One of my all time favourite films is the 'Shawshank Redemption', starring Tim Robbins as an accountant sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit, forced into all kinds of awful situations who then after spending years in Jail finally escapes after planning to do so for years by digging through a wall to get out and crawling through shit, literally, for hundreds of feet to freedom. Fleeing to Mexico from the prison he sends documents to the FBI that implicates the warden of the Jail for fraud and other crimes and awaits the arrival of his friend played by Morgan Freeman.
I won't go into it further in case you haven't seen it, but get yourself to Blockbuster and check it out, but there is a line in the film that I always find provides me with massive inspiration. It makes you want to just think about whatever it is you want to do in your life and doing it. Seizing the moment. Taking or making an opportunity and just jumping in and seeing where it takes you. It may work out, it may not, and the implications of it not working out can be pretty severe. Things like financial security (or rather financial piece of mind- I don't earn that much), stability, an element of certainty, fear of the unknown, family or other pressures, work pressures, paying the mortgage,the list goes on; all this adds to the decision to go for something different becoming very difficult to make.
I have three years to go before my time in the Army is complete - 22 years! A lifetime really, a period of time that I can now reflect on with various feelings. Extremes of emotions. From immense pride to complete disillusionment. Sometimes I think of the sacrifices I have had to make on a personal and professional level to keep on top of my game, to be good at what I did. I like to think I was good at what I used to do and also what I do now. But it comes at a price. You have to put some things to one side, in my opinion, to be good at this job: family, friends, relationships, career, other work opportunities. All take a back seat for the 'greater good'.
But there comes a time when you have to make a change, you have to concentrate on what is important to you and where you want your life to go. Three years is a short amount of time in the scheme of things, it does go past quickly, my last 19 years show me this, and at the end of it, when my time is up and I finish my 22 years - a pension awaits, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the carrot on the stick, the flame that attracts the moth, the temptation that keeps you ploughing on regardless for years and years. Truth is, it's not a massive amount really, handy to have but your not going to be retiring to somewhere warm and sunny and drinking cocktails for the rest of your life.
But that is by the by, the question is, can I wait for another three years? This is my dilemma. My quandary. If I am honest with myself I am ready now, to leave it all behind, I have been for a while now, a long while, my situation now is such that I would quite happily walk away with no regrets. To continue my photographic life as a civilian. To become a better photographer and do the things I want to do, to work on the projects I want to develop away from the military. To photograph issues that I am interested in.
The sooner the better, but the 'sensible' part of my brain constantly flags up warning messages about financial issues, security etc...the 'what ifs' that can keep you up nights.....
Time for a decision to be made, or rather, time for me to act on a decision already made.
By the way, the line in the film is......'Get busy living, or get busy dying'.
Time to do just that. And as Morgan Freeman says in response to this line, 'absolutely, goddamn right'!
The film ends as the camera pulls back to reveal our hero working on an old fishing boat resting on a long, sandy, deserted beach.
Contented......at peace......free.
Sunday 12 October 2008
Saturday 4 October 2008
Parade outside the Box
I've covered many military parades before and to a certain extent you can initially make a mental note of all the 'safe' shots that you need to obtain in order to cover the event effectively but you should always keep an eye open for other possibilities. This applies to all your jobs. If you have to fulfill a brief then make sure you do so but don't forget to also keep your creative eye open for other pictures. Push the limits and really look for alternative pictures. Try different techniques on the fly to see if you can get some good results.
Don't be afraid to experiment and see what you can achieve, it costs nothing other than a fraction of a second. Learn and understand exposure and then under or over expose on purpose to see the effect. Get away from convention. Get away from the norm. Everyone else will be doing that. Shoot straight into the sun. Get your flash involved by popping some light into an underexposed image it can make it really jump out, especially with the red tunics some of the troops here are wearing.
Blur your pictures on purpose, whilst adding some fill flash and see what happens. Many pictures won't work, some are close and one or two will look good. However, don't think that this is a 'hit and hope' approach, relying on luck alone to get a picture, remember, it's partly luck but also it needs a sound knowledge of the techniques in the first place and then all you need is the imagination to push it.
Despite all of this the one thing I find is the most helpful of all is probably the most obvious piece of advice. LOOK for pictures, really look, as you move around your subject, look for angles, look for an approach, look for something different. It takes concentration and after a long shoot you can be drained from the concentration involved but sometimes, if you get a good shot, it is worth it.
Don't be afraid to experiment and see what you can achieve, it costs nothing other than a fraction of a second. Learn and understand exposure and then under or over expose on purpose to see the effect. Get away from convention. Get away from the norm. Everyone else will be doing that. Shoot straight into the sun. Get your flash involved by popping some light into an underexposed image it can make it really jump out, especially with the red tunics some of the troops here are wearing.
Blur your pictures on purpose, whilst adding some fill flash and see what happens. Many pictures won't work, some are close and one or two will look good. However, don't think that this is a 'hit and hope' approach, relying on luck alone to get a picture, remember, it's partly luck but also it needs a sound knowledge of the techniques in the first place and then all you need is the imagination to push it.
Despite all of this the one thing I find is the most helpful of all is probably the most obvious piece of advice. LOOK for pictures, really look, as you move around your subject, look for angles, look for an approach, look for something different. It takes concentration and after a long shoot you can be drained from the concentration involved but sometimes, if you get a good shot, it is worth it.
