A Walk in Broughton Woods; Experiments with My Polariser.

Went for a walk with my wife and dog Jet today in North Lincolnshire.  ( Blog and all photos in Mike's Natural Musings).  As well as other photography I experimented with my polariser.  I regularly use this to darken blue skies and make clouds stand out but I wanted to see what effect it had on other colour saturation, particularly vegetation.  The following images are more or less straight out of the camera with some adjustment to clarity but no adjustment to colour temperature or saturation.

No polariser

Polariser used

No polariser

Polariser used

It can be seen in each case that the polariser increases the colour saturation.  The effect was most noticeable when used at right angles to the sun.

I have recently come upon an article in the British Journal of Photography by Justin Jin about an environmental and social crisis affecting arctic Russia (written about in another blog).  The article made me think of the problem of fly tipping in Lincolnshire, something I often see when out walking and cycling and also feature on a Look North television documentary.  When I saw the example shown below in Broughton Woods on our walk, I was saddened but it did give me thoughts for a possible subject for assignment 3 later in the course.

Project 4: Applying a Drop Shadow.

PS Elements seems to be working OK at the moment and this exercise went to plan.  The only way I found that Elements differs from PS is that instead of selecting Layers - Rasterize, it is necessary to select simplify layer and then Gaussian Blur can be selected in Filters.  All else remains the same.

Now I have experimented I need to look at the two links provided in the resources.

Project Using Type Tools: Getting Started.

A first effort here.  I have used Photoshop Elements 7 for this as I do not have the full PS as I use Lightroom for my photography and only do a little in PS.  So, I am hoping to be able to do this in Elements.  I have opened a new file and made it A5 as requested and put in the word Title as a heading with no problem.  Opening a text box was again no problem, nor selecting font and size etc.  When it came to typing, however it seemed to run the lines in together unless I pressed the return key to manually double space.  I cannot yet find another way of doing it. I have found the layers palette and worked out to select the text by double clicking the icon for the layer.  I have experimented with changing the text alignment.  All seems good.

Reflections on Part 1 of the Course.

Well I have almost completed part 1 of the course; assignment 1 is virtually completed, I just need one more shot which requires high tide and darkness.  I should secure this this weekend and then I need to edit them down to the final 10/15, prepare and send them to my tutor.  I have however completed all of the projects and exercises and done some reading and research, although perhaps not enough of this.
I have enjoyed the first assignment.  I used the same locality as Assignment 4 in People and Place as I wanted to build on and improve my work from that assignment.  My aim is to display a range of styles and genres, although I have leaned towards my favoured wildlife and landscape.

 I enjoyed the section on writing descriptively.  Describing one of my own photographs flowed, although it was more taxing to write specific and succinct captions.

In writing analytically, I found it surprisingly difficult writing about one of my own photographs.  I elected to write it in the third person as someone viewing the image but perhaps it should have been done more personally.  It did make me look at it very carefully, though, and consider aspects that I normally wouldn't spend so much time thinking about such as intent, style and success.  I usually decide if I like it enough to keep it.  I do like my chosen shot and feel that it is a success but close examination made me notice some distracting features.  I do think it fits what I think of as my style in landscape photography.  I  set out to show 'just the right amount' of motion blur in the water and I think that I have succeeded in this.  I also feel that it illustrates the season well.  I really enjoyed researching and writing analytically about 'The Afghan Girl'.  It is more difficult looking at someone else's image as you have to try and get into their mind.  Care has to be taken to use only researched facts and not opinion.

Analysing the essay was excellent practice at teasing out the writers meaning and encapsulating it in a few words.  It was a good reminder also not to take on face value what someone writes.  Are they correct?  Is it just their opinion?  Do I agree?  Why/wny not?  I found this more difficult as I found Berger's style of writing convoluted and  and not easy to follow.

I hope that this will improve my own photographic practice by making me analyse my images more carefully and look at them through a third person's eyes; there is a lot of ownership of your own work.  Reading and research will also hopefully inform and inspire my own work.

Hopefully I will be more able to promote and disseminate my work by the use of careful descriptions and concise and succinct captions.

This part of the course has been a timely reminder to further hone my research skills and make sure that I read widely (more widely!) and to study other photographers for inspiration and ideas and to inform my own work.

Project 3: Reading About Photography; Analyse an Essay.

Understanding a Photograph - John Berger.

