Assignment 1 – A Portrait

In Part One of  People and Place, I carried out a variety of exercises based on Portrait photography.  The elements covered within this are:

Framing – How to frame your subject, face, face and shoulders, full body etc.

Backgrounds – Looking at different backgrounds to get different styles.

Light – How light impacts on the mood of the photograph and how this can be manipulated.

Activity – Portraits showing your subject during an activity.

Context – How objects are placed with the subject to give a narrative.

Expression – Showing the different expressions with the face of your subject.

Eye Contact – Engaging the subject.

Focal Length – How longer focal lengths give more flattering features.

Pose – Successfully posing  your subject to look natural.

This assignment is based around these elements and showing how they are used when photographing people.  The following set of six photographs show different elements of portraiture and I will give an example of what I have particularly focussed on for each image.

Pose

Here I wanted the subject to looked natural and relaxed.  He’s clearly looking down at what is beneath the bridge so his head is posed naturally towards the view.  His eyes are focussed on the view too.  To make this a more natural pose I asked my subject to raise one foot onto the wooden bar and put one hand on another wooden bar.  His hand looked nicely posed but the foot looked forced and awkward so I asked my subject to place his foot where it felt comfortable for him whilst raising his knee.  This is the resulting image.  What I like about this photograph is the symmetry of the bridge and how the path leads you into the photo.  The foliage on the left balances out the subject.  I wish I’d have given more thought to the colours my subject was wearing just to stand out a little more.  Maybe a contrasting colour to green could have been used.

Eye Contact

I do question whether this composition is a good one or not.  In all honesty, I’m still undecided but there is something very natural about this photograph.  The colours of Autumn are striking against the deep blue of the clothing which also compliments the eyes.  Every time I look at this photo I’m drawn to the eyes as they are focussed on the camera looking straight down the lens.  This is difficult to achieve with a five-year old!

When looking at the above photograph where I’m not sure if the pose is good or not I think I’ve just pushed the boundaries of what I’ve previously been taught is a good composition.  I aim to become more comfortable with asking my subjects if I photograph them in ways that aren’t traditional.

Activity

I carried out a photo walk with my subject asking them to photograph what they saw and liked.  He stopped to take a photograph of a puddle when I saw a reflection of him with a tree in the background and I thought it looked great.  Whilst he was engrossed in his activity I took a photograph of his reflection.  Although you can’t see much of his face I’m not shy of excluding faces from photographs.  In fact this is my next personal project.  So, that doesn’t bother me, its whether you can see that he’s taking photographs and carrying out an activity that I’m not sure of.  I know he’s taking photos and my brain tells me that he has a camera in his hand but I’m not sure it’s clear to people who don’t know.  I also like the colouring that’s reflected back, especially the blue of the sky.

Background

When I saw this background I was über excited.  It was so colourful yet uniformed enough to not be distracting.  I asked my subject to walk along gazing at the books on the shelf.  Was thinking his burgundy trousers would really pick out the deep reds of the books and he would stand out amongst the other colours going on.  He did have a rather impressive large dinosaur book in his hand which made his prop relevant to the scene.  Now I’m reviewing this photograph I think that the subject doesn’t stand out enough.  It may be because of the book he’s carrying is covering his legs and those burgundy trousers which were meant to be a feature.  Maybe I should have removed his coat because its merges in with the wooden bookcase too much.  Either way my initial excitement has been dampened and I’m yet to revisit Hay on Wye to try this out again.

Framing

This photograph is about where my subject is placed in relation to the surrounding to form a narrative.  If I’d have cropped in closer giving more detail of my subject I would have lost the narrative.  With a wider framing we can see ‘Superman’ is running along a path, under foliage growing around arches to form a tunnel.  This makes the activity more exciting.  I purposely chose contrasting colours to make my subject stand out more from the background……a lesson learnt from the previous photograph!

Context

This photograph has a few important elements for me.  The lighting for one, is giving the face and body that boost it needs especially when your subject is wearing a hat.  The time of day this was taken is important to the success of this photograph.  It’s early evening and the sun is low in the sky allowing a burst of side light to my subject and casting long shadows.  The reason I have put emphasis on context here is by including the line of umbrellas along the shore line.  I think it’s clear we’re on a beach but my subject is walking away from the shore line indicating that it’s the end of the day and were heading home.  I also love the way my subject is holding his sandals in one hand and looking down as if to tread carefully.

