Southwell

Yesterday I visited The Workhouse at Southwell, a place which has long been on my "To go" list, but I was spurred into action by the OCA blog about Maggy Milner's work "A Delicate Balance".

After a lengthy drive, I eventually arrived and was amazed by the size of the workhouse. It is a very large building and seems out of proportion for the needs of the rural community I had driven through. I later went into Southwell itself to find a small town, so perhaps my first impressions were misled by the direction I had travelled from.

I watched an introductory film about the Workhouse' history and the principles behind it. Then I went into the buildings themselves and was surprised by the quality of the building itself, although the amenities for the people living there were spartan.

In the men's exercise yard I came across the first piece of Maggy's work, "Hard Labour".

The various sizes of hands represented the ages of all the occupants of the workhouse and the very physical hard work they had to perform.  The piece looked even more dramatic when seen from inside the building on the upper floors. It was quite chilling. The position of each hand seemed to suggest a silent plea for the toil to stop.

The ground floor of the workhouse was spotlessly clean, dry and sparsely furnished, but then I went into the cellars which were less inviting. It was cold, dark and damp in there, with decay on the walls and doors. There I found the second piece of Maggy's work, "Perishable Goods."

The fruit inside the jars, again displayed in regimented rows as were the hands, were in various stages of deterioration. The seven sets of jars, displayed in different parts of the cellars, represented the 7 categories of pauper admitted to the workhouse and segregated  in every part of the institution. Families were separated on arrival and were never allowed to communicate with each other. This must have been dreadful for the people, mothers torn from their children, brothers and sisters kept apart, husbands parted from their wives.

There was a sense of despair in the cellars and Maggy's work reflected this.

Upstairs again, a light, bright room -The Committee Room - held the third part of Maggy's work, "Classified" again emphasizing the cruel segregation of the paupers.

I chose this specific pile of labelled t-shirts as I suppose I would have been grouped as "Old Woman" although I am do not really feel old and I am not infirm !

The modernity of the t-shirts and slogan made me think about how we categorise people today - little has changed.

"More" is the title of the fourth piece, again displayed in neat rows on the floor. Begging bowls are always used as a symbol of poverty, distressing at any time in history, but having a sense of failure in our modern society as we still see them now.

The bowls were in the men's dormitory - other rooms displayed the simple beds, very close together and filling the rooms.

"Diminishing Returns" were pieces displayed in the dormitory for the "Old and Infirm" - the only "Deserving Poor". Here the acrylic shapes suggest the human form, with metal bars as support and restraint. Displayed against the windows, these pieces were lit from behind. When I realised that my reflection showed in my photograph, it made it feel very personal.

Finally, in the Master's Room, I found the sixth piece, "Deflation".

Although this room was not in quite the decorative state of the ground floor rooms, it would have been one of the grandest rooms during the life of the building as a workhouse. From here, the Master could see all the exterior aspects of the building and access all the interior. The paupers were always in his control.

The clear balloons, trapped in clear cylinders and slowly deflating and falling, suggest the total lack of privacy in the lives of the paupers, constantly in the control of the Master.

 I  enjoyed seeing the "Delicate Balance" project and for once felt that I understood the concepts behind it. I do not usually enjoy modern art installations, but this felt to be highly symbolic in its message and specifically in its location.


Having seen the workhouse itself, I came away feeling  dismay at the inhumanity man shows to his fellow man, sometimes in the guise of aid or charity. 


I went into Southwell to visit the Minster. A wedding party posing for photographs, the bells ringing and the warmth of the  summer day combined to restore my spirits. Inside the Minster, the architecture and especially the stone carvings were glorious. I faced the long drive home in a contemplative mood.

Rectangles

Rectangles

This photograph was taken at Mr Straw's House, a National Trust property which is an Edwardian house, redecorated in 1921 and unchanged since that date. The view of the kitchen shows several rectangular shapes, although some are slightly distorted by perspective. All the items in the kitchen seemed to be solid, rectangular objects - the sink, the cupboards, the chimneybreast,
the fireplace, hearth  and  ovens. Movement is suggested by the angles of the brush and shovel. Photography was difficult in the house as the rooms were small and very dark - flash was not allowed.


Exercise: Rhythms and Patterns.


On the seafront at Heysham, there were several examples of rhythm in the 3-storey terraced houses. I tried several different angles and focal lengths before choosing this one for the exercise.

