evaluation

Evaluation

Choosing the theme for my minor project was something which I had little difficulty with. Following my natural interests I chose to focus my project around documenting what is familiar to me. Over the summer I chose to document Durham Miners gala, a yearly event held in Durham which I have attended for almost all my life. The images I produced from this were something I was greatly proud of. When relating to this particular brief my images worked well as they were images which when presented as a collective told a story. During this project where I have had to capture images with a narrative and produce a photo book, my main influences have come from the work of Peter Dench, Paul Graham and Martin Parr. The reason I would say my work shows influence of Martin Parr is through the way I seem to naturally seek to capture unusual shots, where I may focus upon objects or people that most may not usually notice, or I tend to capture shots with bright ‘in your face’ colours. I feel my approach to photographing Durham miner’s gala is unique and shows my own take on the day’s events. Rather than traditional and posed shots my work tends to present a more relaxed and care free style of documentary photography. This is where I feel my work shows the way I have been influenced by Peter Dench. The project ‘Alcohol & England’ by Peter Dench is something which really inspired me in my own work. When I first set out to produce this project I not only wanted to focus upon Durham Miners gala but I also wanted to capture more everyday images of the working class people of today in their own environments. However I came to find I had to narrow my ideas down for my minor project as the time I have had has only been limited. I came to face some difficulties during this project when it came to the actual making of my maquette book. I had been greatly influenced by several books by Paul Graham, where I found images were laid out across a double page at a time. As the brief only required a maquette photo book I chose to make this by hand. The making of a book has been something which is new to me, so the whole process has been a learning process. During the making of my book I decided I would have to temporarily drop my original layout idea, as for now, printing across two double pages successfully and professionally would be something I would want to take more time to perfect. I therefore settled with a more simplified layout which I could achieve during the limited time frame this minor project allowed. I feel my project have been successful and has set me in good stead ready for my major project. If there was anything I could have done differently in this project it would be to be able to produce more shoots as I feel my project has not been possibly as in depth or explored as much as it could have been. 

Final Image

As my brief requires I have to chose one final image to be presented as an exhibition print. The image  has to be one from the book i have made, and presented professionally in a frame. Before narrowing down my images for my book, I felt I already had my mind set on the image I was going to use for my final exhibition style print.

Although I have several favourite images, some of them being rather unique, I felt the final single image I chose should be a representation of the day as a whole. I gathered that I wanted the image to include the banner, as this had been a symbolic object throughout the day and throughout my images.

I felt this image was well composed with the young girl being central to the image. The image also included the banner which is what I wanted my final image to include. However the main reason I had wanted to chose this image as my final image was because of the emphasis on the young girl taking part. This festival celebrates or remembers something which although maskable affected people across our country especially in this area, it did all intact happen well before this young girls time. The fact the festival is still ongoing and enjoyed by so many today is because of the younger generations taking part and taking an interest still today. 

The general outcome of my images in my book seem to follow quite a quirky style. The colours are bold and many of the shots are of unusual objects or people. The images tend to be shot from all kinds of view points, with a lot happening in each frame. With this in mind I felt the first image was not going to be most suitable to be my one stand alone image from my selection. 

I still wanted to use an image which gave a good idea of what the full day was about, therefore I still wanted an image which included the banner. 

Final Image

The final image I chose to use was this one. Although I don't exactly think this image is my strongest image out of the whole book, I think it works very fitting with the full theme and as an insight into photo book. The image still includes the banner, and the writing is fully visible. I like how an emphasis on the colour red is made, through the bright top of the female and the banner. Again this links well to my photo book as the main colour is red, even the front cover of the book being red. They way in which the banner is only visible over crowds of people makes the viewer feel as though they too are stood in that crowd. The image captures a female laughing and a couple with their arms around each other, the image I feel shows a sense of joy and celebration, which is what the full day was about. The sunburnt woman's back and tattoos gives a British feel to the image.

making a book

Hand making a Book

Once working out how I was going to present and print my images I had to work out how I would bind my pages and the book together. I chose to print on and fold about 4 pages at a time, as from looking at other books this seemed similar to them. I figured when folding a lot of pages in half the centre pages would hang out of the book or folded collection of paper and this is something I did not want. With my maximum of 4 pages folded at a time, I then research common ways of binding books, especially small paper books such as my own. 

