Burton Statutes - a 700 year old tradition. The right to hold a fair was granted by King John and each year Burton welcomes the travelling Carnival and they in turn welcome the local revellers.
I went out with the idea to take images of the signs as the talk we had before going out was showing how signage is indicative of the date an image was taken.
I also had in the back of my mind to do a set of images linked together by colour. There is certainly a riot of colour at fairs.
I went out with the idea to take images of the signs as the talk we had before going out was showing how signage is indicative of the date an image was taken.
I also had in the back of my mind to do a set of images linked together by colour. There is certainly a riot of colour at fairs.
Dress and clothing is also a good indicator of when images are taken. My initial response to thinking through the idea of photographing people was to not bother. However a couple of people approached me. I think because I had the flash gun on the top of the Canon 5D and the 24-105mm lens it made me very noticeable. People actually thought I worked for the Burton Mail.
After taking 60+ images and spending quite a bit of time chatting to some of the Carnival workers I decided to head back and download the images to see what would make a good collection. I divided them into 4 categories: People, Signs, Colour and Fortune Tellers. I considered the images in the 'people' category to be the strongest and processed 9 ready for a final choice. We were asked to present 5 images on A3 paper. I printed off 8 as I couldn't get them down to 5.
I tweaked the shadows/highlights and added a little contrast and placed them all onto an A3 sheet with a white border. On one of the images I placed a description of who I had been talking to.
The reason for taking these photographs was to show us how easy it is to pull together images with a theme and to help us with our thought processes for our Book Assignment. I already have my theme - but I thoroughly enjoyed this process and the images I have produced.
I positioned people where I wanted them. I did not take a lighting kit out with me but I did borrow a flash. It was a bright but cloudy day but I wanted the colours that where available to really pop (a la Martin Parr). Where possible I asked the people to stand in front of the boarded up attractions which gave some interesting coloured backdrops.
After I had taken the photograph of the men leaning on the pink cup I was pointed in the direction of Bill Tweddle. They thought I would find him interesting and he is indeed a character. He had been to every Statute in Burton, Oxford and Lichfield every year for 70 years. He was very passionate about the history of the travelling fair and he wished he could impart that to the younger families that travel. He wants them to fully understand their heritage. He also pointed out the plaque that gives Burton the right to hold the Fair.
Feedback:
Everyone really liked the Fat Man sitting on the Waltzer - mostly because of the way the steps seem to bend down towards him. They said it was very nicely composed and the space around the subject gave it context. The vertical lines were straight and the image made you want to walk into it.
The image of the two lads standing in front of a white background, on its own, lacks context. But when seen with the other images it has context as it becomes part of the narrative. On its own it could be saying an entirely different thing - perhaps a comment on society or young people.
The fill in flash helped boost the colour and made sure everything was sharp and removed any shadow from underneath people's eyes. It is clear from the final images that I have engaged with the subject and the images and the subject are controlled.
Here we all are looking at our work:
The image of the two lads standing in front of a white background, on its own, lacks context. But when seen with the other images it has context as it becomes part of the narrative. On its own it could be saying an entirely different thing - perhaps a comment on society or young people.
The fill in flash helped boost the colour and made sure everything was sharp and removed any shadow from underneath people's eyes. It is clear from the final images that I have engaged with the subject and the images and the subject are controlled.
Here we all are looking at our work:
My thoughts:
I surprised myself by really enjoying what I was doing. I have never enjoyed asking people if I can take their photos - but I found this so easy and people so willing that it may no longer be a problem. I was even more surprised that I ended up with some canny shots. This might be a turning point for me. I think we benefited from getting out just as the workers were taking the covers off the rides and setting up for the day. I really do need to set my own agenda and go off and do it. I was pleased with my time management and conversations I had with other students in deciding which images to print and how we found the assignment.
I know that had I not spoken to the people I would have presented these images:
I know that had I not spoken to the people I would have presented these images:
The reason for taking these photographs was to show us how easy it is to pull together images with a theme and to help us with our thought processes for our Book Assignment. I already have my theme - but I thoroughly enjoyed this process and the images I have produced.
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