Nikki gibbons adph31 journal & review

Nikki Gibbons

ADPH31 Research, Experimentation & Development

“The true method of knowledge is experiment” -­‐ William Blake -­‐

Starting Point Having being warned of the shorter time given for our research project or dissertation this year I began doing some research of artists and ideas that interest me over the summer.

The theme I found myself most interested in the most was how man was shaping the landscape, how man was affecting the climate and how that is affecting landscape photography. I would like to photograph something within ‘my reach’ that also circles this theme.

This project with also link to my research project as I hope to discover how Activist Art can educate society and highlight issues that are going unseen/unnoticed.

So how exactly is mankind affecting and changing the landscape?

Collection of Natural Resources i.e. mining, drilling, deforestation Transportation of Natural Resources i.e. trains, ships, lorries Burning of Fossil Fuels Landfills and Waste Disposal Building and Developing works

Collection of Natural Resources Oil The discovery of the Spindletop Geyser in 1901 drove huge growth in the oil industry. Before this early American settlers used oil as an illuminat for medicine as well as grease for tools and wagons. Rock oil distilled from Shale became available as Kerosene before the Industrial Revolution had began.

The first oil corporation, Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company was created to process oil found floating on water near Titusville, Pennsylvania.

When Dr Benjamin Silliman of Yale University analysed a bottle of oil and thought it would make a good light source, George H. Bissell and several friends came together to purchase land near the site at Titusville in the hope of finding more oil. They employed Edwin Drake, an expert salt driller, to supervise drilling operations in an attempt to locate oil at the source.

On 27th August 1859 they struck oil at a depth of 69 feet. As far as is known this was the first time a well was drilled in the USA. Before this is was collected from ‘seeps’ – places where the oil naturally came to the surface.

As well as oil, Drake discovered Natural Gas in the well – again the first time it was found at the source.

Oil’s affect on the landscape: Building of Oil Rigs, both on land and sea, has changed the local environment for Wildlife.

Pipelines, built across the landscape they affect the lay of the land and the natural environment.

Oil Spills, these have large consequences, from the death of wild and plant life to the lives of the local towns and cities near the spills being affected – such as the coastlines involved in the Gulf Disaster.

The images show the devastation that oil can cause from a leak in the oil rigs, the incident in the Gulf was exasperated by the tidal patterns of the sea that spread the oil further and further afield.

Natural Gas It was not until recently that methods of obtaining gas were developed. Before this natural gas was a mystery to man and was the source of early Civilizations superstitions and mythology. The most famous of these being that of the Oracle at Delphi in Greece. A flame was discovered burning from a fissure in the rocks, believing it to be of divine origins they built their temple. The Oracle had ‘divine’ messages and hallucinations, most likely caused by the Natural Gas leaking into the temple.

In around 500B.C. the Chinese discovered a means of extracting and transporting the gas via bamboo pipelines where they could then use it to boil sea water to make it drinkable.

Britain was the first country to commercialise the use of Natural Gas in around 1785. Gas produced from burning coal was used to light houses and streets. In 1821 the first well was dug with the intention of obtaining Natural Gas. William Hart noticed gas bubbles rising to the surface of a creek, so dug a 27-­‐foot well. He is regarded as the ‘Father of Natural Gas’ in America. Later in 1859 Drake also discovered a pocket of Gas whilst drilling for oil. Gas and oil are commonly found together.

Determining whether to drill a well depends on a number of factors, including the economic potential as there is always the risk that no gas will be found. New technology and techniques has been developed, now nearly all natural gas extraction involves a process called Hydraulic Fracting or Fracking. In Fracking dangerous chemicals are mixed with large quantities of water and sand and injected into wells at high pressure, pushing the natural gas out.

Fracking is a suspect in water pollution in towns near the operations. Extraction and production activities are causing dangerous air pollution, water supply contamination and the destruction of streams as well as local landscapes.

For example, fracking just one well generally requires 2 – 4 million gallons of water, as well as the chemicals – some of them toxic – that reduces friction, prevents corrosion and kills bacteria. Though most deposits are deeper than fresh water, reducing the potential for contamination, there have been above ground chemical spills and gas leaks into water, which can make people sick as well as increasing the risk of fires and explosions. There is a lot of protesting

against Fracking, calling for stricter policies to reduce and eventually stop these risks.

Coal

Coal has been mined around the world throughout history. During the Industrial Revolution, Britain developed the main techniques of underground coal mining with further progress being driven by 19th century and early 20th century progress.

Coal is a sedimentary rock originally deposited over 300 million years ago, it’s found in layers called seams. Because of their age they’re found deep underground, however earth movements and/or erosion may bring them closer to the surface.

There are several ways of mining coal: Drift Mining: Drift mines reach the coal by driving a roadway at a slope from the surface rather than using a shaft.

Opencast Mining: Thick coal seams that lay close to the surface can be mined this way, by removing layers of rock above. In Britain these mines often collect the remaining coal from previous less efficient mines. It’s a less costly method but has a high environmental impact.

Deep Mining: Deep mines use a vertical shaft to get to the seams. Miners equipment and coal are transported underground using horizontal roadways. This is how most mining used to be done in Britain. Modern deep mining uses the longwall method. Large coal cutting machines

remove coal from a coal face, the section of the seam being worked, by slicing it from the surface.

During the industrial revolution a lot of coal was needed to fuel the steam

engines that powered the factories, trains and boats, as well as being used for a heat source in housing.

Following photographs and text from: www.discoveryuk.com/web/coal/did-­‐ you-­‐know-­‐UK-­‐mining-­‐facts/ FACT 1: The UK consumed 51.5 million tonnes of coal in 2010 , 41.5 million tonnes of which coal was used to generate electricity.

FACT 2: UK Coal is Britain’s biggest coal producer. Around 80% of coal mined by this company is sourced from deep mines, one tonne out of every five is taken from surface-­‐mined operations.

FACT 3: In 2010 6.6 million tonnes of hard coal was consumed by the steel industry in the UK.

FACT 4: In Europe soft coal refers to lignite coal which is used primarily for electric power generation, and hard coal refers to bituminous coal or coking coal which is used in manufacturing steel. Rather confusingly though over in the

United States bituminous coal refers to soft coal and hard coal is anthracite coal.

Anthracite coal is the cleanest form of coal,which means it's mostly used for heating and also to power huge steam generators too.

FACT 5: Written records of coal go as far back as the 12th century when it was mentioned in the County Durham records, stating that a coal miner from Escomb gave coal for the iron-­‐work of the ploughs in Coundon.

FACT 6: The use of canaries in coal mines became redundant on 3rd December 1986 when some 200 mining canaries were phasd out of pits in favour of using electornic carbon monoxide detectors. Mining canaries are susceptible to lower levels of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide than humans. They stop singing just before dying from the toxic gases, serving as a warning to the miners that they were in danger.

