Reply to Ass. 5 critique.

The following is in answer to Jesse Alexander's critique of my Ass 5 submission.

Hi Jesse,

Thank you for the feedback and am pleased you like the concept of the assignment.  

I have a copy of Geoff Dyer’s The Ongoing Moment which, at your suggestion, I have re-read.  This work must influence any photographer who is working on a continuing theme.  The subject of this assignment could indeed be continued, and is open ended for that reason.  The only limit on the number of images was the one imposed in the assignments remit of fifteen images.  Much the work that I have submitted for the last two modules has, by design, been open ended with left room for further investigation and study.  In this module all of the submitted assignments have room for development.  The FSA submission is only a small part of the research I carried out.  The Trolly submission was one of a number of ideas I had and was not the first submission.  The single image narrative is a subject I love and is nearer to Cartier-Bresson’s decisive moment than to Dyer’s ongoing moment.  I carry a camera wherever I go and am constantly on the look for that moment.  Local Communities are in constant change and the challenge is to record it.  

In the Landscape Module I left all of the assignments open ended so that I could return to them.  

My selection of photographic technique for each picture was very much dictated by the location and the available light.  The stained glass restorers work piece was backlit by flash as under normal light the old glass looked dark and gloomy.  The cycle gears were front lit by flash to bring out the harsh metallic quality of the subject and to show clearly the grimy hands of the repairer.  The dentist shot was taken using the surgery lights, while the fisherman shot was taken using natural light.  Each one presented a different problem that required a different answer.

With the exception of the flee market image and the Harbour Master’s hand, all the pictures were staged.   Even these two subjects were aware of me taking their pictures.

I have changed the last picture for one of a tailor.  I took a number of images that have not been used.  

The idea of this exercise was that of an exhibition within Deal; a town so small that the ownership of most of these hands would be pretty well known without the benefit of faces.  

As I said, I wanted to expand the idea presented in Assignment One, which was one of  Who serves Deal.  Although I wanted the individuals to be anonymous I wanted their rolls to be evident.  Perhaps I didn’t make this clear.  I agree that this could be an open and on going project but the remit of the Assignment was for 15 images.  As I said above, I took more than fifteen images an it was from these spares that I made a selection.  

Your criticism about the clarity of my blog is well founded, but unfortunately I haven’t a clue how to reorganise it.   Twice I have attempted to reorganise my blog and improve its look and accessibility.  This has not worked out well, with me crashing the blog each time and spend much time rebuilding it.  I was brought up in the days of Imperial and Olivetti typewriters, carbon paper and correction fluid.   The blog may not be brilliant but it is as good as it is going to be.

I would appreciate the benefit of a pre assessment tutorial.

Regards,

Barney Case,

Spain 2016.

Spain 2016.

A was recently asked to supply images for an office at North Deal Community Centre that has been designated a counselling  room.  While in Spain this year I was on the lookout for suitable subjects.  

Two of the images fit in rather well with this course; one with it's message about the separation of generation and the other the surreal juxtaposition of person and door.

I was drinking at a bar opposite a church, outside which the boys and the man were sat. The boys were alternately showing off to passing girls and playing with their phones.  The man on the bench got more and more agitated and eventually moved off.  His annoyance is clearly visible in this shot.

This second image was pure luck.  I was taking photographs of doors for my wife, who later uses them in her painting.  As I set up to photograph this strange door when my wife shouted that a nun was about to walk into shot.  As she came into the scene I took the shot.  The motion blur was not intended but works well to show movement.  A little perspective correction and the image was done.  

Conclusion of Module.

This has, overall, been an enjoyable module with a reasonable amount of time allowed to actually take photographs.  The discipline of working to tight specifications has, at times, proved taxing.  I have been taking, selling and publishing photographs for the past forty years and it is difficult to change the way I see the world.  I hope I am open to new ideas and have, in the work I have produced, shown that an old dog can learn new tricks. 

Two photographers stand out from this course; the first, Martin Parr has grown from a photographer that I was aware of the a photographer that has become an inspiration, and whom I hope has an influence in my work.  The second is a man I was hardly aware but now admire, not only for his photography, but as an inspiration for life. That man is Gordon Parks.   Without bitterness he rose from very humble beginnings to a position where he could influence the whole of humanity.  

