home on the range...

According to BJP writer Jonathan Eastland, there is no better camera than a rangefinder for shooting the human condition and everything in-between. According to a recent article of his on the photography giant's website: "They still can't be beaten for candid shots", (you can view the full article here: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/opinion/1934356/home-range) 

So, I decided to take Jonathan up on this. Armed with a Canon Canonet QL-19 rangefinder I recently obtained (curtsey of my girlfriend) I hit the streets of Falmouth for some good old fashioned street photography.

Things did not get off to a good start, however. The transparent image which one moves using the calibrated wheel on the lens has severely faded on this model due to age; this made focusing somewhat of a challenge as all I could see was a minute square in the centre of the frame on which to focus. To make matters worse, as I got in to town I discovered that the camera's meter had also deteriorated severely, even after purchasing a new battery cell. So, with a rangefinder which was practically nigh on impossible  to focus, and a light meter which constantly told me I was over-exposing , I was ready to begin. Aren't analogue camera's fun? 

It had been quite some time since I had last indulged in street photography, so at first things were a little bit rusty. As I made my way through the streets of Falmouth I felt the damning eyes of the public fall on me and my camera once again ; I could almost hear the thoughts of condemnation from every mother with her child and every OAP with their dog as they blamed me and my camera for everything that is unjust in this world, as if  at any moment I was about to throw my camera down and kidnap their child or, in the case of the grandma, her Westie.

That aside, I found that I had missed partaking in a bit of street photography, and what ensued was an enjoyable little shoot on a sunny winter's day. I find it interesting how people always think that I am using my camera for sinister and nefarious ways... An argument for another time.

the old man on the pier shot

the old woman in the street shot

Ryan in his wood cutting shop near the Princess Pavilion in Falmouth.

I cam across Ryan as I was wandering around town. He runs a small wood cutting shop which is attached the front of his house, selling souvenirs, puzzles and picture frames to any willing tourists.

Apologies for the graininess of these images, but as the meter on the camera was broken, and as I had no hand-held meter, the images needed quite a bit of work on Photoshop to bring out some contrast and tone. As this was just a test shoot I wasn't particularly bothered with the outcome, and in fact I quite like the shots of Ryan in his workshop - why did I not photograph him for The Person at Work?

As my vogue moved from old people to the soft light emanating from the setting sun, I made my way down to Gyllyngvase Beach to capture some wonderful  'people on the beach during a sunset'  shots... 

Gyllyngvase Road

This picture would be right at home in a hipster's "my favourite photography" shoebox

A brave, brave sole prepairs to face the Atlantic with just a wet suit and testicles made of iron ore.

A kayak instructor being accosted by a pair of beach ramblers.

As you can probably tell, all was going swimmingly. Until this happened:

A clusterfuck of photography. 

Upon processing the film, it became apparent that half way through the shoot my camera decided to give up on normal image making, and instead focused its efforts on producing images which looked more like a fine art photographer's third-year thesis. Nonetheless, the effect is mildly entertaining and, I suppose, typical of the charming personality for which beaten up film cameras are known... or something.

I think this old rangefinder is in need of some TLC.

S

Twenty-four-hour Project: Mike Gibson, a Portrait of Plymouth

Last week the first year Press & Editorial Photography course were given a twenty-four-hour assignment; the brief was to create 'a portrait of Plymouth'. As the name suggests, we had had one day to complete this (yesterday, in fact). We needed to find an alternative side - or something unusual - to Plymouth that people do not see everyday (for example that lovely water feature in the town centre). We had to phone ahead, organise shoots and be generally organised. When we were finished, we had to upload, edit and FTP the files (metadata and all) to Ashley, who is the administrator at Cartel Photos.  


This assignment was designed to take our skills in to a faster 'Press style' of working, much like it would be in the professional industry.


My chosen subject was Mike Gibson, a Plymouth-born, Halshaw-educated, ex-Royal Navy fleet air arm engineer. Since retiring he has become a committed member of the Plymouth community, acting as a trustee for the Widewell Association as part of a team which maintains Ebberston Millenium Park, a public space just outside of Southway, Plymouth. Mike has become a local celebrity recently since commencing a personal vendetta against fly-tipping in the suburban estate of Southway.

Mike sitting in his conservatory at his home in Southway, Plymouth. To his left is a photograph of the HMS Ocean, a destroyer that Mike served on during his time in the Royal Navy.

