D&AD Nominee and a Video.

Today was the day that the Nominees and Best of Year winners were announced for the D&AD Student Awards, this is a prestigious competition which has categories covering Advertising, Design, and Photography. I created a photographic series called Façade (To view the series go to this link: http://www.ruthjones.org/#!Facade|c1eax). Now the Nominations have been announced I can reveal that I have been 1 of 5 photographers who have a chance of winning the Photographic category, the prize for this competition would be for my to have my work published in Rankin's Hunger magazine, a great opportunity as his magazine is full of high quality photography. As a Nominee my work will be exhibited at the New Blood festival in London, this runs from the 25th-29th of June. I am very excited about this and I will keep you updated with every step I take on this exciting journey!

The Winning Entry: http://www.dandad.org/awards/student/2012/categories/20/photography/08994/ruth-jones

In other news I decided to shoot and edit a short film today, it isn't amazing... but I thought I'd have a go with the DSLR and see what it can do, I quite enjoyed filming and editing the piece... so look out for more films in the future...

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Apple Blossom. 30th April.

I was listening to this song by Nina Nesbitt today and it inspired me to photograph the beautiful blossoms on my Apple Tree...

The landscape of Clouds. 29th April.

When I was young I imagined that clouds were a whole other world, they created forests, mountains and oceans in the sky.... to some degree I still believe that, people often see the landscape of their location by looking at the land that surrounds them, but even if you live in a crowded city I believe you have instant access to a beautiful landscape. Clouds can create the most beautiful and stunning scene, their density varies and the patterns they create can create texture and contrast.

So if you ever feel like you are stuck in a bland place, just look up and admire the cloudscape which can surround you.

Awkward Noise Photographic Collective: https://www.facebook.com/AwkwardNoise

New Website: http://www.ruthjones.org/

Weddings and Cake. 28th April.

Today I have been collaborating with fellow photographer Jac Rudduck to capture a wedding, like most weddings it was a wonderful day full of laughter and celebration.. and I find it a pleasure to capture the essence of events like this. Throughout the day Jac and I captured the key moments which come together to form a photographic documentary which lasts forever for people to remember the day. It is exciting to see the development of our final collection of images and I very much look forward to delivering the final products to my client as I know it'll be something they can cherish forever.

Jac Rudduck: http://jacrudduck.blogspot.co.uk/

Reaching Out. 27th April.

Spots. 26th April.

I have finished my brand new website today, it is: www.ruthjones.org 

I hope you enjoy looking through it!

Instagram. 25th April.

I am not going to lie, since getting an iPhone I have become a bit of an instagram addict, it's ability to instantly imitate classic films and cameras is quite amazing... but from using this app so much I have started to miss the traditional photographic techniques which inspires instagram. I have a packet of expired 120 film sitting on my shelf and a holga right next to it, I think that it is a bit of a hint for me to find an excuse to produce some real-life "instagram effect" photos. Pretty excited about this!

The Lone Pylon. 24th April.

I find something beautiful about pylons, personally I have a love hate relationship with them, I find their ability to stand out from the landscape quite striking... but I also find that they can destroy the beautiful scene of a landscape. The British tend to hate pylons, but if pylons stopped existing then I am sure the same people would  hate the effect the loss of the pylons have, it is a kind of cache 22 situation.

Curtains Closed. 23rd April.

The Doll. 22nd April.

In the past few years I have started to see the dark and creepy side of some children's toys. They have been constructed to bring entertainment to children, but their inaccuracies when you compare them to the things they are trying to copy make them hostile objects which contain a slightly dark side to them. 

Awkward Noise:https://www.facebook.com/AwkwardNoise

Ruth Jones Photography Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuthJonesPhotography

Hidden Flower. 21st April.

Awkward Noise photographic collective: http://www.facebook.com/AwkwardNoise

Lens Flare. 20th April.