I watched a tutorial on how to stitch pages together, I think used this simple method to stitch my pages together. 

I chose to use red card as the cover for my machete, as in terms of thinking of the actual outcome of my final printed book, I felt a red cover would suit the theme of the book, as the main colour throughout my images seemed to be red. 

 To bind the book fully, I have bought some binding fabric from hobby craft. I have chosen a black spine for the book and black writing for the text on the front of the book, as I wanted to keep the presentation fairly simple.

Making a book

First Steps...


As the assignment brief requires I am to produce my own photo book. We have been asked to produce a machete book which is almost like a practice run before creating a more professional version for our exhibition. This process of creating a mock up book first is something I would have had to do whether my brief required me to or not, as no professional photo book could just be made in one go.

I have found a lot of thought and consideration actually goes into making a photo book in particular. Factors that have to be considered include how many images, layout of images, size of images, whether to include any blank pages between images, whether to include any text along side images or at the beginning of the book, the colour of the cover, and the list goes on.

As my first step in creating my book I chose to get my photographs printed one size as 6x4. I then bought a cheap scrap book with plain pages as can be seen here, and i then took to placing the images in the order i would like them and i started to think about the layout of the images, experimenting in order to find what layout and order flowed best.

I wanted my images to be in order of the day begging to end, as I wanted to tell a story of the days events in the order in which they happen as this is a yearly event carried out the same way each year. Also the images are working together as a narrative, telling a story to the viewer, therefore they had to be in order to do so.

Following a tutorial with my tutor I had new ideas about the layout of my book. I had been shown a book where the images spread across two pages at a time, in a similar way to the Paul Graham book I had previously looked at in my research. Myself and my tutor began to print a few different sized images so I could experiment with these positioned differently on the page. 

I came to realise that for my machete book, i would struggle to manage this style of printing across two pages. The time i would need to master this skill would be unrealistic to try and achieve before my deadline date. I therefore chose to keep the layout fairly simply, and agreed with myself that for the final print of my book I could build upon my experimentation with the layout.

Once happy with my more simplified layout I experimented in black and white with how I would print the images onto folded pages ready for making my book.

A skill I came to grasp during this process was printing double sided on the paper. This took a few attempts to ensure the images were being printed on the correct sides of the paper in order to flow in the order i wanted the book to do so. 

Photo Books

Paul Graham

Another photo book I found which I liked the layout of was another Paul Graham book. The book presents many of Paul Grahams projects, along with text about him as a photographer, his work, the methods behind his work ect. 

The layout of the book followed a similar layout to the previous book I had seen however this time some of the images would be presented across a double page with sometimes only blank space to one side of the image like so:

With the ideas of my own photo book coming together, I am swaying toward the decision of not having any writing in my book. I feel maybe for my final outcome I may carry out some further research in order to find some fitting text such as quotes or interviews that may accompany my images, but for my machete version I aim experiment with presenting images with white space around them. I really like the idea of the image above, presenting two images of the same size one above the other. It gives the viewer a lot to look at and consider for only one page, contrasting or very similar images would work well like this. 

This idea of an image spreading across two pages only to leave a small amount of white space to one side is something I really want to experiment more with for my final print. 

What I feel works well is when one image may be placed to the right hand side of the two pages, then on the next page the image is presented to the opposite side to the previous image. This causes the viewer to look across the pages when viewing the book rather than just focusing on the same area of each page. 

