50 PHOTOGRAPHS FROM MEMORY JORDAN BETLEY
This book contains a selection of photographs that I have taken around Bristol. I was given the task of taking photographs of 50 different subjects. At the time I didn’t know that I’d be using them to make a publication. The theme of the publication is all about what was going on around me when I was taking the photograph, trying to explain in as much detail as possible from using memories alone and drawing illustrations of what I remember the photograph to look like. All of the photographs featured in this book were taken by myself using an Olympus OM-1 and Kodak Ultramax 400iso film.
4| 4
OBJECT OF WONDER
5| 5
*11:27
When I took this photo I was feeling quite nervous, I tried to take the photograph as quick as possible because I didn’t want the owner to come back as I was ‘eyeing’ up his car looking for the best angle for a photograph. The weather was quite mild however it had been raining a few hours ago so the ground was still quite moist. The surrounding area was quite quiet and there wasn’t anything interesting happening, just workers on thier lunch and hustle from business men and women on thier way to an important business meeting.
6| 6
FRAY
7| 7
*10:42 BLACKSMITHS.
This photograph was one of the first I took for the project. I walk past this sign most days after university and thought it would be ideal for the subject matter ‘Fray’. When I took this photo I had to cross the road to get the best angle for the shot and I can remember a stream of traffic forming as I was just about to cross so I was weary of cars coming round the corner and not seeing me crossing. The weather was pretty cold and miserable and there wasn’t much sunshine. The atmosphere was intense due to the traffic. To take the photograph I can remember having to stretch my arm out because the sign was too high to view through the viewfinder.
8| 8
- 1 VOLKSWAGON
-1 AUDI
- 2 VAUXHALL
- 1 LORRY
SCRAP
-1 BIKE
9| 9
*15:20
SCRAP
This building drew my attention last year as I was walking past, I noticed on the side it says ‘I love Graphic Design’ and thought it was quite funny. On furthur inspection it looks like an old Mercedes dealership building which is now derelict. I thought that this would be perfect for the title ‘Scrap’. I took this photo after University one day, the traffic was really bad and it felt like everybody was rushing to get somewhere, it was quite difficult getting across the two roads to get a decent view of the building because of this. I can remember being quite weighed down and restricted as I had my laptop and both cameras in my bag.
10 | 10
LONG -WINDED
11 | 11
*12:05
In all honesty this photo wasn’t planned. I was walking to Clifton and came across this hill that felt like it was never ending. Thinking nothing of it I then proceeded to take a look at the list of titles and noticed ‘Long-winded’, this seemed like the perfect choice. As I was at the peak of the hill I noticed an elderly gentleman climbing this hill on an old haggered bike and saw a photograph opportunity. I was feeling quite releaved when taking the photo because I knew that after I had took the photo it’d be all down hill. The street was really calm, it felt as if it could of been in a village.
12 | 12
EXACTLY ALIKE IDENTICAL
RELATED
TWINS
SAME
13 | 13
*16:12
My initial idea for the photo was to include as much repetition as possible but I didn’t want the photograph to be staged, I wanted it to look natural. I originally planned on taking a photograph of buses queued up but there wasn’t a clear shot so my plan b was to take a photo of the taxis lined up in the taxi bank. This photo was taken on a Sunday in the centre of Bristol and due to some of the roads being shut the traffic was really bad and drivers were getting agitated and stressed, making the surrounding envirnoment partially hostile. I can remember there being a mini festival in the courtyard of a building close by so you could hear the music and the screams of drunk people.
14 | 14
PHOTO
‘‘’’
EXACTLY ALIKE.
15 | 15
INFLEXIBLE 16 | 16
17 | 17
*12:05
- 12 windows
- 1 sign
- 6 masterpoles - 2 storys of scaffolding
This house is just down the road from where I live, it was the first photo I took for the project. I can remember it being a relatively nice day, that being said, after taking this photograph and walking down the street a bit furthur I had to go back and put a jacket on. It was taken midday in the week so the street was really quiet because most people were either at work or university.
18 | 18
LONG-WINDED
19 | 19
OUT OF THIS WORLD
20 | 20
INFLIXIBLE
21 | 21
CUT-APART
22 | 22
EASILY DECIEVED
23 | 23
*12:28
I must admit, when I first walked past Fred Baker I had to look twice, (Fred Baker Ted Baker). After realising this I had a chuckle and thought that it would work perfectly for ‘Easily Decieved’ . At the time this photo was taken there was quite a large queue for the bus, so I felt awkward taking the photo as a few were looking at me trying to work out what I was doing.
MAKE BELIEVE
24 | 24
25 | 25
*17:11
In all honesty I can’t actually remember taking this photo or where the photo was located, although I can remember thinking to myself that the rain running down the glass roof felt like I was inside a glass dome. Watching the rain was quite relaxing and soothing. From the photo the rain looks pretty heavy and constant.
26 | 26
MAKE BELIEVE.
27 | 27
28 | 28
KEEP IN ONE’S GRASP
29 | 29
*15:49
Since moving to Bristol this has probably been my favourite piece of street art and I think it works really well with the title ‘In one’s Grasp’. Just before taking this photograph I can remember seeing the student halls next to it and thinking how nice they look since they’ve been renovated. I thought it looked more like a hotel than student accomodation. To take the photograph I can remember having to stand in the road to get the angle I wanted, so I had to have one of my friends keep and eye on the road for cars while I took the shot.
