The finished book

I posted a link an ebook i made, but unfortunately the book had a watermark across it, and also i didn't like the size and felt my images were to small on the page. So I have gone to blurb where I have ordered a small square cookbook format for the images, the beauty of this website is that it provides you with a virtual copy of your book. So here is the link to a better version of the book.


http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/2655050/542174d709b4d5ed0e55f174b2e6dd4860694b8c?ce=blurb_ew&utm_source=widget


(it looks like the image has been cropped at the bottom of the cover, unfortunately this is something they have done, as when checked on the editing pages my image is full bleed)

Final set of images

This is my final set of images.

I have really enjoyed the chance to relieve this part of my life and to express the experience through photography, I have learnt a lot about myself and more about what happened at the time.

test shot 10

I've yet to hear back from the ambulance station regarding going there to shoot. As I was panicking about time, I decided to go ahead and recreate the shot myself using my sons toys. I wanted the image to look in contrast to the other images and keep it away from grass, as the majority of the images has that texture in them, so I wanted this image to look more like a road surface, as if they have parked on the road next to the park. If I get the opportunity in the next few weeks to go to the station I will and replace this part of the series

What I have so far.

I'm now at a point with this project where I am close to it ending, I still feel there is tweaking to be done, namely 1 shot still needs to be done, and it feels there needs to be an image between the last 2 shots. Something to ponder over the next few days.

I have put the images I have so far in sequence and how they will sit on the pdf presentation,
So as a refresher I will explain my methodolgy for the choice of images.

When I was 7 years old, I was walking through a park near to my home with my mother, baby sister and our black dog. I remember seeing the dog, my sister, and being in that space. (this is represented by the first 3 images, clean with no disstoration as I remember them clearly)
The next thing I remember is seing moving patterns (the type you get when you have pressure in your head)
I was unaware that I had been hit directly in the temperal lobe by a cricket ball coming of the bat.

Over the next 3 days I remember nothing, I have filled in the gaps by having conversations with those that were there, and have tried to represent them as best I can, and to give the impression of the foggyness or complete lack of thought, I have used blur, wether in camera using appature or speed control to gain the required effect, or in post production. These are shown in context of, the wickets, being given a balloon at the scene, going to hospital.

The final image represents the end memory of being given a care bear by the men who were playing cricket and had hit the ball. I had no idea who they were.

I wanted to get the same effect I had of the patterns and confusion after the impact. I have been playing with frame and fade lengths in lightroom to try and recreate that. especially after the pattern shot.
Each of these images show a different point in time or space, but are linked in my memory as one memory, that appears in flashes. The images have started to act as triggers already as I have thought about how to link them to each key element in the story. I have learnt far more about this event through developing the idea, then I had known prevoius, so has been more useful then I thought possible when I started out in Febuary.

Its very close to being finished now, and I still have a few weeks left, so after this post I have decided that I will not look at this project again for a few days, so I can view it again fresh, and hopefully know when I can shoot the final shot.


Still images

Test shot 8 and 9

Today I decided to reshoot the balloon scene after getting some advice from Simon about how I could do it, I thought I would play and see what came out of it. I knew that normal "balloon string" would not show very well on camera, due to the thickness of the material, so I had some left over decorations from my daughters party so I attached that to the ballon, and the other end to a pole, It has been very windy so I hoped that the wind would give me some help to cohert the balloon into unpredictable shapes. It took me a few attampts to learn where it would land in my frame, and be quick enough with the focas. I am very pleased with the results, my favorites are no's 8,10,11 and 12

I've also started to develop the begining of the story, In my orignal shot plan I wanted to show the pushchair with the dog in the same photo. It has now turned into 2 seperate images, which feels stronger and more to the point of what I remember at the time. I took the shots from various heights, as with the dog shot I wanted to keep at the height  I would have been at the time. To keep in context how the rest of the images work alongside each other. 3,4 and 5 are sitting well for me.

 

I've also come up with a title for the set of images but i'm leaving that till hand in...

