A day in the life of ben (6 shots)

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Sean_Mcr

Guest
I've not posted or left comments that often of late , i'll have to put that right.

Anyway, this is Ben my nephew. Ben lives in a tough old part of town, but he's a gentle soul. I shot him yesterday at my sisters place in Ancoats, which is where we came to as a family when we left Ireland as children.

Ben's playground is concrete, the streets are his park, the same streets i played on as a boy, these are the same stairs i played on as a boy. Bens front door is to the right of this photo.

It's always made me smile when i hear people talk of the "beauty of urban decay". Well 9 times out of ten those that say it get to go home to the burbs after shooting it. Ben doesn't;




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Hoodie

There's a media created frenzy at the moment about gangs of youths in Hooded tops roaming the streets of the inner city praying on the public. Ben's 5 years old, its the kind of gear people wear in certain parts of town, no different to going to the burbs where the bankers live and seeing a suit. They say (whoever they are) that youths wear them to hide their identity-to remain faceless. Ben just likes hooded tops, as do the vast majority of kids who wear them


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Thanks for looking
 
These are just excellent :)

I think the black/white conversion works really well. They've been composed well and I'd be proud of producing captures like these.

My fav has to be 2&4 but infact there all pretty darn good.

Ed :)
 
I think the hoodie shot could do with a teeny bit more contrast to make it really exceptional (truly hiding in the shadows rather than having the face visible, really blacken the blacks) but I really, really like the whole feel of these :)

In fact, that hoodie shot has set off all kinds of thoughts in my head that might have to wait until another time. :p
 
excellent shots, i really like #1, how have you done the B&W conversion
 
Thanks fellas

My monitor is calibrated but maybe i need to redo it, as on my screen i have to try very hard to see bens face, which is what i wanted as wanted people to look hard, i did not want it pitch black.

Thanks guys
 
Sean_Mcr said:
My monitor is calibrated but maybe i need to redo it, as on my screen i have to try very hard to see bens face, which is what i wanted as wanted people to look hard, i did not want it pitch black.
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The view on my monitor matches your description and I think mine is set about right.

Great series. I know (almost) everyone loves mono versions of things but I can't help wondering if it makes a harsh environment look worse than it really is.
 
Hiya Robert, hope things are going well mate, thanks for the reply

I think you already know that i do prefer mono for people shots. Naturally they have a differnt mood to colour. He's a happy little fella, yeah it's a tough area but i have a lot of love for the place as does everybody that has history there. Ben will always be proud of where he comes from, that's how mancunians are, city wide.

A shot in colour, i like the colour to, but the light is suited to mono. Light and shadow suit mono

No pp apart from being resized for web viewing
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Sean_Mcr said:
Naturally they have a differnt mood to colour.
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Can't help thinking if the series were colour you could fit a different storyline to the images.

Mono can convey softness but mostly I see it as cold and harsh. That harshness just isn't there in that colour shot. To me that fits the part about him (and you) making the best of his world and being happy in it.

Oh and I actually like most of your mono shots - which is more than I can say for many :)
 
Cracking set sean.

Being a Manchester boy myself, I can fully appreciate the story behind these shots, and what you're trying to convey.

The B&W conversion suits them well.

I agree with the Hoodie comments, I have to strain to see his face, but I think I'd prefer his face completely dark......

Like I say though, a very pleasing set :)
 
WOW these are great. I won't pretend it's a situation I'd associate myself with or know anything about but I think this set of shots is brilliant. I also think what you've done with the "Hoody" shot is very very clever.
 
RobertP said:
Can't help thinking if the series were colour you could fit a different storyline to the images.

Mono can convey softness but mostly I see it as cold and harsh. That harshness just isn't there in that colour shot. To me that fits the part about him (and you) making the best of his world and being happy in it.

Oh and I actually like most of your mono shots - which is more than I can say for many :)
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You're a gent Robert.

I'm fan of the Doves, which are manchester band, there's a track of theirs called black & white town. These shot remind me of that track actually. I did want them to look a certain way.

I do do get what you're saying and i have shot him many many times in a standard kid way http://www.pbase.com/sean_mcr/image/55274448
http://k47.pbase.com/o4/87/571287/1/55278029.20D033.jpg

I really do like the colour, and i think i'll do a set of colours outside.

Cheers mate
 
Marcel said:
Cracking set sean.

Being a Manchester boy myself, I can fully appreciate the story behind these shots, and what you're trying to convey.

The B&W conversion suits them well.

I agree with the Hoodie comments, I have to strain to see his face, but I think I'd prefer his face completely dark......

Like I say though, a very pleasing set :)
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Well Marcel, you know it's city pride, city wide;)

Ancoats (and west gorton) is where they film Shameless. Frank and sheilas gaff is behind my brother Liam's place lol My brother Robert lives in one of the four blocks of flats in the opening title. But there is a change coming and it's not for the better, a community is actually being destroyed. I've explained it a little in this shot

http://www.pbase.com/sean_mcr/image/58569340

Once i print the hood shot i'll see if it looks how i want it to look, if it's not right i'll reconsider.

Thanks for the input mate
 
Kev Mills said:
WOW these are great. I won't pretend it's a situation I'd associate myself with or know anything about but I think this set of shots is brilliant. I also think what you've done with the "Hoody" shot is very very clever.
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Thanks pal, appreciate it
 
Sean_Mcr said:
But there is a change coming and it's not for the better, a community is actually being destroyed. I've explained it a little in this shot

http://www.pbase.com/sean_mcr/image/58569340
Click to expand...

I see it all over the place. While on the face of it, it looks good..."Oh new buildings being built" etc etc.. It doesn't bode well does it.

Property developers are sucking up land everywhere and building new high price housing.

Communities are indeed being destroyed in the process :(
 
Marcel said:
I see it all over the place. While on the face of it, it looks good..."Oh new buildings being built" etc etc.. It doesn't bode well does it.

Property developers are sucking up land everywhere and building new high price housing.

Communities are indeed being destroyed in the process :(
Click to expand...


It's sad to see, names are being changed to make them more marketable, the Northern Quarter to anybody i grew up with was known as something far less appealing. East lands/sports city is Beswick!!

Christ if people in affluent areas were having their homes compulsory purchased by the council to flatten for public housing there would be world war three. Little Ben's simply a chav to the press, something to sneer at, who cares what happens to his community, he has no voice. Well he does have a voice but he uses to to ask for chocolate lol

Rant over

Cheers pal


Luchie,

Thanks:)
 
Great set (y)
 
Diego Garcia said:
Awesome stuff Sean. If I had your ability then I would be happy :)

Top drawer.
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That's praise indeed Diego coming from a photographer with real soul, which i like to think i have myself.

Thanks mate
 
I looked at the mono shots this morning and couldnt comment as they made me feel very emotional.
Id still rather not go into the whys and wherefores but, feel the need to make some kind of comment as the pics really moved me.
Thanks for sharing.
 
Good shots Sean but #1 is weakest. The hood dominates too much.

I love the shot with the boy looking through the blinds. can't put my finger on why which is a good sign (y)
 
Number 1 is just how i wanted it Gary, it's an environmental shot im not following the rules of portraiture, what dominates for me is the light and mood. But i'd no less try to change your opinion then i'd change my own

Thanks for the comments
 
Good stuff. The teeth cleaning one is weakest for me but that's only due to the quality of the others(y)
 
A great series of shots and the mono works in conveying the feeling of innocence in a harsh environment. When I think back of my father's upbringing and my memories of the East End of London just after the second world war before it was demolished and became Tower Hamlets I realise how lucky I am now living in beautiful fenland countryside.
 
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