Security troubles…
Todays shoot started off badly when we didn’t manage to make it into the first location which was a semi derelict quarry. We had parked the cars and walked about 50yards when we got collared by security. When I say security I mean a couple of men who looked like they were out of the film the hills have eyes! We were told we had two minutes until we would be locked in so we had to make a quick getaway in the cars, this meant we had to go to our backup location only a few miles away. No security as usual here so I spent a couple of hours exploring and taking pictures for Prototype magazine. The weather was good and after the bad start things turned good. Here are a few unedited outtakes from the day, to see the best ones you’ll need to see the magazine when its out, links will be up here when it its live so check back!
Can’t complain
I had my interview to get on to the design and technology PGCE course at Staffordshire University on Tuesday so all my time lately has been spent reading up on educational issues and such like. But, I got a conditional offer so all is very good in the world as I don’t really know what else to do!
Anyway, back to the pictures. These were taken 9days ago at the train graveyard. Whilst none of these images are in my favourite list it was a good day and Chloe Nicole is good in front of the camera! I look forward to some fashion/editorial shots in the future with her.
Films are to be developed soon, got a vintage film in the Pentx Spotmatic and some beautiful beautiful beautiful Kodak Ektar 100 in the Mamiya.
I’v got a busy time ahead with 3 weeks of placement to do in a school, a 2 week subject enhancement course and to finish my degree by September. Not to mention a product shoot in Shropshire, a childrenswear shoot down in London and shooting a Dyno day for charity in Birmingham!! Never mind rugby three times a week, can’t complain though, it’s best to be busy!!
Chloe Nicole
Another trip back to the train graveyard but this time with Chloe who I found on Purestorm.
We only spent a couple of hours nosing around, it wasn’t very warm at all and I’m really really starting to *hate* digital, I did manage to take a couple of images on my Mamiya and a couple on my Pentax Spotmatic but that has an experimental film in it so I’m not counting those until I see it (approx 1970s film). I’ve got to edit the images I took yet as some will need some work as the light and conditions are hard to work with down there. Not my usual style to do anything more than tweak the white balance slightly, sharpen, curves and maybe a vignette if it needs it. This image has had these four things done to it and so it can be uploaded! Just a quick picture so you can see who I was shooting today, was a good day, even if I decided to get glass stuck in my hand from a smashed window as I was hanging out of a window about 8foot up over the tracks lol. Places like this are so strange, I find it weird that in this day and age a use cannot be found for items and buildings that are just left to rot. ..
Urbex time
I managed to sneak a few hours to head off with a friend to a train graveyard and to a semi derelict quarry. Needless to say it was a good afternoon spent looking over my shoulder waiting for security to collar us but we didn’t see any sign of them!!
Didnt get many shots due to it raining and me feeling particularly uninspired with digital but here are a couple so you can see where we were, can’t wait to get back there with a model, it should produce some amazing shots. I’v got a couple from the quarry on medium format, I just need to scan them in but I’v been busy editing images from the childrenswear shoot.
Mid Wales hospital
I picked up Hope at half eight this morning and drove the two hours to Mid Wales hospital. The hospital wasn’t too hard to get into after a climbing over a fence and squeezing through a window and there was no sign of any security so we had a nice mooch about and I took a few photos (mainly on film). Here are a few of the digital pics, watch this space for 35mm and medium format film!!!
But on the way out we bumped into a security guard who followed us as we walked back to our car…..which was blocked in by a police car! The cops checked we weren’t wanted, asked us a few questions and checked the car and my bag for tools to force entry and once they were happy that I had none we were free to go on our way. The only charge they could have attempted top bring against me was intent to steal and that would never have worked when I had 3cameras, a tripod, a reflector and a model with me. Quite a fun end to the day!