In this exercise we are tasked with reading the essay at least twice; the first time just reading straight through and subsequent times making notes.  It is suggested that we summarise in one line the main point of each paragraph.

• For many years, although enthusiasts regard photography as fine art, the vast majority of people do not.
• Fortunately few museums have opened photographic departments, as photography cannot be considered as fine art.
• Painting and sculpture are fine art but are dying because all works of art merely become a valuable property.
• Photographs have little property value as they are infinitely reproducible and so cannot be considered to be art.
• A photograph is a record of an event the photographer decides is worth seeing.
• The difference between a good or bad photograph depends on the photographers skill to choose what is worth recording.
• Photography should not be compared to the compositions found in fine art as composition cannot enter into photography.
• If formal composition in a photograph explains nothing, what gives it meaning?
• The importance of a photograph is dependent on the moment of capturing the event.
• A photograph captures a single event or moment in time; a painting is an accumulation of many events.
• The only decision a photographer can make is what moment in time to capture, what is not shown is just as important as what is.
• A photograph is effective when the most truthful moment is captured.
• The minimal message of a photograph may not be as simple as it seems.
• We need to understand that photography is a weapon that we can use and which can be used against us.

In one sentence, what is Berger's argument?

Berger's argument is that photography should not be regarded as fine art as it is a recording of one moment in time, either more or less truthful, whereas fine art is an accumulation of many events.

John Berger is well-known for his socio-political stance.  How is this reflected in the argument that he presents in this essay?

Berger feels that all works of art become property, become valuable and perhaps he feels that they are the preserve of the favoured few; the wealthy.  In his view photography should not be regarded as fine art because it has no rarity value, as it is infinitely reproducible.  He feels that the value in photography lies in the photographer's decision on when to press the shutter as he captures a fraction of second in time - freezes motion in time (Ansel Adams) or captures the decisive moment (Henri Cartier-Bresson).  He finishes with the suggestion that photography is a weapon that we can use or can be used against us.  Perhaps that is why the British Government refused to allow Don McCullin to photograph the Falklands War!!

Are you convinced by Berger's argument?  If not, why not?

I agree with Berger when he argues that photography is all about capturing a moment in time.  That moment may be the one when the man's foot is hovering over a puddle in Cartier-Bresson's case, or it may be pressing the shutter when a cloud is in exactly the correct spot in a chosen view as with Ansel Adams and many other landscape photographers; or it may be the difference between capturing a scene when it is lit by a patch of light as in the image below that I took of Saltwick Nab on the Yorkshire coast last week.

In this image I waited for the sun to emerge from behind a patch of cloud so that it caught The Nab in the background.

I feel that his argument about photography is only partially true as, in my opinion, the rules of composition play a significant part in a photograph and sometimes they can be broken.  I took the image below last week as I was attracted to the pebbles and sea-glass.  Yes, I captured a moment in time and this time the moment was when the sun went behind the cloud to give softer lighting, but I also chose how to frame the photograph.  I could have placed the sea-glass in the centre of the frame but I chose to place on a junction of thirds.

I can see Berger's point that photography is not art because it has no property value because of it's lack of rarity, but if a gallery or museum chose to buy an image and also destroyed the negative or original digital file, then it would assume property value.  As it happens, since Berger wrote this article, most museums and galleries have set up photographic departments and photography is more widely regarded as art.

What is your opinion of Berger's writing style?

I found his style rather convoluted and difficult to follow on a first reading.  I needed to read through it several times to get a feel for the meaning.  The initial task in this exercise helped: that of summasising each paragraph into one line.

Reading and Research: Tuscany, Inside The Light; Joel Meyerowitz and Maggie Barret.

I first came across Joel Meyerowitz when I was studying for my Level 2 Landscape course and read Cape Light.  When I was planning a road trip to Italy to visit Umbria and Tuscany, I came across this book and managed to acquire a copy second hand.  It is a book full of beautiful but subtle landscape images of the Tuscan countryside through the seasons.  It works well with Project 15 of the Landscape course.  The photographs are accompanied by Maggie Barrett's beautifully evocative descriptive prose.  The images are subtle and understated with quite restricted colour palettes and almost as if they have been slightly desaturated, reminiscent of a slightly faded 1960s or 70s transparency.  Meyerowitz does not seem to seek out dramatic sunrises and sunsets and his photographs could well have been taken in the middle of the day.  He does favour misty scenes, however, and I am sure these will have been taken early in the day.  Something that inspires me about these images, though, is that they could have been taken in the Lincolnshire Wolds, my local area.  I shall forever think of the Wolds as Tuscany in miniature.  One or two of the images remind me of some that I have taken in Lincolnshire.
 Plate  43 (Wheat Field, Late Afternoon), his first summer photograph, reminds me of the ones below that I took this summer in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

 Plate 46 (Hayfields) of a harvested field with large round bales brings to mind  similar ones I took this summer.