FACT 7: There was a dramatic increase in the production of coal in the 19th centruy during the industrial revolution when more and more coal was needed to power steam engines. The subsequent expansion of the railway network and ht eincreasing domestic use of coal for heating continued to see coal production soar during the Victorian era.

FACT 8: In 2010 the net amount of electricity supplied in the UK totalled 363.7 TWh (terawatt hours), 47.2% of the electricity came from natural gas whilst 28.1% came from hard coal.

FACT 9: In the 1940s there were 718,000 mine workers, by 2002 this figure had plummeted to just 12,000 mine workers.

FACT 10: UK coal imports dropped in 2010 as consumers’ favoured competitively priced coal from across the globe. Russia and Colombia accounted for 60% of coal imports; other suppliers include USA, and Australia.

Wood Chopping down trees is part of an age-­‐old human quest for shelter, food and warmth. Trees provide wood for: Construction: shelter and the making of implements, Fuel: to keep warm and cook food.

Cleared forests initially provided naturally friable and nutrient rich soils to cultivate crop, allowing settlements to develop – and eventually towns and cities.

Only with the power tools developed in the last century has mankind made a major impact and began the concern surrounding deforestation.

Deforestation has important global consequences. Trees convert carbon dioxide into oxygen – less trees means less oxygen in the atmosphere which would also have an affect on the greenhouse gases.

Most of the planets valuable biodiversity is within the forests, particulary tropical ones such as the Amazon. Some species only live in these forests, as deforestation continues it has the potential to cause the extinction of these species.

There are forestry companies that re-­‐ grow the forests in order to ensure that they aren’t having a negative impact on the environment, as well as guarantying future work for themselves. There is such a company working on a forest at Bellever Tor on Dartmoor.

Ore/Metal

Edward Burtynsky: Mines #43 Berkeley Pit, Anaconda Copper Mine, Butte, Montana 1985

A metal ore is a rock containing a high enough concentration of metal to make it economically viable to extract said metal. The economics of using a particular ore may change over time, for example as a metal becomes more rare.

These ores are found in the earths crust, they are non-­‐renewable so will eventually run out!

Ores are extracted via mining, modern techniques rely more on machinery – reducing human risk, but not eliminating it.

In 2010 the world was shocked and riveted by the story of 33 miners in Chile trapped 2300 feet underground in a copper and gold mine. The miners spent 69 days there, getting food, air and letters from loved ones through bore hills drilled to their location. The larger-­‐scale drilling of an escape hatch finally made it to them after a slow process which took 69 days. Thankfully all 33 miners made it

out alive, but the story reminded the non-­‐mining community of the dangers of mining. That deep beneath the surface of the earth men are working in perhaps the most dangerous industry, Mining.

As with coal mining, underground mining for ore is the alternative to surface mining, which becomes inefficient after depths of 200 feet. Deep mining can drive 2500 feet into the Earth, or deeper depending on the material needed. Most mines are between 1000-­‐2000 feet deep.

Modern mines have extensive ventilation, to clear the toxic fumes from drilling and blasting, escape shafts, water drainage systems as well as high-­‐tech communication networks and increasingly computerized machines.

There are two types of underground mining: Hard-­‐Rock Mining; this can happen in a further two ways: Room and Pillar method: for relatively flat ore deposits. Miners drill an access ramp to the deposit and remove ore in a pattern of holes (rooms) and roof supports (pillars). The rooms are most commonly mined using a machine called a continuous miner. This machine drills into the rock until it forms the excavated room, leaving the pillars to support the roof, it continues this until the deposit is fully recovered. Then a final pass through drills the pillars, recovering the ore there and allowing the roof to collapse behind the machine as it leaves.

Cut and Fill method: for narrow ore deposits. Miners drill an access ramp adjacent to the ore, from the surface down to the lowest point of the deposit. An operator then drives a drill through the ore to create a ‘drift’ from one side of the deposit to the other. Once the drift is complete, waste material is filled into the open drift, creating a platform for the next pass.

Soft-­‐Rock Mining; this can happen in a further two ways: Longwall Mining: This is very efficient, and is used for coal mining as well.

Rather than drilling a machine cuts across the deposit, slicing the material

off. These slices fall onto a moving conveyor which carries it out of the mine. In Longwall mining the roof supports are part of the machine, as it processes into the ore, the supports move with it, allowing the area behind to collapse.

Room and Pillar method; the same as for hard-­‐rock mining.

The environmental impact of mining is significant, it causes air pollution, changes in water flow patterns, chemical and gas leaks into water supplies and soil, as well as the risk of fires in abandoned inaccessible mines. It also makes the land above it very unstable due to the constant removal of materials, meaning the land above cannot be utilized after the mining operations have finished.

Then there is the human risk element, mining accidents happen often, sometimes caused by earth tremors, which can collapse the rooms being worked on.

Stone Initially quarrying was very manual work, using picks and shovels men would hew stone from the rock face, tubs were then filled manually and a horse would pull the tubs along a rail to the crushers.

Rock quarries usually operate for 30 years and are developed in distinct ‘benches’ or steps. A controlled explosion is normally needed to release the rock from the working face, it is then transported by truck or conveyor to a crusher to go though a series of crushing and screening to produce a range of final sizes to suit the customer’s needs. The modern quarries have used the same method but updated to machinery to produce stone faster in order to keep up with demand.

Quarrying was a major part of Devon and Cornwall’s industrial history in the 20th century. The granite and limestone belts that stretch across the moors and coastlines have been a valuable resource over the centuries. Spurred on by the expansion of Britain’s industrialization, a number of major public works increased the demand for durable and decorative building materials. Most notably Devonian and Cornish granite were used to build many bridges in London, such as Waterloo and Blackfriars as well as the base of Nelson’s Column.

As the 20th Century progressed the regions quarrying came under pressure for survival, but it continued to be an important part of the economic and social lives of the local communities until the 1970’s.

Edward Burtynsky: Mines #22 Kennecott Copper, Utah 1983

Landfills Modern landfills are located in areas where clay deposits and/or other natural feature can buffer the environment from contamination. They are required to use liners made of clay, plastic or other non-­‐porous material to keep garbage from leaking into the soil. Ground water is quality tested constantly whilst in use and for many years after the landfill site closes.

Garbage in landfills does not break down – a landfill is comparable to an air tight container. Though the landfill cannot be renewed for waste, they are often put to other uses once it’s closed. For example, turned into a gold course, ski slope or even park. Homes and other buildings are not built on them however in case of settling.

Closed quarries are often used as landfill sites, giving the land a second use and preventing the need to burn as much waste in incinerators.

There are lots of campaigns in places, such as this one, trying to encourage recycling and less waste.

Landfills that aren’t managed correctly can house vermin, which affects local housing.

Where in the UK are these things happening?

British Coal Mines and Quarries are all over – the red dots are mines/quarry sites! Covering most of Devon and Cornwall, this should make it viable to be able to photograph.

Landfills in the UK seem to be concentrated in the North East, although this would be an interesting project, to see how the land is being utilized or destroyed (depending on your view point) however will not be suitable for this project.

