For this assignment, choose a theme or subject that you will conceive, shoot and process in black and white, attempting to bring out the monochrome image qualities of form, tonal contrast and texture, perhaps also experimenting with key. To accompany the final images, which should number between about 5 and 10, you should:
• Write an account of why you chose this particular theme or subject,
• What you set out to achieve from the point of view of black and white imagery,
• And to what extent you feel you have succeeded.
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This assignment is about shooting and processing for black and white, attempting to bring out the monochrome image qualities of form, tonal contrast and texture. For this third DPP assignment I have chosen to show how different Lyme Regis is in winter when the tourists have gone.
Background
As I have described in a previous assignment, Lyme Regis is a small coastal town located in the extreme west of the county of Dorset and at the apex of the coastal area known as Lyme Bay.
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site is popularly known as the ‘Jurassic Coast'. The name comes from the best known of the geological periods found within it, but in fact the site includes rocks from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Together these periods make up the Mesozoic Era of geological time, between 250 and 65 million years ago. The World Heritage Site is a coastal strip of land, around 95 miles (155 km) in length and is the narrow strip of land, lying between the top of the cliffs and the low water mark. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001and stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of 153 kilometres (95 miles). Chartered in 2001, the Jurassic coast was the second wholly natural World Heritage Site to be designated in the United Kingdom.
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| Jurassic coast from Exmouth to Portland |
Originally a Saxon settlement, Lyme Regis was first documented in AD 774, and was later listed in the Doomsday Book. The town is often called “The Pearl of Dorset” and its harbour wall, the Cobb, is famous for being featured in the film “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” which starred actress Meryl Streep. Today Lyme Regis is a popular seaside resort attracting many summer visitors, especially during the main holiday weeks between June and September when the population can swell to tens of thousands, but has a winter population of approximately 4,500 people. Amongst its many famous attractions are The Cobb Harbour, Town Mill, the Lyme Regis Museum and the Fossil Museum.
When people who visit Lyme they always imagine it as a bright, thriving summer resort and would be completely surprised if they visited it in the winter and experienced the wind, rain and wild seas that are part of the town out of season. In the summer season there are large crowds, lots of colour and plenty of noise. In the winter there is wind, rain, a very noisy sea and deserted beaches and streets, which is the complete antithesis of summer. The majority of these people never see the town in winter; whilst the reality of winter is that many businesses close down due to lack of trade. Most shop keepers shut anyway during the month of January so that they can take their annual holiday or redecorate their premises as it’s not worth their while staying open. This year, 2012, especially has been particularly poor trading as the main road into Lyme from the east was closed for 6 weeks so that the town council offices could be repaired after being damaged by large trucks and other essential work carried out that needed scaffolding support.
What did you set out to achieve from the point of view of black and white imagery?
I wanted to show how Lyme really was in winter. I also tried to capture a feeling of how the town could be cold and deserted one day, then bright and sunny the next. The town has a certain feel of sociability to it that is missing in the summer. This is completely the opposite of summer when the pavements are so crowded with holiday makers, their children and dogs that push past you and make you walk in the road. It’s so different; it’s a real pleasure to be here in winter.
I found it very difficult to portray the wind which could be so strong that a person could not stand upright when it is blowing at 60-80 mph. I had thought to use the image of a person holding an inside out umbrella whilst being blown across the road with a wild sea in the background but that seemed very clichéd as no one would put up an umbrella in the wind as it would be destroyed immediately. I opted to feature wind-blown trees and grave stones in a barren churchyard on a bleak hillside. Even when the weather is bleak, people find the sea fascinating and watch and photograph it endlessly. I’ve tried to portray this in two pictures, those of the photographer photographing another photographer and beach combers walking along the shingle beach collecting driftwood.
It’s virtually impossible to achieve the dramatic pictures that you were able to achieve before the reconstruction of the coast where the sea defences have been restructured to take the force out of the waves. Before the coast was remodelled, due to potential coastal slippage, the waves would come into the bay with amazing force.
To what extent do you feel you have succeeded?
I feel that I have succeeded in showing how the winter can be dark and cold one day and bright and sunny the next. Whilst Lyme does have its fair share of bad weather, the surrounding hills manage to shield it from some the worst weather most of the time. It’s easy enough to take a picture in colour, then desaturate it and say ‘look, it’s cold and wet now’ but to convey that feeling in the picture of cold, damp days was more difficult.
My feeling is that I have created an interesting set of images. The combination of low key lighting and monochrome allowed me to show the key features in the town without the distraction of colour. It’s hard for me to gauge if I have hit the right balance and number of images showing the very different aspects of the town. That would be something that people who are not familiar with the town would be able to judge.
I tried several variations of subjects but found it difficult to portray nature in its wildest forms. There were some minor issues, such as rain and spray on the camera equipment, but some of the older images were taken with a waterproof, drop-proof camera which gave me some reassurance that my equipment would not be damaged and unusable afterwards. I think that I have come up with a set of images that portray the feel of the town in its various aspects and are pleased with the results.
I’ve really enjoyed the whole project and assignment 3 as I feel it has challenged me to explore areas new to me. I had a better than basic understanding of Photoshop but I found I needed to stretch myself to complete some of the exercises and put together a coherent assignment.
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