Updates!

As you know the end of last week was pretty busy, especially with shooting two events in one day. I'm still weaving my way through some of those photos. Which with an extra shoot on friday for my project and the family down to visit this weekend takes longer than usual. And the blog has a new look if you hadn't noticed already.

However, we all know about the crisis with Redbrick, well that's finally come to an end. I got my apology in an email and I got a published correction.

I still don't believe it should have taken them as long as it did but we got there eventually.

 

I also found out yesterday the final amount raised by the Big Pink Predrinks on thursday night, an impressive amount I must say.

But that is all for now, I shall leave you with a quick photo... It's an old one of my baby cousin Menna.

You like? She's a cutie.

 

I'm off to Manchester tomorrow for a few days so I'm not sure when I'll next be able to blog. I have an election to fight, Welfare Zone Committee... please vote for me?! 

UOG Rag Society Big Pink Pre-Drinks

Another post about yesterday, after I had finished at Stow I came home to upload, shovel food down and head over to the FCH campus as RAG were hosting an event in the Student Union Bar there. The Big Pink Pre-drinks event was to raise money for Cancer Research, a very worthy charity.

Group shot of the Rag society.

Raffle prizes on offer

Summer ball ticket available for auction.

Enjoying the atmosphere of the evening.

First music act of the night, Steven on guitar.

Goodies available at the tuck shop. 

Pool competitions were ongoing throughout the night.

One of the barmen also picked up the guitar to entertain the audience.

Strong turnout!

RAG President and Deputy

Bar shot!

Watching the human auction.

Rob Tidey, SU President was one of the people to be auctioned off - offering to cook a meal for the lucky bidder.

SU barman was offering to cross dress the Wednesday night shift in the bar next week, this went for £50, which went up another £30 when Rob Tidey (above) agreed to do it with him.

RAG president offering to be a slave for the night for the lucky bidder.

Enjoying the music.

Auctioning off multiple prizes, members of the RAG society.

Strawberry and cream flavour vodka went for £14

Auction viewers and bidders.

Taking donations from the attendees, RAG Deputy President.

It was a very interesting night which everybody seemed to enjoy, with two auctions, one of which was for people, a raffle and a tuck shop. I'm very glad Space asked me to cover this. 

Stow Horse Fair

Yesterday was a busy day, I was out at Stow shooting the horse fair there. We had a 2 pm deadline as the tutors had partnered us all up with the Gloucestershire Echo - imagine how manic the uploads were! But it was all good fun, I really enjoyed it.

Riding through the crowds.

Michael Johnson selling slingshot and walking sticks.

Kate Friend enjoying the day.

The RSPCA had officers present on site all day.

Ready for auction.

Just a quick ride round the field. 

You can see one side of the field in the background here - that's how big it was.

As you can see the weather wasn't particularly great, it was miserable for the most part and it took a while to get used to being on the mud in boots that had minimal grip and you should see the state of them now. They are gross. 

Oooh, Two Posts In A Day...

Yeah, I know I posted earlier but I popped down to the post room today and got two letters and a parcel. Two of which were from two of my favourite non-related people ever back home in Davenham. I decided to share an image of them in this case, before I write back to them.

Ray King. 

I got to know this man through working in the newsagents back home (a brilliant place to work). He helped me out a lot and we always had a good chat on a saturday morning when he came in for his paper. In fact, he helped me out with the project I've photographed below and helped to get me in to the courthouse in the town to do a project. 

I got a parcel from him today with two books in, one from WWII times (a big passion of mine I discovered when doing a portrait project based on WWII children) and the other from the 60's based on towns still recovering from the effects of WWII. I now have to hurry and finish my other book so I can start these.  

Jim Conboy.

He's been my next door neighbour for my whole life, a whopping 18 years. He used to help me with my maths when I was little, we did sums over the hedge using door numbers and registration plates on cars. There are still numbers in blue chalk on the side of both houses. I used to go to Bingo with Jim and the old ladies, both of us were callers at the legion.

This photo of him was part of my WWII project, he was one of my "children" so to speak. I loved this project and Jim was an amazing person to photograph and ask about as his Dad used to drive the POWs between camps and often took them home with him if it was tea time in the middle of the shift (if there was only one or two) and his Mum would cook for them as well. Amazing ey?

I got a little letter from him today, with RBL stickers celebratiing 90 years. I'm going to write back to him tomorrow in my break between lessons. 

I'm looking forward to going home in the middle of November, it will be nice to have a quick catch up with everybody. I wrote to my Gran as well yesterday, sent her some photos of both me and a bit of my work so she can see what I'm up to. It wasn't till I got here I realised how so many people have helped me to do so many things!

Apologies for the sentimental post, feeling a bit emotional tonight.

Lighting Session #1

We had a lecture today introducing us to working with different types of lighting. I found it really interesting and whilst image wise the photos aren't amazing, I was surprised by the different effects you could create - although we didn't delve too much in to that this today.

