need to upload 4 photos, not uploaded as scanner is faulty
Exam Final
For my final exam stage, I chose to go along the lines of entertainment.
Entertainment can range from bowling to concerts, video games and food stalls, football and rappers. Using Pinterest I developed a board of ideas that will inspire me to photograph more projects. This was my choice of inspiration as I felt very interested in the topic. I especially love photographing the world outside as well as people.
Entertainment can range from bowling to concerts, video games and food stalls, football and rappers. Using Pinterest I developed a board of ideas that will inspire me to photograph more projects. This was my choice of inspiration as I felt very interested in the topic. I especially love photographing the world outside as well as people.
Sketchbook
For my exam final I went on a trip to Paris with my class. We were given a sketchbook, in there I documented the the trip from start to finish. I made some drawings and glued in papers from exhibitions that we visited. We saw places such as The Louvre, the Pompidou Centre and the Arc de Triomphe. In our 5-day outing we went to many galleries and had the opportunity to spend around 1 hour in each one, for every gallery we went to I either sketched, drew or stuck some papers from the exhibits in the sketchbook. I found this trip to be helpful as I got to see a new perspective and discovered many types of artwork. I especially loved the work of Zanele Mulholi and Bob Colacello, they both gave me new inspirations that helped me figure new ideas for my photography work.
Gallery Exhibition
This was the 'Maison Europeene de la Photographie' Gallery. I came here with my photography class and we walked around exploring the gallery. I specifically loved this area of the gallery so I decided to show it here. I loved the representation and the title of the exhibition 'It is a Blessing to be the Color of Earth'. I think that it is a beautiful message, as well as being quite a recent exhibition; created in 2020. I think that the photographs are quite expressive and give out a brilliant message of love and care for the earth and the people who inhabit it. I personally love that culture was included in this exhibition; especially Black LQBTQIA+, Zanele Mulholi aimed to include these bodies as a part of her visual activism.
These were some of my favourite photographs from a book I found in the exhibition. I love the contrast and tone used in the photographs, specifically how the light reflects off of the skin, I think these photos are really inspiring and creative, to me it feels like they're telling a story through the photograph. |
Pétanque
To start my project off I chose the widest type of entertainment that exists which is sports. Petanque is a French game, that falls into the category of boules sports, with quite simple rules. You have to throw the metal 'boules' as close to the jack as you can. As I was walking through Paris, I came across this group of elderly people playing this game, at first I only saw them huddled together so initially I imagined that they were just standing, however as I got closer I realised that they were playing the game I described. It immediately caught my eye and so I decided I had to document it in a small series of photographs.
To start my project off I chose the widest type of entertainment that exists which is sports. Petanque is a French game, that falls into the category of boules sports, with quite simple rules. You have to throw the metal 'boules' as close to the jack as you can. As I was walking through Paris, I came across this group of elderly people playing this game, at first I only saw them huddled together so initially I imagined that they were just standing, however as I got closer I realised that they were playing the game I described. It immediately caught my eye and so I decided I had to document it in a small series of photographs.
David Bergman
David Bergman is a sports photographer veteran who captured the action for over 30 years. He knows that photography is about connections with the subjects, environment and even the equipment. Growing up as a young adult he was a musician first, playing drums, in the Berklee College in Boston. He had intentions of becoming a producer however as he went he discovered that he was far more interested in photographing his friends bands. He transferred to the University of Miami and shot pictures for the schools newspaper. This experience led him to work in Miami Herald where he was a staff photographer for almost 10 years , soon becoming a sports photographer. However in recent years he has moved to music photography, becoming the official Bon Jovi tour photographer since 2010 as well as for Luke Combs, making him coffee table photobooks. His photographs aimed to make you feel like you were there in the moment, he did this by getting close and personal, far away, always including different angles and focal lengths. He always kept 3 of the same camera with him, the Canon EOS-1DX Mark II. Two of them he kept on his shoulders as he would walks around the pit, the stage and the rest of the arena. The third one he would use a remote camera that he would sometimes place up high in the lighting trusses or locations that were not easily accessible during the show. Bergman inspired me with his varied use of angles and focal lengths, he would quite close up with subjects or shoot from a long perspective, many angles of which great majority do not get to see. This gave me the idea to photograph the Petanque game from afar as well as zoom in to their equipment and the people faces. I thought it was really interesting to capture the players facial expressions as they played. |
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Analysis:
When shooting the people playing, I took into matter composition and exposure levels. This helped my images as it improves the viewer focus on specifics rather than the whole picture. My images came out as planned and expressed my intentions, they showed what was happening, who the players are and who is in a higher position.
If I were to go back I would include portrait photos of the players holding a metal boule each. I would love to experiment with film or a fisheye lens. This would make the images more eye-catching and interesting to the viewer.
When shooting the people playing, I took into matter composition and exposure levels. This helped my images as it improves the viewer focus on specifics rather than the whole picture. My images came out as planned and expressed my intentions, they showed what was happening, who the players are and who is in a higher position.
