SDA Final Edit

For my final edit for my SDA work I sat down in mid April and decided on captions for my photographs and which ones I thought would work best in a series. I decided to take out the Bodmin Jail photographs which were some of my favourites however I felt they lacked a certain distance that I wanted in the photographs that I think I achieved with the rest of my images for other locations. In terms of ordering the series I really struggled because they are quite disconnected and as a set they don't tell a story from start to finish. However I decided to go for my beach photograph first as I think this image really sums up what people think about when they think of Cornwall however the eeriness of this image really sets the tone for the series. 

Overall I am pretty satisfied with the outcome of this series considering how difficult it is to get to so many places for me as I don't drive. I do however feel dissatisfied with the quality of my post production on my photographs, as some of the colours have come out really off and I don't really know why. I would however love to learn how to take medium format photography now and hopefully will have that sussed out for my next project. 

Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall, UK, 18 March, 2017

Porthminster Beach, St Ives

The ghost of a shipwrecked woman is said to walk Porthminster beach carrying a lantern. She has been said to patrol the beach in search of her child who she lost in the accident. Seeing her is considered an ill-omen.

Lanhydrock Estate, Bodmin, Cornwall, UK, 11 March, 2017

Lanhydrock House, Bodmin

The stately home of Lanhydrock is said to be haunted by a grey lady who wanders the gallery and drawing room; the only parts of the house that remained after a large fire burned down the house in the 19th century. The building is also said to be haunted by a man who was hanged by royalists there during the civil war. 

St Gluvias Church, Penryn, Cornwall, UK, 7 March, 2017

St Gluvias Church, Penryn

The historic parish church of St Gluvias is said to contain a haunting manifestation in the form of the ghost of a former bell ringer who drowned at sea. Once a captain this figure is said to return on occasion from his watery grave and stand silently in the church. He has also been said to ring the church bells on occasion in the early hours of the morning. 

Kennel Vale, Ponsanooth, Cornwall, UK, 19 March, 2017

Kennel Vale, Ponsanooth 

The remains of the Kennel Vale gunpowder works are said to be haunted by the ghost of William Dunstan. A father who died after a gunpowder explosion in 1838 which caused many deaths and destroyed five mills.

Pendennis Castle, Falmouth, Cornwall, UK, 7 March, 2017

Pendennis Castle, Falmouth

Built by Henry VII Pendennis Castle was the site of a famous siege that lasted six months. In which royalists trapped inside were forced to eat their dogs and horses before eventually surrendering. Many visitors to the castle have reported hearing the piercing screams of a kitchen maid who died in the castle at this time. 

PEP 160 Report

Victoria Sewart Contemporary Jewellery Gallery for Crafts, The Magazine for Contemporary Craft

When I first began brainstorming ideas for this assignment I knew I wanted at least one of my features to be for an art magazine, as they are the kind of editorial spaces I engage with as a reader myself. I had already arranged to go and photograph a unique jewellery business in Plymouth so decided to find a relevant editorial space for a feature on the Victoria Sewart Contemporary Jewellery Gallery.

In search of relevant publications I went into WHSmith and the University libraries and came across Crafts, The Magazine for Contemporary Craft. I felt that this would be the most appropriate space for the article I wanted to produce about Sewart’s business and her career. As this magazine is for professionals in this industry and rather than being a kind of advert for this business I wanted to produce a feature on Sewart herself as she is an established designer, curator and business woman who is really inspiring. As she has been a designer for over twenty years and during the first few years of running the gallery she was diagnosed with cancer and still came into work during her treatment. 

Screenshots from Crafts, The Magazine for Contemporary crafts' Media Pack

I learnt about Crafts’ audience by downloading their media pack where I learnt that over half of the circulation of the magazine is obtained through subscriptions. Which tells me that they have a very loyal readership which appears to be made up of mainly professionals in the creative industries. When looking at the magazine itself I found that many of the articles are about professionals in the industry including creators and business owners. They also use photographs in these features in very similar ways, often with a full page environmental portrait and then photographs of pieces of design and interior/exterior photographs of businesses and studios. 

Before going to my shoot I prepared a number of questions for Sewart to help me write my article and I also planned out the photographs I wanted to take, which I felt helped me conduct the shoot and work with my subject. As she was able to gain an understanding of what I wanted. 

