Recent images
Regular appraisals at Wigan 10 really keep members on our toes. The usual scenario for me is to scramble round the day before and see what I have that I can process in time for the next day.
All of the following images were made at the last minute and three of them from this week’s appraisal. My recent work has all been about performers…from dancers to actors and goths, to Medieval re-enactment characters. I think I am drawn to them because many are already far removed from the reality of everyday life and so they have a head start in making something that is “altered reality”…something to get me thinking and tax my editing skills in the hope of creating something attractive that will hopefully please the viewer as well as myself.
The beauty of appraisal (and that is the reality in any club, not just in competitive clubs) is that you can receive feedback from peers in a non-competitive atmosphere. We also do appraisal in my other club, Oldham PS. It is invaluable to see how others perceive your work – what they understand from it and where they see fault. Consequently, this sometimes results in an image being re-worked or amended (and sometimes it doesn’t!!!).
The first two images, “Daddy’s Girl” and “Home for Tea” were the result of some photographs taken in the street at the Whitby Goth Festival.
“Daddy’s Girl” was originally taken part way up the steps to St Mary’s Church. The pier background was shot on a day when I had gone to Whitby mid-week, just to look for background shots when there were fewer people about.
“Home for Tea” is also a goth, Rebecca Jayne, photographed outside a Whitby Jet jewellers shop then transported by the magic of PhotoShop, to the dining room at Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire. The lady of the house has returned home for high tea but first she must remove her hat.
“Defender” was the result of a photo-shoot at Tutbury castle, but Brian, the footsoldier has been transported to Alnwick Castle…
…and finally “Performing Art” was created on Tuesday this week and finished minutes before I set off to go to the club…but I have amended it today in the light of comments received at the appraisal. The actresses were advertising their show in the Street in Edinburgh – the cobbles were also there and the sky – well, who knows…I have a folder full of skies just waiting for the right opportunity to use them.
It’s now less than three weeks to another appraisal – and four more images to find, though there is no pressure if you don’t take any at all! The only pressure is that I put on myself.