Assignment 5: Covering an Event; The Tour de France. Reading and Research.

During the summer while I was planning the photography and reconnoitering for The Tour de France I cam across a pamphlet advertising an exhibition of cycling photography by Lincoln based photographer Phil Crow.  Sadly I missed the exhibition but found the pamphlet and Crow's website interesting.  In the pamphlet Dr Mark Smith, Principal Lecturer in the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Lincoln University says that success in cycling in the Olympics and the Tour de France brings with it responsibility.  The success has increased the interest and participation  in cycling and the next step is to ensure a shared community responsibility is achieved in supporting and nurturing this interest.  As part of this he says that Lincoln University is proud to support the exhibition. (Smith, M. 2014)  Lyn Strydon, Cycle Officer, Lincs County Council, says that the exhibition is a fantastic snapshot into cycling in Lincolnshire over the Lincoln Grand Prix cycling weekend. (Strydon, L. (2014)  In the same pamphlet Crow says that the exhibition came about in an attempt to encourage people to get on their bikes following the recent international successes on the cycling stage.  The exhibition featured images from the Festival of Cycling, an amateur sportive, held in conjunction with the professional Lincoln Grand Prix.  Crow's website features images of the exhibition itself and also shots of local cyclists taking part in the sportive.  When planning my work for this assignment I was inspired by this work and it made me realise that I needed to focus on local riders and spectators enjoying the sport of cycling and not just the professional riders in the Tour de France itself, although these would be the key images.

Being a keen cyclist, I have read the cycling press for many years, especially around Tour de France time.  One photographer who stands out in my mind over the years is Graham Watson.  Born in 1956, Watson worked for society photographer Lenare from 1972-1977 when he learned the basics of his craft.  Following a visit to the Tour de France in 1977, he won a competition in Cycling Weekly and his career as a cycling photographer began.  Initially he covered British races, but gradually began to work in Europe and on the Tour de France.  He is now established as on of the greats of cycling photography and his clients include the governing body of international cycling, the UCI, and a host of cycling magazines in this country and world wide.  I have always found his work inspirational.  I really like his close ups of individual riders, often taken with a wide angle or standard lens and his telephoto shots of groups of riders often head on with the tele lens compressing the perspective.  His wider shots are also excellent especially ones he manages to get most years where he shows the riders behind a field of sunflowers, iconic Tour de France and high summer in France.  Also, looking back to the course project on researching web slideshows, his website has several excellent ones containing all those features I felt to be important when I was writing up the project: 

• automation
• a soundtrack, either commentary or music or a combination
•  captions either underneath the slides or superimposed on the image.  
• the option to pause in order to view an image in detail and in one's own time or the option of a manual alternative.  

Another inspirational cycling photographer is Belgian photographer, Tim de Waele, who among other publications, photographs for the Tour de France Official Programme.  Like Watson de Waele's images show both close ups and distance shots of individual riders and the whole peloton (the main group of riders in a race).  His wider images, also like those of Watson feature the landscape, something I would like to include.  From video footage on his website it can be heard that his camera is set to fast continuous. This is important also in sports photography in order to catch just that special moment.

References and Websites
References and Website
Crow,P (2014) On Your Bike Lincolnshire An exhibition of Cycling Photography
Available from: http://www.philcrow.com/folio/exhibitions/ [Accessed 8.11.14]

De Waele, T. (2014) Photography Available from: http://www.tdwsport.com/ [Accessed 8.11.14]

Smith, M. (2014) On Your Bike Lincolnshire Exhibition Pamphlet

Strydon, L. (2014) On Your Bike Lincolnshire Exhibition Pamphlet

Watson, G. (2014) Cycling Photographer 
Available from: http://www.grahamwatson.com/about/bio.html [Accessed 8.11.14]

Project 14: Research and Analyse Web Slideshows

Although all of the slideshows I looked at were essentially similar there was one major difference. The vast majority were self run, meaning that the viewer had to click an arrow to move onto the next slide when they were ready.  On or two, however, and in my view the best, were automatic; when the viewer clicked on the show it then ran automatically.  Again the best of these also had an audio accompaniment.  Most had captions to go with the images but one or two did not; this was not too much of a problem if they were based on a titled theme and bore some linking relationship, but in one or two the images were unrelated.  Some used fading and dissolving to enhance the effect of the show but many moved from one image to the next without.

