Tube Journeys and Southbank Skate Park. 4th November.

Today was pretty cold and windy, so I probably spent more time on the tube than actually outside in London. After going to church at HTB Onslow Square I originally planned to spend some more time in central London doing some street photography, but I was not suitably dressed and I don't want to be ill for what will be a very busy week at Rankin!

Instead I headed back to Beckton and spent the afternoon working on my photos from Southbank Skate Park, I now have a final edit which I have uploaded to my facebook page: www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152228119335046.928287.407058550045&type=1 

they'll soon be up on my website as well, so keep a look out. 

GradAcad day 15: Overground, Tate Modern, Candid Portraiture and Jelly Pitching time! 13th July.

Today was quite laid back, I popped into Google Campus first thing to finalise the final few things I had to do for the Jelly Brief... and then I went on a little Tube-Trip (the London version of a Road trip!). I haven't really been on the London Overground before, but I found it quite cool.. it's a bit different to the underground because a) It's overground (doh!) so you get to see all the buildings around London, and b) it's one big train carriage... I decided to photograph all the faceless legs that filled the carriage.  

My Tube-Trip culminated in a visit to the Tate Modern, sadly I didn't find any photographic exhibits (I didn't plan my trip very well!), but I did find a great exhibit by Lamia Joregie. The exhibition was about Objects of War, Joregie created four video documentaries where people who had experienced life within a warzone talked about one or two objects which defined their experience within the war zone. Most of the objects were displayed in cabinets around the gallery. I found this exhibition great and could have easily spent hours listening to all the interviews.

http://www.lamiajoreige.com/films.php

After my visit to the Tate I was itching to get my camera out.. so I decided to to an impromptu portrait shoot... the sitters happened to be unsuspecting victims on and around the Millenium bridge. I am quite happy with the photographs I captured, they were up close and personal.. from shots which looked fashion inspired, to people pulling odd faces as they go through life.. none of my "Sitters" noticed me... but it's a shoot I really enjoyed and will have to build upon in the future!

This is a wall near where I am living at the moment... I believe, It used to be the entrance to a club called The Foundry.. and I believe the building is now occupied by squatters. The wall is interesting as it is updated daily with interesting artwork with anarchist themes... I might try and scratch the surface of the artists behind these works. I only have a week left in London though, so I shall have to see how much contact I can get with these unknown artists.

So, the big GradAcad thing of today was my pitch to Jelly London, as I have previously said the brief was to produce a concept which would promote Jelly moving to The Shard (which sadly, they aren't!). My concept was to create a photo-montage which would be seen as a statement, showing that beautiful architectural buildings do not have to be occupied by grey-suited corporate and financial businesses... but they can be filled with creative agencies.. ie. Jelly! The pitch went well and I received positive feedback for my concept.. I would like to develop it further, but I am not sure if I will be able to due to time constraints! 

Thank you Jelly London!

http://www.jellylondon.com/

#GradAcad

http://www.dandad.org/talent/graduate-academy

The Park Study

I shot for The Park Study this morning (before it started raining!), I found myself becoming curious about the installation with yesterday's weather on... so I researched it to find it's purpose, I found out it was created by Troika and it's purpose is to help people can compare the weather today to how it was yesterday (how very british!).. the piece is updated in real time and will relate to the weather exactly 24 hours ago. 

http://www.dezeen.com/2012/07/13/the-weather-yesterday-by-troika/

GradAcad day 11: Jelly, Tube Trains and a Project about Springs... 9th July.

We spent the most of today with the Spring Project, so there weren't many opportunities to capture photos during the day.. as the Spring Project consists of: Standing, Sitting, Silence and a little bit of talking! Today we talked about attributes which we consider important to our future careers.. we then thought about how well we were developing the attributes and then went on to consider how we could strengthen the attributes in our lives. It was a good day with the Spring Project, there were quite a few things which I learnt and had time to think about.. and all in all it was quite interesting!

After our day with the Spring Projects we all split off into small groups to go for our briefings, this week we are all working individually and I am working on a brief for the agency Jelly. Whilst I was on the tube to the agency I was standing at the end of the carriage, I realised that even though I was right next to another carriage the two carriages seemed completely separate as no one seemed to acknowledge the existence of the people on the other side... 

Starbucks Meeting Point.

Starbucks Litter Point

Jelly was cool, the offices seemed really relaxed and the room which we met in was filled with sofas and retro/quirky toys. The guy above, Steve, gave us our brief and introduced us to Jelly... I have already started immersing myself in the brief, but I'll refrain telling you what the brief is until I've finished it and pitched the concept! It's going to be a fun week and I am expecting a good few brain aches as I journey through the brief as it is really making me think about how I can stretch my boundaries! 

http://www.jellylondon.com

#GradAcad

http://www.dandad.org/talent/graduate-academy

Don McCullin Shaped by War exhibition and London underground portraits. 9th February.

I went to London today with a group of photographers, we went to see the Don McCullin and Ori Gersht exhibitions. I took a few tube-based portraits of my colleagues as an idea for a future piece of work, I find the symmetry of underground station walkways interesting. 

The Don McCullin exhibition was amazing, it's currently at the Imperial War Museum and I highly recommend it. I found myself  connect to the subjects in the photographs when I looking at the exhibition, McCullin's work perfectly captures the emotions and moments which a war environment contains. The prints in the exhibition were all hand printed, the dodging and burning of each photograph carefully done to produce the perfect print. The exhibition finished with his latest work, some of which are his landscapes, I personally see his landscape work as the peace he is finding after being so involved in war environments, his landscapes still contain hints of conflict and drama, displayed through how he captures and prints them. I find McCullin's work inspiring and insightful, he is a photographer who has left a great legacy for photographers like my to look up to.