I always used to think of lensflare as technical imperfections to images... but recently my thoughts have changed... I have realised that sometimes they can bring an extra element or area of interest into a photograph, or they could represent a missing area of the photo or bring a whole new metaphore or meaning into the image. Technical imperfections can be turned into beautiful photographic elements when used properly, so give it a go, experiment a little bit, and don't be scared to get that imperfect photograph!

Don't forget to check out the facebook page for my photographic collective, Awkward Noise: https://www.facebook.com/AwkwardNoise

Drive Time. 19th April

Ever since passing my test I have learnt to love driving, during my time learning I had quite a love-hate relationship with driving... but now I understand it and know how to feel comfortable with it I find that driving somehow helps you relax but also stay completely focussed. I recently drove around 350 miles, which took 8 hours... and it was a pleasure, if you learn to respect the vehicle and the road and treat it safely and carefully... then driving is something you will learn to love. 

In other news, I have been very busy today with the photographers from Awkward Noise, we have been setting up our online profiles, and preparing for our exhibition. If you did not know Awkward Noise is a collective of photographers which I am a part of, we are all working on projects which shall be exhibited in a couple of months times.. and we all have our eyes focussed on the goal of becoming prestigious photographers. 

To keep updated follow our twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/awkward_noise

...or like our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AwkwardNoise

Motorway to Newport. 18th April

I was in Wales today for an interview at the University of Wales, Newport for the Documentary Photography course. It is an excellent university which is internationally recognised for their high quality teaching within the field of Documentary Photography. It was a pleasure to meet the lecturers, I found myself inspired by the short talks of introduction to the photographic department and also the documentary photography course. The facilities at the university are incredible and I would consider it a privilege to study in such a great institution.

Time. 17th April.

I found this clock in my Grandad's old home, it caught my eye as it looked so interesting and unique. Time is a funny thing, it comes and goes... tends to fly by and you wonder where it all went. Time is something which people should invest, it is more valuable than money... because money is worthless when time has run out. Time is something to use and make the most out of, it is one of the most precious things which we have... I for one have decided to use my time wisely and positively.

Cactus Close Up. 16th April.

The Basketball Hoop. 15th April.

Burghley House. 14th April.

I was at Burghley House today (near Stamford) shooting for my current project on the English. The house was having an Open Gardens day, this is where the residents of the house let the public look around their private gardens, the gardens are absolutely beautiful.. and I am slightly jealous of the children who get to grow up in such a wonderful and exciting place! The house and gardens were full of people, and I had quite a few people who were interested in the equipment I was using (Mamiya RZ67) as they are so used to seeing people with DSLRs or Compact Cameras. It was a beautiful day and I am quite excited about seeing the negatives when they are developed!

Grandad. 13th April.

This is my Grandad (the man in the middle of the photo), he passed away yesterday and today I was looking round his home. It is strange how all the things that remind you of a person remain but the person is gone. His home reminded me of a photograph of a scene, but a scene without a subject.... the focus remaining on the invisible subject. It is quite strange. 

My Grandad was a massive fan of my photography and loved seeing all the photographs I take and post every day. My Grandad was great, he lived a fantastic life and I am sure that he is having a great time in Heaven!

Kings Cross. 12th April.

I was in London today, so I had the chance to visit the new Kings Cross station. I am a big fan of architecture, and I thought that the architectural design of the station was amazing, from the patterned structure of the roof to the curved walkways and then the transition to angular bridges inside the historical architecture of the main building. Absolutely beautiful.

Bookshelf. 11th April.

A bookshelf can tell you a lot about the people who own the bookshelf, firstly, does the owner just have books in the bookshelves, or do they use it to store ornaments or to place useless items on. What books are in the shelves, fiction? Factual? Information? Biographies? You can learn a lot about people by the books which they own or read.

Scooby and Alan. 10th April.

I went to the Emmaus community in Cambridge today, I hadn't been there for about a month, but it was good to be back and working on the project. Even though I have been visiting a few times I am still meeting new people, this man, Alan, is someone who I met today. He is really interesting, he has a little dog called Scooby who was possibly the most excitable dog ever! He also has a bearded dragon, his room is very unique and almost all of his furniture has been made or customised by him. 

