This post is one continuous document, starting in 2020 and finishing in 2022. For a weekly breakdown of critical research and modular work please refer to my Critical Research Journal.
Oct - Dec 2020
Coming into this MA one of my priorities was to challenge myself (and my practice) in both a technological approach, as well as a theoretical one. I have been working in digital for many years, and principally in Black & White as it suited the media I was using, and aesthetically pleased me. It therefore made sense that if I was to diversify and improve as a photographer, I needed to switch to film and experiment with colour. I think that was the easiest decision to make and so the DSLR has been put into storage (for the time being) and the Leica M6 has become the camera of choice for my Research Project. I have sourced a reputable and reliable lab for processing, and the intention is to develop my own work as the course progresses into the next couple of years, but I needed a quick start off the blocks to make this module work for me.
I’m sure like most students the harder decision was what to base the project on. What was achievable under current social restrictions, what was relatable and relevant to the course content, and how would this project (if at all) influence my Final Major Project in the next 18 months. Some of those questions are still up for debate, but what was critical was to get out and take some photo’s and see whether film was a medium I could get on with, and how it would dictate my style of work moving forward.
Since 2015 I have been fortunate enough to work in the Music business shooting some very famous (and some less so) artist performances. Music has always been my first passion (yes, more so than photography) and because I cannot play an instrument, or sing, photographing those who can seemed like a natural compromise. From small town venues to national arena’s in every corner of the British Isles, i’ve been capturing these artists in my own unique way. I’ve tried to make them as much portraits as performances, and the use of light is intrinsic to the desired effect I was after. There are some examples below.
Left to Right
Figure 1: TIPPING, 2019, Alison Moyet
Figure 2: TIPPING, 2019, Beverley Knight
Figure 3: TIPPING, 2018, James Bay
Figure 4: TIPPING, 2018, Chrissie Hynde
I think the 1950’s/60’s Jazz Photographer TED WILLIAMS summed up my approach and inspiration to photography when he said “ I just have a deep love for the music, the people and the photography”. (JAZZ, THE ICONIC IMAGES OF TED WILLIAMS. 2016.4)
For me to grow and evolve, and bring into my work the learning from the MA course this was something I felt I couldn’t retrace my steps on, at least not in the first module. Additionally with the loss of the creative arts during the pandemic in the UK, the opportunity to dip back into that genre was going to be very difficult. In some ways the decision had been made for me and so I started to formulate an approach to this project, with the idea of breaking new ground.
One thing through experience I was comfortable with was photographing people, and so ‘Street Photography’ seemed like a natural attraction to me. Clearly though getting close to subjects was not going to be an easy prospect due to COVID-19, but perhaps that was a blessing, and another challenge for me to overcome.
Susan Sontag wrote: “To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them they can never have: it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed” (SONTAG, 1977, p.15)
What was clear to me was that to just take opportunist photographs, of random people in unrelated circumstances was possibly too non-specific and uncreative. What I needed was essentially a theme or common denominator that would link the images and offer some kind of narrative. I was also keen to make the subject not always just the person, but more an integral element to the scene. So part of an overall composition, perhaps more akin to staged or preplanned shoot, rather than a random and rushed shot. This of course would also help the medium of film I was using so I could prepare and configure the camera. With digital, mistakes are allowed and forgotten. With film there is no second chance until the frame has been rolled on to the next. I definitely needed a considered approach, and perhaps some familiarity with the location.
