205dpi Issue Jan’14
Brigid Johnson
Illustrator http://brigidjohnson.tumblr.com
This issue Jan’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 world. Follow us and our collective of photographers as we capture our adventures, our remarkable stories and our everyday lives.
What’ve we been doing? January blues? You’re not alone. It hasn’t been an easy month (probably for most of the population); no money, miserable weather and the next bank holiday a lifetime away. But, for University students, it’s goodbye to the end of the first term. But what does that mean? Lots of fantastic work for us! So, with deadlines out of the way, stay tuned as the quality photography keeps rolling in.
p.s. keep updated: 4.
6 Feature Story - Mr. Donnelly
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1. Kieran
2. Alex
Original small town photographer tells us about his alternative experiences in the photography world.
Went to Plymouth Dry Ski Slope to document and learn about the company’s facilities.
Met shepherdess Louise, and reminds us that farming is simply about the people and their animals.
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30
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3. Gaia
Dominici
Finds out about modern immigration and talks to Tania and Marlen who are new inhabitants of Italy.
McMullan
4. Dominic
Steinman
Discovers the lifestyle of a ‘shaper’ - exploring their day to day graft up on the Swiss slopes.
Thrift
5. Harvey
Montagu
Follows the story of Nicki Joy and her experiences in training for the London Marathon.
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Real Talk with Kevin Donnelly
Picture, right:
“Choose Life.” This issue, we have an alternative interview angle from up and coming photographer Kevin Donnelly. Raised in the uninspired streets of Coventry, Kev has had an up and down battle with his entry into the industry. But we’re happy to report he’s well on his way and is definitely one to watch. From beautiful scenic landscapes on his travels to Thailand and the USA, to characterfilled fashion shoots with backgrounds to die for. And if that’s not enough talent, he also has a keen eye for exciting documentary stories. We talked to him about the distance he’s travelled, and the amazing journey he’s got lined up. Hey Kev! You’ve had quite an alternative experience in getting to where you are today as a young photographer, featuring a lot of selftaught skills and risk taking. Could you briefly take us through how and why you’ve ended up where you are now? I think the reason why I am currently where I am, is pretty much from me understanding at a very early point in my career that it’s not about what you know, but who you know. I tried university three times and dropped out of them all. After I was finished with education, I just went out and met people. I’m very forward, with everyone I meet. Every new person
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Feature - Real Talk with Kevin Donnelly
Feature - Real Talk with Kevin Donnelly
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is a potential new fan of my work so I make sure everyone I meet knows about my work. One thing leads to another, and eventually I get bigger and better connections. Everyone knows someone.
did not want to be there. Growing up in Coventry, and just learning about life and observing life in that environment, confirmed in my mind that I didn’t want to stay there, so thanks Cov!
Do you think having started your photography career in Coventry has influenced your style and interests?
You’ve taken a lot of risks in your work, just by flying to places and hoping to find your way. Would you suggest this approach to others, or is it not for everyone?
The only thing I learnt from starting out in Coventry was that I most certainly
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I’m just a bit crazy. I tend to do
Feature - Real Talk with Kevin Donnelly
things first, and then deal with the consequences later. It does pay off, but you’ve got to throw yourself into the unknown. Good things come to you if you put yourself out there. I don’t know how and I don’t know why. I just know that it happens. And it’s happened to me. The world is crazy, but it’s beautiful. We love your work with film, it shows great character, especially your California stuff. What attracts you to this medium
and where do you see its place in modern photography? I just love how real and authentic film photography is. There is something film can capture that digital cannot. Unfortunately, it would seem that as far as modern photography is concerned, digital seems to be leading the way. But I think everyone should try and shoot film. It is a dying medium - that is a fact. It’s up to the artists to keep the medium
Feature - Real Talk with Kevin Donnelly
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alive by using it. Yes it’s expensive, but for what you can create it is definitely worth it in my opinion.
up and coming rock-n-roll bands. It all depends on where I am and what I am doing.
Do you ever work professionally or under commission with film?
You’ve got a good eye for bold and punchy images – be it fashion, landscapes or documentary. What would be your dream project?
