Exercise 4.3: A subjective voice

Write an entry in your learning log (around 300 words) reflecting on any current and previous circumstances and experiences that you think may influence, or may have influenced, your view of the landscape. Describe how you think these factors might inform your ideas about landscape photography or related themes.

Born in 1964, I grew up in Wonersh, in Surrey. I recall it from some research at the time it was Ognersh in the 16^th Century but wiki tells me it was called Wonherche in the 14^th century. It felt good to live in small rural village, especially with history and mystery. The eldest of 4 boys with many cousins living within the same village it’s fair to say I had an active, fun, and adventurous upbringing and childhood.

I never had the distraction of computers, consoles and probably not even television. In the evenings possibly TV encroached and I recall favourites such as the Goodies, Two Ronnie, Blakes 7, Benny Hill and of course Dr Who.

As a youth and young teenager weekends were filled with sport and very much the exploration and fun that can be had living in the countryside. We would roam for miles, never felt scared or isolated and I was completely at ease with my surroundings and most definitely I had a sense of belonging.

My view of the landscape was and remains influenced by freedom that comes with space yet has connections, perhaps a sense of grounding, attachment and is one of space, freedom and exploration.

I currently live in the Forest of dean in a small village called Lydbrook. I’m 30 yards away from the woods/forest, another 30 yards into them and you won’t see a house. The seasons have a wonderful effect on the landscape and the light at different times of the day and also in the different seasons always creates a different look, a different feel.

My influences growing up and how they’ve developed my views of landscape now mean that landscape photography, more importantly my landscape photography needs to capture the feeling of space, ability to explore but somehow a sense of belonging. A picture of the same image at a different time in the day, on a different day in a different season show and reveal something different in the landscape, something not there yesterday, but here today.

Changes in the landscape can be subtle, and generally those of nature are. Changes can also be dramatic and these are normally man made changes. Capturing these changes both subtle and dramatic can be both beautiful and sublime. 

If we can consider how the landscape changes with the weather we have an endless combination of possibilities.

It would be interesting to try and capture images of the landscape that reflect my emotion or feeling at the time expressing emotion through photography.

Exercise 4.2: The British landscape during World War II

Reading the short extract from ‘Landscape for Everyone’, published in John Taylor's (1994) A Dream of England: Landscape, Photography and the Tourist’s Imagination we are asked to summarise the key points:

• Taylor suggests it was conventional to visualise the English landscape in the past and in literary times something Masterman helped bring the reader from historic past to modern day through century intervals. 

• Public fears that the industrial revolution once started threatened to spoil the landscape were re-focused on the threat of invasion in 1940 from Nazi Germany. However despite the threat from abroad and a mechanised army superficially spoiling the small villages countryside, journalist Henry Warren in his book "England is a Village" suggested the strength of the English landscape could never be destroyed

• Interestingly this threat of invasion to a degree resulted in the landscape being "damaged" from within with signposts, distance markers, location names etc being removed with a view to hindering an invading army

• Displacement of people, unaffordability and inability of travel due to poor finances and petrol shortages prevented many people visits to the country and thus remembrance of the countryside as was could only be dreamed about. Interestingly my maternal grandmother was born in London but moved to the countryside due to the fear of bombing. this was also true for many families / children for whom the countryside had never before been seen

• For those that couldn't return to the country, or see it as it once was Batsford's topographic books issued 10 years before were re-published allowing people to see the countryside unspoilt as it once was allowing people to dream of travel once again

• War and the threat of invasion helped people realise the value and beauty in the landscapes within their country they had taken for granted. Value was placed in images of the country side and photographers and writers encouraged to promote it. Interestingly picturesque type images became less popular an those with more narrative encouraged

• The countryside became popular with a British public that grew an affinity to it, understood its value and regarded it as "theirs" and patriotism increased, available commodity in war time with fear of invasion

• The exaggerated and not so exaggerated differences between German and English locations helped promote and therefore increase value in what the British people called freedom both in spirit and way of life

• The threat of invasion changed Dover from a coastal resort to a defensive position. indeed the British propaganda machine even inspired civilians to look optimistically toward the skies whereas the underlying theme was to help spot enemy planes

Reflection
In life in many ways, things we take for granted that are around us all the time can sometimes only have their real value fully understood at a time of potential loss. A phrase that best examples this is "you don't know what you had until you lost it".