I needed some reference material for inspiration and so I turned to the MAGNUM STREETWISE publication, an incredible doorstop of street photography by some of the worlds finest exponents. From the stunning colour work of Alex Webb on his travels through Central and Middle America, to the more disturbing and revolutionary black and white work of Trent Parke who combines digital with analogue. Parke wrote “Even though I have worked the street for almost twenty years now…each day I have to push myself out the door. Especially at this moment when people know that I am photographing them. The reactions have been widespread, unpredictable, ranging from creased angry brows … to musclemen poses and stage-quality solo performances. That is the street. The camera somehow drags it all into full sight”. (MAGNUM, 2019, p.307)
Figure 5: MAGNUM STREETWISE 2019
Figure 6: (PARKE)
For further research I listened to a very insightful interview with Alex Webb and Cinematographer Roger Deakins which can be accessed at the following link:
The fascinating thing about the work of WEBB is how he migrated from Black & White to Colour at the end of the 70’s. He gives no specific reason for this other to allude to the fact he felt influenced at that time by the works of other photographers like WILLIAM EGGLESTONE and MIGUEL RIO BRANCO, whose cultural expose of small community players was extensively shot in rich tones of colour. For me the work of BRANCO offer such saturation in his palette of reds and blues, it almost bleeds out of the image.
Asked about his approach to photographing people WEBB insists he works with no hard rules or expectations, but works on instinct. This is something I was keen to adopt as far too often a planned day’s shoot fails to materialise due to poor weather, or just lack of subject matter. Being drawn to something out of unanticipated opportunity often leads to the most rewarding work. i was also reassured to hear his discuss his approach to communicating with his subjects. WEBB with all his experience and confidence was still wary of intrusion into someones life, and knowing when the line had been overstepped. I know from my practice that when I photograph a musician I am there through invitation and so that barrier between camera and subject does not exist. In public however I am unknown and my intentions will not be clear unless I approach and talk to those I want to photograph.
From Left to Right:
Figure 7: BRANCO, 1993, Santa Rosa Boxing Club - Rio
Figure 8: WEBB, 1993, Sancti Spiritus - Cuba
Figure 9: EGGLESTONE, 1983-86 - Untitled
I would be lying if I said I hadn’t dabbled in colour in recent years, but this has been for experimentation and not published as part of a commission. The shot below was taken at a SNOW PATROL concert. I decided to make use the of the lighting that night and to compose an image which does not look like a ‘live take’ but more a studio shot. The blues and reds mix really nicely and were not added in post, just slightly tinted in Lightroom.
Figure 10: TIPPING, 2019, Snow Patrol
Having reached the midpoint of the module, and with the knowledge gained through the various weekly assignments the objective of my research project has become somewhat clearer in terms of content, and yet less so in respect of direction. It became quite evident to me in the early stages that there were two types of project being worked on. Whether this applies to the research assignment, or the final major project, there’s a choice in which directions to travel. Firstly the desire to tell a story, or take a journey and embellish that with the aide of photography, or secondly to have a choice of photographic style and approach, and contextualise that with a back story. This for me has been a tough call as I am more naturally drawn to the latter, and because of that have found myself taking images based upon a theme, rather than use them to inform a subtext or narrative.
I think this is possibly best explained by the aspect of cultural interest and indexicality Barthes alludes to in Camera Lucida. For my work on this research project I am definitely in the studium camp, my images do not infer or convey any meaningful emotional connection with the subject in the photograph. As will be seen from these images it is clearly down to the viewer to interpret the concept and content within the photograph, as there is no personal responsibility or relationship (the punctum) which I can attribute to the photo. The people in the photo’s, and the location are purely captured for their artistic appeal and stylised approach. Of course there is a running theme through all the photo’s connect, and this I will now explain.
I like taking pictures of people, people I know, people who are strangers - it doesn’t matter although I find the aforementioned subjects far easier to manipulate for obvious reasons. For my project I wanted to push myself in many directions, into area’s that would challenge me as a person and a camera technician. I set myself some clear criteria:
Shoot on Film.
Shoot in colour.
Street Photography (interior or exterior).
Subject and location of equal importance in presentation terms.
Narrative or theme to be by association, although not explicit in symbolism.
Visual approach to be consistent.
Geographically use coastal and where possible local destinations.