Examples of feature layouts from various issues of Crafts Magazine

I decided that my content would best fit into the ‘best of British’ section of the magazine and began designing my content in a similar way to other feature articles on businesses that I had looked at. I felt that in order to go with the article I had to use photographs from my shoot that encompass the entire business. So I used a full length environmental portrait of Victoria, two product shots, a detail shot of Sewart working in the studio and an exterior shot of the business. Overall I feel I have suitably produced client specific content and that my layout is also appropriate for the publication.

Summer Baking Inspiration for Delicious Magazine

I was certain early on that I wanted to do at least one feature for a food magazine as I really wanted to try some food photography. After purchasing food magazines such as Olive, Jamie and BBC Good Food I decided I wanted to produce my content for Delicious. As I like how they design their content and use photography in a big way to inspire their more sophisticated and contemporary consumers to try new recipes. 

Media Information found on the Intermediate Media website

As I was producing this content in early spring I decided to produce something for a summer issue as they have a section called seasonal inspiration that I wanted my article to be designed for. I decided as I would be cooking the recipes myself to create an article on baking recipes. As these kinds of foods will remain how I want them to look for a lot longer, which I would need as I would be styling the food and photographing it by myself. 

My process for finding recipes was very long and involved me looking in books and online for recipes with summer fruits and also more fun ones which led me to the oreo brownie recipe. 

Examples of layouts from various issues of Delicious magazine

Some of the content I needed to edit

To design my article I looked at how Delicious uses typography and the formats they use for writing their recipes. The most difficult part for me was the picture editing because I photographed a lot more recipes then I was going to feature. However I decided on the brownies for the first two pages because Delicious often have a cover recipe in feature which they will include more than one picture of. 

Haunted Cornwall for My Cornwall

The most difficult editorial choice was for my SDA work as my project ended up being about hauntings in Cornwall and I really didn’t want it to go anywhere near a paranormal enthusiast publication. After discussing the project in a workshop I realised that it would work nicely in a publication about Cornish culture as this is something people in Cornwall could be really interested in. I decided to go for My Cornwall in the end as through reading the media pack I found that the magazine is read by people in their mid thirties and above who want to learn more about their culture and also people who holiday here and want to find new places to explore. 

Screenshots from the My Cornwall media pack

Examples of My Cornwall layouts

I decided to design my article to go in the ‘out and about’ section of the magazine, as I wanted it to be about introducing people to these stories about places you can visit in Cornwall. They also have ran an article about forgotten Cornish Saints in this section which I felt would be of a similar style to my article in terms of telling stories in connection to places. 

Another difficulty was designing my content as there isn’t a great deal of consistency in how they use text and arrange photographs on their pages. However they usually have a double page photograph to begin with which is why I used this photograph of Porthminster beach across two pages. Overall I am not massively pleased with my design however I do feel that this content has been made appropriate for this editorial space and is something they would consider publishing. My SDA was obviously not created for a specific publication and doing this has really shown me the importance of having the curation of your work in mind before you create it. 

Rue for Oh Comely

I decided that Oh Comely would be my final editorial space as it is one of my personal favourites. The magazine has an audience of 18 - 35 year old creatives and content is often created by these readers. The space is all about meeting strangers so for my article I wanted to find an inspiring subject that their audience would want read about. Fortunately I was able to contact 23 year old Rue; a Cornish Jazz singer who is about to release her first EP. 

Screenshots from the Oh Comely media pack

As articles are generally made up of portrait photographs that fit with the magazine’s aesthetic we arranged a portrait session in Falmouth as she had a gig there in February. Before the shoot we sat down for coffee so that I could interview her for my article and then I explained the kinds of portraits I wanted to take. Because my article is about her being a Cornish singer/songwriter who uses the internet to reach an audience, I felt it was important to take my portraits of her by the beach. As beautiful beaches is what many of us associate with Cornwall which is a big part of her identity. 

For me the photographs are about introducing an audience to this person and I chose these two images for the magazine because I felt they were the two strongest, and I like the consistency in colours that go with the text and also the horizon lines which are in the same places in the photographs. 

Writing the article wasn’t too challenging as the interview really shaped the subject matter that I had intended for the piece, and in the end it was the naming the title that I struggled with most. Eventually I came up with A New Note which I think summarises Rue’s circumstances and also links with her being a musician. 

