Out into the sunshine.

Having been encouraged to move from my comfort zone in the studio, and try unreliable natural light. I ventured forth yesterday evening to a shooting club. Where after exposing three rolls of 120 film, I was invited to try a round with a shot gun. Out of twenty shots I managed to hit four clay pigeons I had about the same success rate with the camera.

My people.

Another early subject in this series. Mike a member of Blackburn's Sea Cadet Marine Corps contingent. With his very smart uniform and disciplined demeanour, was perfect for this assignment.

The white cap against the white background is a challenge to print requiring burning in by a full stop, but the rest prints easily at grade two and a half.

My people.

Over the last year or so I have been inviting local people to my studio to help with this project. My original idea was to photograph subjects who are slightly different in the way they dress, so people in uniform are high on my list. I like people with badges, in the main they seem to have pride, confidence and a sense of achievement. One of my first portraits in this series was of a newly appointed school Prefect.

Using medium format film shot against a black and then a white background

Diamond Fox

[Photo]George Harrell's photographs of the film stars of the fifty's and sixties adorned the walls of the cinemas of my youth. Impossibly glamorous images in glorious rich black and white exhibition sized prints. I must have been influenced by these pictures, as I can just remember some fifty or so years ago standing in the foyer of The Royal or The Essoldo or The Empire cinemas or one of the other eight or so local picture places, wondering why the pictures I took with my Dads Agfa isolette 120 camera, then developing the film in a breakfast dish under the stairs and contact printing on a home made plywood light box, but some how some! of my snaps lacked the impact of those Hollywood prints.
Labels: George Hurrell

Portraits of Blackburn People.

My Grandfather James Thompson Kay circa 1915
For my final integrated project BA (Hons) photographic media degree at the Lancashire Institute of Higher Education, I will be looking at and practising portrait photography. Concentrating on the people of Blackburn Lancashire, both in the studio to capture the faces of some local characters in close up and around the town to give a flavour of the diversity of this complex northern town. Using medium format black and white film hand processed and printed, with some 35mm BW. for street shots.