Our landscapes, our countryside changes around us all the time, both for the good and bad. We all notice how the seasons change our landscapes. Walking regularly in the woods each year reveals a bit more of what was hidden in the winter time when the leaves and pine needles fall from the trees making a floor of a different material to the one we walked on most of the year.

Local to me history is all around with remains of castles and even an Abbey. I've lived in several areas in England and have always been amazed at the concrete machine gun type bunkers that are around, some obvious and some harder to discover. Kent was a good location for spotting these and an example how events in the past continue to shape the current and act as a good reminder of what could have happened and what we as a nation could have l

Exercise 4.1: Critical Review Proposal

I've submitted my review proposal to my tutor who kindly advised it was a good subject but reminded me to focus the review as a critique rather than an observation of photographers work.

I've also inserted some text from the course work as an extra reminder to myself:

Things to remember when researching and writing:

• Keep track of your references; don’t try to compile them at the end of the writing process.

Use the Harvard referencing system; you’ll find a guide to this on the student website.

• If possible, look back at feedback on any previous essays to identify areas of improvement.

 • Writing fluently takes practice, so keep up with your learning log to help you develop this

skill.

• The more you read, the better your writing will be.

• Don’t start writing your essay without some sort of plan, however rough it may be.

• Divide your essay into three or four sections. Work out approximately how many words

you’ll devote to each part.

• Don’t try to explore too much territory. More in-depth analysis on fewer topics is better than

discussing many different topics briefly.
Stick to the specified word count (2,000 words).

• The critical review will count for 10 per cent of your final mark if you decide to have your
work formally assessed, so it’s worth putting in the time and effort to get it right.

• If you can, start thinking about, and preparing for, your critical review at an early point in
the course. This will maximise the opportunities for support from your tutor and make it less
likely that you’ll be pushed for time later. It may take longer than you expect to access some
of the resources that you’ll need, for example.

Assignment 3 - Spaces to Places_with Tutor Feedback

Assignment 3 - Spaces to Places

Tutor feedback on my assignment will be in red and my follow-up comments in green

"Within a series of up to 12 photographs, explore a landscape of small part of a landscape which you believe to have some kind of significance. This may be a landscape with which you have a personal relationship, or it may be somewhere that is more widely known"

I asked myself "what makes a space become a place" and I came up with the following:

 - a name

 - a location people are familiar with

 - a sense of belonging

 - a sense of intimacy with the location

Yi-Fu Tuan, a leading Geographer has written a book "Space and Place - The Perspective of Experience. The synopsis for this book sums it up very eloquently:

 "Yi-Fu Tuan considers the ways in which people feel and think about space, how they form attachments to home, neighborhood, and nation, and how feelings about space and place are affected by the sense of time. He suggests that place is security and space is freedom: we are attached to the one and long for the other." 

This started me thinking and questioning how we look at space and place in the literal way e.g. standing on two feet looking at or perhaps looking within a space we occupy. I've listed my initial and therefor likely my most valid reasons why and how a space can become a place. 

Of course its all a matter of perspective. For this assignment I decided to images wither within a space that I felt was also a place for me and then contrast with an image from afar and also from a different perspective, one looking down. I've not the resources to hire a helicopter or plane so I've borrowed the contrasting images from Google Maps.