Screenshots of my email correspondence with Lara Watson 

I think that my pitching email was concise but informative enough for the editor to decide whether this is something she would be interested in or not. The reply I have had is that she has forwarded it onto the new editor which I was hoping she would do as she has said on social media that she has left the magazine however Oh Comely are yet to update their online presence with the contact details of their new editor. I decided to pitch this content because I feel it is my strongest it terms of its attractiveness to my chosen editorial space and I also felt I could provide them with the most information about my subject matter as I can easily put them in contact with Rue. 

The London Shoot

So on the 6th of April I got my London shoot shot and uploaded. It was a really hectic day as I had to travel across London to my locations and I didn't necessarily know what I would be working with. However my intention was to shoot whatever I found in these spots so that I could use my captions to elaborate on the subject matter further. Luckily I wrote out my captions before I took the shots so the final edit and upload wasn't too stressful however working out my approach to my shoot really was. I went to about seven locations in the end and I also visited the Royal London Hospital Museum to see the replica skeleton of Joseph Merrick and things like his hood that he would wear and the model church he made. 

My final edit was the result of me looking at the captions I had written beforehand and deciding what would best sum up Merrick's story and experience with living with such stigma. Overall I am satisfied with what I was able to achieve considering the subject matter and lack of access, however in looking back I think there was potential for me to explore more new stories in London and I could have made more use of the time I had to visit somewhere and learn more about an aspect of the city I wasn't previously aware of. 

However going to London was an incredibly enriching experience for me and really inspiring. I did plan to recce these locations for my shoot but instead I went to every talk and opportunity and visited a couple of shows which left me super tired for the first few days. And looking back I don't know how beneficial that would have been for me anyway.

Berners Street, Bloomsbury, London, UK, 6 April 2017

Where the Royal Pathological Society of Lodon was based when Joseph Merrick agreed to be presented as a ‘living specimen.’ He attended this Bloomsbury address several times by Hansom cab whilst wrapped in his cloak.

6 Wimpole Street, London, UK, 6 April 2017

After spending his life in workhouses, freak shows and hospitals Frederick Treves invited Joseph Merrick to his house on Wimpole street. Merrick was so excited to see what a ‘normal house’ looked like that he examined every feature.

Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Covent Garden, London, 6 April 2017

Fascinated by the theatre; Joseph Merrick was granted a private box and use of the royal staircase at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Where he was said to have spent one of the happiest nights of his life.

London Liverpool Street Station, London, UK, 6 April 2017

After being made penniless by his manager in Belgium, Joseph Merrick returned to London and arrived at Liverpool Street Station. Here he was mobbed after his cloak and hood gained unwanted attention. Merrick ended up collapsing after being barricaded in a waiting room.

The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London, UK, 6 April 2017

When Joseph Merrick returned to the London Hospital after his travels in Belgium, Treves concluded that his friend would face a short lifespan. Following an appeal, enough money was raised to provide Merrick with two private rooms known as Bedstead Corner.

The Relationship Final Edit

After two tutorials in one week to discuss all my events photographs and final edit for the relationship brief I have finally come to a final edit for this project. I have decided to start with two more intimate photographs showing people's relationships with entries at the 6th Annual World Pasty Championships. Followed by three photographs from the gin event that show a group of actors, two girls conversing over their gin cocktails and finally a bartender pouring out the gin. I felt that these photographs would be appropriate because they show people from each event who helped the creation of the food and drink product and also the people who interact with it once it has been made. 

I don't think this is my strongest project and I really struggled to find something that I am really interested in to photograph for this brief. I think the thought of having to specifically go out and photograph relationships made me super nervous and I wish I would have gone for it a lot more as I spent lots of time doing research to put off taking photographs. As I was really unsure about what I wanted to use as subject matter.  