The  house at the right hand side of the frame breaks the rhythm by being painted white over the natural stone and black paint on the stone window surrounds, door and drainpipes. The terrace then continued in stone, but the balance of the rhythm was broken by this house. This part of the terrace suggests its own rhythm, stone repeated and then white - perhaps a sharp, shorter note to end the rhythm before the repeat begins.

Exercise : Real and implied triangles

Real Triangles


On a recent visit to Blackwell (10th July) I took several photographs of the  house exterior and the beautiful views in and from the garden. It was a bright, sunny day and the photographs were taken around midday.

There are several triangles in this view of Lake Windermere , taken from the terrace at Blackwell. The stone wall at the bottom of the frame edges the mown field;  the left frame and lake form the other two sides. 
In addition, my intention was to show the lake as a triangle, bounded by the far side of the lake and the slope of the mown field.
Beyond the lake, the shoreline and hill form a third triangle.

This view of the house shows an inverted triangle by perspective. As the two main walls meet at rightangles, the roofline of the left wall appears to descend from top left to the centre of the frame, causing the gable end of the right hand wall to form the second side of the triangle, which is completed by the top of the frame. 


Implied triangles

Four plants in pots, with 2 baskets, form this triangular shape still life. There are plenty of flowers within the triangle for interest, but the placing of the plants on the trug gives width and height to the study.

Shape

Bryan Peterson (Learning to see Creatively) says that shape is the principal element of identification. Firstly, it is best defined when the subject is frontlit or backlit. Secondly, there should be a strong contrast between the shape and it's surroundings.


Triangles
I have been looking for triangles, both real and implied. Again I have found that, focusing on a new aspect of the course, I am noticing things I had not noticed before.  As with Curves, I realise that triangles have formed a part of my photographs which have pleased me, but not thought about WHY they have had that effect. 
The following three examples of my Granddaughter playing in the garden in response to my question "How many different triangle shapes can you make?"showed me how much more difficult it is to capture a posed choice, instead of just clicking away as she plays!

This shot fits with Peterson's  point about contrast. Maddie's red polo shirt contrasts strongly with the green background. As for his first point, these shots were taken on a very dull day, as can be seen from the lack of shadows.

 I was so busy concentrating on Maddie that I didn't notice that the garden shed is in the frame. It  would have been a much better shot if I had asked her to move a few paces to her left!
Unfortunately, it began to rain heavily as I realised this and so could not repeat the shot.

I think Maddie had as much fun as I did!

Exercise : Implied lines.

An eye line
In this photograph, the figure to the right of the frame is nearest the camera and pulls the viewer into the frame.  She has her back to the camera and is clearly looking down at the boat moored by the jetty. Although her eyes are not in the shot, the eye of the viewer is drawn down to the boat. The blue of her fleece top tones with the blue of the water and the distant hills.


Lines that point

Here, at the seafront at Heysham, the evening sun causes strong shadows from the railings to fall on the promenade. Although the vertical blue posts cause horizontal shadows, the dominant lines in the photograph are formed by the shadows of the horizontal railings. The railings themselves and the shadows form a sweep of lines which draw the eye to a central point on the horizon and the distant hills of The Lake District beyond.

Curves

Curves


I've taken many photographs showing curves- sea shores being a prime example, but never looked for curves as in the example in the Course folder - seeing circles in a photograph, where I would only have seen a tree and figures (P66 Exercise: Curves). I want to look now through my own photographs to see whether I have unwittingly used curves myself.
I've found lots of examples of curves taken whilst working for this course, but think they were all deliberate shots with the curves a known part of the image.


Most of my first assignment work was done at Cesar Manriques home in Lanzarote. This view of a spiral staircase taken from above was one of the photographs taken there. Taken in very bright light,the shining white floor provides a background to the stone walls and the highly polished wooden treads.

Whilst walking along the coastal pathway in Lanzarote, I saw several of this style of structure - strong dry stone lava walls in beautiful curves, with fairly ugly concrete struts joining the inner and outer walls at the top. I passed them several times without even thinking them worthy of photography. What made these so photogenic was seeing them at the right time of day when the sun was in the right position, creating dramatic sweeps of shadow on the walls and the ground beneath.

As a complete contrast to the previous 2 manufactured curves, the next image was taken in my garden on a bright day . I used an image of the wisteria in the Contrasts assignment and this was taken on the same day. One stem of the plant protrudes from the others and its blossom forms a graceful curve as it arches out and downwards. More fronds form curves in the background.

For my fourth curve, I'm returning to manufactured things.