Essay writing has proved a problem. Most my previous writing, as a police officer, has been report writing about first hand experiences rather than the requirement of an formulating an argued position.  The Harvard notation system is a constant headache but I seem to be getting on top of it.

Should I be successful with this submission I will most certainly take a break and concentrate on a number of personal ventures I have been working on.

Conclusion to Part Five

The idea at the start was to remove people from their actions by featuring their hands alone rather than, as has been done before,  removing the whole person from their environment by placing them in a studio setting.

This process has totally anonymised them so they are represented by their actions alone.

Where and how will I present this work?  I already display my work in two venues in Deal and it is at one of these that I may hang these pictures with a little game of,  "Spot the hand".

I have worked on this alone as my tutor, Gina Lundy, is off on maternity leave.

Assignment five: Personal Project.

Assignment Five: Personal Project.

The first Assignment of this Documentary module asked each student to introduce their local community through pictures.  This I did by way of images of the local trades men and women with whom I interact on a daily basis.  

The images were recognisably people that one can see in and around Deal.  For assignment five I wanted to expand that idea and include things for which this area is famous, and have included such things as golf, bird-watching and our flea markets.  I have also included the theme of family with an image of one of my grandsons grandson holding my hand and another grandson practicing his maths.

The biggest change to the earlier piece is that this time I have anonymised the people in the images.  During this module I have seen photographers remove people from their environment by placing them in a studio or by photographing them in front of a white cloth, which has the same affect; removing them from their environment and isolating them.   This has the effect of making the viewer concentrate on the person and not the scene. See Eric Lafforque's work in The Daily Mail. (Lafforque, 2015) 

Elliott Erwitt famously portrayed people through their dogs by the expedient of either excluding most of the owners bodies or having the position of the dog block out the owner's details. (Erwitt, 1998).

It was a mixture of these ideas that that led me to take the following series of images which feature only the hands of the subjects.  I do not present them in any order.

Reference:
Erwitt, E. (1998). Dog Dogs. Phaidon. 

Lafforque E. (2015). "Moving portraits of the 'dying art' of tribal tattoos captured in West Africa, where scars are a symbol of beauty and children are cut to 'rid them of evil' " In The Daily Mail [online] At:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3256606/Moving-portraits-dying-art-tribal-tattoos-captured-West-Africa-scars-symbol-beauty-children-cut-rid-evil.html

The Glazier.  
Corley's glass works carries out specialist repair work on old stained glass.

Butchery.
Deal has three butchers shops as well as a number of others that visit on market days.

Fisherman.
Deal, and especially the pier, is a very popular place for fisherman.  Here is one baiting a hook with a worm.

Flee market at Walmer.
The  Deal Braderie and the Walmer Brocante markets are annual street flea markets that attract both dealers and punters from far and wide. 

Money changes hand at flee market.
This actually me receiving change after buying two pieces of Poole pottery.  Bargain!

Dentist.
This image represents the many health centres and dentist in the town..

Drink and conversation.

Deal has over fifty pubs and restaurants.  Spoilt for choice.

The Artist.

The light found in this part of Kent attracts many artists.  J. M. W. Turner famously painted in this area, and George Rowlett still works does.

Cycle Repairer.

Deal is on the National Cycle Route One, which in this stretch is gloriously flat.

Harbour Master.

Colin Carr is the Harbour Master of Sandwich, which is one of Kent oldest harbours with a continuous history stretching back Roman times. 

The Music Scene.

Many of the pubs and restaurants have live music.  The Astor Theatre is an active community theatre hosting many musical acts.

Bird Watching.

The Sandwich Bird Observatory next to Sandwich Bay which is an area of national importance.

Golf.

Deal is ringed by five five golf courses including the Open Course of St. Georges.

Barman.

A welcome sight to be found in our many pubs.

The Tailor.

Are you being served?

The next image is one that was criticised in the feedback as being over sentimental.

Exercise: Kingsmead Eyes.

Exercise: Kingsmead Eyes.

Another dead link.

Research Point: With a little help from my friends.

Research Point: With a little help from my friends.

Another dead link.

http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/features/1936101/crowd-funding-little-help-friends

Entry on bpj's site:-

Oops! That page can’t be found.

Tried direct and indirect search for this item but to no avail.