Statement of Intent:
Various photographs have been collected at different times capturing specific moments. My intent was to use various techniques, predominantly camera but some simple adjustments using PhotoShop, to capture the moment and try to replicate some of the images found during my researching of photographers.
The photographs below are the actual images taken and have only been modified using PhotoShop were documented in the text.
Health and Safety:
There was no implication of health and safety whilst taking the images at Eastham Ferry. In the case of Klondyke Mill the dominant safety criteria to take account of was the traction engines moving around the site. Beside the standard awareness of vehicular movement around the site, the only other safety aspect to be aware of was trip hazards whilst you were close by some of the stationary equipment. Whilst in the workshop area, visitors had restricted access to areas where machinery was moving. The large steam-driven engines that provided power to the site was fully fenced off preventing any form of access and therefore had no hazard.
Equipment used:
In both cases I chose my 40-150mm lens to provide me with a greater range of distance. The camera was hand-held to allow flexibility. By combining both factors I was able to gather images that offered close detail without influencing the feeling of the moment. This was especially the case at Eastham Ferry when photographing the elderly couple.
Eastham Ferry is located on the Wirral in Cheshire and is the historical site of a ferry crossing to Liverpool. The area has been altered to provide a country park on the banks of the River Mersey.
The day was warm and sunny where members of public of differing ages were enjoying the opportunity spending some time relaxing and socialising.
An elderly couple caught my eye as they walked down to the river edge to view the scenery. Walking hand in hand they portrayed an image of closeness and fondness that had been created over many years. Several shots were gained during their walk away from me towards the river but it was the interlocked hands as they returned that really caught my attention. Martin Parr had taken close up photographs of situations to portray the moment; one of these was of an elderly couples' arms interlocked. The images below of the couples hands were aimed to mimic Parr's photograph.
The light was intense enabling the use of ISO 250 and shutter speeds of around 1/250. Due to the high light levels a range of "F" settings could be used (F5.6 to F16) to deliver a range of images. In the case of the couple I used a high "F" setting in order to capture the detail of the subjects as well as the foreground and background.
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| "Enduring Love" Hand in hand (Reference Martin Parr) Image captures the mid-torso of the couple only Hands are silhouetted against the dark trousers |
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| "Enduring Love" Hand in hand (Reference Martin Parr) Image cropped and adjusted using PhotoShop Levels |
Martin Parr's image below was the inspiration for my photographs.
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| Martin Parr's Image of interlinked arms |
NS&CTEC, Klondyke Mill, Draycott in the Clay:
North Staffs and Cheshire Traction Engine Club is sited on the outskirts of Draycott in the Clay in Staffordshire. Periodically the site is opened to the public and it was one of these days, 6th June 2011, that these images were taken. My objective was to collect images of people interfacing with these massive steam-driven engines.
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| "Steam's up." Engine releasing steam as it travels around the site. |
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| The experience of controlling a traction engine. A member of public drives the engine. |
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| "Young enthusiasm" A young boy runs alongside the traction engine. |
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| "Young enthusiasm" (2) Original image has been cropped to focus on the young runner. |
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| "Young enthusiasm" (3) Cropped image has been turned into B&W to reflect the age of the stream traction engines. |
Several photographs were taken in the workshop were the light levels were low. The original photographs were taken to produce dark images as the aim was to maintain relatively high shutter speeds. The images were then lightened using PhotoShop were the tone range was altered in "Levels". This has produced images where the detail can been viewed but the dark environment of the workshop is maintained.
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| Youth looks on as the men discuss traction engines. |
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| Two enthusiasts discuss the details. |
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| "Enthusiasts: Young and Old" Original image |
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| Cropped image emphasising the scene |
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| Original Image. Screen shot shows the Levels settings . |
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| Altered Image. Screen shot shows the altered Levels settings. |
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| Final image. Enthusiast photographing an engine. |
Wedding Photography:
The majority of wedding photographs are the official images of the happy couple or groups. Many photographs are usually taken by guests where the layout, composition, patterns and perspective do not play much part. My aim at a recent wedding was to shadow the official photographer and gather a number of more candid and unofficial images to reflect the sentiments of the day. The weather was showery and fortunately remained bright and dry for the official photographs after the ceremony.
I wanted the freedom of movement to capture the more unusual shots and so used my 40-150mm lens and hand-held the camera. This combination allowed me to move around the periphery of the groups with the option to zoom in for close-up images whilst allowing me the option to compose the shot.
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| Ruth and Father arriving in the Rolls-Royce. Shot produced a crisp but dark image which was later lightened using "Levels" in PhotoShop. |
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| "Is Ruth coming?" Close up of the bridesmaid; Image silhouetted by the darkness of the doorway. |
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| Bridesmaid framed by the church door; silhouetted against the dark interior. |
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| Chauffeur silhouetted through the rain covered windows. |
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| Chauffeur checking the procedures. |
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| How cool is the chauffeur? |
.... and after the ceremony came the photographs!
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| .. and some just look on in wonder! |
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| A young member of the family takes a sneak look at the married couple. |
.... and even the official photographer gets in the mood.
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| The Happy Couple. Ruth and William. |
My objective for all the above events was to gather reportage-type photographs capturing the atmosphere of the day. Each event was different requiring a varied approach to capture the images to portray the nature of the day. From the initial research that I undertook there were two aspects in particular that grabbed my attention, namely:
- Martin Parr's theme of focusing on the "detail" in order to represent the image. The close-up of interlocked arms is the focus of the photograph. My photograph of the couples interlocked hands portrays a sense of enduring love and tenderness and is equal to Parr's image. In the case of Ruth and William's wedding, the scale of the images was not as detailed but there was the need for a range of distance shots as well as groups.
- Several of the photographers that I researched portrayed a street, a bridge, a car in order to capture the moment. The example below compares Terence Donovan's Pirelli images to one of my images taken at Klondyke Mill. Donovan's mini has been staged using a model in the driver's seat. The traction engine is in it's own environment being driven by enthusiasts. My image is not bright and shiny but captures the moment as does Donovan's mini.
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| Terence Donovan Pirelli Calendar Mini |
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| Paul Baker Klondyke Mill Traction Engine |
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