If I were to go back I would include portrait photos of the players holding a metal boule each. I would love to experiment with film or a fisheye lens. This would make the images more eye-catching and interesting to the viewer.
Basketball
Similar to Petanque, I also came across these basketball players, who were playing just in front of the Eiffel Tower. Most of the pictures I took were from outside the gate, however given the opportunity to do it again, I would go inside and document the players more closely. I thought that the player with the shirt that says 'Never Waste Talent.' is quite an impactful image as they are playing for fun, in their own clothes, showcasing their talents to the public.
Similar to Petanque, I also came across these basketball players, who were playing just in front of the Eiffel Tower. Most of the pictures I took were from outside the gate, however given the opportunity to do it again, I would go inside and document the players more closely. I thought that the player with the shirt that says 'Never Waste Talent.' is quite an impactful image as they are playing for fun, in their own clothes, showcasing their talents to the public.
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Analysis:
When photographing my subjects I intended to capture them fully from afar, making sure to include the court, players and basketball. Unfortunately it didn't go as planned as there was a high fence in my way, given the opportunity again I would definitely try go inside, ask for permission and photograph the players more intimately. My composition helped support my response however it was still was not my desired result. I think that if I had expose the images more it would have helped given them a brighter and less duller look. I was happy with my shutter speed as the movement was captured well with no players looking blurred. I think that it would have been amazing to capture the Eiffel Tower in the background with them playing.
When photographing my subjects I intended to capture them fully from afar, making sure to include the court, players and basketball. Unfortunately it didn't go as planned as there was a high fence in my way, given the opportunity again I would definitely try go inside, ask for permission and photograph the players more intimately. My composition helped support my response however it was still was not my desired result. I think that if I had expose the images more it would have helped given them a brighter and less duller look. I was happy with my shutter speed as the movement was captured well with no players looking blurred. I think that it would have been amazing to capture the Eiffel Tower in the background with them playing.
You and Your Entertainment
I continued to develop my work by asking different people what their favourite forms of entertainment were; along with their portrait. After having a talk with them and helping them explore different pass times, I had them write it down in a notebook so that it gave it this personal and intimate touch and put their photo next to it. This helped me identify peoples thoughts and feelings and how they felt about their free time.
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Citizens in Harrods
Following on from 'You and Your Entertainment', I carried out some of the entertainments that were mentioned by the people so I could explore more about my word of choice.
I first made a small 1 minute film of people in and about Harrods; shopping and wondering around. I thought that a short film was a great idea as suggested by my coursework teacher. I captured different areas of the shop as there was around 5 floors, including the staircases, food mall and the children's clothes. This film helped to support my response as you could see people from someone else's perspective, as someone who was not shopping. The clips came out as I had imagined them. This was filmed on my phone as cameras are not allowed inside the shop and it would result in me not being able to film. I would have preferred to film in a higher quality as despite the video being uploaded in 4k quality at 1080fps, it uploaded a lot less better quality than expected. My film expressed my intentions which were to capture citizens shopping in a popular, known store. |
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Typology via Entertainment
I next explored more about my project by learning about typologies and more types of activities that we like to indulge in. I rese
explore here by laying down objects which relate to each other. They all have one thing in common: types of activity. By doing this it expanded my viewpoint since I got to pair objects of the same use layed out in a way they normally would not be.
explore here by laying down objects which relate to each other. They all have one thing in common: types of activity. By doing this it expanded my viewpoint since I got to pair objects of the same use layed out in a way they normally would not be.
Jeff Brouws
My artist link for this work is Jeff Brouws. He is a self-taught artist born in San Francisco, 1955; pursuing photography since 13. He has compiled a visual survey of Americas evolving rural, urban and suburban cultural landscapes, using single photographs as a subtle narrative and compiling typologies to index the nations character. More recently, Brouws has done an all encompassing photographic investigation of decimated inner cities including low income housing and residual public spaces left behind by the effects of de-industrialisation, investment, failed urban policy and overall societal neglect. His work is held in major museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Nelsen-Atkins Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has had over 25 one-person exhibitions since 1980. I researched into this photographer by exploring typology and learning about. Typology is the study of types, a collection of related form shot in a repetitive manner, in photography to be able to view and understand properly, you must view them in a complete series side by side. I then took some inspiration from his pieces. Instead of photographing big trucks, coloured houses and barns, I photographed items, that you could find at home such as makeup, Xbox games and magnets, that different people would be attracted towards. |
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Analysis:
The items I chose were ideal and worked well with my idea. Many people like to collect objects, read books or do their makeup. They suited my theme as these are all activities that we are drawn to. My composition helped immensely as all the items were layed out in a specific order meaning interpreting and understanding the photos as a series. I managed the exposure well and the overall settings. In photoshop I opened the files and took the exposure and brightness up, and correcting the size of the image. I think my photos helped my understanding in my project and it was well chosen in terms of the choice of objects.