No all of my film projects are personal projects that I do for myself. I am currently in the early stages of planning a book release later on in the year, featuring my 35mm film photography. A lot of the work you do is abroad. With trips to Thailand and a lot of coverage in the US, what drew you to these countries and made you want to conduct projects there? I really love Thailand. I spent just over a year there for university. Thailand is an amazing country for photography. There is always something crazy and random to shoot as well as great food, great weather, nice people. It’s cheap to shoot on 35mm film and obviously it has some of the best beaches in the world! America is different. I go to Los Angeles and spend periods of three months at a time there, building my portfolio, making contacts, and travelling. America is sick! I go to Thailand for fun but I go to America to work hard on my career and make things happen. What is the favourite place you have worked, and what were you shooting? Shooting is always fun, no matter where I am. Thailand is fun for shooting people whilst on the back of a speeding motorbike-taxi; America is cool for being in the desert in the middle of the night and shooting the milky-way galaxy; the grim, wet, depressing back-streets of middle England is fun for shooting
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Dream project? Probably to shoot all of my musical heroes in some mad location like Antarctica, or the desert, or the Himalayas. Imagine it - Paul McCartney, the Gallagher brothers, Pete Townshend, Ian Brown, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Serge and Tom from Kasabian, Iron Maiden - in some mad location. Yessss!! What was the turning point to your success and what would you suggest to other young photographers aiming for a similar path as yours? I am by no means close to where I wanna be. I got a long way to go. I would just say do it man. It’s as simple as that. The most important thing people should realise is you only get out of it what you put in. Shit doesn’t just come to you. Even though I’m an artist, I still have to work as a photographer, and that can be competitive. So be prepared for many knock backs and rejections before good things come. But enjoy yourself, man. Life is too short to get stressed out over bullshit. I just wanna see the world, make money, enjoy myself. Nothing else really matters. Thanks Kev! Words: Lois Golding
Feature - Real Talk with Kevin Donnelly
“The only thing I learnt from starting out in Coventry, was that I did not want to be there.�
Plymouth Dry Slopes
Kieran McMullan visited Englands snow-less Skiing alternative in central Plymouth.
This month, Kieran McMullan took to central Plymouth to document the Dry Ski Slopes; one of 77 artificial slopes in the UK.
16. Kieran McMullan
I travelled to Plymouth Ski Slope on a bleak and rainy day to document the facilities, slopes and any classes or groups riding on the day. The slope is situated only two miles from Plymouth’s city centre and within close proximity to bus and cycle routes, leaving it easily accessible for all. The centre is open all year round for both skiing and snowboarding – offering a diversity of slope gradients for all levels of riding. Classes and groups include; Ski and Snowboard lessons for all abilities, Tubing and Tobogganing, open practise and freestyle orientated sessions. A selection of food and drink is also available in the ‘Alpine’ bar and restaurant. With over 77 real snow and artificial dry slopes in the UK, Plymouth is one of
many offering more than one slope for riders. The main slope measures at 140 metres; the intermediate at 50m with a nursery slope and smaller, traversestyle runs winding through the trees. As with any industry, there is always going to be competition. Because of the rise in real-snow facilities, dry slopes are becoming less popular – with most people using the dry slope as a means of brushing up on skills before a holiday. In capturing this series, the miserable Plymouth weather ultimately turned out in my favour as I think the light and earthy colours contribute to the aesthetics and soft ambience of the photos. Despite the weather, the instructor had big smiles, and the only ski group of the day had a positive session.
Kieran McMullan
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Spring Lambing Alex Thrift travelled to Holmbush Farm to discover that despite all the modernisation the world has seen, farming is still all about the shepherd and her flock.
Over a period of the winter months I followed Louise, a Shepherdess from Horsham, in her daily routine on Holmbush Farm. The farm has been with the same family since the mid-1800s and is a mixture of arable, livestock and forestry. Open to the public, Holmbush aims to give people opportunity to interact with animals that they might not normally be able too. I stayed with Louise through to the spring period whilst she was lambing. An unusually cold spell meant the lambs had to be kept inside for longer than normal, a worry due to the possible spread of diseases. Occasionally, some lambs are rejected by
20. Alex Thrift
their mothers; just like one of these, named ‘Weed’. Louise hand reared Weed and she became fairly domesticated. The name Weed came from her small stature, which is also part of the reason she was rejected. Today, Weed runs to Louise ahead of the flock to be made a fuss of while the rest eat. For the rest of the lambs, they are kept in the warm in groups until they are old enough to brave the cold weather with their mothers. On the day I was photographing, there was only one lamb ready to be transfered to a field to join it’s mother. Louise carried the lamb in a traditional shepherd hold.
Alex Thrift
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“Photography is not looking, it is feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures”
- Don McCullin
Immigrants Gaia steps into the world of immigration, and meets those who have been through first hand experience of its ups and downs.
Santiago de Guayaquil, better known as Guayaquil, is the largest and most populous city in Ecuador. The growth of the population has caused an increase of crime and damages in the poorest part of the city. Between 1998 and 2003 the emigration from Guayaquil reached its peak and today 3,000,000 Ecuadorians live out of their home country. Miami (USA), Madrid (Spain) and Genova (Italy) are the most popular destinations. The reasons that lead people to leave their own country vary from case to case. I had the chance to meet two South American women, Tania and Marlen, and spend some time with them. I followed them at work whilst listening to their stories and the many reasons that brought them to Genova. Tania, 45, is originally from Guayaquil; she left Ecuador around ten years ago leaving her husband and her four children behind. She decided to move to Genova after speaking with a friend
who had connections there. After Tania got in contact with a woman through her friend, she bought a oneway ticket and came to Italy. Sadly, all the promises the woman had guaranteed weren’t quite true. Tania ended up living in a tiny room shared with eight strangers. She learnt Italian on the Internet, by using simple tools like Google Translate or by reading newspapers that she found. Once she managed to settle down working as a full-time caregiver, her husband and children came to Italy and started their life in one of the most racist and conservative citys in Italy. “My daughters can’t wait to leave Italy. They’re victim of racism at university and school almost every day. You wouldn’t believe it, but teachers are more racist than students.” Marlen originates from Chile, where she had a job that earned her enough money to live a dignified life. Although she hasn’t experienced true poverty,
28. Gaia Dominici
her life has radically changed since she moved to Genova. When Marlen arrived she was left with no alternative but a low paying job; her dream of living a wealthy life disappeared soon after. She is now working as a part-time cleaner for three Italian families. When I asked her how she felt about downgrading her job from Chile to Italy, she said: “I don’t like to think about it. If I do think about it… well, it’s just much better if I don’t. But I’m happy. I’m surrounded by good people and I couldn’t ask for more than that. I would never go back to Chile, I love Italy too much!” Today, Marlens youngest daughter also permanently live in italy and she owns a hair salon. Marlen is soon going back to Chile for a couple of months; this is the second time she can go back home in more than 11 years.