Today's trip mainly consisted of interviews, I took a few photos, but I have decided to start filming for the video documentary I am making on Emmaus and the people who live in the community. I have had a great start to filming this documentary and over the next few months I am really looking forward to creating it and making a really strong final piece.

A moment's rest on the steps. 9th April.

I was in the city today and happened to see this man and his dog walk over to catch a moments rest on some steps. 

I am off to Cambridge tomorrow, I am getting some of my 120 film developed and shooting for my Emmaus Documentary. It has been a while since I last visited the people at Emmaus, so I am looking forward to seeing them and capturing their lives. 

He is Risen. 8th April.

I have been celebrating Easter with my church this weekend, it has been great. Easter signifies the greatest day in history, when the saviour of the world took our sins and punishment and then broke the power of death in such a glorious way. Easter is one of my favourite times of the year, and the fact that people can stuff themselves with chocolate is an extra bonus. 

I decided to create a photograph through a mixture of artificial lighting and Photoshop to highlight the power of the empty cross and empty grave which Jesus left behind when he rose again. 

Happy Easter!

Normanton Church. 7th April.

I was out shooting in Rutland today around Rutland Water, one of the biggest artificial lakes in Europe. I was shooting for my current project as you can find many people fishing, sailing, cycling and walking all around the lake. I was shooting with the Mamiya, I am slowly falling in love with the camera as it is a beautiful piece of equipment. This photo was a little landscape snapshot I took with my DSLR, it is of Normanton Church, a little museum on the edge of the lake, I have always thought it was quite a quaint building.

Old Hunstanton - Birthday! 6th April.

So, today was my birthday! I celebrated it by going to the beach with a few friends and having a little BBQ.. .it was really nice. I didn't take my DSLR with me, but my iPhone and 35mm SLR were on hand. Snapped a few iPhone landscape shots (such as this one) and took a few Martin Parr inspired street photographs on the 35mm, I have quite a few frames left on the 35mm though so you wont be able to see them for a while. It was a great day and I love the location, I am definitley going to re-visit it and use it as a location for one of my project shoots. 

The Skatepark. 5th April.

Today was a lot better than yesterday, so I made the most out of it and went back to my plans of shooting for my current project. This is a little digital test shoot I took when I was out at one of the locations, I'm shooting on 120 film with a Mamyia, it is a great camera to use and still used by many pro photographers. 

Bubbles. 4th April.

Water has been a problem for me today! I was planning to go out and shoot for my project on the English, but the weather destroyed any chance of me getting the photographs which I had planned as British people tend to run away from anything which hints at rain! I do have a number of shoots planned over this week and next week which shall hopefully not be impacted by the weather though, so I am a little bit excited about that!!

Tea and Books, a lighting experiment. 3rd April.

I love experimenting with artificial lighting and messing with natural lighting. The lighting of a photograph can completely change the style and theme of a photograph, you can take one subject and make it either beautiful or horrific through how you choose to light it. Sometimes people fall in the trap of believing that the only way to light a photograph artificially is through using photographic flashes... they are good... but I also love experimenting with my simple little table lamp. A table lamp is so versatile, you can create diffusers for it, easily angle and position it, reflect it with tin foil... there are endless things you can use to create really interesting lighting set ups. I am a big fan of experimentation within photography and photographic techniques, and I think that everyone should use what it available to them to create interesting imagery before investing in top of the range photographic equipment. The equipment does not make a photographer good, the photographer's creativity does!

The Church and the Bird. 2nd April.

I was out for a walk round my little town today, I took my camera with me and decided to photograph whatever interesting things came my way. This church, St.Mary's stands in the centre of the town and whilst walking past it I noticed that there was a bird flying round it, I don't really know why it interested me, but it did.. and I quite like the photograph of that moment!

Locket. 1st April.