The items I chose were ideal and worked well with my idea. Many people like to collect objects, read books or do their makeup. They suited my theme as these are all activities that we are drawn to. My composition helped immensely as all the items were layed out in a specific order meaning interpreting and understanding the photos as a series. I managed the exposure well and the overall settings. In photoshop I opened the files and took the exposure and brightness up, and correcting the size of the image. I think my photos helped my understanding in my project and it was well chosen in terms of the choice of objects.
How Emotions Play a Part
I moved on to something similar to typology in terms of the layout, I decided to photograph one single person creating different facial expressions with their face. My thoughts with this project were that if I photographed them like this, I could be reminded of a range of expressions throughout people and how they can look on a subject example.
Martin Schoeller
Martin Schoeller is from Germany, born in 1968, he is one of the worlds best contemporary portrait photographers. He studied photography at the Lette Verein and moved to New York in the 90s.He would produce portraits of people he met on the street, soon gaining recognition for its strong visual impact. He is known for his extreme close-up portraits, the consistency of this work creates a democratic platform for comparison between his subjects. Growing up, he was deeply influenced by August Sander's countless portraits of the poor, the working class and the bourgeoisie. Since 1998 he has contributed to publications like the National Geographic, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and The New York Times Magazine. He has also worked with Volvo, HBO, Coca-Cola and Dreamwork's. His collection called 'Close Up' specifically inspired me as they are random people put together as a series. |
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Analysis:
I think that both my exposure and composition were really great, looking at Martin Schoellers photographs, I noticed that in his images he used really bright exposure and his images were saturated and contrasted well with the eyes. The specific images I chose to show involved all of the subjects having blue eyes, my subject had brown eyes so I was not able to showcase them as much; however this was not necessary since the focus of the images are to show the emotions. Although Schoeller did not focus on emotions and rather on appearances, I was impressed by his way of taking photographs and found that hiss style was good.
I think that both my exposure and composition were really great, looking at Martin Schoellers photographs, I noticed that in his images he used really bright exposure and his images were saturated and contrasted well with the eyes. The specific images I chose to show involved all of the subjects having blue eyes, my subject had brown eyes so I was not able to showcase them as much; however this was not necessary since the focus of the images are to show the emotions. Although Schoeller did not focus on emotions and rather on appearances, I was impressed by his way of taking photographs and found that hiss style was good.
Skateboarders
For this project I went to Southbank which is a sort of tourist area but also an enriching area as there is a lot to do such as the London Eye, the aquarium, taking an uber boat, many gourmet restaurants, the BFI centre and so much more. Along with all of this, there is also the skateboarding area in the heart of Southbank, its an area with lots of graffiti and skateboarders; many people come to watch and stand by the rails. I thought it would be interesting to capture their audiences viewpoints and so I got close in and captured the skateboarders in the moment.
Tom Skipp
Tom Skipp has been in the creative industry for 15 years. He went on to work as an art director at EMI and worked in leading the creative direction for Kasabian and Mumford & Sons. Eventually Skipp moved to Rwanda for 8 months to Art Direct, a charity magazine called Ni Nyampinga. Tom Skipp was intrigued by the boundaries of human interaction, gaining trust through photography. He has worked with The Guardian, Oxfam, UNICEF and The Gourmaud. I was interested in his project called 'Amansunzu'. Amanzunsu is a hairstyle unique to Rwanda, notifying social status as it used to be worn by kings, queens, warriors and villagers. I really loved the colours and vibrancy in the image, it gave the photos a rememberable feeling. |
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Analysis: I chose to photograph people skateboarding in Southbank. I feel that my composition could have been better as I was focused on making sure my subjects were in focus which I found slightly difficult. My ISO was 3200, shutter speed was 1/250 and the f-stop was 4.2. I am satisfied with my images however I think that there was more potential to do better. My images do express my intentions as I captured my subjects skateboarding and doing tricks. Next time I will think more about my composition and sense of movement; I will try out different shutter speeds to see which one works the best. |
Playgrounds
Similar to Franck Bohbots work, I decided to capture people in a specific setting, however instead of capturing young adults in a skatepark in his series "After School", I chose to capture playgrounds where young children usually hangout to play. My intention was to photography playground as a whole and the happiness and curiosity of children as they played.
