Research - Todd Hido

In class we looked at the patient process that Todd Hido uses to capture images for his 'Homes at Night' series, long exposures used for the natural light situations, often blocking the lens when distractions become apparent that will effect his image such as car headlights or aeroplane light trails. It was also interesting to note that his photo books are constructed as a story on paper, with a beginning, middle and end. Preferring to use physical editing for his work, moving literal copies of his images to see how they are represented on the page, he is able to see where certain images belong, and also what images can replace them.

Homes at Night

Crisis of the real by Andy Grunberg

We had to present in class what we thought about this text and here are the main points that I found. There is a new Photojournalism style which effects the context in which images are presented. Photographs which were once intended for newsworthy publications are now being expressed as artworks inside books & within exhibitions, allowing the development of personal points of view, and not the possibility of unwelcome truths that come with headlines & articles, but details that come apparent through the use of captions.

*Add Presentation*

'I v Other' in photography is a concept where photographing or working with a subject relating to 'I' would allow the photographer to understand its context, whereas the 'other' is what the photographer is not used to. An example is the contrast in work produced by Martin Parr is his series 'Hebden Bridge', where he moved to Yorkshire from the south of England, producing a somewhat conservative body of work. In 'This is England', he worked more closer to home, producing more bold and expressive photographs.

Hebden Bridge

This is England

Inspiration

Stuart Roy Clarke's images show that there is more excitement off the pitch that on it, from grass roots to premier league. I like how he documents the atmosphere surrounding a football ground, regardless if a match is even being played.

Cradle of the Game is a photo-book which displays his work and design is one that I would be interested in taking inspiration from when it comes to formatting the layout of this assignment in Adobe InDesign. He does use full bleed images but the majority are landscape images that are centred in the page with a title, date & small caption.

By looking at the first version of my design here you can see how I have tried to replicate the format of this book, It is a work in progress however with more picture editing required. Instead of captions I have used place holder text to show where descriptions of each section will be, I have decided on these sections because that is how I can describe what I have shot so far and is subject to change. The use of images is also subject to change as I'd like to experiment more with full bleed images and image positioning.

The Grafters

The final section that I have currently shot documents the people behind the scenes that make the club run on a match day, from the press officer to the turnstile operators. This is the section with the least amount of shots as I continue to gain experience of the people inside the club. I think some of these images will benefit from some editing in Photoshop in terms of adding, reducing light.

Ballboys

The second section that I have used is called 'ballboys', At home matches, Junior football clubs from the local area are brought in to meet the players, provide applause as they leave the tunnel and are also deployed on ballboy duties across the ground during the match, for me they provide another subject to photograph at these matches.

On the terraces.

I have decided to split up the images that I have already shot into three sections for this photobook, 'On The Terraces' will feature the images that I have captured of the fans that attend the matches that I have covered. I like these images because of the emotions that they show from their subjects, and the habits that I have noticed from supports at the matches.

Previous Project

Street Football is the idea that I started in the summer with my house mate, documenting them in their club's colours, having been inspired by Humans of New York & Crossing Paths I saw potential for this idea to take to the streets and expand. However as Autumn drew in when searching for subjects on the high streets I noticed that people were covering up because of the cold and not expressing they're colours as they were in the summer. There was also struggles in establishing a narrative for this project for it to flow within a book, So I thought I'd return to this project at a later date and focus on Gloucester City for this particular assignment.

Having never been to Vicarage Road, Michael follows Watford FC through the radio television, with highlights on BBC or even live matches on Sky Sports. He keeps up to date with players on his tablet, enjoying the new Italians with funny names such as Forestieri. Michaels favourite player is Troy Deeney, "He's a great leader who makes things happen." 

Idea

This assignment is required to be a long term project, so I should choose a subject that will allow repeated access over time, allowing for a refined editing process. Back in August I reached out to Gloucester City FC for access throughout their 2014/15 Conference North season at Whaddon Road in Cheltenham, I started shooting in September and have returned regularly. Whilst I do shoot the action on the pitch I find the reactions & figures in the stands more interesting, capturing images that I'd like to share in book form, and knowing I have access to expand this body of work. Having received feedback on this idea, it seemed popular to get to know these figures in the images, gain they're trust and access their personal connections with the football club, which I think will also take time to establish and execute. I started a similar project during the summer where I photographed portraits on the the street, of people dressed in footballing clothes, and share what they have to say on they're club.

I will continue to shoot with Gloucester City at Whaddon Road, documenting the scenes in the stands, the dedicated staff that run & serve the club, and the excitement shown by visiting junior clubs who are entrusted with ball-boy duties.