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Constructed Images at Holsworthy Camera Club

Constructed iPhone example made just before I started to speak!

I started 2013 as the guest speaker at Holsworthy Camera Club. My chosen topic was the development of my photographic arts practice I call ‘Constructed Photographs’. This ‘talk’ continually develops and this evening I based my technique in the making of an image of the nearest cave to Holsworthy at Northcott Mouth, just north of Bude. It didn’t surprise me that only one person in the audience knew where the image was from as one can walk from Bude to Sandymouth at low tide without noticing the magnificent cave hidden in the base of the cliff, at Menachurch Point, behind a scree of massive menacing boulders. The other developmental addition was the inclusion of panorama and stitching technology available now even on phones. My new iPhone 4S (circa 2011) has an interesting panorama function on its camera much like an old ‘short rotation camera’ eg the 35mm Horizon camera. But my best Christmas present to myself was an iphone app called ‘AutoStitch’. Obviously it doesn’t compare favourably to a professional dslr, photo merge in Photoshop combined with the skill of an experience photographer but; it is an amazingly powerful app to have on a phone! The above image was created, in haste, as the Camera Club Chairman, Roger, introduced me at the beginning of the evening.


The first half of my presentation was a chronological look at how/why my practice had developed from 35mm triptychs to digital montages made up of over 100 images. You’ll find references to much of this history in my website. After a break I concentrated on the technique and process of making my current, huge images, looking in detail at the cave in the headland of Menachurch Point, and at Kipling?s Playground at Westward Ho! It’s always worth looking back in this blog, to older posts, as almost all of my images are constructed from more than one image, and many are detailed here.

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Sandymouth

I’ve just gone through the pains of replacing my computer. My main frame was making so much hard drive noise and running so slowly that it was high time I moved forward from XP and 2gb of ram. I now have a Intel i5 processor with 8gb of ram which should suffice for a few years. Suddenly I am able to construct images that I could not have hoped for in the past and this image from the cave at Menachurch Point will be my biggest ever photograph once it is completed.

This constructed photograph is made up of 116 separate frames, many of which were triplicates of the same part where I would use my hand or dodging tool to remove flare; then skillfully merged together in Photoshop layers (minus the fingers). I will be able to get this 1.5gb file printed fine-art high-quality to at least 5 foot or 1.5 metres. An earlier ‘snapshot’ version is below.

This cave is of particular interest to me; lying at the edge of North Cornwall AONB at Hartland it is the spot where the RFA Green Ranger came to rest after it’s shipwreck at Gunpath Rock in 1962.

Green Ranger – copyright unknown

Oops! Hopefully nobody noticed, the shipwrech at Menachurch Point is actually the 1,925 ton steamship “Belem” stranded in thick fog here on 20th November 1917. I’ve included a picture of some of the remains at the bottom of this blog post. There ought to still be something left of the Green Ranger further up the coast – I shall have to explore soon!
I’ll be leading a photographic workshop ‘Sea Caves, Shipwrecks and the Rocky Shore’ here on Thursday 1st November, exploring this and many other caves and what is left of the Green Ranger (see below). You’ll get a good introduction to my own photography whilst learning how to make the best of your own including using your camera under demanding landscape and lighting. Price for the day is ?50, please email me to book a place: info@davegreenphoto.co.uk

 

Remains of the shipwreck 'Belem' 1917

 

 

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Wren Music

I had a commision to photograph the staff at Wren Music. They asked for a gothic theme as they were working on a production that required it. The first photoshoot was at Okehampton Castle, a great gothic ruin. The sun was in more than it was out and I had to work very quickly finding the best locations, groupings, expressions etc whilst juggling with the lighting.

Paul Tucker, Wren Music

There was just an hour spent at the castle then it was into town, for another hour, to use an empty drama room of a local school for the next shoot. I had some lighting with me but the theatre spotlight in the room backed by the black velvet curtains gave the gothic look we were all after. A little light was reflected back into the shadows on the faces using a large sheet of white card. The picture compositions to me were all about marrying the musician with their chosen instrument and making something that filled a 3×4 frame in a balanced way. It was a challenge to make each portrait different from the last as there was no time to change the lighting. Again I had to work very quickly, concentrating on the key things like getting the all important eyes open and in focus.

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Okehampton Camera Club

On Monday 10th September I had the pleasure of talking with the Okehampton Camera Club; a progressive group of about 25 creative photographers on the edge of Dartmoor.

I used the title ?Constructive Photographs? to present and discuss my work. This title can be used to sum up my working practice since the mid-1990?s. It was never a conscious decision to have such an obscure thread running through my work. But it is apparent in 35mm film triptychs, camera-less daylight processes silver images and through my 21st century digital work. The process is rarely hidden in my work and the photographically literate will make the connection of sprocket holes on the edge of a triptych or the hard, unblended, edge of a frame seen around the outside of a huge cave interior landscape.

The presentation in Okehampton was split into two parts; the first being key images in the progression of my work over the last 15 years. Then, after a tea/coffee break, the technical considerations of making these images was discussed and illustrated.

The animated gif above shows the constructing of an early image made in North Devon. This is named ?Shipload Grotto?, a cave in the difficult to get to Shipload Bay, close to Hartland Point. I should really make an up-to-date animation to illustrate the using of ?photomerge? in Photoshop; this one was made using a 2003 Sony Cyber-shot which served me well at the time but it?s lens was prone to chromatic aberration (the coloured edge seen where the contrast between very dark and very light is at the most extreme, like the entrance of a cave). The finished imaged was made from 51 separate frames.

Prior to my talk at the Club, I got a chance to witness their annual show, held this year at the Museum of Dartmoor Life, in Okehampton. This was a great way of getting to know the photographers by their photographs. I was really encouraged by the overall quality of work and the emphasis the club has for creativity and experiment; members seem to be developing their own styles which enhances the overall experience of the exhibition. The show continues until 29th September.

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Installation Comments

Here are a few of your wonderful comments for the installation
‘a Postcard from Manteo’ by Dave and Sadie Green

“What a wonderful multi-sensual trip back to Carolina! thank you!”
“A Wonderful record – much enjoyed”
“Great! Hands across the ocean.”
“Totally absorbing and transporting, thanks for the pop-corn.”
“Wonderful creative exhibition – Dave is a real artist…Sadie is a great photographer!”

Beautiful space, really interesting and informative, lovely hosts and beautiful things to see!”
“An amazing adventure. Not an art studio nor a gallery. A real life trip into another world.”
“Fantastic idea, tantilising all the senses – love the stairs, the food, music and the tour guides are second to none!”
“Wow – so many beautiful pictures, a real taste of the Outer Banks – so many memories!”

“Lovely space and v. interesting to hear about Manteo too.”
“Great Stairs!”