CUT APART 30 | 30
31 | 31
*15:12
I don’t know what it is about half demolished and destroyed buildings but I have a real fascination with them. I saw this building and knew I wanted to include it in the photographs, I just needed to find a title that it linked well to, and I think ‘Cut Apart’ works perfectly. I can remember staring at this demolished building for a good 5 minutes before I took the photograph, I was fascinated by how each floor was a different colour and how all the steel poles were piercing through the building. I can also remember seeing two gentlemen riding bikes who parked up opposite me at a local cafe, they were riding some really nice bikes, I can remember one of the bikes being red, white and blue (like the French flag) and wondering if he was French as he had a Parisian look to him.
32 | 32
33 | 33
34 | 34
CUT APART.
35 | 35
36 | 36
LOCALITY
37 | 37
*16:06
Glocester Road is one of the most independant streets in the whole of the UK and it seems Bristolians are very proud of this. There’s a huge emphasis on shopping in independant stores whether it be clothes from vintage shops, vegetables from the local grocers or a magazine from the local newsagents. I knew I wanted to take a photograph of this title up Glocester road I just had to think of the perfect place, and this piece of street art seems to sum it up perfectly. When taking this photograph I remember feeling satisfied, as I stated earlier I knew I wanted to take the photograph up Glocester Road I just didn’t know where to take it, so when I found this, I felt releaved and happy with the results.
38 | 38
RHYTHM
39 | 39
*13:14
I used to see this building quite a lot when I lived in the centre of Bristol, I used to go for drinks by the harbourside and this building is quite close so I’m familiar with it. In my opinion the diamond shapes that make up the building look like beats from a soundwave so I knew straight away that I wanted this building to go under the title ‘Rhythm’. I can remember the footpath and road outside the building being cobbled and un-even, just after taking the photograph I rolled my ankle on the cobbles and had to sit down for a few minutes to take the weight off my sprained ankle. I was feeling quite embarrassed too as there was a group of younger student walking past just as I did it.
40 | 40
13 PHOTO
LINE-UP
41 | 41
*19:32
In all honesty this photograph was taken as an experiment. I’ve taken long exposure shots on my digital camera before but I’ve never used my analong camera, so this was purely a test. When I got the film developed I was really happy with the outcome and think that this is my favourite photograph off both of the films. I can remember this photograph being the last shot of the night, to be honest, it was pretty rushed as I was cold, tired and wanted to get home and have dinner.
1
PHOTO
‘‘OBJECT OF WONDER’’
LINE
E-UP LINE-UP.
44 | 44
14 PHOTO
- 38 NECKLANCES
-1 BEROCCA
- 6 GOLDEN RINGS
‘‘DOWDY’’
- 32 STAINED TEETH
- 3 CIGARETTES STOLEN
45 | 45
*13:17
I will definitely not forget taking this photograph. After wondering into the centre of Bristol I decided to meet up with a friend to go out and take photographs, he hadn’t finished work yet so I decided to have a coffee and a cigarette while I waited for him to finish. I purchased my coffee and then sat down on my own outside and rolled a cigarette. After about 5 minutes I was approached by an elderly lady asking if she could sit with me, I said of course and pulled out a chair for her. She then proceeded to ask me to look after her bag while she went inside to get a glass of water. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened so far until I had a proper look at her, the first thing I noticed was the large amount of necklaces around her neck, then I noticed her tar stained fingers and her scruffy appearence. It got worse as she started talking to me, firstly she asked for a cigarette, this didn’t bother me that much, it happens quite a lot so I rolled her a cigarette and passed it to her, she then started telling me how she has lung cancer and that doctors had told her not to smoke another cigarette. This made me feel very guilty and worried for her health, I then carried on the conversation saying about how I should quit and she replied telling me how she has diabetes and thinks that the doctors are making it up and she doesn’t believe there’s such a thing as diabetes and it’s all a con. We then proceeded in having a conversation about it and about 5 minutes into it she asked me for a cigarette. I didn’t want to be rude and say no, so I gave her another. We then had a break from talking as my friend had finished work and I started having a conversation with him. During our conversation she butted in and started talking about her hair, and how she doesn’t trust anyone cutting it and how she only cuts it herself. Things we starting to get weirder and weirder so me and my friend decided to try and get a move on and take some photographs, just as we were saying our goodbyes to her she then asked for another cigarette, I was running low on cigarettes at this point so I was quite hesitant to give her one, so I decided to make a deal with her. If I could take a photograph of her, I’d give her another cigarette, she accepted, I took the photograph and then walked off 3 cigarettes lighter.
46 | 46
15 PHOTO
‘‘DOWDY’’
47 | 47
*13:37
The first thing I think of when someone says ‘needle’, is injections. So the ideal place to take the photograph was at the hospital. I didn’t really know what to take the photograph of, I was thinking of taking it of a patient, however I didn’t really want to ask someone who is ill and not well. When I arrived I saw this sculpture and to me it looks like needles stuck into the ground, so it seemed ideal. When I was walking to the hospital I can remember seeing a young girl on a scooter with her mother going down a steep hill. As the young girl got furthur and furthur down the hill she gathered more pace and I thought to myself that if she falls she’s going to cause some damage to herself.
48 | 48
16 PHOTO
‘‘DOWDY’’
NEEDLE WORK.
49 | 49
50 | 50
MEMORIES
51 | 51
52 | 52
53 | 53
54 | 54
PHOTOGRAPHS
55 | 55
56 | 56
57 | 57
58 | 58
59 | 59
Jordan Betley.