Editing images

Lightroom


Before creating a mock up book made from paper and small printed images I had to narrow my images down. So far I have narrowed my images down, with the approval of my tutor also. I didn't nessisarily chose the images which i thought were most powerful or successful on their own, i instead selected images with a narrative in mind. In my book I want to tell the story of the day of 'Durham Big Meeting' from start to finish. I therefore chose images which worked well along side each other in telling this story, showing the viewer every important aspect of the day. From walking behind the banner, to listening to the brass band, to drinking cider to watching people sing, dance and cheer on the streets. 

With my choses images I created a mock up book, however creating the book has started to bring to my attention that i maybe need to dwindle my images down to even fewer. With the first selection of images i have made however i have edited these using lightroom. 

I have found during this editing process that lightroom is a much more useful and practical way of editing images. I am able to view the images as a collective like the screenshot below shows. 

I chose to keep my images in colour although I did try them in black and white. The bright colours appear vital in telling the story of the day, as after all, this day is a celebration. As can be seen down the right hand bar of the screen, some of the slight changes I made can be seen. The main changes I made to my images were sharpening and increase in saturation. I have been inspired recently by the work of Martin Parr therefore I like to include bold colours in my own work as he does. 

This is the beginning image of the book. I really like the composition of the image, the contrast of colours and how the first image draws emphasis on the fact that although this is an event to remember  the mining trade and the pits that closed now decades ago, the event is still celebrated by people of all ages. 

Photographer research

Photo Books

When researching the work of Paul Graham and his documentation of the working class from the 1980s, I came across some of his more recent work. A book by Paul Graham in particular caught my eye. As part of our brief we have been asked to create a photo book, therefore we have been looking at photo books in class and i have also been looking at them in my spare time to gain inspiration and ideas on how to lay out my work, what shape book use, what colour pages would work best ect. 

A book named 'The Present' caught my eye as I was instantly attracted to the way the photographer had chosen to present his images in the book. 

I like the use of blank spaces around the images and the way in which there is no particular sequence to the images. The images are presented in different sizes in different areas on each page. This encourages the viewer to look across all areas of the book rather than just focusing on the same spot for every page. 

Paul Graham; Present


During a tutorial with my tutor I took along the book 'The Present' and explained this is where i had mainly found inspiration. When looking through the work by Paul Graham in this book, i learnt that the idea of the images are that two images that may be presented on a page together are images that have been taken in the same area maybe minutes or seconds between one another; 

http://www.paulgrahamarchive.com/thepresent.html#a

http://www.paulgrahamarchive.com/thepresent.html#a

Myself and my tutor noticed a slight similarity in terms of this concept where two images are taken at similar points in my own work. With having this i now hope to experiment with a similar lay out to what i have seen in Paul Grahams book but with my own take on it. 

I like the idea of having two images such as these presented in a book across a double page, where the viewer gets to see two very different images, un composed action shot vs a more composed shot which follows. I feel this concept in my work and Paul Grahams gives the viewer a feel that they too are walking down the street looking at these sights themselves. 

I feel really pleased with this work i have produced and i can't believe i found this similarity in my own work and another photographers before even researching or looking at the photographers work myself.

Photographer Research; The Working Class

Paul Graham: Beyond Caring 1984-85



Following my research of other photographers whom have photographed the working class I have researched the photographer Paul Graham. What attracted me to this photographer was his older work which I was already familiar with before this project. I didn't infact realise Paul Graham had produce work in recent years. The work which originally attracted me was in particular a project he produced in 1984-85 called 'Beyond Caring'. This project captures documentary shots of people in job centres.

During this project i set out to capture images of working class areas and people. As I've previously presented in this bog, i captured images at the yearly event of Durham Miners Gala. One of the main reasons Durham miners gala still happens today is to remember those who lost their jobs during mainly the Tatcher era of the 1980's in Britain, as i previously explained in that post.

The work here by Paul Graham is a true documentation of that impact of job losses to the lower classes of Britain during this time. The exploration of this work from the past and my work of the present featuring working class people and surrounding these same issues is quite interesting, and could be considered as a vital link in my research.

