A little something extra

I haven't posted for a while, but been longing to start another project, then came along an opportunity. I came across the British Gas Blog they are running a competition (The British Gas history of the home) where by you can photograph and discuss a favourite nostalgic item within your home. I had to think long and hard about it, I mean I'm quite a young, I haven't been fortunate to accumulate old items from family or sales from boot sales (not through lack of trying). But then I realised, Nostalgic doesn't have to mean really old, just something that holds memories. So I decided to enter my memory book, remember that, i brought it up at the beginning of the blog, if not, here is a little recap. My grandmother and great-grandmother, both suffered with Alizehimers during their last years, and the females in our family have been advised we have a greater chance of also developing it later in life, for this reason I started making a memory book, rather then words I use photos, they start from when i was born, to school days, my children's birth, graduating, holidays etc.. all the things i want to remember and also pass on to my children and in turn their children. I hope in the same way as in the film "the Notebook" it can hold me in a state that i can still function with people. If not my family with being able to see what I achieved. So for me this is my favourite Nostalgic item, not just for now but also for the future...

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.