Oil and Natural Gas drilling is also in the north of the UK making it inaccessible for this project.

Showing some small commercial forestry sites in Devon and Cornwall this could be a possibility, focusing on the wood – following its journey from tree to industry?

My focus point After discovering that I can potentially photograph quarry sites, coal mine sites and/or forestry sites within Devon and Cornwall, I feel torn as to which to pursue. Although I’ve done landscape work in the past, I’ve focused on the beautiful places and the details within them in order to encourage viewers to visit these places; it was a celebration of the natural environment. Here my aim would be to highlight the destruction of man, how past events have and may still be affecting the local environment, it could be seen more as mourning the lost beauty, the lost landscape.

The only thing that I’ve done that I can draw on for experience of working with man-­‐made landscapes is the work I did for FDPH104 where I photographed the decommissioned railways within Cattedown as well as the working line and stations within Plymouth. From this I can utilize the knowledge of using un-­‐ natural shape within the natural landscape – although I was mostly in urban settings, in some places the tracks were surrounded by a tangle of plant life and trees that contrasted against the sharp cutting lines of the railway.

Thinking practically I ideally need to stay local as I am financially restricted and prefer to spend on the final production of prints/a book. Last year for my FMP I found things much more expensive than I’d initially thought/researched and ended up making cuts that I regret. I don’t want this to happen twice!

Seeing Burtynsky’s work whilst finding background information on Mines and Quarries has intrigued me. I would like to find out more about local places that may have been affected by the industrial side of Devon and Cornwall’s heritage.

As well as the quarries and mines the railway affected the landscape, in places they would have literally blasted through the rocks to create the straight lines needed for the railway, as well as creating embankments in places.

Edward Burtynsky Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer known for his large format images of industrial landscapes.

Born in 1955 of Ukranian heritage, he graduated Ryerson University with BA Photography before studying Graphic Art at Nigara College in Welland.

He links his early exposure to the sites and images of General Motors Plant in his hometown to the development of his photographic work.

In 1985 he founded Toronto Imaging Works, a darkroom renal facility, custom photo lab, digital imaging and new media computer-­‐ training Centre; a place that catered to all levels of Toronto’s art community.

Burtynsky is also on the board of directors for Toronto’s International Photography Festival, Contact and The Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre.

An active lecturer on photographic art, Burtynsky often holds talks across America.

His photographs show the viewer just how large a scale the industrial production works are. In the Quarries series we see how small the workmen and their diggers are compared to the rock face, a shock to those who are not familiar with the production works.

As well as the production shots, Burtynsky has also documented post-­‐production areas, places where nature has begun to reclaim the land, clearly depicting a man vs nature theme Using large format for this work was certainly the optimum equipment for a subject on this scale, allowing Burtynsky to not only capture the scene, but also the details within them meaning the viewer gets a clear feel of the land.

Viewing this work, I would definitely like to push myself by using 5x4, something I’m yet to try.

Sophie Ristelhueber French photographer Sophie Ristelhueber’s best known work of art is a book called Fait, French for Fact. It is made up of 71 photographs, all shot in or above the desert of Kuwait. They all depict the after affect of the Persian Gulf War. The photographs, a mixture of aerial and close up, are all quite deadpan. This communicates the facts, what is there, how the land has been utilized and now left. Viewing them is almost like viewing evidence photographs in a police investigation, the only emotion the viewer feels is their own.

Although there are a mixture of black and white and colour photographs, because the colours of the desert and the metal objects left behind, the series is mostly monochrome adding to the feel of evidence photographs.

This is a technique to consider for my work, to use deadpan, showing the landscape as they are without emotion will be a challenge for me. I have strong feelings about the destruction of the landscape – simple things like people leaving rubbish strewn across fields/woods make me want to photograph it to highlight the issues surrounding consumerism.

Brief history of Plymbridge In 1778 John Parker, owner of the land at Cann Woods Quarry, requested a canal to run from the slate quarry to the bridge over the River Plym at Marshmills. A tramway was proposed instead as it was thought to be more economical considering the amount of slate the quarry was likely to produce.

However nothing was actually done, even though the quarry continued to be worked.

The Cann Quarry Canal, circa 1956, with the rails of the Cann Quarry Tramway still in situ on the left bank

When the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway Company also began to use the same land it became necessary to get the permission of John Parker’s son, also John who was by then the Earl of Morley, to allow them to construct a deviation that had been authorized by an Act of Parliament in 1821.

To achieve that the directors agreed to build his lordship ‘an included Plane or branch railway, communicating with Cann Quarry’ unfortunately the company then ran into financial difficulties and couldn’t carry out the task so in 1825 the Earl began legal proceedings against them.

They hoped to escape the problem by offering the Earl a reduced rate to carry the slate on their line if the Earl constructed his own line. The Earl built a small navigable mill leat instead, only 6 foot wide and suggested to the company that he might complete the canal to link up with the River Plym. This gentle piece of blackmail resulted in the company agreeing to a junction at Crabtree.

The canal was operating between 1829 and 1835, there is some historical confusion over the exact date as three published works list different dates.

The Cann Quarry Canal was 2 miles long and the traffic was carried in small tub-­‐ boats, as it was not wide enough for barges. Sometime around 1833 or 1834 the canal was replaced by an extension of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway, when rails were laid along the bank. A further branch was also opened that wa direct to the quarry in 1829

The Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway came about because of Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, who for more than 20 years had tried to cultivate and populate Dartmoor, he built Princetown, naming it after the Prince of Wales. He persuaded the admiralty that it was the ideal location to house the prisoners of war from France, and as a result built Dartmoor Prison, which was completed in 1809.

He then had the idea that linking Princetown with the port in Plymouth by railway would be an advantage. It could be used to bring materals and people for the reclamation of the land; lime, sea sand, coal, timber and even tea and sugar.

The return journeys could be used to carry granite from the quarries, Dartmoor Peat and even the produce from the farms. The line was authorized and in 1818 was surveyed from Crabtree to Princetown. A futher authoristation was given in 1821 to extend to Sutton Pool, with a branch along the wharves at Cattewater.

The Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway was opened on September 26th 1823. It ran from Kings Tor, short of Princetown to Sutton Pool.

The railway ran from Marshmills, through Plymbridge, to Yelverton before going to Burrator to connect to Kings Tor Quarry and Princetown. A platform at Burrator & Sheepstor Halt was opened 1924 and King’s Tor Halt opened in 1936 and finally Ingra Halt opened in 1936 allowing passengers to use the railway in order to spend the day at Dartmoor, becoming popular with walkers. The railway was then closed in 1956, another victim of the Beeching Cut and low usage.

There was an additional quarry called Rumple House Quarry on the opposite side of Cann Viaduct, however it was shut down in the 1860’s at it was deemed unsafe after two workers were killed when part of the working face collapsed.

The engine house still stands on the site, giving walkers a glimpse into the past.

At Cann Quarry part of the structure also remains; a water will stands rusting in the elements.