Although these criteria seem quite prescriptive and predetermined, they do actually offer me a great deal of freedom with my shoots. Obviously I need to have some direction, a place to be, and the right equipment for which I want to achieve a specific process. However, beyond that the images are not ‘sought out’. I come upon them by chance and destiny, and often those are the situations which lead to the most spontaneous and creative photographs. If I were on a long travelogue, I would be expecting to periodically and judiciously record specific scenes in order to justify my journey.
In an interview with APERTURE Magazine cult photographer DAIDO MORIYAMA explains his philosophy for non-thematic shoots.
“There are no themes in my work. It may be difficult for this to be understood outside of Japan - and indeed, often my work is understood as having a theme. Even if I were to construct a theme (and it’s not as if I’ve never done so), I can’t really think about it as I’m working. It is too limiting, and the camera work becomes restricted. Within that constraint the photograph becomes a fabricated image, and for me that is meaningless”.
The full interview can be read here:
Indeed CARTIER BRESSON also refers to the ‘decisive moment’ when he talks about capturing an event that is ephemeral and spontaneous where the image represents the essence of the event itself. A similar philosophy to that of MORIYAMA and certainly one I subscribe to.
As you will see from these images, my focus is on three elements:
FACE / SPACE / PLACE
These elements are best illustrated by the following shots. Please click to enlarge.
Figures 11-14: TIPPING, 2020
Whilst taking these shots it became quite clear that a ‘theme’ of sorts was indeed filtering through. Clearly the subjects can be seen here to be socially distancing and are in fact engaged in reading. That pursuit may be for knowledge, entertainment, or to just pass time. Of course the umbrella of COVID which hovers above all of us at the time of writing induces those kind of activities. In some ways this made capturing the shots easier as their attention was focused on their literature, and not my camera. This was a concept I am keen to maintain, as that moment when someone looks at the lens affects the relationship between subject and photographer.
“Between Photographer and Subject, there has to be distance”.
SONTAG (1977) On Photography p.13
There are situations when I actively seek this in my practice, and others when it destroys the composition. Often eliciting a response (aggressive or curious) from the subject can produce unexpected good results.
Figure 15: TIPPING, 2019, The Snuts
The America travel photographer Steve McCurry has also been an influence, not just because of the vivd colours he uses, but in the way he composes his images. As well his well renowned street portraiture work, he also shoots subjects who are not making eye contact with the camera, and against a background which is square on to lens. I have taken particular interest in his images from India, Italy and America, and although I cannot draw any parallels with my work in the context of quality (his being far superior of course) I do draw in some similarities in composition. Like myself McCurry likes to frame his subjects with an equally interesting backdrop behind them. Then the shot becomes about the location as much as the subject, which is something I try to achieve.
Figure 16: (left) McCurry, Vesuvio Bakery, New York City
Figure 17: (right) Tipping, L’image Cafe, Budleigh Salterton
Figure 18: (left) McCurry, India
Figure 19: (middle) McCurry, Italy
Figure 20: (right) McCurry, Italy
Figure 21: (below left) Tipping, Sidmouth
Figure 22: (below middle) Tipping, Budleigh Salterton
Figure 23: (below right) Tipping, Sidmouth
Here are the contact sheets for the first half dozen shoots I have done since the start of this Research Project. I am currently taken 1-3 shots on film for each image, this is mainly to allow for adjustments in light as I am using a rangefinder camera without TTL (Through The Lens) metering. The film is quite sensitive and I don’t want to spend too much, if any, time in post to edit the photographs.
As the project continues to evolve, some aspects remain constant and others variable. As i have mentioned already I am not telling a story, this will most likely follow in my Final Major Project. Initially I was trying to focus the theme of my photo’s on how the general public are coping with the restrictions imposed on them. Although this continues to be an underlying factor, and motivation, I feel more is coming into the work particularly with regards to location.
Although I would still class this a ‘Street Photography’ project, the streets themselves actually exist by the coastline, and my draw is to the sea where I live. Whilst researching another possible angle for my FMP, I came across this quote from John F Kennedy in the book EREBUS (Palin) 2018
“We have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea… we are going to whence we came.”