The only feature that all of the shows had in common were that the viewer was presented with a series of images which in some cases bore no relationship to each other, although the majority were linked by a theme.

Many do not allow the viewer to choose the method of playing the show.  Those that are played manually often have thumbnails of the images at the bottom, allowing the viewer to click on one they are interested in and therefore short circuit the show.  Automated ones allow the viewer to fast forward.  Although the photographer or publication would no doubt prefer the viewer to view the show from beginning to end, from the point of view of the viewer who may have time pressures and is perhaps looking for something specific, being able to short circuit the show is desirable.

The standard of slide shows varies tremendously.  The least user friendly are often those of publications, which may be complicated to operate, do not run smoothly or give the viewer no choice in how the show is viewed.  Of the best: those that are automated with a soundtrack only allow the viewer to watch the complete show or to fast forward.  It would be good to have the option of a manually operated alternative so that the viewer can dwell on particular images, perhaps at full screen, although they do generally have the option of a pause button.

If I were to construct a slide show for one of these sites my priorities would be:

• automation
• a soundtrack, either commentary or music or a combination
•  captions either underneath the slides or superimposed on the image.  The caption could be programmed to fade in and out in order that the image can be viewed without the distraction of the caption
• the option to pause in order to view an image in detail and in one's own time or the option of a manual alternative.  This would, however, be complicated to construct and take up space on the site.

Of the sites that I have seen, my preferred two are both automated.  The Guardian/Observer's Month in Photography from 7th January 2011 by Jim Powell is series of non related images.  There is the option, though, of having captions, which can be hidden if desired.  The show can be viewed part or full screen, although at full screen the captions are automatically hidden.  The show could be watched at small screen with the captions and then in order to enjoy the best of the images at full screen.  The show is accompanied by a moody electronic soundtrack. (http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/interactive/2011/jan/06/new-review-month-in-photography)

Magnum Photos Rumble in the Jungle slide show features images by Abbas and is of the famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Forman in Zaire in 1974.  The soundtrack is a mixture of music and original recording from the build up and the fight itself.  The black and white images are shown either one at a time or several to a screen.  Sometimes they are changed rapidly, giving the impression of video footage, at other times they are left for longer on the screen with panning across them.  Still images are interspersed with captions.

Many website packages include a slide show such as Zenfolio and Clickpic, which I use for my own website.  There is also a range of software to enable photographers to construct their own slideshows.  I use the ProShow Gold produced by Photodex for my own shows.  This allows the user to build a sophisticated show incorporating automation, a fast forward and pause feature, captions, and a soundtrack.  The soundtrack could be a commentary, sound effects or music, which can be whole tracks or just clips.  There is a large range of transitions, although I tend to keep them to fade and dissolve to avoid distracting from the images.  Images can also be zoomed into or panned across.  As part of this Exercise I have included one of my own slide shows incorporating all of those features which I consider to be high priority.  Unfortunately it doesn't load up to my blog site but I include it on the memory stick containing  my work.

Web slide shows researched

The Guardian/Observer Month in Photography.  Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/interactive/2011/jan/06/new-review-month-in-photography

New York Times Travel's PhotoFeed Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2014/03/10/travel/travel-photo-feed.html#30

Paris Match Janvier 2011 Available from: http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/International/Janvier-2011-482803#482844

Stern  Available from: http://www.stern.de/

Visit England Escape to Another Place Available from: http://www.visitengland.com/experience/escape-another-place

The Telegraph Animal Pictures of the Week  Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8274567/Animal-pictures-of-the-week-21-January-2011.html?image=7

Sodahead.com A Beautiful Slideshow of Nature Available from: http://www.sodahead.com/living/a-beautiful-slideshow-of-nature/question-1982409/?slide=8

National Geographic Photo of the Day Available from: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/great-gray-snow-finland/

Magnum Photos Rumble in the Jungle Available from: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/great-gray-snow-finland/

Northshots Nature Photography by Peter Cairns Available from: http://northshots.photoshelter.com/
 Graham Watson Cycling Photographer Portfolio http://www.grahamwatson.com/galleries/portfolio.html

Project 13: Analyse an Essay on Photography

The Vertigo of Displacement by David A. Bailey and Stuart Hall

In one sentence, what is the central argument of this essay?