Franck Bohbot Franck Bohbot is a French photographer that focuses his artistic attention on public spaces and urban landscapes. He was born in France in 1980, Bohbot graduated with a Masters Degree in Film Production in 2006 but he is actually a self-taught photographer, now currently living in New York City where he works as a freelance photographer. His work looks at the relationship between the individual and the architecture around us. He mainly photographs swimming pools, basketball courts and cinemas- all empty or abandoned. He uses long exposure and natural and fluorescent light, the images take on a richness of colour and detail. His work has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, The Independent and Vogue. His series called 'After School' looks at and captures a vibrant subculture in Southern California through skateboarding. It is a visual celebration of friendship and the freedom of expression that comes with the sport. The Venice Skatepark serves as a backdrop for this dynamic and captivating project, showing the energy of the park and the people who frequently visit it. |
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For this task I was inspired by Franck Bohbot to photographs children's play areas. In his series, he photographed skaterboarder's in a skate park and the life around it in a soft look. I got the idea to photograph infant playgrounds as his title was 'After School' and the first thing to come to mind was that children normally head towards playgrounds with their parents. I wanted to photograph the places empty as it was contrasting with my shoot from before where I went to a skatepark that was bustling with life. I wanted to bring out the beauty and innocence in these parks and show the joy that it can bring so many kids. In photoshop I edited these by first adding brightness to the image, then decreasing the contrast all the way down, this would help with bringing that soft look forward. I then added some extra exposure to the images that I felt needed them, then to all, I increased the offset by around '+0.0650' and increased the gamma correction by around '8.00'. By doing this it gave the image a more childlike touch to it with no harsh contrasting colours.
Exposure in the Louvre
When I visited the Louvre in France, I saw many people walking around and looking at the artwork, getting lost in it at times. This gave me the feeling of people floating around, almost like souls around the museum. I got the idea to expose my photos and capture everyone together as one movement.
When I found myself in the same room as the Mona Lisa, the line was insane and everyone around me kept pushing to get to the front just to get a picture of the famous Mona Lisa. Out of everyone I saw, I only encountered one person that was truly looking at the work trying to understand and take it all in. All the other people were taking pictures through their phones, selfies and then leaving.
When I visited the Louvre in France, I saw many people walking around and looking at the artwork, getting lost in it at times. This gave me the feeling of people floating around, almost like souls around the museum. I got the idea to expose my photos and capture everyone together as one movement.
When I found myself in the same room as the Mona Lisa, the line was insane and everyone around me kept pushing to get to the front just to get a picture of the famous Mona Lisa. Out of everyone I saw, I only encountered one person that was truly looking at the work trying to understand and take it all in. All the other people were taking pictures through their phones, selfies and then leaving.
Alexey Titanrenko:
Titanrenko also uses long exposure however he places his camera on a tripod and exposes for several minutes instead. In one of his posts it tells us that 'the exposure time exceeded several minutes'. However he used a 'Hasselblad 500C' which is quite an old camera, with a digital camera we would only need to expose for around 30-40 seconds instead. To him it felt as though the result of the photo depicted the crowd as a general movement with erased secondary movements, it was a metaphor created by the long exposure. Alexey said that the elements that stayed fixed, such as hands on a a stairway rail, moved him, provoking in him an intense emotional pain as well as a wave of love towards the crowd. The mass of indistinct faces brought several episodes to mind such as wars and revolutions that the Russians had suffered throughout their history. It was as if one photograph had embraced a decade or even a century. |
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In this task I decided to use long exposure as a way to show the amount of people flowing through The Louvre. I chose to use this technique as I thought it would be a great way to show the passing time; how The Louvre has been there for years and people have been visiting it for all those continuous years, they're almost like a wave of energy passing through the halls of this amazing landmark.
I experimented with the exposure levels and tested out 3 second exposure time to about 12 seconds. The first time I tried it, the image turned out completely white, I started to understand that around 2-4 seconds was just perfect. For the exposure photos I placed my camera on a stool I had found since I did not have a tripod on me. My images turned out better than expected and I am really happy with the results; they perfectly described my idea of people passing through like a flow of energy in this famous landmark.
In this task I decided to use long exposure as a way to show the amount of people flowing through The Louvre. I chose to use this technique as I thought it would be a great way to show the passing time; how The Louvre has been there for years and people have been visiting it for all those continuous years, they're almost like a wave of energy passing through the halls of this amazing landmark.
I experimented with the exposure levels and tested out 3 second exposure time to about 12 seconds. The first time I tried it, the image turned out completely white, I started to understand that around 2-4 seconds was just perfect. For the exposure photos I placed my camera on a stool I had found since I did not have a tripod on me. My images turned out better than expected and I am really happy with the results; they perfectly described my idea of people passing through like a flow of energy in this famous landmark.
Bowling Alleys
To further develop my work, I changed my perspective on entertainment and headed to Rowans Bowling in Finsbury Park. In there they had two bowling centres, a couple of casinos, an arcade and two bars in the middle of the place. They also had a karaoke place and and an 8 ball room. I documented an afternoon of bowling and how families and children organised themselves at the place.