For this assignment I've simply placed the Google Maps image next to my own for contrast purposes and I have used influences of the following photographers:

Doug Rickard

Using Google's street view to help locate areas within America of high unemployment composed Street View images on his computer and photographed them removing watermarks etc. The spaces captured first by Google then by Rickard do indeed feel like places and the viewer drawn in as if originally deliberately composed photographed rather than simply taken by the roving car

https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/newphotography/doug-rickard/

Jon Rafman

Jon collected images originally captured by the nine eyes (nine cameras) of the Google Street View image collecting car. Some of the images he has found include images that could be termed both beautiful and bizarre, appearing as if taken by accomplished landscape of street photographers. 

http://9-eyes.com/

Aaron Hobson

In a similar way to Rafman above, Hobson also sends hours looking for the odd "gem" of an image which he then alters in a very minor way.

http://aaronhobson.com/streetview.html

The following Images combine a contrasted view with my interpretation of place on the left and space on the right. My image is the left of each pair and the right image one selected and cropped from GoogleMaps

Whilst this assignment speaks about Space and Place I've deliberately reversed my composite images to have the image representing Place since I believe the viewer will look at this image first, which is then within the second image. The overall theme of this set of images is to suggest how place has more meaning to me than space. Of course a place is within a space but I feel a place can be a more intimate location, a space initially less personal but this can change when something special within it becomes more intimate to you for whatever reason and is then often associated with a name either real or one specific to the individual.

All images were taken with a 50mm lens on a full frame camera and this lens almost matches the same angle of view our own eyes have and are places that have a meaning to me.

Overall Comments

I think it was a very good idea and conceptually appropriate to the brief.

Feedback on assignment

There’s lots of scope in how we might differentiate space from place.

In a sense there’s no such thing as space, except perhaps between the stars because as soon as you have matter inhabiting the space you have metaphor. We are programmed to ‘make sense’ even of nonsensical things. So when we do view the earth from literally space we’re immediately reading all kinds of things into what we see.

Most obviously perhaps Time Team and archaeology, crop circles, drones, etc. I suppose what we’re not looking for is individual scale narratives; which is where your left hand images come in.

As I think you’ve identified they tend to be lacking the kind and amount of narrative that would intrigue an audience enough to look back and forth to compare and I think really that’s the interest; looking for the spot on the right where the event is happening on the left and marvelling at the perceptual difference between seeing it in the relative simplicity of plan view compared to the complexity of the human interaction taking place within it.

Yes, I've simply not matched the execution of this assignment with concept I had planned. This is a big disappointment and I realised this at time pf production and submission. I should have re-shot my left hand images but I am concerned my pace is slowing.  I'm not worried about failing and its this process of a fall and getting up again that will allow me to hopefully improve and do better. I'm pleased the concept was liked, its matching this with my photography. I need a tattoo on my shutter finger that reads "narrative"

I remember the end papers that Alfred Bestall used to do for the Rupert Annuals, perhaps a panorama of Nut Wood, you could identify a few landmarks but you couldn’t quite work out the topology or where Rupert’s cottage was in it all.

Is this to keep you searching and wondering?

When one compares the pairs of images, one with another, one is very conscious, particularly at print size, of the difference in terms of sharpness and brightness. The right hand ones need post production work to match them more closely to the left hand ones, particularly in the range and distribution of tones, they’re too dark and in terms of sharpness.

I had taken them with no pp work. I will rectify this in final submission, thanks for your advice

I realise there’s a limitation in the resolution and hence sharpness of the right hand images but it can still be noticeably improved, use the Nik Sharpener Pro filter if you have it. Try to balance up each pair the best you can.

Yes, this was always going to be my fall down at this size. I had hoped this to be less noticeable having 2 images on one A3 print would help with the screen shot from google. I will test sharpeners and certainly look at this again for my formal submission

In terms of the left hand images you need to think more in terms of street photography, without the overt street.

Yes, thanks...the narrative within the image I'm missing!