Gaia Dominici
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The Life of a ‘shaper’
Photographer Dominic Steinman introduces us to the faces behind the Zermatt snow jumps, and what working life is like on the Swiss slopes.
32. Dominic Steinman
Skiing during the summer season may seem like an unusual hobby to most, but for five snow park shapers in Zermatt, Switzerland, being up in the summer snow is part of their daily routine. Snow park shapers position rails, boxes and build jumps and half pipes with a snowcat. Not an easy job at the best of times, and even harder if you have to work 3500 meters above sea level on a glacier. Due to the thin air, travelling and working is exhausting, but it’s a job that has to be done. Marcel is the head-shaper and responsible for a crew of four shapers. Not only do they work together, but they also live in the same flat in Zermatt. As rental prices are incredibly expensive in
the valley and the salary of a shaper considerably low, it’s not quite a life of luxury. The shapers have to be very open-minded as there is not much privacy in the shared rooms of the flat. But, although living in close quarters, they have never had any serious conflicts and no one has wanted to quit their job before the end of the season. For Marcel, the head-shaper, it’s very important that the riders appreciate the snow park, leaving him happy to work overtime. Four days before the summer snowpark opening in mid July, Marcel was working 12 hours per day. His effort was rewarded; as between 200 to 300 riders were there for the opening weekend enjoying a DJ set and a BBQ on the glacier.
Besides working as a shaper there is also time to improve their own tricks on a snowboard or on freeskis. Former shaper Elena Koenz will compete at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in the discipline of Snowboard Slopestyle. Most of the shapers have recently graduated and chosen to work for one or two seasons. Shaping is considered to them as an exceptional experience of life, friendship and physically hard work although at the sacrifice of shared rooms and a low salary. But, to quote George the shaper from Bristol, he says “I can’t understand why more people don’t do it!”
Dominic Steinman 33.
Working as a shaper provides great life experiences. “I don’t understand why more people don’t do it!” - George, shaper from bristol.
Training for ‘VLM’
Harvey Montagu met Nickie Joy, and documented her routine as she trained for the Virgin London Marathon.
This is Nickie Joy. For numerous years she has dreamt of competing in the London Marathon and it wasn’t until 2011 that this became a possibility. By raising money and running for the Round Table Children’s Wish Charity, Nickie was able to run in the 2012 London Marathon. Unfortunately, months of training weren’t enough to stop illness on the day and she was advised to give the run a miss. This story is about Nickie Joy retraining for the 2013 London Marathon as both the charity and Marathon committee allowed her to do so. Living in Bournemouth, her run is beautifully scenic with long flat promenades stretching along the beaches for miles. Nickie runs either once or twice a day to raise stamina and fitness levels. In 2013 Nickie competed and completed the London Marathon within the cut off time.
Harvey Montagu 39.
This issue’s stars 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 40.
Kieran McMullan
‘Plymouth Dry Slope’ 07769 810714 kieranmcmullan94@gmail.com www.kieranmcmullan.tumblr.com
Alex Thrift
‘Spring Lambing’ 07827 837898 alexthrift6@gmail.com www.alexthriftxd.tumblr.com
Gaia Dominici
‘Immigrants’ dominicigaia@gmail.com www.gaiadominici.photoshelter.com
Dominic Steinman
‘Life of a Shaper’ dominic.steinmann@gmail.com www.dominic-steinmann.tumblr.com www.facebook.com/shredplanet
Harvey Montagu
‘Training for VLM’ 07715 296106 harveymontagu@hotmail.com www.facebook.com/harveymontaguphotography
With thanks to.. Lois Golding
Editor-in-chief www.somethingobnoxious.carbonmade.com
Production team Tom Sandberg
Manager www.tomsandbergphotography.wordpress.com
Tristan Potter
Assistant www.trisyp.tumblr.com
Dave Blanks
Assistant djblank@live.co.uk
Matt Cox
Logo designer & sign writing god Instagram - mattcox904
Kevin Donnelly
Special feature interview & photographer www.itchylabels.tumblr.com
Heather Golding Toby Ellis Support & advice.
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Brigid Johnson Illustrator
www.brigidjohnson.tumblr.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. 2014 Š 205dpi