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Analysis:
In this task I went to a bowling place located in Finsbury Park called Rowans Bowling. I planned to capture families playing then got the idea to zoom in to a more intimate shot such as the drinks and the game screens. I think this helped as it allowed me to focus on specific parts of the image. In photoshop I raised the brightness as it was a little dark, I sharpened the image as it was dark inside and I wasn't too brilliant at minimising the grain so it was a little blurry. I then used the Colour Balance tool on photoshop to enhance the picture and make it seem more interesting and family friendly; finally I highlighted certain areas of the image to add more focus to it. I think that I did quite well with these images, specifically the wide view image being my favourite photo.
In this task I went to a bowling place located in Finsbury Park called Rowans Bowling. I planned to capture families playing then got the idea to zoom in to a more intimate shot such as the drinks and the game screens. I think this helped as it allowed me to focus on specific parts of the image. In photoshop I raised the brightness as it was a little dark, I sharpened the image as it was dark inside and I wasn't too brilliant at minimising the grain so it was a little blurry. I then used the Colour Balance tool on photoshop to enhance the picture and make it seem more interesting and family friendly; finally I highlighted certain areas of the image to add more focus to it. I think that I did quite well with these images, specifically the wide view image being my favourite photo.
8 Ball
This was the second part of Rowans Bowling in Finsbury. I documented a couple of people playing 8 ball in the designated rooms, I thought that photographing these people was a fun experience and helped me see entertainment spread out in the form of a group of friends.
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Analysis:
Similar to the bowling series I made, I went with the same style of photography and family/friends; zooming in to a more intimate setting. I found this group of people and asked if I could photograph them. I told them to just continue playing while I captured from relatively one angle. I focused on the whole group including all four corners of the table and other time, focusing on two people who I assumed were a couple or quite close. I found that connections were easily made through this game and it was quite a bonding experience. I loved seeing other people experience entertainment through 8 ball and found that documenting and capturing the moment was fun and entertaining for me as a photographer.
Similar to the bowling series I made, I went with the same style of photography and family/friends; zooming in to a more intimate setting. I found this group of people and asked if I could photograph them. I told them to just continue playing while I captured from relatively one angle. I focused on the whole group including all four corners of the table and other time, focusing on two people who I assumed were a couple or quite close. I found that connections were easily made through this game and it was quite a bonding experience. I loved seeing other people experience entertainment through 8 ball and found that documenting and capturing the moment was fun and entertaining for me as a photographer.
Family Birthday
Since my last project was shot in a bowling alley with an 8 ball room, I thought I would photograph a different setting where families would be such as a birthday. I moved on to something more intimate such as a family birthday party and photographed my uncles birthday in a small series of photographs.
Polly Geal Polly Geal has photographed over a hundred families. She says 'My style of shooting is gentle and organic allowing moments to unfold'. It perfectly describes all the natural, relaxed and happy families pictured in the light and airy photographs that are in her portfolio. She's becomes friends with many of the families she's shot with that visit her every year to capture them again. She learnt how to shoot film when she was 18, developing her own rolls in a darkroom. After a decade spent working in advertising, she left to have her own children. She found herself documenting their daily life, everyday messes and the beauty preserved as visual memories she would have otherwise forgotten. Polly Geal says that she want her images to make you feel something, she doesn't desire to freeze moments in time but to capture the feeling and to remind you of the way those moments felt. |
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In my photographs, I was inspired by Polly Geal to photograph a birthday. I felt it was an intimate and memorable moments. Similar to Polly Geal I intended to capture the family moments; especially when they gathered with the birthday boy to take pictures.In all the photos the smiles weren't forced and were pure. I wanted to bring a warm look to my images and used photoshop to bring that out, I added to the brightness of the image and used the colour balance tool to bring a warm red tone to the photographs. I found that as I took these photos, many of the people were laughing and smiling in the images, being pure and enjoying the moments without worrying about the camera as I snapped away.
In my photographs, I was inspired by Polly Geal to photograph a birthday. I felt it was an intimate and memorable moments. Similar to Polly Geal I intended to capture the family moments; especially when they gathered with the birthday boy to take pictures.In all the photos the smiles weren't forced and were pure. I wanted to bring a warm look to my images and used photoshop to bring that out, I added to the brightness of the image and used the colour balance tool to bring a warm red tone to the photographs. I found that as I took these photos, many of the people were laughing and smiling in the images, being pure and enjoying the moments without worrying about the camera as I snapped away.
Nightlife
Similar to a family birthday, I explored events involving people, this time moving on to events that occur outside, my intention was to photograph people outside at night, queuing up for clubs. This task links to my theme as it shows the night life in London. I wanted to explore how people dressed and felt, to do so I took photographs of the general public and I also asked different groups of people if I could take a photo of them together.