Contrast 4 and 7 are going in the right direction but they need to have more potential narrative. You need to spend time fishing; hanging around on the river bank appearing to be doing nothing and then striking every time you feel a pull on the rod. Say the girl in 4 being unexpectedly launched forward as she jumps off the swing, we’ve all had that surprise and can relate to it. Or in 7 a dog’s head appears in the bottom right hand corner of the frame and looks back up at you taking the picture.

I did actually have an image similar to your suggestion but after some thought decided it wouldn't work. I should go more with gut feel

Overall the quality of the execution isn’t matching the potential of the concept but you’re aware of that anyway. It’s important to have that self awareness to make progress and you have it and are progressing. At the stage you’re at now try coming back to the student forum, unfortunately because it wasn’t being used enough paid tutor support has been withdrawn but I’m still there for the photographers and Peter still contributes from time to time. Also I’ve gone back to Flickr, there’s a bit more activity there now.

Thanks for your comments and advice. I think my downfall here in part is due to application and in part to over focus of concept. Using the metaphor scales (old fashioned scales of justice type) I'm not getting my balance right. I'm pleased my concept / ideas are considered on the right lines, its clearly application to execution I need to improve and most certainly narrative to be captured

Contrast 4 and 7 are going in the right direction but they need to have more potential narrative. You need to spend time fishing; hanging around on the river bank appearing to be doing nothing and then striking every time you feel a pull on the rod. Say the girl in 4 being unexpectedly launched forward as she jumps off the swing, we’ve all had that surprise and can relate to it. Or in 7 a dog’s head appears in the bottom right hand corner of the frame and looks back up at you taking the picture.

Yes, I'm simply not upping my execution to match concept. I need to plan out my images and certainly my time better and try a little fishing also :D

Overall the quality of the execution isn’t matching the potential of the concept but you’re aware of that anyway. It’s important to have that self awareness to make progress and you have it and are progressing. At the stage you’re at now try coming back to the student forum, unfortunately because it wasn’t being used enough paid tutor support has been withdrawn but I’m still there for the photographers and Peter still contributes from time to time. Also I’ve gone back to Flickr, there’s a bit more activity there now.

As above I think. Yes thats a good idea with some cross fertilization of ideas and looking at what others are up to

Coursework

No problems.

Research

Following on from what I wrote last time I’m happy with the way your research is developing and broadening.

Thanks for taking the time to critique my work, guide me. I look forward to the critical essay, that will be a change of direction

Contrast 1

This is Kerne Bridge across the River Wye. I used travel over this bridge twice a day when travelling to work in Cardiff and associated this with moving from England to Wales though the border is not quite this obvious. The pub Inn On the Wye in the right hand image at the top over the bridge was where I proposed to Nicki on a Valentines Day many years ago

Contrast 2

Goodrich Castle, a Norman castle from the 12th Century now in slight ruin sits on the horizon in the left hand image and top center on the right. A favourite location for our children when younger particularly because there was little restriction to their exploration.. Made famous by a Royalist v Parliamentary siege in the 16th century I used to love the optional handsets detailing the castle's history but playing out some of the historical events such as the siege with clever noise and voice acting.

Contrast 3

The road leading to the village I live in, the village is visible in the center of the image. This most certainly a place within a space. Given its location within a rural area the included telephone wires are an important connection. No gas for most people and many still using open fires and back boilers. This location as I return home from where ever I travel is a very welcome sight. It doesn't have the same feel when viewed from above and this view feels remote and is definitely a space rather than a place. This image is composed so that the road leads to the village and shows also the tenuous communications link.


Contrast 4

Its always interesting to see an aerial view of your own home and there we are with the 2 silver cars (at the time the image was taken) in the centre below the horizontal road arching higher on the right. We are very fortunate to have the play area in front of our house which our children very much enjoyed playing on. The facilities kindly funded around 14 years ago by the Lottery. Its interesting to the space our house occupies but a much better indication of the location as a place is observed in the left hand image.


