Russian Colours

As part of my Degree course I have a variety of technical sessions to improve imaging software skills. I was recently introduced to a set of colour images of Russia. These images were of high quality and the colours were rich and vivid. When asked how old I thought the images were I replied with an educated guess of about 30-40 years old. I was extremely shocked to discover how wrong I was.

The correct answer to the question was over 100 years old! 

My initial idea that this was a clever photoshop job was dismissed when I learnt that the images were displayed in colour at the time of production. So how were these images created before the advent of colour film?

The photographer, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) used a specialized camera to capture three black and white images in fairly quick succession. By using red, green and blue filters placed in front of the plate, the plate (film) only captures light the same colour as the filter. Later the developed plates were combined and projected with filtered lanterns to show near true colour images.

This process can now be done in photoshop in a similar way to produce a printable colour image, something that could not be done at the time of capture. 

By using each black and white image as a separate channel in an RGB document and then carefully aligning them just like it would have been in the original projection a true colour image  can be made.

      

Very clever stuff and very beautiful images I think you'll agree.

Today I’m with you

I recently watched a documentary about photographer Sirrka-Liisa Konttinen who photographed the town of Byker in Newcastle over 35 years ago. She was invited back to the area to photograph the changes and reconnect with some of her original subjects.

The first major difference she encounters is that the rows of Victorian terrace houses have all been demolished to make way for a new housing estate. With the new architecture comes a shift in the areas culture. A mainly white area 35 years ago has become very multicultural.

Byker became a hub for asylum seekers and at the time of this programme 28 different languages were spoken in Byker. The changes to the area render it unrecognisable from the images Konttinen first produced 35 years ago. One of her subjects who was photographed originally and on Konttinen’s return described old Byker as “a white world”.

The reason Konttinen’s images are so interesting is their sense of the unguarded. She spends a long time getting to know her subjects, giving them constant feedback on her project. This approach seems to build up a trust between photographer and subject. The result is an image that looks truthful, natural and convincing.

To understand the bond between photographer and subject I took this quote by Konttinen.

“In the beginning my overwhelming feeling when I was photographing people they were making a gift of it to me. By the end of the project I also began to get feeling that it was me that was making the gift.”

The images show that multiculturalism has changed the fabric of the community. It is different but not worse. The photographer is showing that this new multicultural community should be cherished and celebrated.

 

Music Culture Influences

After deciding what I wanted to do for my final piece of Uni work I started to look at approaches to my work.
A previous project I had done with a selection of my fellow students and photographer Len Grant started the ball rolling. The Didsbury 100 was a commissioned piece of artwork to celebrate the partnership of the Didsbury Sure Start Children's Centre and The Manchester College.

The work was 100 Portraits of Didsbury residents aged 1-100. The idea being that the skilled learnt early in life stay with you for life.

This is the final piece we produced.

Coupled with this I researched the work of Richard Avedon, in particular his series "In the American west".

The reason this series interested me was because of the mobile studio he used is the similar to what I will attempting to do.

Here are some examples of his work and his "mobile studio".

Music Culture

Researching for my next unit at the moment. It is a self directed brief so I can choose to do any subject or approach I like. You would think that this would be the easiest thing in the world to do, not so it seems.

Without the boundaries of a set brief ideas are very difficult to pin down. I have found that with so many possibilities and the prospect of so many under developed ideas flying around in my head it is hard to think straight.

I decided to go back to basics.
I knew I wanted to comment on the music industry because it is an area I am very interested in and the area that I wish to work in. Choosing which part of the industry I should comment on was the difficult bit.
My work needs to be conceptual so live concert photography was out straight away.

After narrowing down my options I have decided to focus on the fans. The fans of music are its lifeblood, without them music in the mass communication format we are used to would not exist and would be confined to personal involvement.

With the fans comes the gig culture, an escape from the mundane for an hour or two. This was a huge factor in the growth of the Manchester music scene. People escaping the drab, dire conditions of a dying industrial giant ravaged by war and a lost sense of purpose.

Love will tear us apart, but music will bring us together.

Team Work vs Competition

Which is more important?

Do you take one for the team or selfishly keep knowledge for your own gain?

This is a problem I experienced today.
I have to say that I did choose to be a team player on this occasion. It occurred to me afterwards that I sacrificed my own success in the name of a team effort. Don't get me wrong I don't mind helping others but if it stops me producing my best work, selfishness is essential.

This was a valuable lesson and a mistake I won't be making again.

This is the days result.

Palm Oil Problem

For the past few months I have focused solely on a project that comments on a social issue.
I chose the problem that palm oil plantations are having on the Orangutan population in Borneo. The plantations are driving the Orangutan to extinction by killing or displacing them.
I chose to compare the Orangutan (who are our closest cousins) to our species.

A problem we both share is homelessness, for different reasons but still with the same end result. I decided that by substituting a human for an Orangutan in a homeless situation in our society it would convey a message that the biologic closeness that links us is important. It would also give a sense of emotional attachment if the setting is familiar.

Here are a couple of final images from this project.

Music From Rainy Skies

A few new developments since my last post, most importantly I've begun shooting for a music magazine in Manchester. The magazine is called Music From Rainy Skies and its proceeds will go to the Frances House children's hospice. My first 2 shoots were of Manchester bands Dutch Uncles and The Paris Riots.

Dutch Uncles.


Turned up at the venue (a church) and was immediately struck with an overwhelming feeling of dread. "Is this all the lighting?" I asked the sound technician. "Yeah, but we have a few desk lamps around the band" was the reply. I can hardly see the band on stage with my naked eye, so how the hell is my camera gonna pick them up?    FLASH TIME !
Now this isn't ideal, a lot of bands don't like you using flash but it was a case of no flash no shot. I shot the gig and hated that my ISO had to be at 1000 and my camera struggled to cope in the dark and to top it all half way into the show my flash dropped off a pew and smashed the radio trigger to bits. All in all a nightmare gig. On a brighter note (I needed this brightness at the venue) I have worked a difficult gig and survived. I still want to shoot bands and I haven't been put off. Hopefully a sign that I am doing the right thing. I have left my automatic answer to the question about my career path behind and am exploring my options better.

Here are some images I managed to get out of the gig.

The Paris Riots


This gig was a lot more straight forward and went smoothly. There was no crowd though. It was a bit of a strange one in that respect. The event was a corporate invite only party to celebrate the launch of capital radio nationwide. By a stroke of luck my part time photo booth job took me to the event, funny how things happen.

Here are some of the shots.