Crit Notes: 21st February

• Edits can be fluid and change between a magazine and portfolio

• 5 picture stories don't have to be shot at the same time, it's more about a theme than going to one place to do a shoot on one day

• Think more about cropping! Use pieces of card to make it easier to see the cropped image without being distracted from the outside of the crop

• Dodging and burning on the Predannack pictures should be done to get more detail from the sky and inside the plane. But also keep the contrast in that interior image

• Better shapes in the detail shot of the controls of the plane than the seating. The shapes work well with those created by the watch tower as well

• Interesting discussion also about how we are now thinking about our series of images in terms of an editorial workspace which is fine, but also your edit and eye for shooting for a magazine will be different than a long term documentary project for example. You don't need to think about double page spreads and space for text for example

For this crit I brought some of the Predannack photographs I was still deciding between and through discussing my images with the group I have come to an edit of five photographs for my five picture story. Here are my final five photographs with their captions. 

Exterior of a a retired RAF Harrier GR3 at Predannack Airfield, Helston, Cornwall, UK, 15th February 2017

Predannack has a varied history and opened in May 1941 as a satellite base for RAF Portreath. Today it is the satellite airfield for RNAS Culdrose, a restricted Ministry of Defence site and an active airfield used for flight deck training by the Royal Navy.

Remains of the Barnes Wallis Ramp at Predannack Airfield, Helston, Cornwall, UK, 2017

Predannack Air Field was used by aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis during the 1950s in his development of the supersonic swing-wing Swallow and Goose aircraft projects. This long ramp was used to launch radio controlled scale models, proving his concept of a 'Variable Swing-Wing' aeroplane.

Interior of a retired Jetstream T2 at Predennack Airfield, Helston, Cornwall, UK, 15th February 2017

Predannack Airfield is home to many retired aircrafts and has what is referred to as an aircraft graveyard. Which retired airframes of varying levels of damage are used for rescue and crash training by the Royal Navy.

Exterior of the Predannack Airfield Air Traffic Control Tower, Helston, Cornwall, UK, 15th February 2017


The Air Traffic Control Tower at Predannack is operated by the Royal Navy who use the runways as a satellite airfield and a relief landing ground for RNAS Culdrose. The tower also houses aircraft fire fighting facilities for the Royal Navy School of Flightdeck Training.

The Royal Navy School of Flight Deck Operations performs a fire fighting test at Predannack Airfield, Helston, Cornwall, UK, 2017

Today Predannack is used as a practise base for the Royal Navy School of Flight Deck operations. Who use dummy aircraft  frames on the site for fire extinguishing practise.

To produce my captions I asked lots of questions on the tour and did some research online to find out more about the history of the site. I formulated the order for my series by writing the captions as they began to tell a story about Predannack from the beginning of its history towards what it is used for today. Overall I feel that considering this is my first serious use of film photography that there is a consistency to my images and that they are visually effective in illustrating my chosen subject matter. The photographs allow you to see that today Predannack is a much quieter expanse of land however still is in use and has a great deal of history.