Professional Studies - Careers

Whilst doing some research for local, North East photographers in England I discovered two in my area, who prior to this I hadn't heard of but glad I found them as I really like their work because their landscape/ seascape images are ones I would like to be able to take myself. The first one I found was Leigh Rebecca who has done images all over the North East. Her website link is below.
http://www.leighrebecca.com/
Another photographer I cam across was Geoff Perry who is based also around the North East. His website link is below.
http://www.perry-photography.co.uk/about/
After finding these two photographer I contacted them via their website and asked 4 simple questions of what I could think would help me with my report and also kept it simple and short as I thought I would be more likely to receive a response. I have heard back from Geoff already after only contacting them this morning, so I am very pleased with that. All I have to do now is see if I get a response from Leigh as well.

Narrative Photography - Ideas. Series

For my series I have decided to take images of people with tattoos that have meaning to them, they haven't got them because they like it or it's fashionable. The tattoo(s) they have is personal and means something to that particular individual. I am taken images of 4 people, all of whom I have known a while now. When we first got the brief given I decided I didn't want to use text as I wanted my images to be powerful enough on their own that they needed to description, text or clue with them. However after choosing this as my series I thought it would be good to have a quote with the images off the person who's tattoo it is. This is their words, their reason, a chance to break a stereotype of people with tattoos. That tattoos are just another way to express yourself, to keep hold of a memory or to create a piece of art as a tribute to someone. I felt this could potentially could be a great project if I do it right. I had thought of shooting one of my friends alongside her mam as this was one of the tattoos she has got with meaning and I thought the image would be great. In their own setting, so probably their house, the two stood side by side and my friend showing her tattoo. After deciding this for one of my shots I stared to think of the rest of the people I had to shoot and how I could shoot all them and how. I thought I could just shoot them in their own setting and maybe have something with them within the image that represents a reason why they have a particular tattoo. After thinking of all this I thought it may be easier for some to shoot them in the studio and that led me to think but then if I shoot some in the studio and some on location, the images might not look so good together and more importantly as a series. So I have decided, and the way it has worked out trying to get everyone to shoot, that I will shoot them all in the studio that way at least all the images should match in retrospective. I have already shot one person Thursday and will be due to shoot 3 tomorrow.

Narrative Photography - Ideas. Single image

Quite awhile after receiving my new brief 'Narrative' I finally started to get a few ideas. For my single narrative image I thought of 'Loneliness' and took an image, I felt related to this. The image is below.

 However at the time I was unsure of how strong this image was and the narrative so I decided to think of a different narrative or possibly a different/better image to show loneliness in the photo. I began thinking of trying to relate something that I have experienced and trying to portray that through an image, as if it has happened to me there must be a narrative if I try to show this through a photo. I then thought of the idea of 'Insomnia' as I thought everyone can relate to not being able to sleep and therefore most people should be able to understand the image and understand the narrative. I was pleased and happy with this idea and excited to shoot it although due to taking ages on deciding on an idea I had left myself very little time to actually shoot, so as I was booked in the studio to shoot my series narrative I thought this is the only chance I have to take a single narrative image for the hand in which was the next day. After realising the image I wanted in my head for the idea of Insomnia wasn't going to quite work and I'd have to adapt to the studio I began to worry and try to think of a solution. Then the camera I was using for the shoot decided to die and I began to panic slightly but a friend and peer who I was shooting came up with the idea of 'Gluttony'. I thought this could work and maybe with the image not looking great but the idea and narrative was there so with using what we had in the studio and also taking the photos on my Iphone because of the camera dying, I had taken my single image shot. However for some reason, maybe because it was shot on the Iphone the image wouldn't go to the size I wanted and to which the brief required so I decided in the end to use the image above, which I had taken with narrative in mind, for my single image narrative photo. After handing this in and hearing the feedback I am pleased with this image and glad I had taken it.  