I now have to wait till I can shoot the ambulance scene, I will be working on the final outcome in the mean time...

Test shot 7

I have been trying to get across to the local playing fields for some time to do the opening scene for the set of images. "set the Stage" so to speak. so here is the images so far, my favorite and the one I will most likely use is the end image with the figures in it.

Working set so far

After posting my last blog last night, I wanted to start looking and narrowing down my choice of images. I have looked at the suggestions from other in the group and those made my Simon. Taking all these into considerations and going on gut instict these are my images so far. I have edited them and matched them as close as possible, (different lighting conditions)

I've cropped the corrider shot as it was the only portrait in the set, and somehow I prefer this new image, it makes you think about where you are, as there are very little clues, I have applied a gaussian blur to the cricket bat, ballon, and hospital corrider, to hint at foggy memories, without taking away any detials, as I don't want the images to look over processed.

After laying them all out, it feels like bits are missing, which may work in the idea of not remembering everything. I would however like to have1 shot before the dog, 1 after. And I am supposed to taking photos of ambulances at the station shortly, when they get back to me to arrnage this.

test shot 5 and 6

So im doing 2 posts together, as I managed to shoot 2 scenes today, although i'm not convinced my either set so may reshoot again.

The 1st set here is the ballon shot. I've been trying to come up with something creative and tried to have the ballons in front of the sun to create a glare, it didn't work, so i bunched some together and went with the different tonal qualities. This is a bit trial and error and it is not the best in the set and the whole scene may get droped shortly.

The next set of images is that of the dog scene, one of the shots i remember well. I wanted to take the shot at the same height i was at the time, and close up, as I was very close to the dog. (and to this one, to the point i was pushed over a few times for cuddles) she was working it for the camera I can tell you. I had to re think my orignal shot plan, but somehow this feels better.

 

my next point of call is to choose my images and link together, by matching tones and fully editing. then will start to play with how the images will sit.

Test shot 4

The last few days have been a bit of whirlwind in terms of family and working, so have found it near impossible to focas on this project. However I had to take my son to an appointment at the hospital yesterday and took the oppurtunity to take some photos there. Being very discreet and careful I managed to get some photos in the quieter parts. It occurred to me that once again it was a memory I don't remember at the time, But i did spend alot of time in hospital growing up for other things so it a place I know very well, it seemed a natural choice to be inculded in the series of images.This wasn't part of my orignal shot plan, but i think it could be used instead of the balloon shot, as im struggling to find an orignal composition for it.

These are the set  from the hospital. There are 2 images for each photo as i wanted to experiment with distorting the image in pp, as I had no time to do this at the site as I had to shoot quick.

I will be gathering all my shots I have so far, and matching them tonial to start making them work as a set, I have 3 more scenes to shoot before I am complete with this project, but time is short, so will start to pull the collection together inbetween shooting, although I maybe quiet on the blog side I am still working.....

3rd test shoot

I'm still working my way though my shoot list from my journal. To date, I have done the teddy bear shot, and the swirly pattern/confusion shot. I will be shooting the ambulance scene at some point in the next few weeks, so most likely will be the last scene I shoot, might be last minute but I have to work within their remit. I have 3 left, the buggy/dog scene, cricket, and the ballon scene. I have come to the conculsion that it is unlikely I will hear from the cricket ground, So a few days ago I bought a cricket set with a view to photograph this somehow to show this part of the "story".

Below is what I have come up with so far.

This image needs to show the cricket ball is the reason why I see the patterns, as I don't remember seeing them, I had to think about disstorting the image somehow, so some shots are crisps, some are under and over exposed, and some have been blurred by being out of focas, other on slow shutter speed and moving the camera. It was difficult to do this in daylight conditions, so it maybe i do this again in low light however, the incident happend in daylight so may have to work around this.
These are the contacts of the best shots, only edititng done is converting to black and white and slight change of exposure and shadow detials. will need more but untill i know the shot I want, i am not going to sit and edit all 40. I seem to have named 29 and 30 twice..