Mike started voluntarily litter picking after his doctor recommended he walk two miles a day following a major heart bypass operation. During his excursions he noticed that worryingly large amounts of rubbish lay strewn across the pavements of Southway. Now, through recent exposure in the Plymouth Herald, help from the council is beginning to present itself. However, there is still a big problem with litter in Southway, as Mike explained...

Mike holding the Plymouth Herald. On the front page is a recent article about his litter picking excursions.

A litter bin which Mike filled with fly-tipped rubbish just two days before. The contents still remain.

In the car park of the Paper Converting Company, Mike points out a particularly bad area for fly-tipping amongst the warehouses of a Southway industrial estate. In his hand he holds a scrapped bike helmet. 

Crates of opened, unopened and discarded beer and wine; a cardboard box filled with French rolls; mattresses; a gun. These are just  a few of the items which Mike has recently discovered discarded in to the road-side bushes, industrial estates and bus shelters of Southway. He described it as 'disgraceful'. Mike's vendetta against fly-tipping in Plymouth has only just begun; however, at 86 years' old, he cannot keep on litter picking like he has. His eyesight is deteriorating, and walking is difficult. It's not over yet, though, he says. Since his exposure in the Plymouth Herald, Mike has been interviewed by Radio Devon and even ITV News. Things are starting to gather momentum.  

Mike points out a dumped bin bag filled with litter in a road-side bush. "Who knows what's inside that" he said.

Mike shows me the Langley Estate, an area unfortunately heavily affected by the dumping of household waste.

Cleaning up the streets of Southway is not all that Mr. Gibson cares about. Soon after arriving at his home, I discovered that he is an ex-fleet air arm engineer for the Royal Navy. Starting as a radio mechanic, Mike worked his way up the faculties until he enlisted in the Navy in 1945, ending up on the HMS Ocean as Lead Mechanic.

A badge which Mike obtained from serving on the HMS Ocean - after training as a radio engineer and joining the Royal Navy in 1945 - is permanently pinned to his jacket. He acted as Lead Mechanic on the ship; shortly after he became the Petty Officer

The HMS Ocean badge. 

A collection of badges from ships that Mike has previously served on hangs on a wall in his home.

Mike and his family have a deep-seated history within the Navy;  his father enlisted in the 1800s, and served on the HMS Sturdy as Engineer Officer in the early 1900s. Mike told me of how his father's ship at the time, the HMS Sturdy, ran aground off the coast of Tiree, a small island which resides in Scottish waters. Mike's father was not fatally injured, but in 1945 he organised the construction of a memorial on the island to commemorate those who had lost their lives in the wreck. Affected family members and friends were invited.  

On an atlas map of Scotland, Mike points out the island of Tiree, where his father was injured as his ship, the HMS Sturdy, ran aground.

Mike shows me an old photograph of himself whilst he was at school, wearing a classic 'blue coat' uniform. In the background, a similar portrait of his wife sits on the window ledge.

Mike and his wife Barbara have been married for 56 years. 

Mike and Barbara sit down in their living room for a lunch of beans and toast and a cup of tea.

At 86 years' of age, Mike's eyesight is slowly deteriorating so driving is impossible; a buss pass enables him to be mobile in his attempts to rally the City Council in to changing the way they deal with fly-tipping in the Southway area. He has already gathered momentum through his recent exposure in the Plymouth Herald and other news organisations, and more and more support is presenting itself. For the Navy veteran, it is now a matter of time and bureaucracy. 

S

Falmouth International Maritime Museum

For the past few months I have been liaising with the International Maritime Museum in Falmouth in regards to supplying them with photography - both corporate and internally. Today was the day when this plan was realised, and together we have come to an agreement: I will work for the museum as a photographer on a part-time, freelance basis voluntarily, supplying the museum with everything from staff portraits to promotional shots when I feel like it. In return I am free to supply and sell any of these images to the Falmouth Packet (the local newspaper) through the Cartel agency here at the university if they need them. I am very happy with this arrangement - it means the museum are able to bring me in whenever they (or whenever I am free) and in return I get experience and something good to put on my CV (and hopefully some money from the newspaper). 

Today - as a sort of 'starter' shoot - I went to the museum to get some shots of them hanging some new boats in the museum's main hall. Below are the results. I shot with my Canon 450D and two speed lights.

Jake hulme hanging a GBR racing boat from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Employees Elliot Holmen (left) Jake Hulme (Centre) and Mel Sharp pose above the museum's main hall.  

Jake rigs up the GBR boat as Elliot and Mel look on.

Jake expertly controls the cherry-picker as he navigates across the museum floor.

S