Loading film into camera
For the first workshop on Black and White Film Photography we all attended the studio in the basement of the George Wallis building and learnt how to insert a roll of 35mm Kodak Tri-X 400 into our cameras. Some have their own cameras and some are still loaning one from the media stores either way this is something we’re not used to doing on a regular basis.
It was easy to get the film cartridge into the back of the camera once each of us had the film and we wound them on carefully, taking time to ensure that it was captured on the take up spool and the number of shots was changing also. At this point a couple of people had a nightmare and one ended up losing their entire film. At the time I wondered how it was made more difficult than it appeared, little did I know that a couple of films later I’d have trouble with loading a film.
Going walking
Once the films were in the cameras we went off for a wander around Wolverhampton City Centre to take some photos and thus have a complete film for the Workshop #2 to begin developing in the darkroom. We went as a large group and there were a few images that I’d seen but when I lifted my camera to my eye I found that another group member was in the frame and taking a photo of something else. Not a real problem, I didn’t miss any Time Magazine cover worthy images but it reminded me of why I prefer to go shooting alone or in a group of up to three people. Not because I’m a misery guts but I don’t get in anyone else’s photos then, it’s difficult to keep a low profile when I modelled my stature on Lurch from the Addams Family so I often get in front of other peoples’ shots.
Asking permission
Usually for Street Photography, such as what we were engaged in, I wouldn’t ask for permission to make a photo of someone. I’d usually capture the image and then not make eye contact abut on the occasion I’m asked why I took the picture I’ll be honest and non-confrontational. Today though I asked two people for their permission and was told “no“. I don’t really mind, it’s entirely up to them and I could have still taken the photo but elected to honour their wishes.
Pigeon Street
Thinking about Black & White is different to composing a colour image so when I saw a reflection in a high shop window of an interesting piece of architecture with pigeons flying around it I picked up my camera, but once it was up to my eye the pigeons landed on another building. I waited, and waited with people wondering why I was looking up at a shop fascia and the birds lifted off at the sound of a car door slamming, but they didn’t appear in the reflection. I tried for around ten minutes and then decided to catch up with the group.
Heath Town
Jack was with the group and suggested that we shoudl all split up and go sepearte ways and then meet back at the studio for 13:00hrs. We had a chat about interesting buildings to take photos of and he suggested that Heath Town might be a suitable spot for my interests. Apparently there is a lot of concrete architecture there and many an interesting angle. I set off for a walk using my own on board compass and sense of direction before getting a bit disoriented so fired up google maps. It took me on a walk alongside a canal into Heath Town but as I went past a railway bridge with a sign on it I thought it would make an interesting photo with a speeding train being blurred in the image.
Train Timetable
I stood there waiting for a train to come across the bridge, meanwhile several people went past on bikes, running or with pushchairs and each of them was obviously perplexed why I was standing on the edge of the canal towpath. I must have waited for 30 mins but there was no train, perhaps it’s a quiet line in and out of Wolverhampton. With a meeting at the uni scheduled for 1pm I headed off into Heath Town to take some photos.
Towering
Many of the concrete tower blocks and associated architecture have previously won awards for architectural design and they’re very impressive. The tower blocks are huge and make one feel dwarfed when underneath them looking up. There was an obvious feeling of being in a housing estate that feels the effects of poverty more than other communities and I felt a bit cheeky taking photos like some sort of “poverty tourist”. I recognised that I should probably stick to images of the buildings, bridges and another architectural features rather than photos of people who might take offence at my sticking a camera in their face.
Wanderer Returns
I cut it fine for time and had to rush back to the uni to get there in time. I also had a work meeting that meant I needed to rush to my car in Molineux car park and pick up my laptop. I took a few photos of this bridge, above, on the way back and even a photo of a BT Engineer in a telephone cabinet with his mass of cables.
On the way back I spotted a couple of items that might make a good image, like this one below. This does rely on colour so I took a photo with my compact Canon G7X MkII, it shows a sign for Wolverhampton Station, and I recognised it from Nichola’s image seen earlier on the day. It was the missing “n” that I recognised but I liked the red and blue signs to the right, I don’t think this would work in a B&W image though.
“The Path Is The Journey”
The brief for the Black & White workshop section is “The Path Is The Journey” so I started considering what this might consist of, the Path and Journey sections can each be brain stormed..
PATH
Road, Railway, Bridge, Footpath, Cycle Path, A Guiding Sign, An Ideal, Footsteps, Tyre Marks, Signs Of Wear, Fingerprints, Marks On Buildings, Buses, Bikes, Skateboards, Electrical Cables, Telephone Cables, Satellite Dishes, Curves, Lines, Angles, Light path, traffic junctions
JOURNEY
A>B, Journey of life, Job, Journey to University, Career, Maternity through Cemetery, a documented series of steps, a plan of a route, reflections, road map
“What you do on the way to death is life” a quote I made up whilst thinking about this topic which sounds a bit morbid but fits in with the subject somewhat.
(I have googled this too , to ensure I’ve not cribbed it from somewhere else)
Will I make it to Workshop #2? Wait and see..
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