Light

I love light.  I know, as a photographer I should love light but it really excites me.  I’m always thinking of different ways to use light and using different light sources.  In this photograph, my subject is watching a film on his iPad. It was dark outside and we had a lamp on in the lounge.  I saw the light radiating on his face and told him to hold his pose.  I switched off all the lights and there it was.  It lit his face up beautifully.  Again, I don’t buy into ‘you should be able to see your subjects eyes’, I mean why if he’s looking at something else!

I’ve been looking at the work of Annie Leibowitz and American portrait photographer, who puts a great emphasis on the way her subjects are posed.  What I learned from her is to open up the boundaries.  Her photograph of John Lennon and Yoko in bed, taken on the day John Lennon was shot, is posed in such a way you get the feeling of how much they love each other.  Yoko is lying flat in a vulnerable position with her hair  training straight up as if to give the impression she is being pulled.  John Lennon has his naked body so tightly wrapped around her as if he’s trying to cling on and prevent her being pulled away from him.  This makes John the more vulnerable of the two, you can feel his desperation to hold on to Yoko.

Another one of Annie Leibowitz photographs that caught my eye is Arnold Schwarzenegger sitting on his horse which a cigar in his mouth.  As if his muscles weren’t dramatic enough some quiet harsh lighting was using directed straight as the face of the horse.

The horse is even looking down as if it’s all too much but the shadows cast are add an interesting feel to the photograph overall.  I like that Arnold’s face and arm is light up perfectly with a little bit of a tease of muscle on the side.  His back and other arm is then completely in shadow and adds definition and depth to the photograph.

In conclusion a good photograph will include some of the above elements but a great photograph will have considered all of the above.

Richard Billingham

Sometimes when researching a photographers work you discover a connection to another.  I’m fascinated by photographers who’ve successfully carried out projects in and around the Black Country.  I was born in the black country and although my upbringing wasn’t stereotypical, I was exposed to certain associated attributes.  Whilst researching Martin Parrs work I came across his ‘black country stories’ series.  One photograph from this series that stood out for me was a father and son inside a factory in Cradley Heath.  I then looked at other projects carried out in Cradley heath and came across Richard Billingham.

Richard Billingham grew up in Cradley Heath with his parents, Raymond ‘Ray’, a chronic alcoholic and Elizabeth ‘Liz’, an obese chain smoker.  A book was released ‘Ray’s a laugh’ by Billingham chronicling his family life in photographs.  It’s a family album thats frank and honest and unlike others shows the good and the bad in a very matter of fact way.  Even at the young age of 19, Billingham had the foresight to document his family life exactly as it is, warts and all.

Although the idea of photographing Ray came out of a college project Billingham couldn’t have known the importance of his photographs until later.  When you look at the compositions they are awkward but this is over shadowed by the story they’re telling.  In the photo of Liz stretched out on the sofa the angle is incredibly unflattering which in this instance works very well.

Some of the photos are quite tense.  the one of Liz standing next to Ray with her fist clenched, Ray occupies such a small area of the frame with his face quite close to the edge and instantly evokes a feeling of frustration and a very tense moment.

It seems the more clutter in the backgrounds the better the story with every detail adding more narrative.

Ray is sat on the toilet floor and the door frame also frames the picture which ordinarily would have been in portrait format.  This one is in landscape format and instantly cuts off any view above Rays head.  It feels as though Ray is stuck down there.  There is no space to stand up into.  This is a true representation of Rays state at that time.  He couldn’t have stood up either as being an alcoholic we can assume he was too intoxicated.  This photograph tells that story perfectly.

I feel inspired to look through the photos I took as a child and teenager to see if I give an insight into true family life within our household.  Before I do, I’m guessing, my photos are all of happy smiling family members in an average house, with average furniture and nothing really to stand out from the norm.  I had my first camera at the age of 9 but only really recorded special days, special visitors and days out.  What a shame it didn’t occur to me to photograph life like Richard Billingham.

Peter Dazeley

I stumbled upon the work of Peter Dazeley when working on Part Three of People and Place which was about buildings and spaces.

Dazeley, a Londoner born and bred carried out a project called London Unseen.  In it, he visits buildings within London that are out of reach to the public and therefore ‘unseen’.  The series includes photographs of such iconic buildings such as, Battersea power station, Big Ben’s bells and Henry VIII’s wine cellar.