Contrast 5

I think everyone local who grew up in this neighbourhood will have as a child, and possibly as an adult, swung from a rope from this tree. The rope will have been replaced many times. The location is known locally as the "ollah" which I take to have originally been the Hollow. Its a favourite location for children to play. The right hand google image shows its hidden under a canopy of trees. The building in the top left is our local and closest pub. A shortcut through the "ollah" only possible in the dry weather.


Contrast 6

This particular location is named "TreeBeard" due to the similarity with one of the "Ents" from the Lord of the Rings films named by one of my children. This place is alongside a woodland path which I walk on a regular basis. Living in the Forest of Dean there are often deer or boar to be spotted or evidence of their activities and sightings can be cross referenced with their proximity to TreeBeard. I've found over the years many places to be discovered, re-discovered or simply observed. The Forest of Dean is a very large area with many secrets or things to discover that would not be found simply viewing the space.

For this particular place the right time on the right day with the light will allow "TreeBeard's" face to be isolated from the rest of the surrounding trees almost bringing him to life


Contrast 7

At times this is a very quiet place for thought and contemplation watching the river flow. This spot has allowed solace for me at difficult times. The aerial view would not suggest this location. In the left hand image middle far right the Courtfield Arms can be seen which has many memories for events and socialising. Alas it is now the 3rd pub in the village that has closed and appears to be a common trend across much of the country
Contrast 8

Symonds Yat Rock is a beautiful location and a favourite with tourists and bird spotters. Its beauty would not be spotted in the aerial view. The location of where the image was taken is bottom middle looking left. Its a favourite place for me, an elevated position gives the ability to see for very long distances on clear days.

Summary and Self Analysis
Possibly with the exception of image 8 my images are not perhaps traditional picturesque landscape images and this has been my aim. I have tried to move toward images that contain an element of myself in terms of location and as I result I may not have reached the quality of image that I wanted but I feel I have incorporated an element of myself in the images, and I understand the risk in doing this in that this may not be seen or felt by the observer

My main goal for this set of images is to contrast a location between a place and a space demonstrating that one of the differences is personal intimacy. This has been my interpretation of the assignment brief. I felt that this could only be done taking images in portrait frame and sitting these side by side on an A3 canvas. I have found this very restricting and I completely underestimated the effect this would have on my images in terms of conveying a place and is also in general against the format associated with landscape images. As a result I have underestimated the difficulty in composing the images and I have not been fully successful, or that I have not reached my targeted goal.

I would have liked to have created images with more of small story within them and maintained the personal intimacy each place has for me. However this has been a good challenge and one that contains an element risk that I would not have otherwise undertaken.  It has also meant a lot of disappointment in many of the images I have taken where I have not got near reaching the type of image I wanted, e.g. the ability to match actual images with my ideas. However taking this risk I feel I am better equipped to understand how I could improve my thought processes in taking images for this brief

Part 3 - Exercise 3.6 - "The Memory of the Photograph"

Exercise 3.6 - "The Memory of the Photograph"

We are asked to read David Bate's essay "The Memory of the Photograph"; to read the text closely, noting Bate’s key points in your learning log, and extending 

your research to points that he references which are of interest to you. 

Unfortunately the OCA link takes me to a Spanish website and the article is not there. I have however found it here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17540763.2010.499609?scroll=top&needAccess=true

I hope this also helps any other student looking for this essay

I feel the key point within David Bate's essay is the question how does photography contribute to memory as an auxiliary function to both individual memory and to collective memory. Also that it can be subjected to incorrect recording and interpretation, distorted recording or even withheld. The latter in terms of human memory I could connect to suppressed memory and other memory that may eventually be stored electronically and also be withheld in some way

Bate quotes Freud:

"If I distrust my memory – neurotics, as we know, do so to a remarkable extent, but normal people have every reason for doing so as well – I am able to supplement and guarantee its working by making a note in writing. In that case the surface upon which this note is preserved, the pocket-book or sheet of paper, is as it were a materialized portion of my mnemic apparatus, which I otherwise carry about with me invisibly. I have only to bear in mind the place where this “memory” has been deposited and I can then “reproduce” it at any time I like, with the certainty that it will have remained unaltered and so have escaped the possible distortions to which it might have been subjected in my actual memory."