Cann Quarry, once used as a slate quarry has now been reclaimed by nature, and is a nesting place for Peregrine Falcons.

Initial Camera Choices To begin, to scout out the areas and see if it is a good site for further photographing, I will initially take out a DSLR to consider frame and subject. I then plan to return to the sites with a film camera, preferably 120 or 5x4 but to break myself back into film I will initially use 35mm for this as it’s slightly cheaper, allowing me to utilize my finances for when it really matters.

I will ensure that I photograph the same image on all these formats, enabling me to then compare them all. This will ensure that I pick the best format for my future photographs, getting the best picture quality once the images have been blown up to final print size.

Sadly finances are an issue for me during this part of the project, so I may have to consider other types of digital camera should shooting on film prove too expensive, however ideally I would like to try a project using film.

Initial Plym Valley Shoot Discovering that Plym Valley holds not only a decommissioned railway but also closed quarries it seemed the perfect choice for my first shoot.

Armed with my DSLR, a basic lens and a 70-­‐ 300mm lens, I followed what would have been the railway line looking for anything that hinted at its former use, as well as evidence of affects on the landscape from the railway/quarry use.

I only went as far as the viaduct, shown here just above the number 4 (map is from a cycle route plan), as this is where the quarry meets the old railway line.

Although I feel I’ve found suitable locations for further photographing, the lenses I was using frustrated me. I had a standard 18-­‐ 55mm canon and a 70-­‐300mm Sigma. For some details I couldn’t use the 18-­‐55 as the lens wasn’t suitable for the framing that I’d chosen, and the jump from 55mm to 70mm was too much and I couldn’t frame it as I’d hoped as I couldn’t get the focus sharp enough. This needs to be a consideration for future shoots – to ensure I don’t end up with this problem again. Another aspect for consideration is the turn of the season. With autumn now fast approaching some of the details could be getting buried in all the leaves that are dropping! On the other hand, it could help to establish the surface of the waters within quarry site.

With this shoot I restricted myself to photograph places only where there was an obvious aftermark of man in the landscape.

Buildings, bridges and things left behind, marking the historical uses of the land, which is now mainly used by walkers and cyclists.

Some are more obvious than others, for example the bottom photograph depicts the embankment that was built in order for the railway to stretch to Cann Quarry. By doing this I found it easier to attempt a deadpan effect, but still need to research further into this method should I decided to continue it for the final photographs.

With these two photographs I wanted to experiment with how the angle can change the photograph. Both are of the same place, one taken at head height, for the other I was laid on the ground.

Although the bottom third of the photograph is out of focus, it communicates the length and the precision used to create a straight pathway for the railway. Whereas the head height shot could be any pathway through a wooded area.

Perhaps investigation into the effects of different f/stops could be beneficial in an attempt to bring more of the photograph into focus.

I will make further experiments with this style of shooting, attempting further photographs to see whether it is a viable style for final production.

35mm Shoot For this shoot I decided on a Pentax K1000 with a 50mm lens using a 400iso black and white film. Having already done a DSLR shoot, I knew what to look for and this helped me to focus my attention – a big benefit considering I had a limited amount of shots. In order to have a shot for comparison I needed to ensure I took at least one shot the same as I did on the DSLR. For this I decided to reshoot the image of the quarry with reflections on the water.

It was a good decision to reintroduce myself to 35mm before 120mm as I found it a challenge to get the correct exposure, something that is evident on my contact sheet.

I’d also forgotten the development process, the amount of chemicals to use, how long each step takes and lastly how to ensure clean negatives – again something evident on my initial scans as I have watermarks on them.

120 Shoot For some reason although I’ve tried twice to do a 120 shoot, both times absolutely nothing came out on the negatives.

Speaking with Phil in the ERC this is most likely because I loaded the film incorrectly. Not sure how this happened not once but twice, as I loaded it exactly as I have done in the past, and previously it worked fine!

I’m keen to move on and shoot with 5x4 so will pass over 120 – although it would be a good comparison I think that I’m going to either try 5x4 or digital for final production anyway so all the 120 would be used for is the comparison.

5x4 Shoot This was a challenge. A fun challenge that I enjoyed thoroughly – except for the excruciating wait to get the negatives back.

I chose to use colour transparency, another first, because based on the 35mm shoot, I don’t feel black and white is suitable for this subject. I knew this would mean having to send the negatives to spectrum to get them processed – something I didn’t want as it meant I had no control over this aspect, but under the heading of experiment I decided at this stage it wasn’t much of an issue.

Again I headed to Plymbridge, and photographed similar locations, but only had 4 photographs that I could take. Knowing the location already from previous shoots I already had in mind the photographs I wanted to take – meaning that although it was still a slow process to focus and frame, it was slightly easier for me to construct the photograph as I already knew what I was after.

This time I found it easier to use the light meter and got more accurate readings, which is evident with the photographs. One of them is slightly dark, and has a large light spot on – which looks more like it was accidently exposed whilst loading/unloading the dark slide. This is puzzling as I was completely in the dark to load them -­‐ of course I don’t know what happened at spectrum – I was slightly worried about one of the dark slides, as the slide didn’t seem to be all the way in but that was on both sides and only one photograph has the spot on it.

When I first saw the negatives I was amazed by the amount of detail (and sharpness) having not shot on 5x4 before I’d never seen what looked like a normal sized print as a negative. Comparing this is going to be interesting.

Although this is differently framed from the previous quarry photograph I took with the DSLR and 35mm, compositionally it’s better and gives the viewer a better indication of location. I think this needs to be the composition going forward.

Wanting to capture the details of the things left behind by man, I took this shot of the railway cottages wall. Intrigued by the way the weeds had reclaimed the land for their own and started to grow between the ruins I looked for a place where they made an interesting shape, such as this triangle.

With this shot I wanted to show how the landscape was reclaiming the area.

Weeds grew over the ruins, trees all around it, it was like it was from a previous civilization, not from a few decades ago.

I shot at this angle because part of the wall is a similar shade to the trees above it, so at quick glance it looks as if the tree and stone have become one.

This is the frame with the strange light bleed on it. I’m unsure how this happened, surely if there was an error loading it two would have this as they shared the same dark slide. However it looks as if it would have been under exposed anyway so it’s something for me to watch if I use film again.

Although this error has happened, it’s shown me the importance of having control over all aspects when it comes to film. This way it’s easy to pinpoint where it went wrong and to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Financial implications of film The 5x4 film shots are by far the best I’ve done so far (across all my work) for detail and quality.

I would very much like to use this camera again . . . however the financial implications are worth noting. It seems I cannot escape my accountancy background – even when I’m trying to be creative, so I may as well put it to use!

4 photographs using the 5x4 camera cost: Colour Transparency -­‐ £1 a sheet (out of date but still works beautifully) Development with Spectrum: £2.40 a sheet Total cost of £3.40 per planned photograph

Put like that, it doesn’t seem like much of an issue – but if something goes wrong, as it did with the last photograph it makes the cost per photograph higher.