Thursday 2 October 2008
The Allotments
The allotments in Saltburn are a thriving community of enthusiasts with a wide range of horticultural experience, from the seasoned gardener to new owners of their own small piece of real estate in this coastal town in Cleveland. I started this project of photographing the allotments and some of the people who spend their spare time tending to their land a few months ago.
Before you can own an allotment like the ones in Saltburn, like many others, there is a long waiting list before you get the go ahead from the council, typically the allotment you are allocated is overgrown or needs to be altered to meet your own requirements and the work begins in earnest as soon as you get the keys from the council.
What I found out by talking to many of the owners is how despite having an original idea of how they wanted their allotment to look it soon became apparent that the land they leased became a work in progress, constantly evolving as their own needs evolved.
There is always something to be done - fences and gates to be fixed, plants to be tended, weeds to be picked, in some cases, chickens and hens to be looked after, pigeons to be fed and watered. It take a serious amount of commitment and dedication to keep on top of the work. 
Recently, vandalism has caused damage to some allotments with greenhouses having their glass smashed and sheds broken into and some tools stolen. Owners are looking at ways of reducing the risk with possible installation of CCTV cameras to monitor the road in and out of the allotment area.
Despite the graffiti sprayed all over the fences and corrugated metal that lines the road through the allotment once you pass through the ramshackle gates that form the entrances to the allotments they are transformed into individual 'secret gardens' that in some cases stretch back for 40 or 50 metres with paths that meander through a miriad of bushes and shrubs and reveal ponds and bird feeders hidden away. Despite the proximity to a busy rail line and constant stream of human traffic passing through the allotments there is a varied amount of wildlife that frequents the area.
With food prices rising the produce that can be grown in these allotments can contribute a large amount to reducing the owners food costs, all manor of fruit and veg can be grown and there are frequent competitions to judge the 'best of' various categories. What is certain is that the owners take great pride and as true gardeners they follow the seasons carefully to ensure that they plant at a time that will give the maximum yield. 
Sometimes new owners really do have to start from scratch with their first step of allotment ownership being the building of an entrance. Cutting the fence that has been put up to mark off the land that they now rent and building an entrance that can be secured is the first hurdle that needs to be overcome.
One thing is certain it takes a lot of time and effort to keep on top of their allotments but with increasing experience comes the satisfaction of knowing that they can start to provide for themselves and reduce costs of buying food whilst at the same time enjoy the highs and lows of tending to a piece of land just as people have done for hundreds of years.
Before you can own an allotment like the ones in Saltburn, like many others, there is a long waiting list before you get the go ahead from the council, typically the allotment you are allocated is overgrown or needs to be altered to meet your own requirements and the work begins in earnest as soon as you get the keys from the council.
What I found out by talking to many of the owners is how despite having an original idea of how they wanted their allotment to look it soon became apparent that the land they leased became a work in progress, constantly evolving as their own needs evolved.
There is always something to be done - fences and gates to be fixed, plants to be tended, weeds to be picked, in some cases, chickens and hens to be looked after, pigeons to be fed and watered. It take a serious amount of commitment and dedication to keep on top of the work.Some new allotment owners are slow to get on top of their own piece of garden and are soon asked by the allotment association to make more of an effort. With waiting lists long and filled with potential owners who are keen to take ownership those that don't make the effort are politely asked if they wish to continue. All the people I met strived hard to look after their own allotment and went to great effort to maintain and look after their land.
Despite providing well for their chickens sometimes illness or infection takes its toll on them and the big worry is that whole stocks of birds can be wiped out, something that also carries a heavy financial burden.
Despite providing well for their chickens sometimes illness or infection takes its toll on them and the big worry is that whole stocks of birds can be wiped out, something that also carries a heavy financial burden.
Recently, vandalism has caused damage to some allotments with greenhouses having their glass smashed and sheds broken into and some tools stolen. Owners are looking at ways of reducing the risk with possible installation of CCTV cameras to monitor the road in and out of the allotment area.
Despite the graffiti sprayed all over the fences and corrugated metal that lines the road through the allotment once you pass through the ramshackle gates that form the entrances to the allotments they are transformed into individual 'secret gardens' that in some cases stretch back for 40 or 50 metres with paths that meander through a miriad of bushes and shrubs and reveal ponds and bird feeders hidden away. Despite the proximity to a busy rail line and constant stream of human traffic passing through the allotments there is a varied amount of wildlife that frequents the area.
With food prices rising the produce that can be grown in these allotments can contribute a large amount to reducing the owners food costs, all manor of fruit and veg can be grown and there are frequent competitions to judge the 'best of' various categories. What is certain is that the owners take great pride and as true gardeners they follow the seasons carefully to ensure that they plant at a time that will give the maximum yield. Seasoned owners seem to know intuitively when to plant and when to pick and reap the rewards of their labour, newer owners struggle at first until they gain the relevant knowledge to allow them to develop their land.
Sometimes new owners really do have to start from scratch with their first step of allotment ownership being the building of an entrance. Cutting the fence that has been put up to mark off the land that they now rent and building an entrance that can be secured is the first hurdle that needs to be overcome.
One thing is certain it takes a lot of time and effort to keep on top of their allotments but with increasing experience comes the satisfaction of knowing that they can start to provide for themselves and reduce costs of buying food whilst at the same time enjoy the highs and lows of tending to a piece of land just as people have done for hundreds of years.
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