I can only imagine the hoops Dazeley had to jump through to obtain permission to gain entry to these places let alone agreed to photograph them.  The planning must have been immense and the execution just as intense.

What I like about Dazeleys work is that it’s quite simplistic in nature.  He has the right balance of additions and omissions from his work to get across to his audience the atmosphere of a room the scale of a building.

Aldwych: The disused London Underground station was only closed in 1994 and is still visible above ground. It was used by thousands of Londoners during the Blitz.

 

The Bell inside Big Ben, showing its crack and hole – caused in 1859.

Dead Man’s Walk: A legacy of the old Newgate Prison, this exists under the Old Bailey – and was the route that a condemned prisoner followed from the cell to the gallows.

The main pump room of Crossness Pumping Station, showing off the engineering secret of Victorian sewer systems. It is open to visitors four times a year.

 

The hexagonal central hall of Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, which dates back more than 150 years and is one of the biggest prisons in Europe.

King Henry VIII’s wine cellar, built in 1516, which is now under the Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall.

Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green, which launched the career of Audley Harrison.

A safe deposit entrance at the Midland Bank in Poultry, with a 25-ton vault door, guarding 3,800 private boxes of varying sizes.

Control Room A: Battersea Power Station’s control desk, marble walls, elaborate ceiling and wooden floor. Some instrumentation is housed in wall-mounted displays.

Researching Dazeleys work and in particular the ‘London unseen’ series helped me to understand which elements are needed within a photograph to best describe its use and function.

One of the photographs that stands of to me is ‘Dead mans walk’.  It is essentially a photograph of a series of arches forming a corridor.  What I noticed is the clinical nature of the tiled walls, they’re everywhere and this coupled with the concrete floor gives a very unwelcome look to the place. The archways that appear within each other seem endless because they disappear into darkness.  This is very indicative of what the corridor is used for.  Criminals sentenced to death walking into the eternal darkness.  Of course without a footnote we wouldn’t really know what the purpose of this building was but it’s sinister feel gives a good indication.

In the London Underground photograph, Dazeley places himself on the actual train tracks giving a low down view of the building.  I think he’s done this to focus on the main event, that is, the trains viewpoint, whilst also allowing the viewer to see the platform and the tunnel going into the distance.

So, it’s not just what Dazeley choses to photograph, its where he decides is the best perspective to tell the story to it’s fullest.  Whilst being successful in doing this he also produces a very pleasing photo.  One thing Iove in photos is symmetry and Dazeley seems to have this style down to a tee.

 

Selective processing and prominence

So far no consideration has been given to post processing techniques and how they fit in with making people or place less or more prominent in an image.

I chose a photograph I took on one of my many photowalks for this section of the course and set about making the figures seem either more or less prominent in the frame.

For the post processing I used a Photoshop software and some very basic tools.  Firstly I selected the background and made adjustments to only that.  I increased the exposure and brightness of the background which made the figures stand out more.

I have read about the controversial opinions of post processing and purists believe it’s not part of the art of photography but if it makes the difference between a good photo and a great photo then surely the end result is what matters regardless of the process.

Balancing figure and space

I chose these photographs from two previous exercises to demonstrate how to control the balance of attention between figure and space.

In this photograph 1 the eye is drawn to the figure but in Photograph two the eye is focussed more on the landscape.  Both figures are in similar positions and both facing away from the camera although the balance of attention is different.

Photograph 1:

Photograph 2:

What makes the figure in photograph one hold more attention it’s his contrast in colours making git stand out more than the space around it.  However, the figure in photograph 2, struggles to take attention away from the landscape with its more muted tones.

Making figures anonymous

Anonymous figures can be used in an otherwise static image of subjects such as landscapes.  Using a figure that doesn’t stand out as the main part of the image can do one of two things, bring the place to life and give an idea of the scale of the landscape.

There are many ways to make a figure anonymous, that is unrecognisable as an individual, by using silhouettes, using many small figures, facing away, partly obscured or even blurring the motion of the person.

In this image, most of the persons face is obscured but also the clothing colours are neutral making the landscape the main feature of the image.  If the figure had been wearing red, for instance, the viewers eye would be drawn straight to the person.