Because the last photograph didn’t come out it means the shoot cost of £13.60 (just for film and developing – not taking in to account fuel etc) would be split into three for the photographs that worked. This means that the total cost was actually £4.53 per photograph.

This is the problem I have with 5x4 film, although the quality is of a professional level and it definitely helped me to develop as a photographer – the importance of meticulously planning shoots has been highlighted to me by using 5x4, it is not guaranteed that the amount of shots you take are the amount of photographs you get. Of course, the same can be said about digital to a certain degree. Because there is no limit there are always unused photographs from a shoot, but this is because of ‘wasted’ digital space – not because light leaked onto the negative or something went wrong during development. Also there is an agonizing wait to find out if the photographs are as you hoped, are correctly exposed, and if they’ve even come out on film! During this experimental phase this was more an annoyance than inconvenience, but as the project develops waiting for negs to return to me would be a hindrance and could possible cost me crucial time!

Cambo RS and Leaf Digi Back Having had such good quality photographs come from the 5x4 I wanted to try large format digital. Again this shoot was a challenge both technically and physically. I found it hard to juggle the viewfinder and digi back, not having used a camera where it was necessary to focus and frame as a separate function from actually taking the photograph. Normally these two functions are part of the same thought process.

Because it was necessary to put on the digi back on after focusing and composing, it was a challenge putting on the back without nudging the camera out of place; this became evident only once I loaded up the photographs onto my Mac. I was a little upset to see this little mistake when I uploaded the photographs, however it paled after I zoomed in and still got details that would have blurred if taken with the DSLR. So although I struggled with the shoot, the photographs I’ve got from it are of a very good quality and I am defiantly considering either this or the 5x4 film for the final production photographs.

Although I was shooting digitally it still felt like I was using a film camera and because of this I slowed right down and really considered each photograph. I did struggle slightly with exposure, but I feel this was a mixture of not having confidence still in my reading skills and the constantly changing weather. Whilst I was out it rained on and off lightly until it became constant heavy rain and forced me to abandon shoot. The rain can be seen in the quarry picture when zoomed in – I’m hoping to go and reshoot this on a dry day so that comparisons are fair later on.

Physically, this was the hardest shoot I’ve done so far. There was a lot of equipment to carry, and sadly I’m still suffering the effects of the work accident I had last year. This meant that although I managed to carry the gear for the shoot (and to get it home) I was pretty much house bound the following day as it caused my back pain to flare up, and continued to effect me for a few days. If I were to use this again I think I’d need to have a back pack to house all the equipment, instead of shoulder bags – the leaf back needed to be kept in it’s protective foam padding. Even though this shifts the weight onto my back this is actually better for me – it keeps my center of gravity centrally aligned meaning I’m not causing as much strain on the injury.

The quality of the photographs taken is fantastic. There is no denying that they give more detail than the DSLR– especially when you zoom in on lightroom as I’ve done here. But does this superior digital detail translate into print?

Using the Cambo RS helped me develop my digital thought process. This is because although it was digital and I could take an infinite amount of shots, I treated it as a film camera and only took 12 shots. This made me really think about the shots I was taking. It was a struggle for me to actually see what I was shooting; the light wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the whole glass screen – even when on the biggest aperture – so a certain amount of guesswork went into the composition based on what I could see.

I now limit myself when working with my DSLR, not in shots but in time – only allowing myself so long to get a shoot done, this has helped me because I don’t take as many ‘unnecessary’ shots. So going forward I will reduce the amount of shots I’m allowed – as if I was using film.

Comparing dslr 35mm 120mm 5x4 and cambo Having printed the four images at both A4 and A3 I asked a select 3 people which photograph they thought held the best detail and which they preferred. They all agreed that this one:

Held the best detail and sharpness at both A4 and A3.

Imagine my frustration, this is the one that was shot with my DSLR, a camera that I’ve been told over and over isn’t good enough for exhibition work – even though all my previous work has been shot with it.

Although I’m glad that I tried using 5x4 and the Cambo RS, I do slightly feel that I’ve wasted time, time that I could have use to experiment with different styles and angles of shooting instead.

A moment to pause . . .

Reflecting on my project, how I feel about it, whether I’m enjoying it not, I’m disappointed to discover that somewhere in the last 3 weeks I’ve become disjointed from both the project and photography in general. It’s become a chore, something I have to do – and I feel this is reflected in the photographs I’ve taken.

Photographically I feel like I’ve lost my passion, like it’s become something I have to do to get a bit of paper at the end of the academic year.

Thinking back over the last two years, the thing I enjoyed the most about going on photography shoots was that it was part of my recreation time. One of my hobbies is to visit places, Dartmoor in particular, that I’ve not been before and photographing things that I find interesting. Shapes, colours, patterns and yes the overall views that are sometimes literally breath taking – standing at the top of a tor, camera and tripod in hand, whilst gale force winds whip around me is one of my favourite memories of being on Dartmoor.

Tim asked me why I take the photographs I take, I have been thinking about this since he asked me and I think I’ve come to an answer. I take the photographs I do because in some way what I’ve seen has change me, or the way I think about/see things.

The quarry photographs I’ve taken all show different thought processes that were going on at the time, and for me, looking at them it is clear that my view on the quarry has changed.

At first I simply documented the place, then I was drawn to the shapes the rocks and reflections made. Then I communicated the draw I felt to go into the water, to explore it and finally my compulsion to know what happens on the other side, and beneath the water.

A moment for action . . .

To rekindle my passion for photography I’m going to forget about what camera I need to use or should be using, and instead focus on returning to the place continuously and connecting with the landscape, studying a small part of it and finding the interesting details.

I feel most drawn to the water; I want to know what’s in it, what’s past it and the way it changes. So to investigate it further I’m going to experiment with a digital underwater camera and actually get into the water, photographing beneath the surface as well as above it.

I cannot help but feel redrawn to the river that also runs alongside the track, so I’m going to follow my instinct and return to the river with the under water camera, and see where the draw I’m feeling pulls me.

I also plan to try different styles of shooting; soft focus, bokeh, different angles, silhouettes (if possible) as well as fast and slow shutter speeds.

A Eureka! Moment!

A slight teasing joke has turned into an actual solution for me. I was talking to my partner’s sister about all of the gear that I had to carry and how badly it was affecting me, she jokingly said that I need to get myself a shopping trolley – like older ladies tend to use. It was only when I was laughing about this with my parents that my Mom said if I wanted to give it a go she had one from when her back had been playing up.

Thinking there’s nothing to lose I tried it out, and was very surprised to discover not only did it help my back – but it even managed to go off road!

So far I’ve only tested it carrying my own camera but have booked the Cambo again to test it with the trolley. If it can’t handle the weight I’ll need to cost up other methods.

If the shopping trolley can’t handle the weight of the Cambo and other equipment, I have also looked into other trolleys that could be up to the task.

However to make this trolley useable it would also take a seat box:

And if I use it permanently both this trolley and the shopping trolley would require padded inserts to protect the camera gear.

