A Social Landscape

[James Billett]

Social documentary style landscapes taken in South Wales, UK. The project revolves around the idea of the landscapes that people travel through. I would appreciate feedback as to your view on the theme of the project and what it tells you but also any technical recommendations.

[Rob C]

James

I get the impression you're attempting a mixture of the straight landscape tradition, and putting in some sort of 'social conscience' message to make it different?

Anyway, I don't exactly read that in your pix, the housing doesn't look too bad, but I do think you are pointing in that direction. I wonder, are you in your twenties?

Clearly, you've raised more questions than answers, so that can't be bad!

Rob C

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

Hi James,

I like the idea, but if I am honest, these images are a bit like their content, all over the place, but I suspect you are starting out with this idea and I look forward to hopefully watching you run with it.

The art of documentary photography, as this is surely what you are doing, not only means that you capture the scene and the detail within it that concerns you, or that you simply wish to draw to peoples attention, but you also have to be aware of putting it into it's context, by this I mean explaining or giving a guiding clue to the viewer to help them understand just what the story/image is about and why they should care. But of possibly equal importance, is to also do this with consideration to the compositional context, i.e., the image(s) should look good.

I suggest you read or watch Edward Burtynsky's 'Manufactured Landscapes' or the amazing but some times troubling work of Sebastiao Salgado.

all the best and do keep up with this.

Dave

[James Billett]

Thanks for the comments.

James

I get the impression you're attempting a mixture of the straight landscape tradition, and putting in some sort of 'social conscience' message to make it different?

Anyway, I don't exactly read that in your pix, the housing doesn't look too bad, but I do think you are pointing in that direction. I wonder, are you in your twenties?

Yes that is my intention - to mix the straight landscape tradition with hints of social issues that are present within the area. I am 22 and have been photographing for 3 years now.

Hi James,

I like the idea, but if I am honest, these images are a bit like their content, all over the place, but I suspect you are starting out with this idea and I look forward to hopefully watching you run with it
Dave

I feel that the landscape I am trying to document is all over the place; it's littered, occupied by working class with many people unemployed and I feel that in some ways the composition should reflect this. I would like to print the images at A3 which will hopefully be large enough to show the tiny people within the image of which each has at least one. The context, I hoped, would demonstrate the economic climate - unemployment, loss of council funding, people turning to the pubs early in the day - yes the pink warehouse like building is a pub.

Ignore the horrible colours also as these haven't been worked through on a colour calibrated machine.

What would you recommend to make my intentions clearer within the picture? I have looked at the work of Burtynsky and Salgado and their compositions are so clean and appear to be effortlessly composed. Could you give me an example from one of the uploaded images.

Thank you both!

James

[Rob C]

What isn't clear, is how your project is going to be used: are you looking to place stuff in the press, sell prints, or what?

If you are thinking of press, I'd imagine you need a story that's strong and new which is a whole other ballgame. My own expertise wasn't in press, as in newsprint, so I'm just guessing here, but the days of Picture Post et al. have long gone. So-called popular newspapers are largely all about who's been unfaithful with whom, who's tits are the biggest and that's about it. I've recently decided to give up Sky News because it simply abrogated its duty as a news channel and became nothing more than another entertainment one. Screw them, I'm dumbed down enough already! So now I watch Aljazeera English and it's really about news, and editorially pretty fair, as far as I can ascertain.

I can't see folks buying the sort of image you are trying to create for decoration - where do you intend to go, as I asked when I came in? In anything, focus of mind is essential to success.

Good luck!

Rob C

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

Don McCullin is a good place to start, have a look here http://finsburypark.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/don-mccullin-at-the-national-media-museum/ the Gypsy watching the police evict his family is a very strong image (featured on the front cover of 'Susan Sontag On Photography', a worthy read but not for all tastes). I think what I am saying, is that you have to get in close to the people concerned to document this type of social topic and be fully immersed in it to be successful.

So-called popular newspapers are largely all about who's been unfaithful with whom, who's tits are the biggest

Crikey...! Are we allowed to say that here???

I've recently decided to give up Sky News because it simply abrogated its duty as a news channel and became nothing more than another entertainment one.

Yup, so have I, I used to have the Sky News Channel package and even had a period of watching Fox News for a laugh, yikes scary stuff and all represented as fair, unbiased and not ultra right wing brain washing propaganda at all, which of course it isn't, is it? 

Crikey 2...! Am I allowed to say that here???

Dave

[Rob C]

Crikey...! Are we allowed to say that here???

Crikey 2...! Am I allowed to say that here???

Dave

Dave, as long as we stay well away from photography we'll be okay!

;-)

Rob C

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I'm not sure whether "Crikey" is on the Official List of Approved Words that may be used by LuLa posters. Best to fill out a request-for-adjudication form in quintuplicate and send to the appropriate commmittee.

[Rob C]

I'm not sure whether "Crikey" is on the Official List of Approved Words that may be used by LuLa posters. Best to fill out a request-for-adjudication form in quintuplicate and send to the appropriate commmittee.

Oh Eric! you always were a stickler for correct procedures! I'd have thought that at this time of year you might have shown some minor mercy, but no!

;-)

Rob C

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Oh Eric! you always were a stickler for correct procedures! I'd have thought that at this time of year you might have shown some minor mercy, but no!

;-)

Rob C

Moi? I have mercy beaucoup!

Eric