Busy Traffic

Trying to find a scenario where there is busy foot traffic in a place that allows photography isn’t as easy as first thought.  I went out into town but I looked odd with my camera and felt uneasy as people were staring and being confrontational.  I didn’t have time to think about what I was shooting and ended up with a very unsatisfying set of images.

I then decided to try a local event where it wouldn’t seem odd to be pointing a camera at a group of people and despite the fact it was a children’s event I was able to give thought and consideration to what I wanted to achieve.

I found a composition I was happy with which showed a lot of children competing in a sports day which also had the Ironbridge pots in the background to give a sense of where we were.

Although you can see parents scattered about and children lined up, this particular image doesn’t clearly show the activity taking place.  When I found this pleasing composition it was the last race and I was adjacent to the start but the children have raced to the finish line away from me.  If I’d known it was the last race I would have been more prepared!

What I like about this image is the formation of parents changing, one mum is getting up others are heading for their children, and you can see a line of parents has formed.

A Single small figure

After reading the section on quiet places busy places, I had in mind to look for opportunity whilst out with my camera rather than stage this shot.  By chance on my first outing I was walking along the river and saw someone in a place people don’t usual venture to.  This was the perfect setting and even the composition was how I’d imagined with the figure being far off centre but with something to balance it out on the other side.

Heres what I found:

Assignment Four – A sense of Place

‘Not Just A Fancy Bridge’

I pondered an awful lot over which direction to take with this assignment. The brief was to draw upon the techniques and processes learnt so far under the guise of People interacting with place and to choose a location that was both well-known to me and easily accessible.

This was an easy decision to make as I happen to live in the very beautiful Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire. I know it well and I live amongst it so it was easy for me to plan shoots and plenty of them.

It probably wasn’t the best time of year to plan outdoor shoots in April as the rain was relentless however, May bought some better weather and had more of the warm tones I was hoping to capture to show the place in it’s best light.

The brief also stated that this assignment wasn’t to shot in the theme of a tourism point of view but more in keeping with a travel publication. From that I decided that my angle would be to photograph the lesser known activities of popular tourist destination.

In truth, as residents, we get frustrated by the actions of some visitors to Ironbridge. Some park across our drives, speed around with music blaring, drop litter anywhere and everywhere but for a travel publication I didn’t want to document this side of being a resident. It’s more than that, we have so many places to walk and lots to look at on the way. One point that is very important to mention is the time of day my photo walks took place, that being ‘when the tourists leave town’, early morning or early evening as everything in between belongs to the tourist’s.

My aim here was to capture the various ways this place is used by both its residents and tourists other than the obvious famous bridge and numerous museums. Ironbridge is a town steeped in historical buildings and architecture with various paths forged throughout the years to different places.  A favourite resident pastime is simply walking in the evening, generally heading along the river Severn to or beyond the Iron bridge, stopping to take in its beauty and wonder. Art is prominent in the town and local artists are often seen painting at the riverside. It is an area for leisure activities and there are plenty to be had, the river Severn is a huge focus point for children.

To summarise, my intention was to capture Ironbridge culture at various times throughout the day.

My final six images:

 With so much to say about one place it was difficult to narrow down my selection to six photographs.  The final six were chosen for the way they show people using their space and the variety of functions on offer.

I think I have succeeded in giving an insight into life in a tourist town without the tourist holiday type trappings.  The final selection of photographs were taken at all times of the day but mainly focusing on the quieter times with the glorious golden light and I hope this comes across in my work.  Ironbridge can be incredibly busy during holiday periods but most of the time it appears as it does in the final selection.

I had hoped to show a variety in subjects, poses, techniques and narrative although having put it all together I can see that there is a similarity in them all.  I do have some differing shots in the six photographs I decided not o include in my final six selection but they seemed to steer away from the original theme or didn’t seem relevant.

The photographs I chose not to include:

There are reason for each of these photographs not being included but ultimately I didn’t think they added to the theme of capturing the essence of the place in the light that I feel it deserves.  Some are simply good photographs but not relevant.

The photograph above of the child standing in front of the gates is the type of photograph I would produce without a theme to work to.  When presented together they wouldn’t have made any sense in relation to the assignment.  My approach would have been to see what I think would present as a photograph and continue like this.  I like to play with falling sunlight when it’s low in the sky, casting long shadows and perfecting silhouettes and this would have been my approach to this assignment.  When trying to make a correlation between them all it would have been unstructured.