So as I progress through this project, not only does it become a record of our times and the people who flock to the coast for safety, relaxation, spiritualisation, work, it also becomes a story about the locations and their function in society. It seems the closer we are to water the better we feel. We know that without a boat we cannot escape the shore, and the problems we could leave behind on the land. But just being that close to the water, the sea air, and the sand or pebbles, we perhaps feel safer. Therefore my project will evolve not just to include people, bit also the symbolism of the coastal towns, and the archetypal scenery we always conjure up in our heads.
The following images were not successful in my attempt to fulfil my brief at the time of starting out on this project. However I include them here by way of an example of how we feel drawn to the sea.
Below: Figure 24/25: Tipping, 2020, Teignmouth
After submission and marking of my Oral Presentation, I started to think very carefully whether this was a long term project that could evolve into the next three modules and beyond to my FMP. My concerns were primarily surrounding the 2nd lockdown due to the COVID Pandemic in England, and my inability to get close to the general public both externally and internally on locations. After some considerable investigation into alternative projects I came up with some options and am pleased to see all of them as viable with one clear leader.
As a professional photographer shooting performers (musicians and singers) in staged events as well as in portraits sessions, I was keen to see if I could adapt my experience and practice for this course. I approached a number of Theatres to see if I could document their venues and performances, particularly at a time when many are struggling to survive through economic strife in the troubled and floundering arts communities. One of particular interest to me was the highly regarded Northcott Theatre in Exeter, one of the South-West's premier venues. I approached them with my ideas and following zoom and telephone conversations with Charlotte Hanson (Hd of Projects & Participation) and Kelly Johnson (Marketing & Development Director), it was agreed I could work with them over the next 12 months, and maybe beyond.
The initial plan is to document the Northcott Theatres transition over the difficult year it faces. My photography will act as a kind of diary of performances, community led activities, interviews, publicity portraits and media shoots. Of course I will apply my personal style to the work and not everything I shoot will have a commercial or PR purpose. I hope to cover drama, dance, music, acting and indeed all human life that exists within the parameters of a working Theatre. The benefit of this project over my first module work is that consent and access is formally granted to photograph my subjects, even during the COVID Government guidelines.
I have also had a request from a regional amateur Theatre ‘The South Devon Players’ and their Company Director: Laura Jury to also produce a body of work on their activities. My Research Project Proposal includes all the resources I have looked into for inspiration and how I intend to extend this project over the coming modules. My output will be a mixture of digital and analogue, and behind the scenes work as much as front of house. I hope the project will help the community aspect of the Theatre become more visible. Additionally there is currently a large project of archive digitisation currently underway to update and maintain the history of the Theatre for future generations. Work for me begins in earnest on November 26th when I shoot the architectural elements of the building.
Figures 26-40: Tipping, 2020, Exeter Northcott Theatre
These images represent my introduction to the Northcott Theatre on the Exeter University Campus in Devon. I was quite taken aback by the state of abandonment and sadness surrounding and inside the building. My contact Kelly Johnson allowed my full access to all area’s of the Theatre with the exception of the dressing rooms which for health reasons, has to remain out of bounds for anyone except the performers. This is obviously a massive drawback as photographing all aspects of behind the scenes is integral to the success of the project. I am hoping therefore in time this policy will be revoked and I’ll be allowed access in. Shooting the performers before going on stage is key. I keep referring back to the images in Simon Annands book A TIME TO ACT, hoping that I might just get a slight hint of success capturing actors/dancers/poets/comedians in those intimate stage call moments.
My personal brief for the day was to really capture an essence of the Theatre under lockdown, prior to its re-emergence from the sleepy chrysalis on inactivity.
There were of course just area’s of quietness and considerable amounts of H&S in place. In the main auditorium I had a conversation (at a safe distance of course) with a worker who was pulling together the props for the planned Panto at Xmas. i think he was pleased to see an outsider in the cavernous open stage, and we just discussed life under lockdown and how there were plans to bring back the Theatre to a steady but slow revival.