There are many curves in this photograph: the wheel arch, the tyre, the handle, the air vent and the stripes. The curve of the air vent matches the curve of the door edge; the wheel, tyre and wheel arch curves match each other. The strong sunlight makes splashes of reflection and some shadows. Black and white make strong contrasts. The only straight lines are diagonal within the air vent and the edge of the frame.

Diagonal Lines

Diagonal Lines

I recently visited The Anderton Boat Lift and took photographs of the structure as it is full of lines in all directions. It was a dismal day, cold, damp and windy, but somehow that emphasises the architectural drama of the site. Although the major framework is of vertical and horizontal lines, the decorative inner diagonals in white form crosspieces  to reinforce the structure. In addition, some of the outer struts are leaning in as diagonals.

Working on my Horizontal/Vertical lines project during my recent visit to London, I guessed that Diagonals might well be the next exercise. I took this photograph just in case! It was  a very sunny afternoon and the whole building reflects the light. The diagonals are a major feature of "The Gherkin"  , both in the diamond patterns and the differently coloured diagonal bands.


Crossing The Thames on the new footbridge, I tried a shot which would be part of the Horizontal lines project, but could not get the correct angle. Consequently, the shot is used here as an example of diagonal lines, as the steelwork, although horizontal in fact, looks diagonal in the image.

The steel runs diagonally from bottom left to top right. The handrail is also just in the shot forming a diagonal in the bottom right hand corner.

This fourth image has several diagonals leading from bottom left to the top right hand corner, where a different diagonal meets  from the bottom right. The sunlight makes the white edge at the bottom of the photograph somewhat overexposed, but also creates a diagonal between light and shade across the image. The splash of red also directs the eye to the top right of the photograph. .

Project: Lines

Lines
In this exercise, I have taken photographs on a visit to London, looking for horizontal and vertical lines, where the line is the most important and obvious part of the photograph. There were many buildings where vertical lines were easy to find, but it was harder to find 4 different subjects for the examples.


Vertical lines

Pillars on Whitehall.
Many buildings in this area of London have colonnades and I thought this one of the better examples.  Even behind the pillars, there are other vertical stone structures.








The soldiers on parade at horse Guards were awaiting inspection on a hot, sunny afternoon. Their bodies form strong vertical lines, their swords are raised and even the scabbards hang in vertical lines.

The third image is a rear view of the inspecting officer. The plumes on his helmet make bold, dramatic red verticals. I cropped this photograph so that the plumes are the prime subject of the shot. It was difficult to achieve the photograph with the crowd of people watching the ceremony.

Finally, a stand of silver birch trees on the South Bank near The Globe gave me the fourth vertical subject. The trunks are slender, white and very straight. The foliage is delicate so the trunks can be seen almost to the top.

Horizontal Lines


A bench in Kensington Park Gardens has striking horizontal support bars across the back.                                                                                   
                                                                   

A moorhen nests on a floating platform on an ornamental lake. The horizontal line of the edge of the lake works as the horizon at the top of the picture.

  

The Globe is a myriad of lines, horizontal, vertical and diagonal, but in this photograph of the interior, horizontal rows of railings mark the edges of each layer of seating.

This photograph of part of the walls of Buckingham Palace features very strong horizontal lines in the stonework.

I found this exercise very interesting, choosing various subjects, but had problems with the blog page. I had tried to put all the photographs in as inserts after doing all the writing, but had so many problems that I had to revert to one piece of text followed by one image. I spent more time producing the blog  than the rest of the exercise. Hopefully I won't make the same mistake again and will not waste so much time.

Multiple Points

Multiple Points 

I found this very difficult to do , after thinking carefully and deciding just what to do.

Firstly, a background which was unfussy but not entirely plain posed difficulties - I searched for fabrics, surfaces - everything was plain or too patterned!

I then tried the exercise and then re-read the information to find I had missed an important point. I hadn't used my tripod, but had moved the camera to frame different compositions.

Back to square one. I am not yet really familiar with my tripod, so encountered difficulties with angles and my varifocal lenses. Eventually, with an aching neck, I have 6 photographs.

The subject of my still life is composed of a number of items from the sea- shore. A pebble, some bright yellow shells and a small model lighthouse are all from Brittany, treasured souvenirs from  a wedding some years ago. 

The other shells and fragments of coral were found on holiday beaches. I wanted to make the pebble the central focus of the composition before adding the other items.

