This is a response to the artists I studied in 'Face Value'. It is an attempt to document the lives and work of those who work in healthcare, transportation, education and other essential services, as a response to consistently inadequate pay and funding. It will take the form of ~ 20 pictures, taking form of portraits, still life documentary photography, with aspects of photojournalism which will help illustrate the struggle of key workers and their role in the wider society and economy.
The Details
The main plan is to capture and document the lives of the people who underpin our society. To do this, I will take portraits of public sector workers and photograph their work. The images will be arranged in Diptychs, with one portrait and one more documentary image, to add contrast and visual interest to the display, and create an elegant display.
The series will also utilise images of the public sector strikes on the 15th and 16th of March. That will be my starting point.
Week 1- PCS March and Rally:
To start off my project, I decided to, as they are key to the context of my project, photograph the public sector strikes. I photographed the march start to finish, trying to focus on the atmosphere of the protest, with a mixture of wide angle and mid-shots.
To do this, I used my Nikon D300s, the Nikkor 18-200 lens and a Metz 45 flash. I used this to enable me to shoot a range of focal lengths without having to change lens. This way I could ensure I wouldn't miss a moment or a good composition fiddling with my camera.
Furthermore, I also took some photos on my Zeiss Nettar 6x6 film camera. It is a camera from 1948, so I figured that I could get an interesting vintage look to the pictures. Taking the images was challenging because the camera has no light meter, and you have to guess the focus distance. This makes it difficult to use. I then developed the film myself in Ilfosol 3 and then scanned them. I think the pictures look interesting superficially, but I messed up the composition in both the images from the Zeiss and the Nikon. I think I need to start learning how to take photos that are actually good.
Starting Point - My school:
To start off, I took portraits of support staff at my school. Support staff have been especially badly affected by decades of Tory austerity and neglect to the education system. The UK once had a first rate education system, but consistent underfunding, and the contraction of the UK economy has decimated schools. Withdrawal of London- area school subsidies has badly affected schools, and now the entire country faces an education crisis. For these images, I again used my D300s and the Metz 45, with the AF-D 50mm 1.8 prime lens. I used the flash to fill shadows, and illuminate the school, which would otherwise be too dimly lit. I also used it to combat backlit subjects, seen in the bottom left image. Otherwise, I would have to overexpose the background, which would burn out due to my camera's limited dynamic range. I did an OK job with focus and exposure, because the camera did that for me but I think I need to improve my skill at actually taking photos, as they are still not good compositions. My pictures need to get some character, as they are currently bland and insipid.