Similarly Plate 56 (Sea and Sky) makes me think of one I took in Robin Hood's Bay last week, although in slightly different weather conditions.

With being muted colours and a restricted palette Joel Meyerowitz's photographs are very different to many many  practioners' work such as Joe Cornish or Galen Rowell, which I admire but which tends to be taken in the golden hour and is richly saturated.  It is perhaps more akin to the work of David Noton.

I shall certainly be looking at The Lincolnshire Wolds with new eyes and using this book as inspiration for my future photography.

November Assessment for Level 2 Landscape.

This morning I received my mark for my last module, Level 2 Landscape.  I am consistent if nothing else; another mark in the 50s, this time 56.  Again tantalisingly close to that elusive 60.  If anyone reading this has any clues how to push that mark into the 60s I would love to know.  I will wait until I get the breakdown of the result and look at where my weak areas are and then work on them  As I consistently received very pleasing comments from my landscape tutor on each of my assignments I can only assume that the actual photography is at least OK.  I have a feeling that my weakness may be my reading and research and linking it to my own work and my learning and also being more reflective and critical of my work and learning.  It's easy to identify the weak areas but less easy to know how to tackle them.  Any advice appreciated.

Reading and Research: BBC1 Imagine; McCullin

I have been a fan of Don McCullin for some time now and, in fact, was lucky enough to visit his exhibition at the National Media Museum at Bradford a few years ago. So, when I saw the 2012 documentary 'McCullin' was to be featured in the BBC1 series Imagine, introduced by Alan Yentob, it was a must see.

This documentary, by Jaqui and David Morris, lays bare MucCullin's addiction to danger and commitment to justice that lie at the heart of his work.  His huge success as a war photographer came at great personal cost.  The programme begins with his early beginnings in Finsbury Park where he escaped the gang culture he was brought up in through his photography.  He photographed his fellow gang members, 'The Governors'.  There was no beauty in what the gang was doing but he made beautiful photographs of them.  He made a very early trip to Berlin during the building of The Wall and took amazing photographs with very basic equipment, showing that it is the person behind the camera rather than the equipment that makes outstanding pictures.  On his return he managed to sell the images to The Observer who then sent him to cover other world crises.  In Cyprus he learnt a new trade and also about the price of human suffering.  He was sensitive and would put his camera down to help people in need.

In war zones, Don noticed that when he captured people in deep grief, they would often be turning their eyes skyward as if they could see God.  He compared it to Goya and the religious nature of great painters.  Harold Evans, editor of the Sunday Times 1967-81, remarks about one such image from Cyprus and says "That moment is so classic.  I call it one of the decisive moments in photography.  It combines news moments with compositional elements."  McCullin thinks that, as a photojournalist, it was important to be on the side of humanity.  He felt that was what he was meant to be doing.  Of his experiences in the Congo where he witnessed awful atrocities and executions, he recalls that although he had to take photographs he wanted to stop what was going on.  He loved photography but the horrors were too awful to live with.  "I don't just take photographs; I think."

When he returns to the UK he often went back to his roots and took made wonderful images of the homeless and down and outs in Finsbury Park, Aldgate and Whitechapel.  He calls it "Hogarthian" and these images form an important part of his portfolio,  He continued to work for four and a half years for The Observer before moving on to The Sunday Times who had the confidence to allow him to disappear for several weeks at a time and allow him to edit his own work.  They trusted him and he them.  He said that you can take amazing pictures but they still need to be presented in a way that the public can accept and understand.