Assignment 3 – Buildings in use

My objective for this assignment is to identify five or six buildings and produce two to four images for each one.  The main focus is in describing effectively and attractively the way in which these spaces are used.

The first task I undertook was to choose which buildings I would use.  I was looking for variety of different types of buildings and differing uses for the spaces contained within them.

My selection are as follows:

• New cinema
• Old church
• Deli
• Museum for Children
• Historical Foundry

I wanted to photograph a library as my sixth selection but it was unexpectedly closed on the day I visited.  I phoned the library to ask if photography was allowed but they said because children are normally present it wouldn’t be appropriate.  For this reason I have kept my selection to five buildings so I can concentrate on them.

I devised a plan on how to achieve my objectives which can be found in my learning log:

https://wordpress.com/post/samjbennett.wordpress.com/1245

I will include some background information about each building and whether it is still used for its original purpose or not.  I will also discuss whether, in my opinion, the space is effective as a usable space.

New Cinema

This cinema forms part of a new development in Telford, Southwater, which contains restaurants, bars and leisure facilities.  The cinema is situated at the end of a row with it’s screens sitting above its adjoining restaurants.  As a whole and in terms of the development this is a very efficient use of the space.  As a cinema, the main foyer and the lobby are contained in what appears to be their own building with the screens leading off to one side.  You don’t feel like you’re sitting above a restaurant, its simply an extension of the cinema itself.

My initial thoughts for photographing the cinema were to include the foyer, with ticket machines in view, the popcorn counter, the row of screen doors and view of the screen from the back of the cinema.  This would encompass the complete ‘cinema experience’ within the allowed four photographs.

Then I thought more about the space within the cinema and how its used effectively which lead to my second arrangement which shows the flow of the space inside the cinema.

The foyer is quite a vast area that I wasn’t able to fit into one photograph so I decided to take two images from two different angle to show the different elements, photo 1 and photo 2.  All the photographs here were taken at a standing position as this is the area you would walk through.

Photo 1

Photo 2

In the next photograph, photo 3 I wanted to describe two things, one being the suggestion of the space being on two levels and two, the amount of light that floods in from the incredibly tall windows.  I also like this photograph asthetically with its leading lines, the scale of the height and the light making a pattern on the wall.

Photo 3

Photograph four shows the use of the space upstairs as the main lobby of the cinema, where snacks are purchased prior to moving on to your screen.  I wasn’t allowed beyond this point, in fact from this point on, I wasn’t allowed to take any more photos.

Photo 4

Despite my shoot being cut short I think I captured the main uses of the space inside the cinema.  Some elements of my final selected images I would do again, for instance, the little boy in the corner of photograph 4 is looking up at the animation but he appears to be looking out of the frame which is quite distracting.

In photos one and two I can’t decide if the tungsten light is unattractive or not.  It’s a personal pet hate of mine although it seems to add some warmth in this situation which I feel is important to the space.  Otherwise it appears quite cold with its steel structure and marble floors.

In terms of the space being effective I think in this case it works very well.  The space is open and vast but defined by its uses.  Where the foyer and main lobby is in it’s own building the rest of the cinema i.e. the screens are situated above the surrounding restaurants.   It’s a clever way of ulitising the space available effectively and was designed to do exactly that.  The design allows for lots of light to flood in exactly where it’s needed which also makes the space efficient.

The Church

Our local church is quite picturesque, sitting at the top of a hill.  I’m told churches were designed to be built on hills in those days so the villagers can see the clock and hear the bells easier from their houses.  Another reason for building a church on a hill is it was beleived that you should bury your loved ones up high to be closer to god.  However in this case the village sits on a flood plane which is no good for burials and therefore the cemetery needed to be up high so the church was built up the hill.  If so much thought went into the outside space of the church then it stands to reason the the inside was lavished with the same consideration.

Holy Trinity Church in Coalbrookdale was built by the famous local Darby family and was completed in 1854.  The Darby family came from generations of quakers but Abraham Darby IV left the Quaker belief behind for the more modern Anglican beliefs and donated money to the town to construct the church.

As churches are no longer left unlocked I found the contact details for the church warden and arranged to meet her there.

The usable space inside the church is as elaborate as the exterior of the building.  The first sight upon entering the church is quite grand with a long aisle to walk down which is where you can also access the pews. I chose my viewpoints based on the flow of its users, almost like a walk through.