Professional Studies - 5 Careers - War

Finally another career in photography that I chose to look a little more in to and research was War Photography. I have always been interested in wars and the imagery and everything else that goes with it since I was a young teenager, I'm not too sure why however I think, now I am older, it's because it is something that has always happened, there is always a war or conflict going on and I'm intrigued with the stories and therefore the photos can help tell a part of that.
One of the war photographers I have learnt about is James Nachtwey, He is very well known as a documentary and war photographer. We watched an amazing documentary on his work, he has worked as a photographer since 1980. He has won many awards and honours for his photography work. The link below is the trailer for the film. A must see!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pPxqWe7j1U
I found a quote from Nachtwey which I love and agree with - "I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated."
-James NachtweyHere are some of Nachtwey's work. All images are taken by James Nachtwey and found here
http://duca94.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/national-geographic-omissions/

Pro Studies related. - Landscape/Seascape. My own work

I thought as I'm looking in to careers for Professional Studies I would show some of my own photos regarding some of the five careers I have chosen to look in to. These images are relating to landscapes and seascapes. I like these images because I like them aesthetically, as I think they're appealing to the eye for almost everyone and so is a type of photography that many people can enjoy. A reason I'd like to do some of this photography for a career is because it is used all over the world either for businesses, outdoor places, potentially fine art, galleries and for decorations in the home or public buildings and because of this I think there is slightly more opportunity to have work commissioned possibly.

 The first 3 images and the 5th one I took at Steetley beach at various times during the day. Some where mid day and others sunrise and as the day light was fading.

 This image I took in Hartlepool, right next to where I live. The colours of the sunset amazed me and immediately took a photo. With this image I hardly if at all edited as it didn't need it the only thing I did was crop the bottom as it was unnecessary and I felt ruined the image slightly.

 These three images I took at Crimdon Dene not far from Hartlepool. I really like the colours in these images and the contrast in them. I think they really stand out quite well and hold there own.

Pro Studies related. - Architecture. My own work.

I thought as I'm looking in to careers for Professional Studies I would show some of my own photos regarding some of the five careers I have chosen to look in to. These images are relating to Architecture.

 This image is of a derelict building in Hartlepool near Uni. I took it because I liked the way it looked and that it was a whole structure that didn't look too bad and yet for what ever reason it is abandoned.

 This second photo was the same idea as the top one because again it was another derelict building in what appears to be in good condition.

 This image is of the Transporter bridge in Middlesbrough.

This photo is also the famous Transporter bridge but at a different angle which I like however I am aware that the image itself isn't that good. 

Pro studies related. Industry. My own Work.

I thought as I'm looking in to careers for Professional Studies I would show some of my own photos regarding some of the five careers I have chosen to look in to. These images are relating to Industry.

With these images of Steetley, Hartlepool, North East England, I had shot them digitally and in colour, however when I got back I liked the look of them in both colour and black and white so for most of the images I edited them in colour and black and white as I couldn't decide between them. Here is a few examples of the shots I took in 2011. I'll show examples of black and white and colour and I'll explain some of the images as well. 

Black and White; 

The first two images are of water towers on the site. These were huge and contained gallons of water for the chemical works. They had a number of these massive water tanks dotted around the area. The Steetley site was a chemical works for metal.

 This image to the left is one of the old buildings which has become derelict and structurally unsafe like the entire site is. As well as the buildings and structures necessary for the site such as the water towers there was also parts that were underground, which when on the site I had to be careful of as I could have fell down easily if I hadn't kept my eyes peeled on where I was walking.

 This is the Steetley Chimney, which everyone in the area knew and recognised and in some cases classed this as a landmark for the area as it could be seen for miles, one of which was my mother who was sad to see it demolished on 30th July 2012 as the site was finally bought for redevelopment.  

Here's a little segment from the Telegraph reporting on the subject and the link below. 
'The Steetley Chimney, built in the early 1960s, was part of the magnesite works which produced chemicals needed for making metal, churning out more than 5,000 tons of magnesium a week in its peak.'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9438183/Child-blows-up-landmark-Steetley-Chimney-in-Hartlepool.html

All of these images are in colour as I really liked the contrasts and the rust showing through and also the water. They are also all focusing on the water tanks in the Steetley site.

My next set of images compare the black and white against the colour.

The final set of images are a mixture of both colour and black and white, they demonstrate what I was trying to get the viewer to understand. The contrast and differences within the images.

 With this image I decided to turn the rubble to black and white and focus on the shoe and make it stand out as it was red, which I've noticed in t.v, films and adverts is, in my opinion, the most used colour to either make an object or person stand out. It also reminded me of Dorothy's red shoes that she has to click three times to get home, but as the shoe isn't the same and there is only one, it felt, to me, like a modern take on this.

 With this image I kept the beach and sea in colour as this is the beauty and to contrast against the bleak industry right next to such beauty. The fact that you wouldn't normally expect to see such difference at the beach, you wouldn't think that on your day out at the beach you would see a chemical works that close.