Freud confirms there are several options to support natural memory and Bate again quotes Freud:

"If I distrust my memory – neurotics, as we know, do so to a remarkable extent, but normal people have every reason for doing so as well – I am able to supplement and guarantee its working by making a note in writing. In that case the surface upon which this note is preserved, the pocket-book or sheet of paper, is as it were a materialized portion of my mnemic apparatus, which I otherwise carry about with me invisibly. I have only to bear in mind the place where this “memory” has been deposited and I can then “reproduce” it at any time I like, with the certainty that it will have remained unaltered and so have escaped the possible distortions to which it might have been subjected in my actual memory."

Bate quotes:

"Kracauer's work is less familiar, especially his posthumously published work on History, where he compares photography (and film) to the work of historiography: these practices all have historical narrative as a common denominator, he argues, which bonds their respective aims together "

So Bate is recognising that photography is aid just like note making to recording memories but I think he hints recorded memories can be false, misinterpreted and elements with held for whatever reason just in the same way human recorded memories can be

Bate observes:

"One of the striking points that Jacques Derrida makes in Archive Fever is that an archive is not a question of the past, of “dealing with the past that might already be at our disposal or not at our disposal, an archival concept of the archive”. Rather, “It is a question of the future, the question of the future itself, the question of a response, a promise and of a responsibility for tomorrow”

This I interpret to mean the responsibility to record now for future recollection

"Photographs are one of the most important technological inventions for Jacques Le Goff because photography is the machine that industrializes visual memory." Bate confirms but I believe the human memory is multi dimensional and sounds, smells and emotions are also recorded within the human brain. a photograph may only jog them visually

While Bate peruses the Photograph Trafalgar Square by Talbot he muses "so too are memories subject to the same procedures, like mis-remembering" we know humans can share share entirely different memories of the same event for different reasons. The photograph, whilst its content can be hard to challenge the selection of what information is bound within the image frame can itself be a misinterpretation, a different memory of the event.

I the Bate sums this up nicely at the end "With photographs, memory is both fixed and fluid: social and personal. There is nothing neutral here. As sites of memory, photographic images (whether digital or analogue) offer not a view on history but, as mnemic devices, are perceptual phenomena upon which a historical representation may be constructed. Social memory is interfered with by photography precisely because of its affective and subjective status. "

This was a challenging read but within it is an interesting theme in associating photographic and human memory as having similar foibles and in my view both affect and impact the other.

Part 3 - Exercise 3.5 - Local History

Exercise 3.5 - Local History

Using the internet, local library, museum or any other resources at your disposal, conduct 

a short investigation into a historical aspect of the area in which you live or are currently 

based. This could relate to industry or other narratives in the distant past, or a more recent 

event.

I live in Lydbrook, in the Forest of Dean which has an amazing history that is probably unknown by most. Wikipedia quotes the following:

“Lydbrook is a civil parish in the Forest of Dean, a local government district in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is situated on the north west edge of the Forest of Dean's present legal boundary proper. It comprises the districts of Lower Lydbrook, Upper Lydbrook, Joys Green and Worrall Hill. It has a mile and a half long main street, reputed to be the longest main street of any village in England.

The region now structuring the present town of Lydbrook has been possessed all through history. Antiques from Hangerberry and Eastbach on the south west corner of the area, and Lower Lydbrook show proof of broad movement from the Mesolithic period (Middle Stone Age 10,000 - 4000 BC) to the present. Rock / stone instruments from encompassing fields affirm that the range was possessed and cultivated for more than 4,000 years.

