I have undertaken a number of Projects over the years and have found them to be a really good way to develop my photography skills. For those interested the results of my previous projects can be found on the Projects page of this site and by clicking here.
Regular readers will know that I’m a member of a photography community that goes under the banner of FotoComm, and is the brainchild of Pro photographer Chris Sale. Chris has encouraged the community to think about projects each year as a good way to develop skill but also as a way to bring the community together, with a common goal etc. The Project for 2023 is mainly a storytelling project. It builds on all aspects of photography but also allows each of us to develop skills around video, along with research skills.
The project should showcase a local area and tell the story of the area, it’s history and how it has developed over time. The end product will be displayed on each members website where this can be viewed by whoever is interested. The photography can include images from all of the seasons in 2023, but the there must be a “hero” image that shows the subject off in the best possible way. The subject and storytelling approach is entirely up to each member.
This weekend I had an idea, and on Saturday I set off, along with Charlie the cocker spaniel, to do some rough and ready images around my idea. The subject is located around Buckhurst Farm and the Cheesden Valley, all which are near Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall. These images are not mean to be included within the actual project and were taken handheld with my Sony A6600, but just give a sense of what my idea might be about.
I want to try to tell the story of the development of the wind turbines that are dotted all over this neck of the woods. As you drive up the M66, you can see the “wind farm” as it stretches all over the hills. The wind farm is actually on Scout Moor. I have to say I don’t mind them being installed on the landscape, I think it adds something, but I know there will be lots of folk who object quite strongly. I’m going to try to take images that show the turbines off as they sit inside the countryside and how viewing them from quirky angles will hopefully give the viewer a different take on the wind farms.
This image was taken on the way down Sales Lane, from Buckhurst farm. I was stood at the end of two walls which are part of the farmers field that you can see. The turbine in the distance is what caught my eye and having the walls in the foreground helps give this image a sense of depth, and the tress and undulations of the land also help with depth. Thinking about it subsequently maybe this could be a long lens image that would give a little more compression and make the turbine a little bigger in the image. The image above is at 16mm (APSC) which is a 24mm equivalent.
Clearly the turbine is prominent within this image but what struck me about this was the two farmers field gates and the huge tractor tracks that you can see in the image. Clearly the land here is being worked and I do want to draw out the fact that modern farming can co-exist with the new breed of power generation. Besides I do like a good gate, not that these are but the two of them so close together caught my eye.
The countryside wouldn’t be the countryside if it didn’t have any fences. They come in all styles and construction methods, and this image caught my eye as Charlie decided that the call of nature was too great for him to resist. You have to stop and wait whilst the said call of nature is completed. As I stood looking around I realised that you could see the turbines from a dogs eye view as well as my own. Thankfully the lens on My Sony A6600 is a F2.8 G lens and can give some nice out of focus to the back ground whilst still allowing the sense of the turbine to be seen through. Im actually focusing using autofocus but the camera focused on the wire of the fence. THis is wide open at aperture f2.8, hence the blurred background. A bit arty perhaps but it shows what’s possible. The ideas grew and grew as I walked.
If you look across the various social media sites you will see lots of example of way finding, and styles. The focus again is on the foreground but you can see the turbine way off in the distance but there are also so electric power lines. It got me thinking even more about peer generation and how over the years that has had an impact on the landscapes that are all around us.
I do think this idea has got some legs, I’ll continue to develop the idea further. The other good thing is that this location is literally on the doorstep of my partners house. She walks Charlie all around this area all the time, to be fait so have I, but Saturday afternoon an idea for a project started to germinate in my mind. I’ll keep you all posted.