During the 1980s there was a shift in the way people view black photography as there was a move away from one guaranteed objective view to a concern with representing multiple views in both the arts and documentary photography.

The discussion in regard to photography is set within a larger socio-political framework.  Do you feel this is justified by the evidence presented?

Yes I do feel that the statement is justified by the evidence presented.  The essay refers to social and political changes, especially in the GLC and refers to to a change in documentary representation where truth and realism become blurred and multilayered.

To what extent is the argument limited to Britain in the 1980s, and do you think it would be useful to refer to related movements in other countries?

The essay mostly limits itself to Britain in the 1980s, although Robert Mapplethorpe was American and Rotomu Fani-Kayode was Nigerian born and lived in both Britain and America.  The argument would be more complete if trends in America and wider Europe were considered as the issues raised were and continue to be, relevant to all people everywhere.

The essay raises the issue of eligibility - in this case, whether or not a photographer of black subjects should be black themselves.  What are your views on this?  What are the wider implications of this issue?

Black photographers are not just black; they are young/old, male/female, gay/heterosexual etc and they may not, necessarily, represent the interests of their race and other factors may influence their work.  A non-black photographer may document black culture and issues equally or more dispassionately.  The essay focuses on black male photographers and subjects. but there are wider issues to be addressed: black females, females in general, privileged and poor, influential and downtrodden, able bodied and disabled as well as the issues of other races and ethnic groups.  The same questions could be asked of Asia; would issues within India only be fairly represented by an Indian Hindu photographer or can the conflicts in the Middle East only be represented by western photographers or should the work be undertaken by Middle Eastern photographers and, if so, which faith?

Assirnment 3: Response to Tutor's Comments, Image Retakes.

Rather belatedly I have finally got around to retaking some of the images for Assignment 3.
Image 1

It was felt that image one was spot on in almost every respect but I had not held the piece of jetsam in such a way that made it visually interesting.When I returned yesterday I couldn't believe it when I rediscovered the same  pot of paint.  With the comment clear in my head and a copy of the original image on my phone I set up the shoy again this time ensuring that I held the tin more upright to reveal the writing and hide the rusty bottom which dominates the shot.  The results are shown below:-

Of the three images I prefer the middle one.  I feel that I have not recreated the shot exactly and I have a better angle in the original one but I do take the point about the rusty bottom of the can. Taking a self portrait is a bit hit and miss and I was concentrating more on revealing the can than the angle of the shot.

Image 2

This was also thought to be good, although I ought to have used a more colourful object. Although he suggests that I might not want to re shoot such a complicated shot, having revisited the location I felt it would be a shame not to do so.  The results are shown below:-

I tried two different objects for this, again trying for as exact a replica as I could but again struggling somewhat with a self-portrait using my compact supported on a walking pole stuck in the sand.  I prefer the first shot as it is more obvious what the object is and the bright red lid of the coffee container does stand out more than the old shoe in the original.

Images 4, 6 and 7
Images 4,6 and 7, along the same lines as 3, lacked some colour. 

On my return visit I took some more shots using brightly coloured items of jetsam:-

Image 7 was a macro shot which I shall replace with the bright red stopper from the retakes.  Of the other 3, I prefer the old glove, as it fits well with one of the studio shots and the green sealant is more interesting than the juice container.  It asks the questions where did it come from, what was being sealed and is the oozing left-over sealant safe?

Image 5

I found this shot the most difficult to improve.  My tutor suggested that I look at the negative spaces within the frame and he played aorund with some crop overlay tools to reveal the structure of the composition more clearly.  The thing that was most obvious to me was that I had not centred the large red to at the beginning of the spiral. I recreated my original arrangement as best as I could and overlayed it with a piece of clear plastic with the overlays drawn on it to illustrate this.