Lydbrook was inhabited by the Romans as there is evidence of a Roman homestead along Proberts Barn Lane, Lower Lydbrook. The timber building detected on the site may date from the 1st Century AD. A later building was constructed with stone walls. This building was still inhabited in the 4th century. The site was also a farming and agricultural centre in the Roman period. There is also evidence of Roman activity at Hangerberry with traces of a Roman pavement. We know that a Roman road came from Ruardean through Lower Lydbrook (tracing the Wye) to English Bicknor. A further ancient road existed between Joys Green and English Bicknor via Bell Hill. Traces of a Roman Road also exist from Worrall Hill to Edge End. These Roman track ways show evidence of following the course of previous prehistoric paths. In 1881 it was reported that a large quantity of Roman coins were found at Lower Lydbrook. Recent archaeological excavations by the Dean Archaeological Group in and around Lydbrook have recovered further coins from the Roman period, as well as other artefacts pre-dating and post dating this period.

"Lydbrook". Wikipedia. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Aug. 2016.

In fact the history of Lydbrook is enormous and much to vast to cover in detail within this exercise. Coal mining and iron ore mining has been a large industry in the Forest of Dean and its location to the River Wye an important factor for the growth of these historic industries.

Later railways allowed industries to grow further and an historic viaduct construction took place in 1872 enabling local railway lines to connect to the bigger Ross on Wye and Monmouth line.

An uncredited photograph of the viaduct

  

Eric Bottomley’s painting of a train on the Lydbrook Viaduct

The construction was dismantled in 1965 as it was deemed un-safe so there is little left of of a construction which would have had a significant impact on the landscape.

Like many collieries of the time they experienced tragedy and loss of life through incidents where men are working underground. 

This is the "Roll of Honour" sculpture at New Fancy which commemorates miners killed or injured working in mines or quarries within the Forest Of Dean.

However there are also some stories of rescues. A common problem with many mines, especially those in the Forest of Dean, is Geology and mining in the coalfield has always been hampered by the excessive amount of water encountered underground - trapped by the basin-shaped strata. 

On the 30th June 1949 a breach was made into a neighboring tunnel filled with water at the Arthur and Edward Colliery and the tunnel become flooded threatening the lives of nearly 200 men trapped underground. Thanks to Harry Toomer, who later received the British Empire medal for his deeds, these men were rescued. However 5 men remained trapped. Fortunately an old mine shift of the Plud Colliery shaft had been recently re-opened as a ventilation shaft. The trapped men had to make their way slowly to this shaft .At the top the rescue team built an A-Frame fitted with a winch and was able to rescue these 5 men.
"Forest Of Dean". Way-mark.co.uk. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Aug. 2016.

The Pludds as they are locally known are some hills and these are very close to my home location. I have managed to track down the exact location of this rescue mine shaft whilst out walking in the woods / hills close to me and am pleased and also surprised that a plaque had been established and the old mine shaft still present but capped with a concrete cover

The brief of 300 words which I have exceeded is too small to cover this subject in any depth. Instead I have researched a high level overview of my current home location, established some insight into local industry and how this resulted in perhaps the sublime of the viaduct construction formed part of the beauty of the local landscape. Whilst the viaduct itself has gone as has the mining industry it was good to see an historic reminder of a happy event of the past.

If this was the subject of Assignment 3 then I think I would have researched a specific mine that I could get access to and take a number of images above and below ground and tried express through images what life may have been like working underground. Of course for visitors to get in then its been made very safe unlike the original working conditions. There will be remnants of the mining industry and photographs of evidence or perhaps lack of evidence as time has progressed and the landscape has changed as a result (the viaduct a good example) would have been interesting.

Part 3 - Exercise 3.4 - A Persuasive Image

Exercise 3.4 - A Persuasive Image

Part 1

Environmental change is now something we are much more aware of. Just this week the local council issue us a new recycling bin so we now separate glass from tins and a new bag for cardboard. Drive through any village on the right day and instead of just the old grey wheelie bin there is myriad of different colour bins, boxes and bags to allow household was to get collected and recycled.

