beans, bacon and bowling clubs

Work has started to back up recently, and I find shoots, if not entire days, coming and going before I get a chance to write drivel about them on here. During this time I have returned with a new, more easily searched blog title of 'Samuel Moore | photographer'. Catchy, huh? So anyway, one such day which has been and gone was Saturday 4th February, when I was given two jobs to do for The Packet, Falmouth's daily digest of local news and events. 

The first of these jobs was at Budock Water, a quaintest of quaint villages which sits just half a mile from the monstrosity that is Falmouth's Brickland Industrial Estate. I made my way over there on my bicycle at 10am, being soaked by one of Cornwall's annoyingly frequent horizontal rain storms in the process, an occurrence which happens to me far too often.  

The villagers of Budock hold an annual 'Big Breakfast' in aid of the village-owned playing field. The event, which sees all manner of locals grace Budock Water village hall, consists of a, well, big breakfast. Two rashers of bacon, baked beans, sausages, grilled tomato and toast were on sale for the modest price of £3.50. Of course, being the photographer assigned to the job, I was offered a free breakfast by a wonderful woman named Sally. After considering the immoralities of eating on the job for about three seconds, I resolutely sat down at the nearest table and ploughed my way through a plate of the good stuff in about the same amount of time (my prowess in eating was duly noted by an old woman standing to my left). What made this success even more satisfying was that when the photographer form the West Briton finally showed his face, no such offer was made to him. Student 1, professional 0. 

As well as the food, stalls run by local villagers adorned the village hall, selling goods ranging from second-hand knick-knacks and cakes/pastries, to a man selling vegetables and  a blind woman selling pencils (?). Again, all proceeds went to the up-keeping of the village-owned playing field. 

The second job of the day - in equally horizontally-inclined rain - was at 8pm at the Falmouth Bowling Club, where cheques were being presented by Chairman Ron Rhedlyn. Cheques for £480 were given to the 2nd Falmouth All Saints Cub-Scouts, the Memories Cafe and the Falmouth Festival Fund which was represented by the Mayor of Falmouth... You know you've made it as a photojournalist when you're photographing mayors. The money was raised by the Falmouth Harmony Choir, who took charitable donations whilst carol singing on Christmas Eve.

 

S

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

from one to the other...

So, the day for handing in everything that I have done so far since September practical-wise - that's Professional Practice, practical log book and a portfolio of 10x8 prints - has been and gone. And it is safe to say that it was quite an anti-climax. Upon entering the "Assessment Room" - i.e. the Press Room with a new label stuck on the front - we were ordered to place our work on the pile and sign the sheet to make a note of the time (09:16am if you wanted to know). Very high-brow stuff. it was then only a matter of about one hour until we were to be given a new assignment brief, during which time I indulged in a wholesome and nutritional breakfast consisting of a peanut butter sandwich and a pint of coffee. 10:00am, and on to Seminar Room 3 in the Peter Lanyon Building. Following a wrestle with the projector to get it going, we were given our new brief: The Relationship.

Our task, should we chose to accept it  - which we should considering that if we didn't it would probably result in the failing of the course - is to create three more compelling images of three groups of different people who in some way share some kind of relationship. The groups of people can be anything from two or more people in the context of a family (not our own family, I might add), a community or a religious cult - Cornish Association of Satanic Worshippers anyone? A minimum of nine working prints must be ready for review by the Monday 20th February. The project will be shot on 35mm, black and white film and all processing/printing must be done traditionally. 

What immediately sprung to my mind, and indeed everyone's in the room (we were given a swift lecture on the subject) are romantic images from classic reportage work such as Eugene Smith's Country Doctor or Larry Towell's The Mennonites. But seeing as we only have a three week deadline, such complex stories will be difficult to come by. Thus, we are encouraged, as usual, to shoot stories which are achievable and to save the really meaty stuff for later in our degrees. 

So far I have been in contact with a country vicar and a gang of mass-knitting grannys... more on that to come shortly.

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

Saturday arts club at Penryn Rugby Club.

Today I had my first ever job for the Falmouth Packet (the local newspaper). It was at a Saturday arts club for children held at Penryn Rugby Club. The kids were working on the 'Paint-O-Meter', a device to measure how much paint has been collected - through charitable donations - to go towards a mural which will be painted in a Falmouth industrial estate. It was a shoot for the local paper, so it's all smiley faces and happy times.

These images will hopefully be appearing in Monday's edition of the Falmouth Packet.


S