A contestant positions his entry at the 6th Annual World Pasty Championships, The Eden Project, Bodelva, Cornwall, UK, 4 March, 2017

Judges tasting one of the entries at the 6th Annual World Pasty Championships, The Eden Project, Bodelva, Cornwall, UK, 4 March, 2017

Actors hold up their drinks at a promotional video event for Tarquin's Gin, Tremough House Garden, Penryn, Cornwall, 20 March, 2017

Actors converse over drinks for the filming of a promotional video for Tarquin's Gin, Tremough House Garden, Penryn, Cornwall, 20 March, 2017

A bar tender pours gin cocktails at the filming of a promotional video for Tarquin's Gin, Tremough House Garden, Penryn, Cornwall, 20 March, 2017

Other Events Photographs

I have been doing a lot of events photography this month which has all contributed to my thoughts and approach to my relationships photographs as I have been required by my client to photograph people at events. I have lots of photographs that I think would be appropriate for the relationship brief however I am really liking the theme of food and drink events so will keep my final edit just consisting of the pasty and gin photos. 

Tarquins Gin Event

For my second relationships shoot I photographed the people taking part in a promotional video for Tarquin's Gin. In which actors and students staged a summer garden party event with music, games and of course lots of gin. I really tried to interact with people at this event and make them feel comfortable with having their photograph taken. It was useful however that these people were all actors who were ok with being in the promotional video. 

I thought that the relationships shown at this event were really interesting to photograph because it was staged and people were acting. It also relates to these ideas about public relations that I looked at in Winogrand's work as the purposes of this event were to promote a product. Making an edit out of these photographs I feel will be challenging but I definitely want to pick some of these and use some of the Pasty Championship photographs for my final edit for the relationship brief. 

World Pasty Championships

I decided after researching events online that I would photograph the World Pasty Championships at the Eden Project as part of my relationships work. I also have an event with Tarquins Gin that I will be photographing later in the month so I think I might put photographs from these two shoots together in order to create a series on food and drinks events. As I have been looking at Martin Parr's photographs in the British Journal of Photography on eating food which really inspired me to look more into exploring our relationships with food.

I was able to get media access to cover the championships after emailing David Rowe. Which allowed me to enter the premises early in the morning where I saw contestants check in with their entries and eventually the judges sitting down to taste and rate the pasties. Although I photographed lots of the event I have decided to focus on the judges photographs as these images show people interacting with food and each other at this event in a more intimate way. 

I really tried to get close to people and make them comfortable with my presence. However I wanted my shots to be candid so spent a lot of time in the same places waiting for moments to occur. I really struggled with the lighting and as I thought the championship would take place outside or in one of the well lit biomes didn't bring a flashgun. This has definitely taught me to always be prepared for anything. I also wish I had brought a wider lens to encompass the entire scenes a bit more like Winogrand did in his series.

I did consider just taking five pictures from this series to use for my relationships brief however I think the shots show relationships that are too similar in order for them to fit the brief parameters.

Planning my London Shoot

To plan my London shoot I re watched the Elephant Man film and read the The True History of The Elephant Man by Michael Howell and Peter Ford. Through this I managed to work out the locations I would want to photograph in London that I feel show important points in Merrick's story. Not all the locations are going to be as obvious for me to photograph as Merrick's story took place in the Victorian times. I have decided that as long as I can take a photograph of where abouts locations supposedly were I can take a general photograph of the street and then use my caption to elaborate on the location further. 

To plan my shoot I have found all the locations and what they look like on Google maps in order to plan my shoot day and also in case I have time to recce some of these locations in advance. 

 

259 Whitechapel Road, E1

Liverpool Street station, EC2

The Royal London Hospital, E1

Theatre Royal Drury Lane, WC2

6 Wimpole Street, W1

The Royal London Hospital Museum, E1

Berners Street, W1

SDA Shoot 4 + 5: St Ives & Kennel Vale

As I scanned my negatives for these two shoots at the same time I thought I would discuss my final two SDA shoots together. For the first shoot I went to St Ives to photograph Porthminster beach and for the second I went over to Kennel Vale in Posanooth.

Although it was a cloudy day which was ideal I really struggled to photograph the beach. However in the end I am most pleased with this very simple shot above that has this haziness in the background. I said I didn't want to make my photographs look overly spooky but this is just the weather especially at this time of year in Cornwall, and I like that the shot is very forward facing and you have this leading line taking you into the water and eventually this hazy horizon.

Kennel Vale I found a really difficult shoot because there are so many little buildings that remain of the gun powder works and I really wasn't sure where to start or what would look best. Which is why I have so many different photographs of this location to choose from. After discussing these photographs with Mal I have come to like the photograph above best. As I think this really shows what people are familiar with of this place and has a sense of intrigue about it that I have similarly created in my chosen photographs from other shoots.