Next I moved the tops around until I had  the large red one centered and some of the tops on the diagonals.  This still left negative space at the bottom left but without extending the spiral I feel this is unavoidable.

Finally I removed the plastic and supporting corks and took another shot.

I still feel that there is very definitely a large negative space at the bottom left which needs filling. The only way I can see to do this is to extend the spiral.

Still not happy with these images, I have had another go adding a few more bottle tops to enlarge the spiral and fill that space in the bottom left, whilst still keeping the colours in the order of the spectrum.

This shot still has my plastic overlay in place to show that the centre of the spiral is in the centre of the image and also that I have continued to place tops on the diagonals.

Now I have removed the plastic overlay, I am much happier with the image.  The image looks more complete and I have filled the empty bottom left section.

Construction and photographing these spirals got me thinking about others and I decided to photograph an ammonite, both the actual fossil and also its impression to reveal its spiral nature.

I discovered from Wikipedia that a spiral has two definitions:
a. A curve on a plane that winds around a fixed center point at a continuously increasing or decreasing distance from the point.b. A three-dimensional curve that turns around an axis at a constant or continuously varying distance while moving parallel to the axis; a helix.
My work only covers this first definition and there are several variations of a 2D spiral:

• an Archimedian spiral

• a Cornu spiral

• Fermat's spiral

• A hyperbolic spiral

• a Lituus

• a Logarithmic spiral

• a spiral of Theodorus

The one I have constructed would appear to be an Archimedian spiral.

An Archimedian Spiral

Spirals have long been a source of inspiration in art, examples being Robert Smithson's Earthwork 'Spiral Jetty' at the Great Salt Lake in Utah, Andy Goldsworthy's work and also that of Martin Waters.
A logarithmic spiral adheres to the mathematical Fibinaci sequence and examples are often found in nature: nautilus shell, our spiral galaxy, sunflower heads, a romanesque cauliflower and the ammonite illustrated above.

Learning Logs or Blogs
It was suggested that I might expand on how Waters and Orozco have influenced my approach.  I have done this in my final submission notes, both in the word document and my final submission blog.

Referencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral

Assignment 4: The Critical Review. Response to Tutor's Coments.

The report from my tutor was again thorough and encouraging.  As, expected there were areas to work on and some very specific suggestions for improvement.  It was felt that research and referencing were fine but I had made the classic blunder of not putting my references in alphabetical order; easy to remedy.  It was felt that I needed to provide a little more depth in some areas which had been outlined.  It was also suggested that structurally there was some repetition, and for my final draft I should step back a little and think clearly about my key argument which should be presented succinctly in the introduction and developed in the main body of the essay and then brought together for the conclusion.  It was felt that it is worth revising to match the standards of my practical work and it was not far off.

So encouraging and not a major rewrite.

Assignment 4: A Critical Review. First thoughts and essay plan.

Now that I am back from Scotland it is time to continue with Assignment 4, my critical review.  Of the suggested topics, I have opted for the historical one using landscape photography as my vehicle.  I am interested in the history of photography, landscape in particular and wondered how much photographers from the past are influencing landscape photography today.  My initial suggestion for a title was:

To What Extent Are Landscape Photographers Today Influenced by the Pictorialist and Straight Photographers of the Past?

With this in mind I sent my first proposal to my tutor:

At the moment my argument is based on my observations and reading on landscape photography both from the past and of current photographers and also on a 'gut feeling' and the way I feel that my own practice has changed over the last couple of years.  I have yet to do my in depth research and may be proved wrong.  The argument is that in the early years of photography, photographers wanted there work to be considered fine art and so produced fine, hand-crafted prints, often with soft focus effects.  These were the Pictorialists and they formed societies promoting the cause of photography as a fine art rather than a mere mechanised form of image making.  As a reaction to this, in the early years of the 20th century, some photographers adopted a factual style or 'straight' photography where subjects were recorded sharply and with precision.  These photographers included Ansel Adams and Group f64.  Some photographers began as Pictorialists, but later embraced the philosophy of straight photography and even became some of its more ardent advocates; such photographers as Weston, Stieglitz and Steichen.  These two styles of photography are the ancestors of photography today.  I will argue that for may years of the 20th century, perhaps into the 21st century landscape photographers shunned Pictorialist ideals and followed those of 'Straight Photography'.  During the last decade, however, and perhaps with the increased use of digital photography, there is a return to a Pictorialist style of photography.  Two techniques that come to mind: the first is the use of ultra long exposures to give a milky smoothness to running water  to record the passage of time (Adams prided himself on the use of fast shutter speeds to capture a moment in time); the second is the use of Intentional Camera Movement photograph.  Of course it must remembered that neither of these techniques are actually 'new'.