Teddy Fitzhugh In his series 'Club Archive', Teddy Fitzhugh presents British nightlife in full, unabashed, youthful swing. Over seven years in his images, he as captured English clubbing culture through brash, monochrome snapshots. Many of the images are shot at Benji B's monthly club night Deviation at XOYO in East London. Throughout the series we see flashes of bra straps, sweaty hands and rhythmic limbs all encapsulating the movement and ease found in that kind of heady environment. Fitzhugh explains, 'I found clubs to be a unique environment. Beyond enjoying the music, it was the revolving cast of characters, styles and mini-narratives that kept me coming back to make images.' 'Theres a sense of escapism and hedonism thats unique to British nightlife. Its one ultimately of joy and community but it also comes with undertones of tension'. |
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Contrasting to Teddy Fitzhugh's work, I photographed the outside of the clubs and the people waiting in line to go inside. I wanted to capture the excitement and happiness of the British clubbing culture, but from just before the tension breaks out into the clubs. I first photographed the street I thought had many clubs in one area, this place was located in Shoreditch next to The Blues Kitchen. As I photographed the streets around 1am, I noticed how packed and loud it was, a completely different atmosphere to the daytime. Yes the daytime is quite loud and bustling with people but the night version of it was somewhat different, it was a different vibe and atmosphere compare to when the sun was out, like a yin and yang. After photographing the streets, I went up to different groups of people and asked them if I could take their pictures, not one of the groups rejected the question, they were all completely happy to comply. I captured their smiles, some were in a group, others with drinks in their hands while other came with their partner to party. I loved photographing these people and felt their joy as I captured those moments in time. In photoshop, I corrected the brightness, turned the photos to black and white and added grain. I was happy with my exposure, composition and placement of the subjects.
Contrasting to Teddy Fitzhugh's work, I photographed the outside of the clubs and the people waiting in line to go inside. I wanted to capture the excitement and happiness of the British clubbing culture, but from just before the tension breaks out into the clubs. I first photographed the street I thought had many clubs in one area, this place was located in Shoreditch next to The Blues Kitchen. As I photographed the streets around 1am, I noticed how packed and loud it was, a completely different atmosphere to the daytime. Yes the daytime is quite loud and bustling with people but the night version of it was somewhat different, it was a different vibe and atmosphere compare to when the sun was out, like a yin and yang. After photographing the streets, I went up to different groups of people and asked them if I could take their pictures, not one of the groups rejected the question, they were all completely happy to comply. I captured their smiles, some were in a group, others with drinks in their hands while other came with their partner to party. I loved photographing these people and felt their joy as I captured those moments in time. In photoshop, I corrected the brightness, turned the photos to black and white and added grain. I was happy with my exposure, composition and placement of the subjects.
A Day Out
Here I look at a different type of entertainment; I documented some moments of a friendship group on a day out around Canary Wharf and they're favourite spot to chill in. I thought this compared well to the nightlife in london, seeing as this time I was photographing the daytime version.
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Analysis: My intention in these photos were to capture images without people entirely paying attention to the camera. Through the start of the day I followed them and integrated myself into the group, taking intimate and close up photographs of people, just capturing the moments. I took inspiration from my previous artist link, Teddy Fitzhugh, photographing a group of people and their faces, where they went and what they did. This time however, I kept the photos in colour, but still keeping to the technique Fitzhugh adds to his images which is a deep touch of monochromatic grain. I really enjoyed photographing them and in the end gathered them for a group photograph. I managed my compositions well, not intending them to be perfect so as to incorporate the young touch of something along the lines of imperfection. |
Abandoned Series (URBEX): The Towers
As I photographed the groups day out in Canary Wharf, we had a few conversations, I remember talking about a specific place they had mentioned that they had all gone to visit. It was an abandoned mansion located somewhere in Finchley. This caught my attention as I found it to be something that really interests me and that meant it was a form of entertainment. I researched up upon of the topic of visiting abandoned places and found out it was a whole thing called 'urban exploration'. This is something which is exploring urban/derelict/abandoned places. It gave me the idea to photograph this; for this series I will focus on a couple of different urban exploration locations including buildings and stations.
Tom Kirsch
Tom Kirsch is the owner of the urban exploration website called 'opacity.us'. On the website he mentions that he has been to a rough estimate of: -239 locations -314 galleries and around 9,917 photographs taken. Each photo album is accompanied with a story, sometimes a hilarious recap of trying to dodge security and sometimes a bit of history of the place itself. He says 'Once a building no longer serves its original intended purpose, and all of its previous functionality ceases to exist, it becomes truly fascinating. Each room is transforming into something new at its own rate, yielding to water, ice, wind and gravity as they reclaim a manufactured space. The corrosion and decay paint vibrant colours across otherwise dull surfaces, lit only by natural sunlight spilling into rooms at unaccustomed angles. Each object left behind becomes more significant than it has ever been, hinting at the life prior to disuse. |
Tom Kirsch has been known as 'Mr Motts'. He is a 42 year old web programmer who lives in Detroit MI; however in his words he is 'intensely Internet anti-social'.
His actual photo career started in 2000 with shooting disused and negative spaces. This led to a long-term focus on the subject of abandoned places. He's visited hundreds of locations documented across the United States and Europe. In 2001 he graduated from the Post School of Visual and Performing Arts in New York with a BFA Cum Laude and Honours and Deans List achievements.
