Assignment 2, re-shoots, further ideas and research.

Managed to get out to shoot images last weekend and this. Had a bit of a set-back last Saturday; just on the way out to shoot,picked up camera bag off chair to the loud sound of clattering onto the floor: had forgotten to zip up camera bag. My Mamiya RZ 67,  with the 65mm L-A lens which I've only owned a week, landed nose-first on the floor, buckling the filter ring. I'd bought this lens with the idea to do landscapes, and bought a Hi-tech system with ND grad starter kit to go with it. Not happy - the buckle means the system won't go on the lens - exploring repair options at the moment. Wife not pleased about the new gouges in the polished oak flooring either.

Got film back from Peak Imaging at the weekend - looks like my guesstimates on exposure for the near-dark shots I did last week were way off; a few almost-blank framed on the roll, though pleased with a couple of shots of other things to do with my projects. One re-shoot needed due to being over-zealous with the ND grads at a 'jaunty' angle, but it was an experiment and sometimes one learns as much from ones mistakes as ones successes, so another one to chalk up to experience.

Hopefully my run of bad luck / stupidity is nearing an end, with the experiences of the last couple of weeks being a salutary lesson, and I can get on with being more productive.

Trying to stay positive, ventured out on Saturday morning to the open land again between Stretford and the M60 to work on the images for the 'Eliminating Depth Clues' brief, light dull and flat, so helpful in that respect, a bit uninspired and damp but saw possibilities for other projects while there, so will follow those up later.

In the afternoon went to Styal side of Manchester Airport, and did some shots which I felt went towards the 'Eliminating Depth Clues' brief, so stuck prints in my log with notes etc.

Sunday morning was wet, so watched a short Guardian newspaper video on the authors of the 'Edgelands' book which has proved to be quite inspirational towards my major project. Also looked on the internet at the work of painters, Gorge Shaw and Davis Reyson, whose work explores those urban corners and patches we pass everyday, but perhaps don't really see, due to their mundane nature and familiarity. I was left wondering: these are the work of painters, presented in a 'photographic' style (apologies, don't know the correct term for this style), if these were actual photos, rather than paintings, would they hold the same appeal to the viewer? If I present similar images in my project, would the appeal be lost? What is the artist putting into these images (or the viewer drawing from them) which is so appealing?

They are undoubtedly appealing images; the care, craft and skill in producing then is remarkable - maybe it is just that: the realisation that the artist has taken the time to observe and work the image which makes us as a viewer take notice, to look afresh. What is needed is for myself to work on a way of doing the same through the medium of the photographic image, to somehow show that study, thought and consideration of the subject.

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Spent Sunday afternoon around the periphery of the airport again, re-shooting a couple of imaged which hadn't quite worked from previous attempts, and trying to develop skills at shooting with long exposures after sunset but before dark.