 He continued to cover a wide range of assignments and became a self-confessed war junkie, although he felt that he was there to do a job and needed to get a message over.  Capt Myron Harrington of 5th Marines said of him that other photographers would snap and go but Don would stay with us for several days.  He became one of us.  It was at this time that he photographed the shell shocked marine in Viet Nam that is a suggested image in our project on writing analytically about a photograph.  Again he referred to the fact that when he became involved in a situation, it wasn't about photography, it was about humanity.  Harold Evans answers McCullin's question "Was it worth the risk?" by commenting that part of the success was the disenchantment of the American public for war.  That was down to photographers such as Don.  When interviewed by Parkinson, however, McCullin felt that older people were not affected by his work; they were fed up with war and had become blasé.  It was the very young people who cared about war; they were more interested in trying to do something about it.  He felt that he had a lot of freedom in Viet Nam to photograph everything.  He says that it couldn't be done today in Afghanistan, for instance.  The whole rule book had been rewritten and not in the favour of the photographer.  In fact, at the time of the Falklands he was barred from going.  Harold Evans says that it was "a crazy decision to keep Don McCullin off the boat with the excuse that it was full.  It seems to be saying your photography is so honest, so searing, so implicit with meaning that we cannot afford to take the risk of you exacting freedom of expression.  It was the most appalling decision and it's effect on Don McCullin was to seem to say, you have spent your life documenting things we don't think you should ever have documented, which was the same as saying 'why have you bothered to risk your life to try and tell the truth?'".

During his years with The Sunday Times he covered many assignments ranging world wide.  He continued to take staggering photographs whist at the same time never ceasing to be appalled at the horrors he witnessed.  Harold Evans says of him that he had a very sensitive feel for other people's suffering.  His consciousness told him that their story could only be told through photographs.  Unfortunately in 1981 The Thompson family sold the paper to Rupert Murdoch; Harold Evans left and Andrew Neil became the editor.  Harold Evans says they had lost their independence and the ability to tell the truth.  Don McCullin eventually left the Sunday Times because the new regime din't want any more wars in the magazine; it would be a magazine based on life and leisure in order to attract advertising.

Don McCullin is now 75 and with his remaining energy intends to attempt to eradicate the horrors of the past by photographing the English landscape - his heaven.  He still works in rich black and white.  Since he has stopped reporting from the front line he has used his reputation to support a number of charities and campaigning groups.  He received the CBE in 1993; the first photojournalist to gain the honour.  He still publishes his work and his latest book came out in 2010: Southern Frontiers; A Journey Across the Roman Empire.

References and Bibliography
All taken from Morris, J&D, McCullin, 2012, BBC1 Imagine 2013

Project 2: Writing Analytically; Research and Analyse.

This photograph was taken in 1984 by Steve McCurry in a refugee camp in North West Pakistan at the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.  The subject is Sharbat Gula who was 12 years old at the time.  First impressions are that it is a very strong image with the subject sitting three quarters but with her head facing the camera and her eyes looking straight at it; and what eyes!  They challenge and bore into you. The picture was intended to illustrate an article by Debra Denker in National Geographic. This was the first time the girl had ever been photographed and the second was seventeen years later when photographed by McCurry again.  She had left Afghanistan with her grandmother, brother and three sisters to escape the fighting after her parents had been killed in an airstrike. Her brother reported that "The Russians were everywhere.  They were killing people.  We had no choice."  

(http://petapixel.com/2013/10/22/steve-mccurry-reveals-afghan-girl-portrait-almost-published/)

The most obvious genre for this photograph is portraiture but we also know that it was taken as part of a photo-journalistic feature for National Geographic.

Steve McCurry found Sharbat Gula in the classroom tent at the refugee camp when he asked the teacher if he could photograph her pupils.  He was captivated by the girl's haunting, piercing and challenging sea green eyes.  He realised that the girl was shy and concentrated on photographing her classmates to put her at her ease and arouse her interest.  Eventually she agreed to be photographed  but he nearly didn't get the picture.  He took only a few shots before she got up and walked away; he wasn't even sure they were in focus.  When he arrived home, the NG picture editor wanted an alternative image and this photograph nearly didn't see the light of day.  The magazine editor overrode this decision and the picture we know today  became a symbol of the Afghan conflict and the refugee situation worldwide.  It became known simply as 'Afghan Girl'. 

(http://petapixel.com/2013/10/22/steve-mccurry-reveals-afghan-girl-portrait-almost-published/ ,  http://www.famouspictures.org/afghan-eyes-girl/, http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/events/2011/september/07/revealed-the-true-story-behind-the-afghan-mona-lisa/ )

This photograph is planned in that McCurry was looking for female refugees to photograph as illustrations for the NG article, but he didn't plan to photograph this particular subject until he walked into her classroom.  He then had to quickly plan a strategy to overcome the girl's shyness.  It is more of a street photograph than a studio portrait, however, so unplanned from that point of view.