His actual photo career started in 2000 with shooting disused and negative spaces. This led to a long-term focus on the subject of abandoned places. He's visited hundreds of locations documented across the United States and Europe. In 2001 he graduated from the Post School of Visual and Performing Arts in New York with a BFA Cum Laude and Honours and Deans List achievements.
Contact Sheet:
My Work:
Analysis:
I specifically focused on one house. The house is a dilapidated Georgian house located on Bishops Avenue in North London. The site of the property was first owned by British actress Gracie Fields before it was knocked down in the 1970's. I really enjoyed going to the place and walking through it was like passing through a place stuck back in time as house do not look like this one normally. The place had around 4 or 6 floors including a basement with a pool and private bar, below basement, the main house and 2 extra floors with many rooms. As I explored and took photos, I took into matter, composition and what was in the overall photo. I wanted to portray the mansions beauty and let peoples imagination try and picture what it used to look like.
I specifically focused on one house. The house is a dilapidated Georgian house located on Bishops Avenue in North London. The site of the property was first owned by British actress Gracie Fields before it was knocked down in the 1970's. I really enjoyed going to the place and walking through it was like passing through a place stuck back in time as house do not look like this one normally. The place had around 4 or 6 floors including a basement with a pool and private bar, below basement, the main house and 2 extra floors with many rooms. As I explored and took photos, I took into matter, composition and what was in the overall photo. I wanted to portray the mansions beauty and let peoples imagination try and picture what it used to look like.
London: 6am vs 6pm
After doing the derelict mansion, I was given an idea by my teacher to do a side by side comparison of empty and busy places, which links to theme of abandonment. I chose to
go to Oxford Circus in the daytime of around 6am and then revisited the same places at 6pm, 10 hours later.
go to Oxford Circus in the daytime of around 6am and then revisited the same places at 6pm, 10 hours later.
As time goes by everything changes slightly, from people to places.
The British company 'On Stride' created a series of comparison images between modern day and the Victorian times.
I chose this as my link to this project, although I am not comparing images from more than 100 years ago, rather 10 hours ago, I am showing a comparison of the same street at different times of the day. I liked the simple layout of the images shown above.
The British company 'On Stride' created a series of comparison images between modern day and the Victorian times.
I chose this as my link to this project, although I am not comparing images from more than 100 years ago, rather 10 hours ago, I am showing a comparison of the same street at different times of the day. I liked the simple layout of the images shown above.
Contact Sheet:
My Response:
From doing the abandoned mansion to the comparison of empty and busy streets, I decided that I was going to continue doing the abandoned series as it really caught my interest and genuinely fascinated me. I would further explore locations, inspired by Tom Kirsch, a man who owns a website called Opacity, that explores hundreds of derelict locations.
His website is called 'Opacity', he describes it in his own words 'the transparency of something; either physically, or its obscurity in meaning. Opacity.us has been created to answer - and ask - questions about these abandoned sites. Researching the history of a place, combined with the memories shared by people who worked and lived there, can often shed light on an intended purpose of the structure, what happened there, and why it closed. The photographs are the portal inside; sometimes prompting more questions rather than answering them. This mixture of fascinating history and endless curiosity inside a beautiful world of decay is the
essence of my work displayed here'.
His website is called 'Opacity', he describes it in his own words 'the transparency of something; either physically, or its obscurity in meaning. Opacity.us has been created to answer - and ask - questions about these abandoned sites. Researching the history of a place, combined with the memories shared by people who worked and lived there, can often shed light on an intended purpose of the structure, what happened there, and why it closed. The photographs are the portal inside; sometimes prompting more questions rather than answering them. This mixture of fascinating history and endless curiosity inside a beautiful world of decay is the
essence of my work displayed here'.
Abandoned Series: Train Station
This is a derelict train station situated in Highgate. It was built in 1867, opened as part of a suburban steam rail line. It originally had two platforms and a reversing track in the middle, however after a couple of decades this was torn up and replaced with a single central platforms with tracks on either side. In the 1930's, the station became part of the Northern Heights project, the objective was to transform the station into a major interchange hub for North London. It was meant to be linked to the Northern Line, connecting to areas such as Alexandra Park and Mill Hill. However when World War 2 broke out, financial plans were focused elsewhere and the project was cancelled. Today the tunnels remain but are sealed off as they've become home to the endangered species of bats.
Images:
Abandoned Series: Finsbury Memorial Sports Centre
This place is located in the London Borough of Barnet almost on the border with Hertfordshire, the sports facility was originally called the Stirling Corner Sports Ground, though by 1955 it became known as the Finsbury Memorial Sports Centre. It had tennis courts, football pitches, a running track, a bowling green and a caretakers bungalow. It was owned by the Metropolitan Police but the facilities were open to the public, it however closed in the 1980s. The 32 acre site is now heavily overgrown and barely recognisable, only the large abandoned structural skeleton of the building remains.
