Camera clubs
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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT St Paul’s – The West Face by Paul Cutland; Albion Street then and now by Kaz Diller; Legge Lane by Graham Hales; The Jeweller by Graham Hales; Urban Coffee by Mike Williams.
Mike Williams’ perspective was to concentrate on the architectural features. He began to notice various shapes within the buildings and the contrast between the new and old parts of the area. As his project progressed, he became more and more impressed by the architecture and was drawn to the powerful shapes and patterns that were all around, particularly when shot from unusual angles. Graham Hales concentrated on the urban landscape and architecture of the Jewellery Quarter. He was drawn to the decay, particularly the disused warehouses and dark alleys. His urban exploration gave rise to a portfolio of very powerful gritty, grungy images of decaying urban architecture. Terry O’Connor was instantly drawn to the Warstone Lane Cemetery, which dates back to 1847 and is Grade II listed. He loved its character, history and atmosphere and was captivated by the wide range of shapes. Terry enjoyed photographing the textures that had developed on the gravestones and other graveyard buildings after they had been exposed to the elements for many years. On completing all the photography, processing and printing, we found that the individual portfolios
came together coherently to make a multi-faceted portrait of the Jewellery Quarter. We wanted to share our work with a wider audience so Mike negotiated the use of an exhibition space in a prominent location within the Jewellery Quarter itself where we displayed a selection of prints from our portfolios for a month. The exhibition was extremely well received with many favourable comments. Maria is now working on a self-published book as a permanent record of the project. We are looking forward to exhibiting the full body of work in Smethwick Photographic Society clubroom in the 2014 season. Our experience of working together has been immensely fruitful. We learnt a great deal from each other, especially from the different approaches to a single subject. We enjoyed the camaraderie. This approach has energised similar activities of like- minded people within Smethwick Photographic Society and other projects are now progressing. We would really encourage other photographers to try this approach for themselves and see where it leads.
If your club is planning (or has already shot) a project similar to the one featured here, we want to hear from you. Or if you have an event or group shoot planned, get your organiser to email PLANNING APROJECT?
us some details at challenge@
photography-news. co.uk. You could see your work on these pages.
π To find out more about Smethwick PS, go to www.smethwickphotographic.co.uk.
www.photography-news.co.uk
Issue 6 | Photography News
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