The image was made using a 35mm Nikon FM2 film camera (I still own one), using kodachrome transparency film.  He used a 105mm f2.5 lens which is perfect for portrait photography.  It is likely that it was handheld and, as it is very crisp and sharp a reasonably fast shutter speed must have been selected; more so, because he has little use of his right hand and, therefore, has to use his left to fire the shutter. The picture is not touched up in any way.  No strobes or extra lighting was used, just the soft ambient lighting in the classroom.  (http://petapixel.com/2013/10/22/steve-mccurry-reveals-afghan-girl-portrait-almost-published/ , http://www.famouspictures.org/afghan-eyes-girl/ )

Although a documentary photographer, this image very definitely sits in the genre of portraiture.  It is a head and shoulders shot of Sharbat Gula with a plain background, almost like a studio backcloth, although we know it was taken in situ in the girl's refugee camp classroom.  In the image she doesn't smile, it being forbidden to look at or smile at a man not your husband.  Nonetheless her eyes stare challengingly out of the photograph, seeming to bore right through the viewer.  She seems to challenge the viewer to do something about the situation she finds herself in.  McCurry's 'best known photographs are rich vibrant color prints that show small moments of daily life with its struggles and joy'.  Instead of the more normal short-term documentary projects, McCurry prefers in depth studies, where he works with a location for an extended period or makes repeated visits.

 (http://photowings.org/?page_id=1809)

McCurry and Debra Denker were in Pakistan (and also Afghanistan) to cover a story on the war against the Russians and the plight of the refugees.  Steve McCurry wanted to have an image as a visual representation of the refugee crisis from a female point of view. (http://www.famouspictures.org/afghan-eyes-girl/)

There is definitely sufficient information about this image if it is being considered as a portrait but it not so easy to say the same if it is considered as a  documentary photograph.  It must, however, be realised that as a documentary photograph, it would sit with a series of other images that would help tell the story of the plight of Afghan refugees and was also part of a National Geographic article. 

(http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/original-story-text)

This image is without doubt, successful.  It featured as a National Geographic cover photograph in 1985 as well as illustrating the artical by Debra Denker.  It became an iconic photograph and became symbolic of displaced peoples.  It is very definitely a 'good' photograph.  "Her sea-green eyes challenge ours.  Most of all they disturb.  We cannot turn away."  The picture succeeds in what McCurry set out to do, ie make an image that illustrated the plight of Afghan refugees, and he captured the image with skill and sensitivity.  (http://petapixel.com/2013/10/22/steve-mccurry-reveals-afghan-girl-portrait-almost-published/,  http://photowings.org/?page_id=1809)

Bibliography

National Geographic; http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/index-text,  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/original-story-text,

Petapixel.com; http://petapixel.com/2013/10/22/steve-mccurry-reveals-afghan-girl-portrait-almost-published/

Arabnews.com; http://www.arabnews.com/news/469466

Famouspictures.org;  http://www.famouspictures.org/afghan-eyes-girl/

Phaidon;  http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/events/2011/september/07/revealed-the-true-story-behind-the-afghan-mona-lisa/

Photowings.org;  http://photowings.org/?page_id=1809

Image

National Geographic free wallpaper.  http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/milestones-photography/afghan-girl-portrait/

Personal Thoughts.
I think this is a stunning photograph, even though this is an overused word.  For an image that is virtually a snapshot and nearly missed, it appears to be a perfect studio portrait with a contrasting plain background and very pleasing composition and positioning of her body.  McCurry has also managed to create real contact with the girl through those amazing eyes.  I think it must be one of, if not the most famous National Geographic covers.

Project 2: Writing Analytically; Analyse a Photograph.

For this exercise we had to analyse one of our own photographs.  I have chosen this autumn scene of Burbage Brook where it runs through Padley Gorge in Derbyshire.