Photo 1

The aisle leads you directly to the church alter with its stunning stained glass window in full view.  The design of space inside the church is not only effective, it allows for incredibly beautiful views.  This photograph was taken from a standing position as the user would be walking from this viewpoint.

Photo 2

Photograph 2 details the function of the space from the users viewpoint and in this instance a sitting position.  As you can see the main uses of this area are visible to the users of the church from their seated positions, these being, the pulpit and the alter.  Whilst showing the main uses, the space is attractive from every angle.

Photograph 3 shows a view of the approach to the alter from a standing position.  I thought it was important to show a more detailed view of the alter as it is arguably the most important space in the church.  We know this because of the elaborate stained glass window being the central point of focus with the alter sitting beneath it.

Photo 3

The reason for choosing this viewpoint is to include the steps up to the alter and how this is a great use of the space by elevating ‘the main event’ so the users maintain a good view.  Also notice the beautiful ceiling which has a story of its own and detailed in my learning log.

Photo 4

Photograph 4 shows the reverse view of the church, facing the back wall.  This view is equally as ornate albeit slight less elaborate.  What is great about the back wall and an incredibly important design feature for the effectiveness of the use of the space is the amount of light that floods in through the huge window.  The window is still ornate in design but contains plain glass to give light to the space.

In my opinion the use of this space works on so many levels, many already mentioned.  The thought that has gone into the function of the space, how it can be fully utilised and the decorative quality; has been repaid in the fact this space is still used for its original purpose almost 160 years on without being changed.

So the previous two buildings were a contrast between old and new however both are still being used for their original intended use.  The next building has changed it’s use several times and is currently a deli\cafe.

The Deli

The building was originally built as a ‘tuck shop’ which acted as a local newsagents come grocery store. The building was originally built from timber but due to severe flooding a brick building was erected to replace the damaged timber building. The brick building has been subjected to two severe floods since, one reaching the top of the front door. The damage was repaired and was reopened as a deli.

So, the building itself wasn’t built for a specific use however it was built to provide a space for a use to fit into.

Following my previous method of obtaining a description of the use of the space I achieved this by following the walkthrough of the user experience.

Photograph 1 shows the view on entry into the building and the customers first glance.

Photo 1

My first thought when entering this building was how do I make this space look attractive?  Therefore I focussed photograph 1 on the main counter and cut out the more distracting items from the frame; such as, a tall fridge to the right and toilet to the right.  If I want to make a space that food themed appear attractive then I don’t want a toilet door on view.

Photo 2

Photograph 2 shows a typical seating setup and the space around it which is limited.  I think it’s important to point out the addition of the seating area outside that can be seen too.  It shows that the space has been setup as a compromise between space for items for sale and space for enjoying purchases when considering its in a small space is a good way of utilising the space efficiently.

Photo 3

Photograph 3 is to demonstrate the viewpoint of the customer from a seated perspective.  I opened the entry door to show the name of the establishment and also it obscured some less attire features.

Photo 4

I was intending to only use three photos from this set but I decided to add this final photograph to show the commercial part of the space used.  It further demonstrates the compromise between sales space and customer space.

I think it’s good use of space however, on rainy days, when seating is needed indoors it would only take four sets of customers to fill the space which seems disproportionate to the goods and services available.  Having said that I think its a cosy attractive space and in keeping with its intended use.

Museum for Children

I’m very pleased to have this building is my final selection because of it’s diversity compared to my other choices.  The Museum on question is called ‘Enginuity’ and is situation in Coalbrookdale forming part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums.  This particular building was built **** and designed to house a fitting out shop for the adjoining foundry.

I was able to obtain a photo from the museum archives which is in my learning log (link at top of page).

Today the building is used as a museum to teach children about Engineering in exciting and interesting ways.  Upon entry to the building is a reception desk and shop which is a logical first port of call for any visitors.

Photo 1

I thought it was important to demonstrate that the space still has an industrial feel by showing the steel structure of the roof.   This is important because it links the old style of the building to the new.

Photo 2

This viewpoint allowed me to include as much of the space as possible and show the different activities and where they sit in the space.  You can see the space is designed for visitors to flow from one activity to the other whilst making allowances for busy crowds.

