Hever Castle and Oxborough Hall

Visited Hever Castle on Friday 26th July 2013. The reason being that there was a jousting tournament giving me an opportunity to photograph costumes from the 11th/12th Centuries. The photo opportunities were many and went beyond my expectations. When researching the programme of events I learned that there was a stand that offered the best chance to see the action. I made sure that I was there in good time and it was well worth the effort. I was able to see almost straight down the jousting arena  offering plenty of chances for action shots. There was also a certain amount of predictability in what was happening ( a consequence of the very necessary need to ensure the safety of the participants and the spectators) so that I was able to anticipate what was about to happen. Having said that the best shots, on first sight, were the unexpected which seems to the case more often than not.

Have begun the process of sorting the very best shots. The difficulty here is I am not really certain about the actual number of images that will be required nor how they will fit together as a portfolio at the end of the Course. Hopefully that will become clearer during assignments 4 and 5.

On 28th July 2013 I visited Oxborough Hall where a small group of actors were presenting incidents from the Civil War (17th Century). Here there was a marked difference as the re-enactors were keen to interact with the 'audience' and had set themselves up to be as available as possible. They tirelessly answered questions and posed readily for photographs (on occasion that was a disadvantage because of my wish to get 'action' shots). There was only a small crowd and many of them were photographers so that it was easy to find a vantage point secure in the knowledge that it was unlikely that someone was going to stand in front blocking the best views.

At the time of writing I have downloaded the images but have yet to go through the selection process. On first viewing there are some shots that are very pleasing. Again there is the 'problem' of a surfeit of riches although such a state is to be preferred over a dearth of opportunity.

On a general note I do an initial shift discarding those images that are out of focus, pointing vaguely at the ground or the sky or simply not what I thought I was taking. From those remainder I select the 'best' and save all the others until I have finished the Course. My thinking here is that I am uncertain at this stage about the balance of the final portfolio and a 'near miss' may be just what is needed.

Off to Dover this weekend as there is a re-enactment of the invasion of Britain by the Romans.

Working on my Major Project

I have reached the point where I need to think about what I have got and what I need to complete this project successfully. My portfolio is based on examining the many ways in which people re-enact or follow traditions thus keeping history 'alive'. So far I have photographed Maypole dancing, Morris Dancers, Clog Dancers, Military and various periods such as Tudor and Victorian. The opportunities are many and the difficulty, which at first seems more an opportunity, lies in the sheer number of activities across Britain that take place between April and October.

Initially, I have to admit, I went to an event and took as many photographs as possible (the delights of digital!) and then went through them discarding those that were no good and retaining those that I felt had potential. Here lies the problem. I have to have some idea what the final outcome needs to be but initially this depends upon what I have taken. The end product seems always to be in flux.

I have every reason to believe that I will have plenty of material for the final portfolio. Indeed the problem is likely to be a surfeit of riches. What I need to do is think through the type of images that I want in the final analysis. So far I have images such as the following that include the general crowds that were at the event.

It would be just about possible to crop this image so that only the couple enjoying a picnic lunch would be visible but the result of this would be to destroy context. The image includes 'spectators' i.e. those not in 1940's dress or, in one case, using a modern digital camera. The question I have to ask myself is does this matter? In my view that, in this case, the presence of spectators is acceptable as the two central characters dominate the scene. Another image in this category suggests that within reason the presence of spectators is not a problem.

Here again the children dancing around the Maypole are the dominant element  and so the spectators do not detract from the image (inclusion of the Maypole would have markedly improved the level of information given to the viewer). 

Occasionally it is possible to isolate the re-enactors from the spectators completely as in the following image:

The shot shows the uniform of the 1914-18 soldier and has the advantage of a sense of movement and purpose. The presence of the soldiers seems to jar in an otherwise idyllic pastoral scene. This jarring could be used to point out the clash between reality and rehearsal but would drift away from the purpose of the overall project.

It is not difficult to get individual shots and these are very tempting. The following shot is quite powerful because of the detail captured within the image.

It is an image that would be a positive addition to a portfolio but I did wonder whether there is an argument for cropping the image to highlight just a small detail as in the following image.

There is a wealth of information in this image that can be decoded by the knowledgeable viewer. 

Where does this review leave me.

The presence of spectators is not necessarily a bad thing providing the main subject is dominant within the image. 

General shots can be powerful but there is a need to ensure that there is movement and purpose within the image to offset what could easily become bland and uninteresting.

Shots of the individual (essentially portraits) have much to offer but that a complete portfolio of this type of shot would probably not be successful.

Severe cropping where the remaining element of the image is capable of interpretation can add interest to the whole portfolio.

The next task is to make a selection of the images taken so far to use in my submission as part of Assignment 3.

Don McCullin and Kent Gavin

Watched these two Sky Arts programmes in quick succession. I have viewed examples of their work on other occasions and whilst I cannot see myself as a war photographer not royal photographer the impact of their work was immediate and obvious. The choice to see the programmes in quick succession was driven by the chance to see if there was any marked differences in the way that they approached their task. There is one thing that is fairly certain and that is mages of conflict and 'royals' are guaranteed best sellers yet both require a hard nosed approach with the desire to get the best shot over-riding other considerations. This approach was noticeable in both photographers and whilst it could be argued that McCullin seems the more obtrusive and unfeeling towards the subject matter it cannot be denied that through his vast experience of the Royal Family Gavin was equally happy to take the candid shot of the private moment.

The willingness to intrude seems to be a characteristic of many of the great photographers to such an extent that it is rarely commented upon or seen as unacceptable. Indeed the ubiquitous TV camera at sporting occasions seems to hunt for the weaker side of our sports stars so that we no longer accept the feelings of the subject about being photographed as being of importance. Perhaps the camera has no ethics but should that be the case for the photographer.