With this image I, again like before, kept the beach in colour and the Steetley works in black and white. I tried to show that next to this horrible site the beauty is just there. How industry can damage and destroy the land and humans should try to preserve and protect nature. In this particular image the industry buildings are framing the beach and sea scene. I really quite like this image as I like how the pier appears and the colour. 

Professional Studies - 5 Careers - Industry

I have chosen to look in to Industry photography as I like the look of the bigger buildings and structures relating to the industry. I have took images of my own about an area in my hometown that used to be a metal works and after it had shut down the site as left and abandoned. Thus leaving derelict buildings and empty bare land. I like the abandoned buildings and derelict look as I think there is something about them, though I can never really put my finger on why I actually do like the images. As a career I would like to take some more Industry shots as I'd like to think of different ways of shooting them, maybe with beauty like the image below or like I have done where I used the contrast of the chemicals site against the background of the beach.

I have selected this photo to demonstrate the types of structures which are available to photograph and also how different this image is to what some people might of thought of. How the shot is taken shows the various ways in which you can take the images. To me, you wouldn't normally expect to have an image like this but I think it has been took in an artistic way with the lighting and colour of it and the fact that these aren't the actual cranes they are silhouette ripples in the water. I really like this photo and is something I would like to take.

This photo is by Rob Cartwright and found on the link below.

http://robcartwrightphotography.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/clyde-cranes-thursday-5-april-365-360-day-256/

I have picked this photo because it reminded me of Seal Sands, which is a place near where I live and on the website it does say that it's a nature reserve which Seal Sands is so this may be the place.  

I like it though because of the image overall. I like what's in the image, how the photographer has cropped it, where there is space to the left of the image and towards the left the industry continues and expands. Again it is similar to the images I have took of Steetley where the contrast between nature and industry is very evident and clear.

The photographer is Jonathan Irwin and found here;
http://www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/display/25528882

Professional Studies - 5 Careers - Nature/Wildlife

One of the types of photography I really like is Nature and Wildlife because the images I've seen are amazing and would love to be able to have some images of my own with the skill and quality of the pictures I've seen. Regarding the wildlife side of it with just a little patience and luck there is spectacular opportunity for some outstanding photos of animals in their natural habitat that most people wouldn't of seen. Without some of these images, I think, there is a lot we wouldn't of known or understood about animals and their behaviours etc. I like the fact that the photo has the potential to show a brief moment and insight of the lives of these animals and can be serious but also there are some funny pictures that have been captured at the precise moment of the animal doing something daft, being themselves, which like I said before is rarely seen. There has been some incredible photos of all kinds of animals both big and small and the images below are some of the types of shots I would like to take with these amazing creatures.

This photo is by Thomas Mangelsen and found here http://www.standard.co.uk/incoming/stunning-pictures-of-the-natural-world-from-the-masters-of-nature-photography-8710455.html

This photo is taken by Steve Bloom and found on this link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/6717983/Conflict-graphic-images-by-wildlife-photographer-Steve-Bloom-show-the-barbaric-realities-of-nature.html

This photo is by Burrard Lucas and found on this site http://imgfave.com/view/1605704

Alternatively if you want to look at more of his work here is the link to his http://www.burrard-lucas.com/

Onto the nature side of this, though they do overlap nature and wildlife, I like lush greens where it looks blissful and peaceful but I also like bare trees in winter with snow as I think this looks picturesque and always seems to remind me of postcards at Christmas. 

This image was found here  http://www.ntprints.com/image/374073/a-winter-scene-with-bare-trees-under-a-canopy-of-snow-lit-by-a-weak-sun-and-the-water-frozen-in-the-dyke







The image below was found on this site http://egp.org.uk/?attachment_id=86

Professional Studies - 5 Career choices - Landscape/Seascape

My second chosen career is Landscape/Seascape Photographer. This type of photography is one of my favourites and is one I am best at as I have a lot more experience with this than any other type of photography. Most of my older images include landscape and seascape from around my home town and I will always continue with this genre of photography.
The image below is the type of shots I would like to take. I think they have such beauty and are aesthetically very pleasing to the eye. I can see these types of images being put on canvases for decoration, which is a career choice to put your work out there and if I did put my work on canvas for display and decoration I would include my name unlike these anonymous images on canvas that are so common to come by in shops.
Image taken by Pete Burns and found on his site below the image.

http://www.petebarnesphotography.co.uk/wedding-gallery/landscape-gallery/scottish-landscape-photography/

Another example of the shots I like is this photo by Reg Ramia found here http://illusion.scene360.com/art/41551/top-10-natural-landscape-reflections/

I think doing this kind of photography as a career is great as you get the chance to travel to some amazing places and take some amazing shots of the earth. The chance to travel however is very possible in many types of photography you choose as a career. All of the five career paths I have chosen to write about give you the freedom to travel around the world and take photos. Through this you can compare differences from various points around the world and the results could be outstanding. 