A Fresh Start Armed with my new flowery assistant I headed back to Plymbridge with my DSLR with a 70-­‐300mm sigma lens and a Lumiz FT2 underwater camera. I decided to start from scratch, and photograph things I found interesting either in shape, detail or colours.

I also tried a few different techniques, such as purposely not focusing the lens, in order to give a complete impression of the location.

This shoot may not be technically correct but it rekindled my passion, as I hoped it would, and I feel eager to return to Plymbridge to discover something new to photograph.

Looking at my contact sheet from the shoot, the images that I am most drawn to are the more abstract ones, the ones not in focus that give an impression of the location, give a feel of the movement of the leaves and the water.

They remind me of the photographs I was taking last term that were of the details within the landscape instead of being of the whole vista. I plan to experiment further with this type of image with another shoot using the Cambo.

I want to use these images to communicate how the location felt at the time, when I was there for this shoot it had not long finished raining, the ground was damp, and it was quite windy but everything was a highly saturated green which helped me to reconnect with the landscape and my photography.

I thoroughly enjoyed this shoot, finding the details of a landscape that other people may not necessarily notice seems to be the best way to communicate the scope of the landscape and the opportunities it holds for discovery.

Using the Lumix F2 for the first time was a unique experience. As I hadn’t done a risk assessment and was on the shoot alone, as I prefer to work, I couldn’t go under the water myself meaning that I was ‘blind shooting’. I held the camera under water and roughly aimed it at what I hoped was an interesting object. It was a lot of guesswork – but this was what made it enjoyable, it also gave me another way of looking at the landscape, from the hidden places.

The movement of the water helps to communicate the feel of the place, something I was hoping to do with the abstract images of the leaves, in a more fluid way. It becomes obvious that the shapes made by the water are dictating how the river is moving and changing the landscape around it as it does so.

Whereas the quarry water images show the tranquility of the still water, allowing the viewer the opportunity to look beneath the surface.

Purposely blurring the image, I feel that I have managed to capture the movement of the leaves, the force of the wind pushing against them. The splash of yellow against the green gives the viewer a clue as to when, but what I find appealing about these images is they could have been taken anywhere. This gives a mystery to them that keeps the viewer guessing.

Although I originally intended for them to be stand-­‐alone images I feel that they work better as a quartet. Giving a more rounded impression of the leaves and the movement.

Normally the image above would be discarded due to the soft focus, but together with the other three, it works to give some context in against the jumble of shapes and colours, a clue for the viewer as to what the photographs are documenting.

The tonal ranges of the green helps to provide some prospective, it shows how close/far away the leaves are as well as how dense they were in places. This puts it into a visual language that the viewer can understand and helps them to piece together the bigger picture.

With these two images I wanted to play with reflections and perspectives, showing the viewer that there is always another way to see something. The water acts as a conduit, reflecting the trees above whilst also floating the leaf on the surface.

The earthy tones provide a common ground between the images, showing the viewer that they were indeed the same photograph, just with a different focal point.

Considering again the idea of a quartet these two images put the other two into context, to show how the scene was that I discovered in order to present the viewer with the images displayed. In each photograph I placed the subject of the image on a vertical third, helping to draw the viewer to it.

I’ve not worked with multiple frame images before, preferring to create stand-­‐ alone images, this experience has taught me how images can compliment each other to create one image instead of being part of a series.

Although I managed to capture the reflections in this photograph, I am disappointed by the block shadow that distracts from them. I decided to change this image to black and white as the only colour was the top right corner, which distracted from the reflection.

The bottom image has a better composition, but not perfect! The shadow is still too much, and I’ve focused on the pebbles instead of the reflection for this photograph. Although this was my intention -­‐ to give an impression of the vastness of the space, it doesn’t translate from eye to camera as well as I hoped.

Again I envisioned these as a pair, showing above and below the surface.

The saying ‘still waters run deep’ came to mind as I was taking the shots.

However I don’t feel they work very well together, they look more like separate places -­‐ although the colours have the same tonal range -­‐ putting them side by side seems forced.

The colours also seem to be a bit muted, comparing the greens to the abstract leaves photographs they seem very dull, I’m assuming this is to do with the cloudy overcast day but I might try to adjust the settings if I shoot with the Lumix again, trying to capture the richness of the colours.

For both of these photographs I was shooting ‘blind’. I roughly aimed at leaves and twigs that I hoped would create interesting patterns with the reflections.

I wanted to communicate the often unknown world of beneath the surface, to show the viewer the things that are missed -­‐ because we’re not mermaids!

The simplicity of the backgrounds makes it seems like the photographs were taken in the studio, giving an air of mystery to them -­‐ how did the reflections happen, it’s only when they’re side by side with the other water images it becomes more obvious how they were photographed.

Although I enjoy the aethestics of these photographs, and the ones on the previous page, I’m more interested in the movement of the water, the patterns it creates and impression of movement that it can give to the viewer.

To take the following pictures, I firmly placed myself in the river, next to a very short waterfall (where the river runs under the bridge) ensuring I had a good foot hold, I then proceeded to put the camera (which was strapped securely to my wrist) under the flow of the river, in the midst of the waterfall as well as above and below it, aiming to capture the flow and movement of the water.

I feel the shoot went well, I captured the choas of the water, the energy that pushes it forward.

I think these would go well as a multiple aperture image rather than stand-­‐alone images as together they would give the impression of the swift running waters better.

Something to be careful of for my next shoot is blown out highlights as in this image.

Balancing the exposures is tricky as under the water the light becomes very high contrast as it doesn’t penetrate the water very well.

However the light rays that I’ve also caught in this image create an interesting pattern across the

surface and help to emphasis the turbulent water.

As with my Project Plym from last term, I was intrigued by the patterns the bubbles caused so tried to capture these again, but this time from beneath the water.

The colours and depth of field are a lot more interesting than I previously shot, showing the movement of the water at the same time as freezing the moment in time.

The thing that I like the most about these underwater images is that although I could go back to the same place tomorrow with the same camera, I doubt it’s possible to make the same image. They are truly moments in the lifetime of the river that cannot be captured again.

For this image, I turned the camera into the flow of the river. This created the bubble shapes as it swirled around the camera that became an obstacle to the water.

For the next shoot, I would like to experiment more with this and create obstacles for the water to travel around.

Wanting to also show the surface, I took this photograph. However it doesn’t have the same effect as the others. Walking by the river anyone can view this, it’s beneath the surface that the mystery lies and where I’d like to point the camera!

Susan Derges Finding the world that’s hidden beneath the surface so intriguing I hoped to find another like-­‐minded photographer, and was pointed in the direction of Susan Derges.

To create these hauntingly beautiful photographs she places photographic paper beneath the surface of a river or the sea and uses a mixture of moonlight and flash to expose the paper, depending on what she hopes to capture.