I know that you have warned me about trying to cover both 'Straight' Photography' and Pictorialism, but I am not sure that I can argue my case otherwise.  I take your point, however, and if I start getting bogged down I shall have to rethink.

Sources that I plan to use include:

Jeffries, Photography a Concise History - Chapter 5 is good on Pictorialism

Beaumont Newhall, The History of Photography -  Chapters on Art Photography, Pictorial Photography and Straight Photography

20th Century Landscape Photography, Bill Brandt,

Books by Ansell Adams and reference to last years (?) major exhibition at Greenwich and the exhibition catalogue

The Photograph Gallery at the V&A

Books by Joel Mererowitz, Galen Rowell, Joe Cornish, Carlie Waite, David Ward,

Current magazine articles, especially Outdoor Photography, BJP and National Geographic

Exhibitions by Charlie Waite and Don McCullin

Websites

As this is a vast topic I wanted to focus in on landscape photography, partly to narrow it down and also because this is my favoured genre, along with wildlife.

My tutor felt that my proposal was a reasonable one but that the tile was rather awkward and vague.  Through discussion we settled on:

The Rebirth of Pictorialism in Photography. Is a return to Pictorialism Finally Threatening the Dominance of 'Straight' Photography?

Having made my proposal and agreed a title, it was time to think of an essay plan:-

I decided that the best way forward would be to use the plan suggested in the course notes.

Introductory Paragraph (150 words)

Introduce the question I have asked in the title.  Be provocative?

Introduction (500 words)

Describe the situation and historical background and what has occurred within this that has prompted the review.  Setting the scene

Outline of Argument (200 words)

Introduction to the argument to be made.  Summarise what will be looked at and how, and give an indication to the conclusion to be drawn at the end.

Body of the Argument (1000 words)

Development of the argument, paragraph by paragraph.  Counter arguments to be mentioned where relevant and position stated on them.

Conclusion (150 words)

Recapitulate and summarise the argument; draw conclusion and state how this affects my own photography

Apart from combining the first two sections I endeavoured to stick to this plan and sent my completed essay to my tutor on 21st October.

Images from Scotland

It seems a long while since I have posted on my PWDP blog; the reason being an extended holiday to Scotland, visiting Musselburgh and Edinburgh, The Cairngorms National Park, the far north west and the Moray Firth.  We were extremely lucky with the weather and had a fabulous time.  My diary and all the images can be found on my Natural Musings blog but I include a relatively small selection here.

To view large, please click on an image.

Glen Quoich, Cairngorms

Ancient Caledonian Pines, Glen Quoich

The head of Glen Avon and The Shelter Stone

Loch Etchachan with Ben Macdui behind

Glenn Dee and The Devil's Point

Fly Agaric, Braemar

Old Fishing Floats, Achiltibuie

Achiltibuie

The beach, Achmelvic

Rocks and shells, Achmelvic

West coast sunset

Sandwood Bay and the sea stack of Am Buachalle

Reflections, Loch Assynt

Canisp and Suilven

Map Lichen

The summit Ridge on Suilven, Canisp behind

Bottlenose Dolphin, Moray Firth

Canonry Point Lighthouse, Moray Firth

Snipe, Musselburgh Scrapes

Golden Plover, Firth of Forth

The Old Man of Stoer

Knot, Aberlady

Aberlady Bay

Milne's Court, Edinburgh, taken with Hipstamatic smarthone app