It is a magnate for graffiti artists, urban explorers and party goers. In 2014, a local paper reported that more than 500 ravers attended a late night gathering at the site; a nearby resident complaining that 'the whole thing was as loud as a Robbie Williams concert at Wembley'.
It is a magnate for graffiti artists, urban explorers and party goers. In 2014, a local paper reported that more than 500 ravers attended a late night gathering at the site; a nearby resident complaining that 'the whole thing was as loud as a Robbie Williams concert at Wembley'.
Images:
Abandoned Series: Pentavia Retail Park
The Pentavia Retail Park was built in the early 1990s, following planning consent in 1988 for a scheme comprising retail warehouses, a garden centre and petrol station. Up until 2015 the site had been occupied by major national retailers including Homebase, Comet and Argos.
In 2019 the site received consent for 844 rental homes from London mayor Sadiq Khan, who called in the scheme stressing the “potential to make an important contribution to housing”. This was however refused by the Barnet Council, which said the high-density residential scheme would be overdevelopment of the site. In 2020, Amazon purchased the site and reportedly paid around £65 million. They outbid a number of residential developers and are thought to be carrying out pre-planning negotiations with the Barnet Council.
In 2019 the site received consent for 844 rental homes from London mayor Sadiq Khan, who called in the scheme stressing the “potential to make an important contribution to housing”. This was however refused by the Barnet Council, which said the high-density residential scheme would be overdevelopment of the site. In 2020, Amazon purchased the site and reportedly paid around £65 million. They outbid a number of residential developers and are thought to be carrying out pre-planning negotiations with the Barnet Council.
Abandoned Series: TGI Fridays
This was part of the Pentavia Retail Park, in the same complex across the car park. It closed down a few years after the retail park.
Abandoned Series: MV Royal Iris
This is the MV Royal Iris, and arguably the most famous, and loved of all the ferries that have crossed the Mersey over the centuries. The Royal Iris wasn’t just a “milk run” ferry going back and forth, she was floating entertainment, played host to hundreds of party cruises and bands such as The Searchers, The Beatles, Elvis Costello and unsurprisingly, Gerry & The Pacemakers.
It was built in 1951 and was the first non-steam ferry to cross the Mersey, being a diesel-powered ship, and when first launched its diesel-electric propulsion made it more economical to run than the other vessels in the fleet. Carrying a considerable near 2,300 people, the sleek forward prow made the ship instantly recognisable on the river. Thanks to the size of the ferry, it had been fitted with a dance floor, so was a regular spot for music concerts which further cemented its popularity in the area.
The ferry made what was supposed to be a one-off visit to London in May 1985, as part of a publicity drive to promote Merseyside. However, the ageing ship needed an expensive refurbishment in the 1990s, and she nearly ended up being scrapped but was sold instead. Sold in 1991 the intention was for her to become a floating nightclub, so she was sent to a nearby dock the next year and repainted, but it didn’t work out. In 1998, the ferry made a rather desultory return to London, a far cry from the pride of the visit in the 1980s, and was towed to a berth on the Thames not far from the Thames Barrier where she was to be converted into a floating nightclub. In 2010, she started taking on water and partially sank in the Thames, resting on the river bed. There have been attempts to try and raise the money to salvage the ferry and return her back to the Mersey, but as the years go on, the costs keep getting ever higher, and it’s now highly unlikely that the Royal Iris will ever see her home again.
It was built in 1951 and was the first non-steam ferry to cross the Mersey, being a diesel-powered ship, and when first launched its diesel-electric propulsion made it more economical to run than the other vessels in the fleet. Carrying a considerable near 2,300 people, the sleek forward prow made the ship instantly recognisable on the river. Thanks to the size of the ferry, it had been fitted with a dance floor, so was a regular spot for music concerts which further cemented its popularity in the area.
The ferry made what was supposed to be a one-off visit to London in May 1985, as part of a publicity drive to promote Merseyside. However, the ageing ship needed an expensive refurbishment in the 1990s, and she nearly ended up being scrapped but was sold instead. Sold in 1991 the intention was for her to become a floating nightclub, so she was sent to a nearby dock the next year and repainted, but it didn’t work out. In 1998, the ferry made a rather desultory return to London, a far cry from the pride of the visit in the 1980s, and was towed to a berth on the Thames not far from the Thames Barrier where she was to be converted into a floating nightclub. In 2010, she started taking on water and partially sank in the Thames, resting on the river bed. There have been attempts to try and raise the money to salvage the ferry and return her back to the Mersey, but as the years go on, the costs keep getting ever higher, and it’s now highly unlikely that the Royal Iris will ever see her home again.
Abandoned Series: House Shed
This shed that similar to a miniature house was part of the 'The Towers', located on Bishops Avenue. I found as it as I was walking back.