Paul Graham himself was intact unemployed himself through the duration of this project. This shows an example of a photographer photographing whats close to them. I like this idea, especially being a documentary photographer myself, and i feel this links to my own photography style and ideas.

http://www.paulgrahamarchive.com/beyondcaring.html#a

"Some people embraced it and saw it as something positive, but other people- Magnum photographers, photojournalists- would pick on this photograph for example, the baby in a waiting room in Birmingham, and say that any social interpretation is undermined by the fact that the child is wearing pink, and thats a happy colour, so surely it would be better in black and white..." 

As can be seen in all 3 of these images, Paul Graham is for one, documenting job centres as they were, but secondly, he is addressing issues and creating a deeper meaning with his imagery; having a political say. These people left unemployed by the government have children to care for, its not just them as individuals being affected. I think his work is extremely clever and really urges the viewer to stop and think when they see the images. For most viewing these photographs, they've provably never stepped foot in, therefore seen the inside of a job centre. 

http://www.paulgrahamarchive.com/beyondcaring.html#a

The angles which Paul Graham takes these images makes the viewer feel as though they are actually sat in the job centre themselves, looking out onto these scenes in real life. This is something which i feel is very clever and works well with his work as he's trying to portray the reality of these places to other people. 

http://www.paulgrahamarchive.com/beyondcaring.html#a

Photographer Research: Martin Parr

Martin Parr 

Following my research on Peter Dench, and my study of many photographers who have photographed Britain, and In particular the working classes, the next photographer I aim to look at is Martin Parr.

The work of Peter Dench which was very colourful, bold, brash and honest really reminded me of work I have previously seen by Martin Parr. Although Martin Parr has photographed all over the world, I am aware of some work he has produced of British people. Parr is a documentary photographer who often photographs these 'everyday' people as i earlier referred to them as in a previous post. The vast majority, the working class, the average classes. Past work by Martin Parr has been of tourists abroad and British people at the seaside.

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=2K1HRGQP4RD

Martin Parr's 'Life's a beach' documents British people on Brighton Beach in the 1980's. a lot of Martin Parr's work is used as his own propaganda or as his own way of addressing current day issues and political views. This project is a perfect example of that. During the 19980's a great emphasis on the working class was in place due to Thatcherism and conservatives ruling Britain. As it may be common knowledge to many, working class people struggled during these times more than ever due to the loss of so many jobs due to government cuts.

This concept of photographing working class people and the everyday people of Britain links with my own minor project. Much controversy had been caused over this project by Martin Parr due to the fact he was more a middle class individual and he was chosing to present photographs which some argued portrayed the working class in a negative light, saying his work was almost a mockery of the working or lower classes.



http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=2S5RYDYDHEB9

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=2S5RYDYDHEB9

This issue of what to photograph and how the images may be read by the viewer is something I have been considering much so in my own work. The interesting aspects when photographing subject matter such as this does tend to be the more grim aspects however this can then lead to the images being read as a negative portrayal of whatever I as the photographer am trying to portray. 

Research Peter Dench

Photographer Research

Peter Dench

In relation to the work created of Durham Big meeting, i am choosing to look at other photographers who may photograph in a similar style to me or who have chosen to photograph a similar subject matter. I am looking to find inspiration from other photographers, particularly in terms of what subject matter to photograph. I know myself i take an interest into the every day people of Britain, the  working class in particular.

Peter Dench British photographer who has created many projects relating to the everyday British people. With the majority of people in the country being classed as working or lower class, these are the kind of people i mean when i say 'everyday'; the majority.

One series of images produced by Peter Dench which particularly have become of interest to me are from his project called 'Alcohol & England'.

http://www.peterdench.com/#/alcohol-england/A_E25

This extremely interesting and at times shocking and funny series of images shows British people excessively drinking. Something which is probably fair to say the British are famous for.


A select few images are shown upon his website, the images have actually been produced as a book. A bigger variety of the images can be found on 'Getty images'

http://www.reportagebygettyimages.com/features/alcohol-england/

The images present a selection of all kinds of british people, from all classes and backgrounds, with one thing linking them all together...Alcohol.