Natural light, next to a window.

Natural light, next to a window with some reflection from white wall opposite.

Channelled natural light through the window using a black board.

Flash gun, two stops over what would be required for this distance usually. 

I want to start using my flash more, getting to grips with bouncing the light off of other subjects and so on. I really enjoyed today's session, I found it really useful.

Mugshot

So we all know that a few weeks ago I went and photographed Tewkesbury Mop Fair, (if you didn't you should click here). Well there is a portrait from that night that I keep noticing. I didn't include it in my final edit because it's a little grainy, despite shooting 400 ISO, I'm not sure why this is but it can't be changed. Sadly. But anyway, it's this one:

I love it, I didn't even need a flash to light her face up. 

On another note I'm still having trouble with Redbrick, the student newspaper at Birmingham uni. They don't seem to want to give inabout crediting me. They've now got it in to there heads that because they posted the article online with another of my photos it's okay and that should be enough for me. Well they are wrong. (Oh yes, article available here). If printing my work was going to be such an issue for them they never should have - that's how I see it. Correct me if I'm getting this all wrong.

A Cheeky Edit

Photoshop is not my strong point and nor has it ever been. Today though I spent some time playing around on CS6. I spent most of the time stressing out because I couldn't get the image how I want it. It still isn't how I want it. However, I am still liking what I have managed to get.

As you can see, contrast has been whacked up to emphasise the shadows on the stones and some of the saturation has been taken out as well. Ideally, I'd like to be able to pump some of the yellow back in to the photo. 

I'm not usually a fan of hugely edited images (although, this isn't thaaaat huge), what are your thoughts?

To be able to get my head round this newer version of photoshop, I'm going to have to play around a lot more, so expect more posts like this one. Maybe. 

Youtube Share

Have you heard of Bruce Gilden? He's a street photographer for Magnum photo, based in New York. This youtube video of an interview with him is really interesting, his way of working is very abrupt. It's well worth a watch.

Pittville - Test Shots

A project I've recently started involves exposing Cheltenhams grotty side. Everybody thinks it's such a posh place and all lahh de dahh but I don't. I'm not sure if it's because of where I'm living in Pittville halls or if I'm just so used to the cute little village of Davenham it all seems so big and I've become aware of everything.

Anyway, to start my project off and help me to determine the style of images I want to use I headed out, round my campus to start taking photos. These are some of what I got.

This is my favourite shot from the shoot yesterday, I love the slight vignette around it. It took me ages to get and I probably looked like a bit of a fool sat on the floor by the smoking shelter/bike rack taking photos of the bottom of the bin. 

Look at this great dirty stain, this is what I can see out my window, just below the pigeon spikes. It looks even worse here on a close up photograph. 

How did that chair get up there? I would love to know. 

I'd prefer this image if I cropped the top a little, it's a bit too overexposed for me, that or a black line to mark where the image starts and ends if it was being printed. 

Spare scaffolding? I think that's what this is. I think this image is quite peaceful somehow, all the smooth lines with only a few rougher textures. 

This shoot went much better than I expected and I got a whole range of images from it. I don't think there is going to be a specific something I look for in my shoots, I'm just going to see what I find and shoot. Lots. 

Bedroom View

My view out of my window isn't dreadful but it could be a lot better. I think it's made worse by the spikes that are on all the windowsills to stop pigeons landing there. They aren't pretty. Although I much prefer them to pigeons (I hate pigeons). I just can't get used to looking out the window and seeing big metal spikes. 

This photo doesn't really show them to the full extent but it does a good enough job. 

On another note, I went to the archives at the university today looking for some books on the history of Cheltenham, or Gloucestershire as a whole. It could be a place I spend a lot of time.

Published!

So the Tory Conference party last week that I went along and photographed? I got one of my photos printed in the Birmingham University newspaper, Redbrick, from it this week. Sadly, it's not credited to me but I can assure you it's mine.

Which photo? This one..

The original

How it appears in the paper.

I'm not keen on how it's been edited but I suppose it's my first publication since I started at Gloucestershire Uni and hopefully it'll be corrected. But if you want to read the article that goes with it by James Phillips, click here and go to page 8.

Chickens!

Anyone who has seen my FMP from college last year will know I'm a bit of a sucker for animals. So when I went over to the animal enclosure in the park today I couldn't resist taking photos. Admittedly, I only photographed the chickens and a peacock because the chickens were pretty and reminded me of my Nan's at home, and the peacock was just chilling near the fence posing for me.

You must admit this is a very pretty chicken. 

And this I like because you can see the chickens and the other people in the park admiring them. Along with the other birds in the enclosure too. 

The peacock. Posing, playing it cool.

But whilst in town today we also saw this unusual sight, a girl who I assume you would call a busker even though they weren't playing music. 

She's very yellow, and very cheerful looking. I've no idea how she is balancing on that wooden stick either.