Sometimes she uses just moonlight, wanting to communicate the movement of the water and land, as well as the mystical effect the moonlight can have. Not only does it illuminate the scene, it casts a sliver glow over the photograph, giving it an unearthly feel that captivates the viewer.

Discovering that there are camera-­‐less methods of taking photographs is an intriguing idea. I hope to try this myself, at first just in my backyard to get exposure times correct, then using the Plym River to recreate Susan Derges’s work.

It was this photograph that captivated me and has inspired me to pursue underwater photography further. The precision of the ripples, and the soft movement of the moonlight clouds is a technique I would like to master.

This photograph communicates a ‘snapshot of time’ a moment that cannot be revisited or recreated in nature, a fleeting moment in a busy life. It is also an unusual sight for the viewer, at first glance it is hard to tell that the photograph was taken beneath the surface. The ripples make the viewer pause to try to make sense of the scene before them.

Impressionism The way that the water affected the photographs and the intentional blur I used on the leaves, reminded me of the work of impressionist painters such as Renoir and Monet.

The term ‘impressionist’ was first intended as an insult, in response to an exhibition of new paintings in Paris in 1874. Rejected by the art establishment, a ground of painters set up their own exhibition, this group included Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Degas.

The impressionists were interested in the way in which the human mind processes what it’s seeing. When we look at a landscape or a crowd of people, we do not instantly see every leaf, or face in detailed focus, but we see it as a mass of colour and light. Impressionist painters tried to express this experience within their work.

Renoir, Lakeside Landscape C.1889

The painting above by Renoir is obviously of a Lake and the surrounding flora and fauna, however there is no crisp detail, it’s all about the shapes and colours which our minds can process and arrive at the conclusion that it is indeed a lakeside.

This is what I’d like to communicate with my photographs, the idea that if you take away the crisp detail you get an entirely different feel on the landscape. It becomes up to the viewer to interpret the image, how it they feel, what they see rather than forcing them to see what I felt as I took the photograph.

Monet, Water Lillies Personally I find impressionist paintings calming to look at and would happily hang one on my wall instead of something crisp like Jem Southam’s work (someone who’s photographs I greatly admire and find inspiring!)

I’d like to take this view of concentrating more on the colours and shapes than the detail and plug it into my work. Having shown some of my photographs to people, I’ve received compliments on them, and have been told they’re beautiful, evidently the impressionism art movement has gained in popularity since it first come into the public eye!

Continued Experimentation Armed with the inspirations of the impressionists and Susan Derges, I returned to Plymbridge with my SLR and the Lumix. This time the hold autumn had on the landscape was more evident, there was a lot more orange and leaves on the ground. This time I wanted to play with intentional camera movements more, to create lines of colour and light.

I also looked at the reflections on the water and incorporated them into my compositions. I found this shoot easier to do than the last experimental shoot, as it didn’t feel ‘wrong’ to not have the focus sharp, or to have blurred movements.

The whole shoot felt freer; it is truly a personal reflection and interpretation of the landscape I encountered. It’s the most personal project I’ve embarked on and I feel there is still more development to do to completely translate my emotional and physical response to this location.

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I found it hard to keep my concentration with the lumix. It’s just too much fun to ‘blind’ shoot under water or on the water’s surface. This meant that I got a lot of images to discard – at least for this project. However I still got more ‘reflections’ of the water and it’s movement. I particularly like the last two I shot, they work together as a pair, I need to consider the logistics of hanging pictures side by side and make it evident they are meant to be viewed together.

Although the Lumix has been an excellent tool to begin underwater photography, I think that I need to try other methods, perhaps try using photographic paper as Susan Derges did or find another camera that can give me more control over what I photograph.

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With this image I hoped to recreate the reflections had previously shot but felt was too dark in the corner. Although I did manage to get a similar shot and composition, I don’t feel it has worked well. There’s almost too much reflection, confusing the viewer as to what the subject of this photograph is.

However I didn’t give up with the idea, I walked a little further down and saw the photograph below. I wanted to use the strong diagonal line to communicate the fall of the leaves from the trees above to the ground below, from top to bottom. I emphasised this by including the reflection of the empty branches above.

Although I enjoy the photograph personally I don’t think it’s suitable for this project as although I’m exploring my personal response, this image doesn’t make me feel anything about the location I was in at the time.

For this photograph I purposely moved the camera during the exposure, wanting to see how it would change the photograph, whether it would be completely unrecognisable or if it would provoke the viewers to interpret it themselves. I enjoy the colours and the lines that have been created, they give a sense of time moving forward, of life rushing by.

To play with this a little more, I made a longer exposure, this time leaving it still on the tripod for most of the exposure and moving it at the end. This gives a better sense of the location, but comparing the two I feel this actually detracts from the idea of self-­‐interpretation. The bottom image doesn’t communicate a narrative; it just looks as if it was an accidental shot, not and intentional shot.

Giving the camera movement idea another go, I decided to twist the camera mid exposure, although this has produced an interesting effect, it’s not one I want to pursue. It’s too abstract and I don’t feel it’s right for this project.

Comparing these two photographs of a tree root is tricky, on one hand I prefer the focused shot, but on the other the one with camera movement at a glance communicates the effect of time, that autumn has got it’s hold on the location.

Although I enjoy the camera movements, I don’t feel they’re right for this project, they’re too abstract, and my impression and interpretation of the landscape is not an abstract one.

The surface of the water on this shoot was very interesting, a strong wind was blowing through, creating ripples and movement. Not knowing which approach would be best, I took the same photographs with different shutter speeds.

Looking at the outcome, a faster shutter is needed otherwise the reflections become messy, as they have in the bottom image and my wonderment at the ripples and patterns caused is lost.

Although I think the ripples on the surface of the last photograph communicates my fascination with them, I feel this one from underneath the surface looking up, does it better. The way the water movement changed the deepness of the green, the shape of the leaves, everything has been changed.

For future shoots I’d like to recreate this effect, perhaps even including part of my self, my reflection, or shadow.

Of the experimental underwater photographs I’ve take so far this pair communicate how I’m currently feeling about this project the best. The first is quite turbulent, troubled and rough, the second has an aspect of this but also has a calm spreading across it. This is definitely how I’ve felt about this project, at first I struggled with what I was doing and how I was going to do it, then I felt a strange calm come over me as I realised that I’m not here next year, this is my last chance to do something just for me, for me to enjoy above any client, viewer or potential client and to grab that chance. I’m not as calm as I would like, which is why the second image communicates my feelings so well.

As well as this when paired together in this way there is a flow between the two photographs, a direction, something to follow, and that is how I feel I am at the moment. I’m going with the flow and seeing where enjoying the act of photographing and researching takes me, and my images.

So far I have created only two multiple aperture prints, or what will become a print. Working with multiple photographs has been an interesting change of pace, no longer do I have to consider just one photograph, maybe three photographs will become one image – it’s something I’ve never considered and now I have done I can’t understand why I didn’t think of it before!

Photo Paper I decided to try using the method that Susan Derges used to create her imagery.