Photo 3

This space has been defined as a rest area and whilst it sits within the same building some screening has been implemented to add to the comfort for visitors.  Its a well thought out space and its notable that whilst screens have offered some respite its still very much part of the museum itself.  Its a nice subtle addition to the use of the space.

Photo 4

Of course at the end of any children experience theres merchandise on offer.  I like the way this space has been encompassed and is less invasive to the rest of the museum.  I decided to use a portrait frame to isolate the shop from its surroundings, demonstrating how its within but separate the rest of the space.

When the museums space was being designed they consulted with residents, schools and child services personnel to obtain ideas and opinions on how the space should be utilised and what goes into it.  This collaboration approach has resulted in a well planned and thought out layout incorporating all the ideas into one space.  I find this a very exciting concept by ‘recycling’ old buildings and creating new spaces.

Historical Furnace

This furnace building wasn’t on my original list but when I saw it I thought it would be an interesting addition.  This is the only building in my selection that has been built around it’s inside space.  I find this to be an interesting concept and wondered how it would translate on photographs.

The building itself houses the remains of the water powered blast furnace where Abraham Darby I perfected the smelting of iron with coke instead of charcoal.  A very important piece of history in the industrial revolution.

Obviously the furnace has been the subject of decay and to preserve it, a structure was built around it.  The structure itself is a spectacle to be desired with it’s pyramid shape.

Photo 1

From this viewpoint the most complete part of the furnace is included.  I tried to show part of its encasing too.  The space around the furnace is quite limited although all that is needed is a walkway and this has been achieved.  I felt it important to include an information point giving some clues as to the identity of the purpose of this space.

Photo 2

This perspective was created to give an identity to the use of the space including more signage and a visitor.

Photo 3

One thing this building was screaming out in it’s design is symmetry.  In Photograph 3 I have tried to illustrate the use of symmetry whilst also demonstrating the use of levels to extend the visitor experience.  These staircases increase the usable space available.  I also find this is a pleasing image.

Photo 4

I don’t think a photographic description of this space would be complete without a view of the furnace chimney.  It was difficult making this viewpoint an attractive photograph so I included some back and foreground to make it more interesting.  I tried to capture just the top of the furnace but it translates as a photograph of bricks and had no meaning.

This building is a good use of space and designed in a way that no attended guidance is needed.  It flows well and gives its visitors an easily accessible walk through experience.  Ultimately the space was created to protect its occupant but has the added benefit of allowing people to visit this important monument.

In Conclusion

What did I learn from carrying out this assignment?  It would be difficult to pin my learning experience down to one particular lesson as so many thought processes and tasks come out of shooting this assignment.  The most important lesson in my opinion is to plan well for the shoot ahead.  For example, researching the building cultivates ideas for how you want to portray the building.  If a macabre building with a dark history was part of my selection then the style of photography would be much different to that of a children museum.  It may even come down to the time of day or night you need to shoot depending on the lighting needed.  I may have even photographed a spooky building at twilight but when I was arranging the church visit I wanted to make sure the sun was high in the sky so that light would come flooding from all sides of the church.  If it was early morning then I could have ended up with too much light coming in one one side and darkness on the other as the sun would have been quite low.  Another Important example is trying different viewpoints and putting yourself in shoes of the user.

I developed a method during the planning of this assignment and that was research, aim, plan, execute.

Research – researching the buildings I want to visit.  What are they\were they used for.  Do they have any significant history.  This builds up a preconceived idea of how the shoot should take place and what kind of feel I’m going for.  Is access available? should permission be obtained? Will I be able to shoot in that building?   What equipment will I need?

Aim – thinking about what I want to shoot?   how will I build up a story? Using the research to design a storyboard.  Use different viewpoints to describe the space.

Plan – Putting the research and aims together and producing plan of action.  Making contact with building managers?  Creating a schedule of dates and times of shooting.  Developing a list of actions to refer to on the shoot.  Highlight things to try if others don’t work etc.

Execute – Carry out the shoot.  Choose the best viewpoints to explain its use.  Select images to be used. Write up.

When a photographer arrives for a shoot the perception is that they have simply picked up their camera bag and set off.  Obviously I’ve demonstrated here that a lot of thought goes into research and planning before any shooting can take place.

What I have learnt above all else is that planning a shoot is equally as important as  shooting itself.  It’s not all about having the right equipment or choosing beautiful buildings or spaces.  A lot of work goes into planning and its an important part of the process.