My youngest daughter, who reaches 18 this month, as a younger child once asked me "how much more harmful emissions would we be making" as a result of a detour I had to make to get home due to local flooding. She hit on 2 issues of environmental change, one by accident the other due school subjects. I think its excellent for this generation to be much more aware of environmental harm that everyday life can cause. It was not a subject or issue I recall when I was at school.That said we we will always be plagued by another increasing attitude of this generation, the "I can't be bothered". I can't bothered to take my rubbish home and instead will throw it out the car window or I'll dump a bag of at the roadside with a council recycling centre just a mile away.

The environment is changing, we see evidence for this. The power of the internet allows us to see so much more. Governments make promises yet the strongest sign shown by many is to instead invent taxes and call them green.

I live in the countryside in the Forest of Dean, I grew up in the hills around Wonersh, a small village in Surrey. The ability to walk just yards to find woodland walks is not lost on me, nor the fact many others don't have this luxury. To wake up and find this one day gone or destroyed would also destroy something of me inside.

Colin Finlay who perhaps is best described as a photo journalist and interestingly was once a photocopier salesman has for the last 30 years been producing images of the environment. He has been as part of his travels including remote locations been producing images depicting the results of climate change. As shocking as some of the images really are the images themselves are stunning, colourful and often vibrant. These images are different and perhaps less shocking than some of his images taken in a Darfur refugee camp, but have a similar impact touching a different element of my physche, and most likely most people's.

Colin's website can be found here: http://www.colinfinlay.com/

Tailing Ponds from Alcoa aluminium plant, Texas

Melting Glaciers, Iceland

Tailing Ponds, Tar Sands, Alberta, Canada

The images are truly stunning a most certainly one of the best examples of Beauty and the Sublime. As stand alone images to the un-enlightened viewer they can be fascinating images full of vibrant colour, shape and movement allowing the eye and mind to wander for many minutes.

An early photography tips given to me once was how do you know which is the professional photographer among a group of many? The one nearly down. The insight was not lost on me, it meant the more experienced photographer was taken images at a different view point, different perspective, creating something different. In this instance Finlay has taken these images from the air and they are more magnificent for it.

However there is a strong underlying theme and a passion close to Finlay's heart. These images are part of a bigger set where is highlighting the disastrous impacts man is having on the environment.

The scale of the impact is perhaps better understood from this viewpoint. There is sufficient information within the image to be able to generate a sense of scale. When this is grasped I think viewer moves from a sense of wonder and awe, to a, in my case, a feeling of pain and sickness.

Finlay wants people to look at these images in the hope they generate interest, empower people to look further and deeper and in some cases simply be aware what is happening right next to people who may not even be aware of it happening.

The images created in me a sense of wonder and beauty but with the underlying theme of horror and destruction. I think the biggest ingredient for change is for people to want it to happen. Awareness of the problem is perhaps the first step and I think Finlay is making a significant effort toward this with these images and many others. 

Part 2

For this exercise we asked to:

"Consider an issue (social, political or environmental) that you feel strongly about. Design an image that you think will have a persuasive effect upon a viewer."

I've thought about childhood memories, things taken for granted as a child and as a parent with children growing. There has always been a fascination of jumping in puddles for children, and a lot of laughs from watching parents.

Using Google images I've searched for an image an image that gives me the potential to adjust the image, convey a message at the same time as incorporating a child's fascination with water.

I've imported the image into photoshop and using a plug in called Color Effex Pro altered the color of the water to something that more resembles polluted water and applied a blurred vignette to help maintain the primary focus of the child and the water at their feet.

Looking advertising fonts I've used Franklin Gothic Demi and applied my own environmental message. I've posted this on my facebook page so it will be interesting to see what response this generates.It will be interesting to see what response come from what people e.g. parents with young children, parents with older children, Grandparents etc