Only wanting to test it out, I used the birdbath in my courtyard – which wasn’t very clean! – and a sheet of photo paper. I left it out in moonlight/streetlight for 10 seconds and then used the torch on my phone to flash the paper with light.

To get some ripples I tapped the water with my fingers for one sheet, and tapped the birdbath with my foot for another.

I’m not sure how they are going to turn out; the property behind my courtyard has a security light that is constantly on, so there would have been a bit of light pollution from that, but I used black and white photo paper – left over from our first assignment! – So it should only affect the exposure.

Although it was a success in that I got something on the photo paper other than an over exposed black rectangle, I’m was somewhat disappointed that there was nothing recognisable.

The first bit of photo paper was too dirty, it’s become more of a print of the dirt and leaves that was in the birdbath (birds don’t frequent our garden often enough!) The effect this has is interesting to look at, but detracts from the intended subject, the water movement.

The second bit of photo paper I accidently developed too long so is a bit too dark, but there is obvious water movement on it, I think that perhaps a flash with my phone as well as a long exposure was slightly too much, I need to try doing it with just a flash or just a long exposure to see what happens.

I’d also like to try this method with a sheet of film, to see if that makes a difference to the overall aesthetic and exposure time, I would like to leave it longer and see if I can get some recognisable shapes on there as well as the water movement.

Sheet 1, to get the water to move I tapped the birdbath with my foot.

Sheet 2, I tapped the water with my fingers for movement, much more efficient!

Moving Forward At this point, I wish that the deadline was another week away. I would have liked to have had a chance to do a proper experiment with the photo paper at Plymbridge, so that I would have known more about the logistics of using the photo paper when not in the darkroom to keep it from being exposed, although I had a bit of experience with this in my courtyard.

It would also have given me the chance to try the Cambo and Leaf digi back again for a shoot, although I feel that this might not be the right equipment for the style that I am in the process of developing, I would liked to have either rejected it or discovered it was a possible choice.

I am going to keep experimenting with water, and the effect it has on the landscape around it, with the same techniques I’ve developed recently. I have found this the most enjoyable part of this project.

I feel that although I had a rough start, with my back hindering me as well as my disengagement from the medium and topic, I have managed to come to a place where I am happy to draw a circle around an idea and develop it further. I hope to discover more photographers who use a camera-­‐less method to create photographs, and try these methods for myself.

Before beginning this project I would have shied away from the experimental photographs I’ve taken, automatically assuming that they were wrong, that soft focus photographs don’t belong in a portfolio or on a gallery wall. Now I full embrace them, I personally think that they are a beautiful way of communicating an atmosphere, an emotion and the location.

Picturing images together to form one photograph was also something new to me, something that I thought I couldn’t do because images should be able to stand independent; I see how wrong I was! Photographs can be viewed in a number of ways and I’ve just begun to discover how far down the iceberg goes!

Seeing the exhibitions in London was also very informative, it gave me an insight as to how professionals frame and arrange their work, showcasing it as the best it can be, helping me know what to consider when it comes to producing the finished product for Free Range.

Exhibition Review Intrigued by the title National Geographic: Then and Now I decided to visit Beetles & Huxley Gallery in London. Having read the following on the gallery’s website, I wondered how it would be possible to hang modern contemporary prints alongside old ‘vintage’ prints and have the separate works mesh together to create one exhibition.

We are delighted to announce the first exhibition in Europe of vintage prints from the extraordinary archives of the National Geographic Society. These will be hung along side a carefully curated display of contemporary images by current staff photographers.

The exhibition is broad in its scope, and will underline the very significant contribution to the history of photography that National Geographic staff photographers have made for over a century. (Beetles & Huxley 2013) I found it hard to imagine seeing diverse work displayed together yet flowing easily from image to image. The same can be said for how I felt about our Free Range show before viewing this exhibition.

Entering the gallery, it was hard to miss the contemporary prints. The size of them as well as the contrast of bright colours against the clinical-­‐white walls drew me in like a moth to a flame.

After the initial draw of the large prints wore off, I worked my way around the gallery. I was surprised to find that the curation of the exhibition was very smooth and there was a flow through the space. They had created this by insuring that the framing was consistent throughout, excepting a select few, and by working from the contemporary through to the vintage.

It could have been more inviting by having seating, especially by the larger prints, allowing time to reflect and possibly discuss the work with other visitors of the exhibition. This is something to consider for our show, apparently the space is larger and more negotiable so should be able to cater for a reflection zone.

Seeing this exhibition reassured me that it was possible to curate a show that creates a flow between different styles of photography but to ensure it was possible with photographs that weren’t similarly themed, I wanted to see another diverse collection that had be curated together.

Walking into the Making it up: Photographic Fictions exhibition at the V&A was a unique experience. To start with the walls, not the clinical white that’s become the expectation for a gallery space, were a deep, calming blue. Although I initially felt having the walls coloured distracted from the photographs, whilst walking through the space I found it became welcoming and actually emphasized the prints that were mounted and framed with a white mount.

The framing was inconsistent, yet for this exhibition it didn’t detract from the flow of the work. This is because each series of work could stand alone as its own piece whilst also complimenting the pieces around it. None of them felt out of place as they followed the theme of story telling.

Discovering a space that didn’t use white space, and from looking at previous exhibitions on their website they frequently use colours rather than whites or shades of grey, was refreshing and stuck in my memory of the trip. I feel this is something we need to discuss for Free Range, in order to make our show as memorable as possible for viewers.

Again although this exhibition was diverse with its work, there was a clear theme running through the collection. Upstairs in the V&A was another exhibition, A History of Photography, which has succeeded in bringing together a diverse collection that had no theme to draw the work together.

Beginning with daguerreotypes, the exhibition progressed through time showing prints from different stages of photographic development. To keep some consistency the frames were all black with white mounts although varied in size.

As well as the frames there were glass cases displaying books and items creating another form of interaction with the viewers.

Considering these three exhibitions it has become clear to me that careful

curation is the key to pulling together individual photographs into a collection of work that flows and compliments the pieces surrounding them, something that has worried me regarding our Free Range show.

When it comes to exhibiting the groups work together, careful consideration will need to be taken to ensure a fluid yet intriguing space that will stay in the minds of the viewers.

As well as considering how the collective work of our group would be shown together I also wanted to gain knowledge of how professional photographers and galleries are displaying work.

On my last final print I had negative feedback regarding the frame and mount choice. I struggled to find a mount that correctly fit my print and frame so I cut it myself. This would not be suitable for a London exhibition.

Seeing the framing choices used throughout the three exhibitions has made me realize how much choice there is when it comes to displaying work. Not only size but colour and shape. I was intrigued by the works that had several items framed together, it was more like seeing a hanging portfolio, something that I’d not considered or had the opportunity to do before.

The trip to London has given me much to consider when it comes to our show in the summer: framing considerations for my own work, curation ideas and ways to create a welcoming space. A very useful experience to draw upon in the future if I decide to create an exhibition of my own work.

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We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Walt Disney