did I come across another person whilst photographing and I think this is reflected in the quite flat, lifeless images that make up the series. The areas felt secluded from society, hidden away out of sight and forgotten about. I wanted to convey this sense of being forgotten so I photographed the areas in quite a detached and emotionless manner to reflect that. I was actually told that nobody took photographs like this anymore and I should try something modern. But I think that had quite a lot to do with the subject matter and actually strengthens the concept. I believe it to be quite similar to Robert Adams’ works and ideas, I did actually copy his title because of the links between concept and visual style and also a sort of tongue-in-cheek reaction to being told to be more modern with my work. Adams was photographing a developing but also quite destructive change in mid-west America. Even though the events and developments aren’t always explicitly positive there is hope in the images through the simple fact that what we see may be considered as moving forward, regarding businesses and housing. In contrast to this, my work is documenting the change and development further down the line, or rather when development has long since happened. The project shows that we are back at the beginning where development is needed and the hopefulness of moving forward isn’t as present as it once was.
Ben Kelly
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“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use it, the more you have.”
- Maya Angelou
A Wonderful Character Jessica investigates modern day relationships with our neighbours.
Over the past two months I’ve started an on going photo story of a wonderful character in my local community. A recent article in the headlines stated ‘How well do we know our neighbours?’, as intrigued as I was, I felt the need to formally introduce myself to my neighbour John. The idea of living next to complete strangers fascinated me, therefore I was inspired to get to know my neighbours better. After several afternoon conversations over homemade shortbread, we became more familiar
32. Jessica Ashley-Stokes
with one another, equaling in a foundation of trust. Slowly I built up an incredible relationship with John, not only did he inspire, he taught me the most amazing and simplest of things with such joy. Throughout this series, I concentrated on observing John within his home, particularly focusing on small details that hinted at his character and passion. One thing I grasped from this simple yet rewarding project, was the feeling that I experienced after I visited him, almost feeling so grateful of life and time, and that I’d made the effort to meet him.
Jessica Ashley-Stokes
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Heathland Jack explains an essential tradition that keeps our Heathlands well kept.
38. Jack Hendy
From a young age I became fascinated in the natural world, but it was always heathlands with their exciting insects and reptiles that I loved the most. When it came to deciding on a topic for my dissertation and final major portfolio at University, a habitat study of Lowland Heathland was my first choice. As research went on I was shocked to see how diminished this habitat was after the 20th century, and how even today it remains under threat. As a result, I was inspired to see what I could do to change this. ‘Heathland’ is an exploration of one of the UK’s most diverse, but also endangered habitat types. This body of work was undertaken not only to inform and educate the public on the species that can be found on heaths, as a way of raising appreciation, but more crucially to bring to light the conservation work that goes into preserving the habitat; an often overlooked and unknown side of this story. The overall goal of this was to raise awareness for heaths as an undervalued landscape, to show people there’s more to them than just gorse.
Historically, heaths were part of the working landscape and were valued, as they provided our ancestors with many subsistence resources, but over time attitudes changed and the 20th century saw heathlands destruction on a mass scale; converting the landscape to areas of housing and agriculture. Today its use has switched to one of recreation and the amount of heath remaining in the UK totals around 20% of all the heathland left in Europe. Therefore it is seen that we have an obligation to preserve what is left, but few people are aware of this and while no longer in decline, recreation continues to impact heathland negatively. Since June of 2014 I have been working closely with management organisations across Cornwall to create the ‘management series’ found within this body of work. This aims to highlight several techniques used to preserve Lowland Heathland and how it impacts particular species. A combination of natural history and photojournalistic photography has been used to create work that is intended for use as an educational
Jack Hendy
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tool. Tree removal, conservation grazing, bracken cutting and burning are just some of the methods used to prevent the landscapes natural succession, which is an on-going struggle with a lack of funding and volunteers making conservation a challenge. Burning is perhaps the most controversial of all the conservation methods due to its destructive appearance, however it is one of the most eyecatching and beneficial techniques for habitat creation. Without it many specialised species that are dependant on heaths could be lost; wildlife from the small Gorse Shield-Bug (Piezodorus lituratus), to the endangered Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata) that feeds upon them and even our rarer species of snakes and lizards all have an uncertain future. The striking nature of these images is oddly captivating and works for grabbing people’s attention, drawing them in. I have seen that these images mean
different things to different people, but ultimately they work as a conversation starter and get people talking about conservation issues like this in the UK. This body of work could have just been a passion project and simply an exploration of species, and in many ways the book produced as part of this portfolio is a species guide. However I like to think that it goes beyond this and highlights the relationship between the species, their environment and conservation. Having done this project for just under a year I can confidently say that there is a diverse range of subjects out there for you to observe, and I invite you to spend an hour on a heath to see what you can find. However the overriding message of this series is that without the crucial management work none of the wildlife highlighted would be there for you to go and find yourself, and the most effective way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to get involved.
Jack Hendy
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Rita Kazakevica Monthly single image www.ritakazakevica.com
This issue’s stars 1. 2. 3.
Toby Holbeche
tobias.holbeche@gmail.com
Nicola Miles
‘Come Back Soon’ nicintazmania@gmail.com www.nicolamiles.com www.flickr.com/photos/nicolamiles
Ben Kelly
‘The New West’ benkellyphoto@gmail.com www.ben-kelly.net
Jessica Ashley-Stokes
4. 5. 6. 44.
‘A Wonderful Character’
07802 898074 jessicapaige96@hotmail.co.uk www.jessicaashleystokesphotographer.weebly.com
Jack Hendy
‘Heathland’ jack@jackhendyphotography.co.uk www.jackhendyphotography.co.uk
Rita Kazakevica
www.ritakazakevica.com
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
Matt Cox
Brand designer & sign writing god Instagram - mattcox904
Dominic Steinmann
Special feature photographer. Thanks to Keystone. www.dominic-steinmann.tumblr.com
Toby Ellis
General assistance.
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Tom Stockley Artist www.tomstockley.weebly.com
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. 2015 Š 205dpi