The addition of the coral meant that I had to move the pebble to the right in order to fit the coral in the frame.

Adding the second piece of coral changes the photograph as it draws the eye and becomes the focal point.

The lighthouse draws the eye now and takes it to  the top of the frame.

Adding the yellow shells emphasises the yellow on the lighthouse and brings the eye back down to the foreground.

In this final frame, I have moved the yellow shells nearer to the lighthouse and added a small white shell which reflects light and brightens the whole composition.

Part 2 Points

One Point
I've started taking photographs again! Came to a halt whilst preparing my first assignment, but have been in the garden this morning, as there are so many beautiful blooms open. It was difficult to get into a perfect position to take some of the shots, as the flowers were inconveniently facing away from me! Took several examples of "one point"  and one of "two points."

These focus the eye and draw the attention to the centre of the flower. I want to try cropping to move the flower within the frame.

This is a better photograph, with the flower moved to the right of the frame.

Again, this seems stronger with the flower moved, the eye is still drawn to the centre of the flower.

I am not sure if I am allowed to use photographs taken before the course, but this one is surely an example of "One Point"

Two points

This image  has two points of interest, although I think the top one dominates as the lower one is in shade. The eye is drawn to the upper flower and then drifts to the lower one, noticing the yellow centre which is not apparent in the upper flower.

Two points here are the twin exhausts of the car. The pebbles under the car are slightly out of focus but the exhaust pipes are like dark, blank eyes staring back at the viewer.

Contrasts

Contrasts

Whilst preparing for this assignment, I carried the list of options in my camera case, along with details of the last of the  exercises to complete. 

 I was on holiday in Lanzarote, hoping to find opportunities for some unusual shots to use. The island has  an interesting landscape - barren and bleak lava fields, some richly cultivated gardens and a very varied coastline. The hot, sunny weather during our holiday also  gave me opportunities to take shots with strong colours and strong shadows. There were many occasions when I could see contrasts within the frame - choosing "Contrast in one photograph" was very difficult as I had  several suitable examples.

Most of the photographs for this assignment were taken during my stay.

1. Straight and Curved

1a) Straight

This is a sculpture by Cesar Manrique , at his home, Fundacion Cesar Manrique in Lanzarote.

It's very tall, completely white and is composed of straight lines. A diamond shape tops the three strong, straight legs. triangular pieces fill the diamond at the top. It is plain and stark against a brilliant blue, cloudless sky. There are no curves but some right angles.

1b) Curved

A flight of white steps leads down into a lower chamber in Cesar Manrique's house. There is a black line marking the edge of each tread, emphasizing the curve.

Beyond the steps, the edges of the pathway lead round the natural curve of the lava flow which makes up the walls. hidden lights illuminate the pathway and the curves around them. A large plant leaf in the foreground is a curving shape, although the leaf tips seem to have been trimmed at the edges.

2 Many and Few

2a) Many

This one is not from Lanzarote, but from my own garden. I took several flower shots on holiday, but on my return, the wisteria was in full bloom across the fence. I chose a close up of two or three blooms and filled the frame with many of the small florets. The colours fade from deep mauve through to white with a small patch of yellow in the centre. One cluster in the top right is out of focus as it was growing at a different angle, away from the others. I  like the softness of the out of focus bloom and chose to leave it in the frame.

2b) Few

In contrast, one tiny plant clings to life in the bleak lava flow high in Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote. There is no soil,, only small stones in varying sizes and shades of brown and black. It rarely rains and temperatures are high, yet this tiny plant survives.

3. Transparent and Opaque
3a) Transparent


The seawater here is so clear that it is possible to see through a wave front to the seabed below. I really like all the colours of the water from the white at the crests through the greens and turquoises to deeper, truer blues.

3b) Opaque
At home again, the window on my landing is made of opaque glass. The voile drape hangs in front. Each is decorated with leaf patterns. The light still filters through, most clearly between the folds of the drape. Whilst it is possible to discern different tones beyond the glass - sky at the top, garden shades lower down - the wall at the side of the window appears black, despite it's ivory colour. I chose to take this  with the camera in in the vertical position because of the shape of the window.

Moving and Still
4a) Moving
I decided to use this image of the man-made waterfall in the hotel swimming pool as it clearly shows the movement of the water.
The water pours steadily over the edge, but then falls and breaks as it descends to splash into the pool. I love the patterns in the curtain of water as it begins to break apart. The shutter speed was the middle of the range I tried whilst doing the Movement exercise. The fastest , at 1/4000 was very dark. The slower ones (eg 1/4 ) were totally overexposed. I really enjoyed this exercise and so included the photograph in this assignment.