This clearly a landscape image.  It is of an upland river that is running quite full.  Although well saturated, the colours are from a restricted palette and do not contain any vibrant primary colours.  There is harmony through the choice of similar colours.  There is no clear intention of use when the image is viewed, although it could have been for publication in a calendar or for the greeting card industry or even intended for inclusion in an exhibition.  The photographer uses his images to illustrate talks on wildlife and landscape to a range of groups and this is another possible use of the photograph.  The photographer has selected the river to be the focus of the image and positioned himself so that the river runs towards him; he has chosen an elevated position so that he looks down on the river and can portray the way it meanders down its course in a series of curves.  It would appear that this is a planned image, although not arranged.  The landscape was static at this moment and allowed the photographer to carefully choose his position and the timing in order to capture the best light.  A small aperture has been used to ensure sufficient depth of field to keep everything sharply in focus.  A low ISO and possible an ND filter have been selected in order that a relatively long exposure can be used to produce pleasing motion blur in the water, but not so long that all detail is removed.  A tripod has been used to ensure that all other aspects of the images are sharp.  It is difficult to comment at length on this photographer's style from this one image.  If, however, this picture is characteristic of the photographer's work, then his preferred style is carefully planned landscape photography using small apertures to ensure that everything is sharp from back to front in much the same way that Ansel Adams and the f64 group aimed to do.  Two ways this photographer's style differs from that of Adams', however, is that this is colour rather than black and white and Adams like to shoot with short exposures to stop the water and 'freeze motion in time'.  From this one image it would seem that the photographer's intention was to portray the river within it's  environment to provide a sense of motion and illustrate the season.  The chances are that there is enough information here to say that this view is as the photographer saw it.  It appears natural and the product of one image rather than a blend of three or more as in an HDR.  Some obvious things could have been 'photoshopped' out but have not.  This image does seem to achieve what the photographer set out to do: produce a landscape image that shows the character of a river in its surroundings.  A tripod has been used along with appropriate camera settings to secure the desired result.  It is a successful image, although a different viewpoint could have been chosen to avoid some distracting branches in the upper left.  There is also a distracting branch caught on the rocks in the lower right.

What have I learned

I found it surprisingly difficult writing about one of my own photographs.  I elected to write it in the third person as someone viewing the image but perhaps it should have been done more personally.  It did make me look at it very carefully though and consider aspects that I normally wouldn't spend so much time thinking about such as intent, style and success.  I usually decide if I like it enough to keep it.  I do like this shot and feel that it is a success but close examination made me notice those distracting features mentioned.  I do think it fits what I think of as my style in landscape photography.  I dis set out to show 'just the right amount' of motion blur in the water and I think that I have succeeded in this.  I also feel that it illustrates the season well.

Reading and Research: John Hinde at The Photographe'rs Galley.

When browsing this blog for a first time, my tutor noticed that a possible image for my first assignment of a fairground ride in Cleethorpes (below) reminded him of a couple of images in the John Hinde exhibition at the Photographer's Gallery

http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/john-hinde-3

In the 1960s, at a time when only black and white was considered serious photography, Hinde not only worked in colour but also ran a very successful postcard company employing other photographers.  A great deal of time was taken over each postcard images.  A couple of these prints feature fairground rides and are taken by Elmar Ludwig and Edmund Nagele.  I particularly like the one of The Dreamland Amusement Arcade at Margate with its wonderful colours and motion blur.  It reminds even more of some of my images of the Christmas Fair in Edinburgh taken in 2012 and shown below.

Personal Evaluation.
These photographs remind me quite a lot of Joel Meyerowitz's images in his book Cape Light, especially those taken in a seaside context.  They fit really well into my location for Assignment 1, as I 'My Neighbourhood' is the seaside resort of Cleethorpes.  In the same way that Meyerowitz's work does, they are typical of what I consider to be slightly faded 60s transparencies although the fairground images are much more saturated.  I like the fairground images for this reason and also because of the motion blur.  I have tried to achieve the same effect in my Edinburgh images above and they also remind me of some firework images I took last Autumn where I used a long exposure to record the movement of the sparklers and then rear curtain flash to light up and stop the movement in the children:

Bibliography:

Mizrahi, I. (2013) John Hinde Postcards [online] Photographer's Gallery. Available from http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/john-hinde-3 [Accessed 13 November 2013]

Assignment 1: Your Own Neighbourhood; More Images

I have been out and about again and have some more images to think about.  I wanted some more sunrise shots to consider, in particular one from the dunes where I have been photographing snow buntings (see my Mike's Natural Musings blog).  I envisaged the dune grasses in the foreground with the sun rising behind.  In the event, despite wading across the salt marsh in the predawn dark, it didn't happen.  Back to the drawing board for this one although I could do with it in the bag soon.  I also envisaged a shot from this location looking back towards Cleethorpes town in the early light.  I did get this but I would like a much more dramatic sky.  As I walked out over the marsh I noticed that the lights were still on in Cleethorpes and decided to take a shot.  As I focused I noticed that when the scene was slightly out of focus the lights recorded as a beautiful coloured globe.  I set the camera to manual and did this deliberately.