Figure 41: Tipping, 2020, Exeter Northcott Theatre, Dave
The following image was not used for two reasons. Firstly I could not produce it as a B/W shot because there is a specific reference to colour (red) in the functionality of the equipment. To remove that colour would really defunct the effect and meaning of the picture, and as my portfolio for that that day needed to be monochrome to reflect the aesthetic of the Theatre, I didn’t want to include it. Secondly I am disappointed with my composition not being symmetrical, or at the least the positioning of the equipment did not please me. Maybe I’m just being OCD but these things matter.
Figure 42: Tipping, 2020, Exeter Northcott Theatre
Jan - Apr 2021
All the work so far has been pre-xmas 2020, and pre-lockdown 3. Not surprisingly my plans for photographing Theatre life and performer portraits are in suspended animation. It was hoped that the period Jan - Apr 2021 would be a time of significant activity, but alas this has not happened, nor will do. Therefore work in progress is very hard to evidence, and although my Research has not been completely benched, it will be modified significantly in the coming months. I hope there will be a time in this first year where I am able to show work of significant content and gravitas, but for the moment I am skirting the edges of my plan, trying to find a way in.
In early Jan I made a trip to the Barnfield Theatre in Exeter for some exterior shots. The results were quite pleasing and I’m hoping at some point this year to get inside and capture the zeitgeist of the stage and auditorium. Permissions are already in place, but for now this is how the old building looks from the street.
Figures 43-50: Tipping, 2020, Exeter Barnfield Theatre
In mid January I discovered that I will able to the join the team working to restore the Paignton Picture House in Devon. This 100+ year old cinema, reputed to be one of the worlds oldest still standing, has been rescued from re-development and with the benefit of a multi-million pound funding grant, to begin its long journey of restoration. With its fine ‘free baroque’ style of architecture and art nouveau interior, it is a real honour to be involved and to capture this with my cameras. The cinema also has a close association with the Agatha Christie family, where the author used to frequent the premises for inspiration and entertainment. There are supporting the project and it’s a really exciting prospect for me to be invited onboard and document its rebirth.
I am sure that until I am back shooting portraits of performers in the creative arts this summer, this project will be a great bonus and inspiration for my MA.
Access to the interior of the building has been granted in early February, and I intend to shoot a variety of large format, 35mm and digital on my first (of many I hope) visits. The pictures below were taken a few years ago by another photographer Paul Ryan-Goff, who has now left the project.
There was also a recent article in The Guardian which can be seen here:
Figures 51-54: Ryan-Goff, Paignton Picture House
Of great inspiration at the moment is the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto and his B/W architectural images. His use of tone and composition showcase these magnificent buildings, the darkness and complete lack of highlights within his exposure also emphasises the interiors. They are wonderful images.
Figures 55-62: Sugimoto, Opera House
In early February my research did take to the Paignton Picture House in Devon. This had to be a careful and well planned visit due to lockdown restrictions, and Health & Safety on site. I did prepare a Risk Assessment form, and fortunately there were no incidents to report. I spent approximately two hours on the shoot on the interior of the building, and plan to return in March to shoot exterior shots from the scaffolding. Whilst there my project which I am basing on neglect, and abandonment in historical buildings really hit home hard. Until I am able to photograph performers in these wonderful venues I am enjoying exploring history through my imagery. The stark reminders of the past and ensuing decay were both equally depressing and yet fascinating at what has been before. I was documenting, almost forensically, images from over a 100 year time period. Items placed before me which may shortly be lost to not only time, but memory.
“The camera is my tool. Through it I give a reason to everything around me.” Andrez Kertesz
I produced quite a body of work, which will be scaled down when i come to present my work in progress portfolio. The Gallery below is a sample of my first visit. I also shot a roll of 35mm B/W film as a backup and for comparison. These will be see later in my project.
Figures 63-87: Tipping, Paignton Picture House