The images are taken in colour, all of the bright colours really stand out in the images. A lot of the images don't particularly look composed or thought about to much, with different angles and all sorts of different subject matter, colours and scenes. The idea of being drunk and un-orderly seems to be portrayed in the images them selves through this bold and almost carefree style.

Although the photography is documentary, which i tend to think normally can be seen as a more serious genre, some of the images have a particular feel of humour to them. The series of images remind me of images I've seen before by Martin Parr, another british photographer whom choses to document the people of Britiain in this bold and brash style.

Photography Collectives

When researching 'Amber' for my dissertation it has been brought to my attention that it would be helpful for me to research into what a 'collective' is, as Amber is a collective of photographers and film makes whom have created this body of work about the North East of England between the years 1968 and 2010.


http://www.wired.com/2012/05/photo-collectives/


Other more well known collectives are collectives such as Magnum and Vii photo. A slight definition of a collective is given on this website i found whilst researching:

"IN RECENT YEARS, the photo collective has emerged as a clear and strategic response by photographers who've reasoned that – in uncertain times – there is strength in numbers."

The Name: Razón is Spanish for "reason." "We believe that the underlying reasons for making documentary work are equally important to the work itself,"  http://www.wired.com/2012/05/photo-collectives/

Another example of a collective is the 'Black Audio Collective'

This collective is a portrayal of Black audio film between the years 1982-1998

http://www.smokingdogsfilms.com/bafc/

As all collectives do, they need funding and support from outside parties, for example this particular collective has support from foundations such as the Arts Council England 

Exhibtion: Amber Project

Recently I chose to visit the Amber Exhibition after seeing the Exhibition being mentioned on the news. After seeing the Exhbiion be spoke about on the news i then researched it through looking at what the Amber foundation was all about and more of what the Exhibition was about through visiting related websites. I posted my findings on a previous post. Now, in this post, I have presented some images i took of work exhibited in the Amber Exhbition. Ive chosen to show some of my favourite work and the work which i felt related best to my chosen dissertation subject. I've also photographed the text which went along side with the chosen images, to make it clear whom the images are by and a little bit about each project. 

My next step following the research of this project is to individually research the photographers i saw in the Exhbition. Each photographer documents the working class people of the North East in their own way. The images range across the years, some showing the coal mining eras and others portraying life after pit closures, in more recent years. 

The Amber exhibition shows working class life across the North East. In my dissertation i aim to explore the working class as a whole across the country however i have chosen to start by researching  within the area i know and come from. Most emphasis tends to be upon the north and especially the north east anyway when it comes to looking at the british working class. That being because there is a higher rate of poverty in the north and the north east. Most coal mines tended to be situated in the north of the country, therefore due to the closure of many coal mines in the 1980's this then impacted on the employment across these areas, resulting in many being left unemployed. Many villages and communities had nothing left after this era and the devastation caused can still be seen to this very day. 

When researching the portrayal of the working class through medias such as photography, most photographers I tend to think of myself are those whom have captured images of the actual people within a community. However I've gathered it is important to look at photographers who have photographed areas which are associated or classed as 'working class.'

Research: Benefit Street

Channel 4: Benefit Street

In relation to my chosen subject for my dissertation, which focus' on the way in which the British working class are being portrayed through medias such as photography and television, Im choosing to research programs which have been aired in recent years such as 'Skint' and 'Benefit' street. Benefit Street has been the most recent program to air which looks at those in Britain currently living in poverty. Coincidentally as I have started my research of the Biritish working class in my local area of the County Durham and the North East of England, the most recent series of Benefit Street has actually been filmed here also. Benefit Street's second series covers the stories and lives of those living upon Kingston Road in Stockton-on-tees. Although the term working class would suggest I intend to look at the 'workers' of Britain, I see this economic class being seen as the lowest class of Britain's social class system, meaning it covers those on benefits or out of work and those working the lower payed jobs across the country. 