Professional Studies - 5 Career choices - Architecture

Architecture - I have chosen to look at architecture because I have a genuine interest in this. I like the older buildings as they have character and designs that you don't see in the newer buildings as they are mostly always containing lots of glass. I like the older buildings as normally they have intricate detail which I think is great to photograph as the buildings can look amazing with their design. They can either be Edwardian, Victorian, Tudor, Gothic, classicism and Renaissance, Ancient Rome, Islamic, Early modern Architecture and Postmoder. I think an example of a building that would be good to photograph is St Pauls Cathedral in London as the style of this building is Renaissance architecture and English Boroque. I like it because new buildings are nothing like this nowadays. I like the columns and detail on the stone work and this is why it has been photographed many times and even from the 18th Century it has been documented through imagery. One of the photographers I have found from England is Francis Frith. Another from Britain is Roger Fenton. This image is an example of the buildings I think are good to photograph as they, to me, are interesting. The image was took in 1900 in the town of Paisley, England. Frith also took images in my hometown of Hartlepool, which I was pleased to find out.

This image was taken of the County buildings in the 1900s in the Town of Paisley, England. Francis Frith took images of around he country capturing architecture at its peek. i was pleased to find out that he had taken images of my hometown Hartlepool. 

This image is taken by Francis Frith and found on the link below; http://www.francisfrith.com/paisley/photos/county-buildings-1900_45994/#utmcsr=google.co.uk&utmcmd=referral&utmccn=google.co.uk

The image to the left is of Buckingham Palace taken in 1857. He took it as part of a series he shot of public buildings. It was originally named Buckingham House and was constructed for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. You can notice here that the balcony isn't there as it wasn't built until the mid 19th Century.

This image was taken by Roger Fenton and found on this site below;


http://photographyandarchitecture.com/19th-century-architectural-photographer-roger-fenton/

I think Architectural Photography is a great way to document your local area, town and country as well as going further afield to other countries. You can capture older buildings as well as knew ones and even the changes in an area where they may be knocking existing structures down and making way for a new improved site. This in itself could be a little project. I think I will definitely take photos of buildings for myself regardless if it is for a project as, like previously mentioned, I have a genuine interest. I will take photos as I travel, as will many people (photographers or not) and so architectural photography is great because you can take images wherever you go to.

Here is an architectural photographer I have found whilst searching. His name is Matt Livey. His work contains a mixture of exterior, interior, details and construction. His images include houses, public buildings, street scenes and mostly include great colouring within the majority of his images.
His site is http://www.mattlivey.com/

Professional Studies - Careers

My first bit of research for professional studies was looking at the various careers in photography. There are significantly more than, I think including myself, people realise. I have found around 30 jobs you could do as a photographer. The list includes, Portraiture, Landscapes/Seascapes, Photojournalist, Forensics/Science, Medical, Fashion/Glamour, Boudoir,  Fine Art, Nature/Animals, Travel, Architecture, Street, Marine/Underwater, Aerial, Food, War, Astro, Concerts, Wedding, Advertising, Industrial, Digital Editing, Commercial, Sports and Vehicles. Out of this list I have picked 5 careers to research in more detail; they are Architecture, Landscape, Nature/wildlife, Travel and War.  

Narrative Photography

My new project is Narrative photography. Like Street photography and Portraiture, I haven't done any of this type of photography before or not intentionally, whether any of my previous images have some narrative in them I'm not sure. My older images are more landscapes, seascapes and anything I find aesthetically appealing. After receiving this new brief I have been trying to think of what to do for my individual image and then a series of images, both of which have to have some form of narrative to them. I have been struggling to think of an idea or theme for my images and have researched images and read a few things on narrative photography however I still draw a blank when it comes to any form of ideas for my own narrative photos.