4b) Still
A day's boat trip to neighbouring Fuertaventura gave me the opportunity to take this shot of a harbourside statue, dedicated to fishermen and their families. "Home is the sailor" and his wife, with their child out of shot, greets him and his catch. Although the sculpture is always still, movement is suggested in the line of the woman's skirt. I thought that this was best taken in the vertical position to fill the frame.

5 Light and Dark


5a) Light
This was taken as part of the Horizon exercise, but I thought it was a very "light" photograph. All the colours are very delicate, there are no shadows or dark objects. Even the wet sand in the foreground reflects the light.The distant volcanoes of Fuertaventura are cloaked in a heat haze and seem soft and gentle at this distance. The delicate blues and greens of the water are pale and light.

5b) Dark
The setting sun  at 8.15pm has almost gone below the far buildings which are deep in shadow. Silhouettes of trees stand out against the sky whilst a few clouds are lit and golden in the dying sunlight. The sea has turned a deep grey and the rocks in the foreground are black and menacing.

6 Solid and Liquid


6a Solid
This is part of a wall, built of pieces of the lava flow in Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote. Many walls on the island are built in this way, similar to our own dry stone walls.
The wall was  high, about 3metres, and looked incredibly strong, solid and unmoving. the colours of the individual pieces vary, but I had to print with increased contrast to make the print as dark as the wall itself.

6b Liquid
This photograph was taken of the water in the swimming pool at Cesar Manrique's house. The water fell into the pool as a waterfall. A small footbridge spanned the pool and I was able to look straight down into the water to take the photograph. I love the turquoise and the light shimmering on the surface of the water.

7 Large and Small

7a) Large
 A photograph of the North face of Dunham Massey Hall in Cheshire, taken across the moat. The house is very large, with over 200 rooms. When the last Earl of Stamford died in 1976, he lived alone in the house, with a minimum number of servants to attend to his needs. It now belongs to National Trust. The photograph was taken in early evening light.

7b) Small
The cottages in Dunham Park, home to several families when built. The last earl's chauffeur lived in the right hand cottage with his wife and 4 daughters. The cottages face into the parkland, but the moat and main buildings are just to their right.
this is a very soft photograph, taken in early evening. the dappled sunlight through the trees in the foreground leaves the cottages in the shade and slightly out of focus.

8 Broad and Narrow


8a) Broad
The open expanse of Rudyard Lake shows the rippling water both in shade and sunlight. The water fills the breadth of the photograph frame, with sunlight dappling and sparkling on the water. I intended to take the view from the end of the lake, but as the lake tapers and perspective narrows it down, I decided that this was a better expression of broad.

8b) Narrow
In this photograph, the water is tightly contained and controlled within the walls of the canal, taking the water from the moat to the Sawmill to turn the water wheel at Dunham Massey. The mill can be seen top centre in the photograph. Movement on the water is caused by the breeze as the mill was not working at the time I took the photograph.

9 Contrast in one photograph

This was also taken at the home of Cesar Manrique . A courtyard garden, outside the main entrance to the house was bounded by a high wall, smooth and painted a shiny, glossy white, quite dazzling in the strong sunlight. Hanging on the wall were two  circular millstones made from the lava flow. The stones were very rough and differed in size and colour.The larger one, at the bottom, was black, but the smaller one at the top was lighter in colour.  The photograph was taken with the camera in the vertical position and filled the frame, although I had to crop the original slightly to avoid the electrical connections showing to the right.

I think this shows contrast in several ways : 

Large and Small       Rough and Smooth      Black and White       Shiny and Matt

In conclusion

I am delighted to have finished this first assignment. I was surprised at how long it took me to pull it all together after taking the photographs . Taking the photographs is all pleasure, with inevitable frustration when the shot doesn't work as I intended - but the work involved in bringing it to a complete assignment and the hours spent at my computer were unexpected.

I have learned a lot from the Course so far, but realise how little I know and how much more I have to learn.

I'm happy with my finished photographs, but have no idea whether my tutor will agree! 

Have I chosen suitable subjects for my contrasts? Should they all have been matching eg Broad and Narrow both feature water, but Moving and Still have little in common with each other as subjects. Should I have been more creative with my choices? Have I taken it all too literally?

Now I'm going to submit it and find out other opinions of my work!