Benefit street seems to be a very controversal subject, with many disagreeing or having negative opinions about the program. As i intend to research the way the British class are being portrayed in todays media, i want to find out whether todays people see Benfit street as a positive or negative way of documenting and presenting the working class to the rest of the nation. To start this research i have been looking at online articles and newspaper articles to see what the general media have to say about the program. 



The Mirror

"Regrettably, as with the first series, the producers have yet to provide irrefutable evidence that the street in question, Kingston Road in Stockton, deserves that nickname.

I’m afraid poverty porn is what Benefits Street undeniably remains.

From the opening shots of a washing machine in the street, to the tales of doorstep lenders, to jailbird drug dealer Maxwell outlining his other earnings – Income Support and Disability Benefit."

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/benefits-street-national-papers-say-9237912

Personal Response

As most will know, 'The Mirror' is classed as a 'left wing' newspaper, meaning the views expressed are mostly Labour views; Labour being the political party which fights more so for the 'working class' of Britain, the majority of people, which obviously are what these people of Kingston Road would be classed as. 

The Guardian

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/benefits-street-national-papers-say-9237912

"Yes, they might be poor, and on benefits, and facing further cuts and sanctions. And it might be a bit loud and a bit boisterous sometimes.

But look at the community spirit, "

Personal View

I would agree that the program does emphasise on the strong community spirit amongst those on Kingston Road. But in all honestly, I don't think those from this area would see that being shown as a favour to them, it would be more like a given. The strong community spirit will be natural to them. Something which would offend those from kingston Road more would be the title of the program, and the fact a camera crew would even want to come and film their community, like they are alien to the rest of Britain? 

The Daily Mail

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/benefits-street-national-papers-say-9237912

"This was vividly proved on the vile Benefits Street (C4), when the residents of Kingston Road in the North-East town of Stockton turned on a trio of polite freelancers who had come to report on the making of the programme.

First, they subjected the journalists to a barrage of abuse and threats.

Then the teenagers started throwing eggs. ‘It’ll be bricks next,’ warned one.

Finally a masked man ran at them with a bucket of water, picking out the only woman and chasing her down before trying to soak her.

The truly ludicrous thing was that a Channel 4 crew was standing by, watching all this smugly, and all the residents were happy to be filmed."

Personal View

Known for its controversial opinions and lacking of fear to hold back with opinions it's no surprise to me that the Daily Mail have written this about the Channel 4 program. I completely disagree with the way in which the article has been written as i don't feel its fair to speak this offensively about about any social class or community. Rather than speaking about the program itself, the article seems to pick on the actual people of the community, calling them 'pretentious bigheads' and 'Attention Seekers'. In my own person view the article doesn't even seem worthy of reading and is evidently written by very small minded, un educated people. However this is one example of how some of todays people in Britain view the working class and how they chose to judge the working class through the media they have been shown by modern day Television programs. Its worrying to think that a British social class can be viewed so negatively due to this kind of media coverage. Is this the intentions of Channel 4? Or is this just unfortunate that this is the way some people view the working class of Britain. 

The Independent

"The real villains, this episode wanted to suggest, are the press, who began descending on the neighbourhood in droves once word got out."

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/benefits-street-national-papers-say-9237912

Benefits Street does make space for much-needed context but it still seems disingenuous of the show to declare itself entirely innocent.

Lest we forget, this programme provides the press with the necessary fodder to demonise benefit claimants, then sits back and enjoys the resultant ratings."

Person View

In relation to my chosen subject for my dissertation, this article struck me most. My first inspiration for my dissertation came from the book "Chavs: The demonisation of the working class" By Owen Jones. Here this article mentions "demonise benefit claimants". I am interested in researching into the way the working class are portrayed, whether media shows them in a positive light or does indeed 'demonise' them. This article therefore suggests the channel 4 program choses to focus on the press and make them out to be the evil ones, when really, its the channel 4 program providing the press with a platform to go ahead and demonise these people, then they will sit back and "enjoy the resultant ratings."