To view the images large, click on a thumbnail.

After leaving the beach I drove down to take some more shots of the pier.  I had wanted some to convert to black and white.  During post processing I enhanced the blue channel to bring out the clouds.  In the first shot I used a 10-20mm lens from a low angle to make it more dramatic.  I corrected the sloping verticals in Lightroom 5.

Wanting to try a few experimental shots for this assignment I decided to consider this one from a local high tide wader roost taken as I was beginning this module.  It is of a flock of godwits which are regular visitors to the Humber Estuary.  The light was poor so rather than use a high ISO to achieve a fast enough shutter speed to get a sharp image I went the other way.  I used a lower ISO and a slower shutter to produce motion blur provide an abstract image that conveys movement.

Project 1: Writing Descriptively; Writing a Caption.

For this exercise we are required to use the same photograph as the last but be much more specific in the writing.  First is required a 50 word caption about the subject and the secondly a 50 word caption about the photographic elements of the photograph.

• 50 word caption on the subject.

Part of a large flock of mixed waders beginning to move after the high tide.  The Humber is one of the top five most important estuaries in the UK and supports internationally important populations of waders and wild fowl.  It is highly regarded for its bird watching interest.(47 words)

• 50 word caption on the purely photographic elements of the image.

The image was taken towards the sunrise to back light the birds in a pleasing fashion and enhance the image with a warm sky suffused with orange.  The shot has been composed to create an interesting diagonal shape from top left to bottom right. (44 words)

What have I learned.

Despite the fact that the wording is longer in the first exercise, it was actually easier to do.  I find this narrative, anecdotal style easy and enjoyable.  It was much more difficult to be concise and specific, keeping to a strict word deadline as above.  50 words are very quickly used up.

Project 1: Writing Descriptively; Describe a Photograph

Mixed Wader Flock at Sunrise.

For this exercise I have decided to use an image that I have taken recently, specifically for Assignment 1: Your Own Neighbourhood.  For this assignment I have chosen to photograph the Lincolnshire Coast at Cleethorpes, partly because I spend a great deal of time here walking, relaxing, bird watching and, especially, indulging in landscape and wildlife photography.  I have also chosen this location because I used it for Assignment 4 in People and Place and wanted to expand and improve on what I had done then.

 To me, Cleethorpes is a traditional Lincolnshire Coastal holiday resort and I wanted to show this in my images, but it is also set on one of the most important estuaries for wildlife, certainly in the UK, but possibly worldwide, holding as it does hundreds of thousands of waders and wildfowl migrating from as far afield as the Arctic to spend the winter here.  Immediately south of the resort is Tetney Marshes, an important RSPB reserve and a wonderful wild place with a remote feeling.  I have shortlisted for the assignment some close up bird images that I have taken on this short stretch of coast and even on the resort beach itself but they could have been taken anywhere really.  What I particularly wanted was a shot that showed the large numbers of birds and also some of the landscape.  For this particular shot I was up early and down at one of my favourite spots in the area, The Fitties, area of the resort, while it was still dark.  I arrived before sunrise and just as the tide was beginning to recede.  It had been a big tide and had brought large numbers of waders high up the beach.  It was beautiful down there and I had the world to myself; the only sounds being the sea, wind and the slightly bad tempered mutterings of the wader flocks as they jostled for position.  I was delighted above this to hear the very distinctive sound of two whooper swans as they flew in from the sea, a majestic sight.  Sadly it was still nearly dark and so I took no pictures.  The courlie call of curlews echoed across the beach making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up; a hauntingly beautiful sound.  As the waders began to move, I was delighted to get a shots of them against the sky which was painted orange by the rising sun.

Once back home I downloaded the pictures from the memory card by importing them into Lightroom 5.  Browsing through the thumbnails I could see that I had some potentially good shots.  I settled on this one to process as I could see that, although I was not shooting quite into the rising sun, the birds were beautifully backlit.  I also liked the way the birds seem to fall diagonally from top left to bottom right as they settle back down on the edge of the tide.  The image needed no cropping, just a sloping horizon slightly levelling.  The next thing in my workflow was to increase the exposure slightly and also slightly increase the colour temperature to bring it back to the beautiful warm orange colours suffusing the sky as I remembered it.  The final stage in my post processing was to increase the clarity and vibrance slightly and give a very slight increase in saturation.

Assignment 1: Your Own Neighbourhood. First Thoughts.

It is unusual to begin a new module with an assignment so it has been interesting to dive in at the deep end.  I live in a small suburb of Grimsby/Cleethorpes which sit on the Humber Estuary.  As I spend a lot of my time at Cleethorpes and on the beaches and salt marshes that border the resort with both my landscape and wildlife photography I have decided to base this assignment on this as it is my 'local patch'.  I also used Cleethorpes as a subject for the very similar assignment in Photography 1: People and Place.  Having decided to use the Cleethorpes area again, I began by looking through my work for P&P and was rather pleased to feel that my work has definitely improved.  I then put those images to one side (apart from one which I shall discuss later) and went out to take some fresh ones especially for this assignment.  As well as conveying a strong sense of place, I also wanted to display a range of styles of photography.

Cleethorpes is small seaside resort adjoining the port of Grimsby.  I wanted to show some evidence on its use as a resort but to me Cleethorpes and its environs mean wide and expansive beaches and salt marshes and big skies.  The estuary is hugely important for wildlife and hundreds of thousands on waders, geese and waterfowl migrate to spend the winter here.  I feel that it is important that my photographs also illustrate this aspect of the area.

Although I have only started this blog today I have been out and about taking photographs for the assignment since I first received my course materials.

I include a selection of the images that I have begun shortlisting and will add to them as the assignment progresses.

One of the larger waders that can regularly be seen at the south end of the resort in an area known as The Fitties.  Little Egrets were at one time rare in this country but are now iconic birds of the east coast.

Snipe

During late summer and early autumn we experienced a series of wonderful sunrises and sunsets.  Here I have placed a groyne in the middle ground with the iconic pier in the background.

The same groyne a few moments later.

No people in this image of the small amusements but the fact that this is a resort used by people is implicit in this shot and the one below.

This image and the one below were taken on Cleethorpes beech at sunrise.  Later in the day in this wonderful early autumn weather, the beach was packed with visitors.  In the background to this shot is a P&O ferry on its way back to Hull from either Zeebrugge or Rotterdam.

A close up of the same groyne.

Cleethorpes is a well known and popular location for kite surfing which is the subject of the following set of images.  In this one the Bull sand fort can be seen in the distance.  There are two of these forts and they were part of the first world war coastal defences.

This shot shows the Haille sand fort as well as the surfer.

An interesting character on the local surf scene.

Although a flat estuarine part of the coast, the area does have its wrecks which are revealed at the lowest tides.

This and the next image show the same wreck with the famous Grimsby dock tower in the background.

Another wreck at the opposite end of the beach with the lighthouse and Spurn Point behind.

A classic wader of the estuary; an oystercatcher.

This and the shot below are snow buntings.  Their only breeding range in this country is the high tops of the Cairngorm Mountains.  We always get a few wintering birds on the dunes in Cleethorpes.

A mixed flock of waders flying in and settling as they are washed off their feeding grounds at high tide.  I was pleased to capture them against a wonderful sunrise.  These are just a fraction of the many thousands of birds that winter here.

I'm not sure whether it is a bit of a risk including this long exposure panning shot looking out over the beach.  I like the layers formed by the salt marsh in the foreground, then beach, sea and finally sky.

Sunrise at the south end of Cleethorpes in the are known as The Fitties, just before the sun popped up above the clouds.

End of season maintenance on one of the beach chalets.

Cleethorpes front is a favourite for runners.

Mountain biker taking a well earned rest.

Waiting for customers.

Visitors enjoying a rest and looking out to sea; the pier in the background.

The cycle lane on the sea front is always popular.

Every seaside resort needs its pier and donkey rides.

A visit to the pier is a must on a day at the seaside.

Cleethorpes sea front is always a popular gathering spot for 'bikers'.  Here a gleaming Harley awaits its owners return.

One of our more unconventional visitors.  

He was more than happy to have his photo taken.

Two visitors standing on the Greenwich Meridian line whilst reading the information board.  I have deliberately included the shadow of the sign and distance post pointing to, among other destinations, the north and south poles.

Salt marsh, big sky and Spurn Point.  I liked the warm autumn colours in this scene.