Talk Projects and Themes

This notifications thing does my head-in, having asked the question above I didn't see the response presumably because I didn't get notified.

Anyway some seem to speak more of "close to home" than others, I'm not sure why but then not living within a mile of you it is just an opinion. The gates, gardens, park bench etc. seem close to home for me but the boats and greenhouses less so. I guess the gates, gardens, bench, etc. are more generically suburban/urban and so more relatable in the context of home.
 
sirch said:
This notifications thing does my head-in, having asked the question above I didn't see the response presumably because I didn't get notified.

Anyway some seem to speak more of "close to home" than others, I'm not sure why but then not living within a mile of you it is just an opinion. The gates, gardens, park bench etc. seem close to home for me but the boats and greenhouses less so. I guess the gates, gardens, bench, etc. are more generically suburban/urban and so more relatable in the context of home.
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The working title I had in mind was 'Home Range', so I see what you mean, although greenhouses and the boatyard are two features of the village. A change of title is possibly required.
 
Here's a tighter edit. Comments welcome. Still no title though...

 
I like the edit, seems to fit the "close to home" title, I'm now wondering about the order, I like the front door shot at the start and the gate and road shots sort of seem to suggest moving away from home if that makes sense, may be 6 after 1 and 15 at the end, or 15 as the first?
 
Thanks for the feedback. I think less is more in the edit, too.

I've not got into the sequencing yet. It's also more manageable to put into zine form. With a zine I like to consider spreads as well as order, and sometimes I might want a single image in a spread rather than a pair across facing pages, which can then alter the order. There's always a chance that during that process some may get dropped and others brought back!
 
A couple of changes. Now to play around and see if this'll make a zine...

 
sirch said:
Hmm, interesting, I'd be interested to know why not?
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It just seemed like a disjointed set of unrelated pictures with no flow to it. Too many just didn't seem to 'fit'. I have a feeling that I've mislaid some pics as I'm sure I had a better sequence a while back.
 
Even tighter edit with changes and in order. 90% satisfied.

12small.jpg

Thinking of a small (A6) zine on heavyish stock with images full bleed across each double spread - if I can get the first image to wrap around the cover.

cover.jpg
 
I'm trying to find an affordable (i.e. cheap as chips!) way to embed/display PDF flips. Issuu can't be embedded on the free option. Flipsnack does a good job but for more than three PDFs it's a subscription. I found another for $96 download and use forever, which would be OK if I was going to make the money back... I'll keep looking.

In the mean time here's a Flipsnack sample.

https://photo.dlst.co.uk/pages/test/
 
I put this together in zine form last year and have been looking at it again recently. I think I'd resequence it if doing it now, and probably drop a couple of pictures. Would appreciate thoughts on it as a set/series/zine.

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Under Dark Trees

Read Under Dark Trees by Dave Lumb on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!
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Ed Sutton said:
I put this together in zine form last year and have been looking at it again recently. I think I'd resequence it if doing it now, and probably drop a couple of pictures. Would appreciate thoughts on it as a set/series/zine.

issuu.com

Under Dark Trees

Read Under Dark Trees by Dave Lumb on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!
issuu.com issuu.com
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First and second images are stunning, and set a good theme. The theme though is I think diluted a little after about shot 5 by the close up images which follow. There are, perhaps, a few too many images too? If it was me I'd be looking at 2 separate zine's from this, one of the close up/detail shots and the other of the most distant images.
 
flook999 said:
First and second images are stunning, and set a good theme. The theme though is I think diluted a little after about shot 5 by the close up images which follow. There are, perhaps, a few too many images too? If it was me I'd be looking at 2 separate zine's from this, one of the close up/detail shots and the other of the most distant images.
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Probably are too many pictures. I wanted to work the close ups in with the others. Maybe needs a different format to A5 to allow more variation of image size?
 
Ed Sutton said:
Maybe needs a different format to A5 to allow more variation of image size?
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Possibly, it's a different experience in print too to the one you get from a screen playthrough. Also I didn't really get the idea of some double page spreads with 2 images and others with just one? It again hinted at 2 projects trying to evolve from the one?

To keep it as one, perhaps look at a more logical flow? Maybe work from the closest images through to the more distant shots? Dunno really I'm just throwing ideas around :). The running order is one of the most difficult aspects of a group of images in any format imo
 
flook999 said:
Possibly, it's a different experience in print too to the one you get from a screen playthrough. Also I didn't really get the idea of some double page spreads with 2 images and others with just one? It again hinted at 2 projects trying to evolve from the one?

To keep it as one, perhaps look at a more logical flow? Maybe work from the closest images through to the more distant shots? Dunno really I'm just throwing ideas around :). The running order is one of the most difficult aspects of a group of images in any format imo
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I was trying to break things up from the one picture on the right hand page throughout with connected pairs.
 
Ed Sutton said:
I put this together in zine form last year and have been looking at it again recently. I think I'd resequence it if doing it now, and probably drop a couple of pictures. Would appreciate thoughts on it as a set/series/zine.

issuu.com

Under Dark Trees

Read Under Dark Trees by Dave Lumb on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!
issuu.com issuu.com
Click to expand...
I've looked at this a couple of times now and I'm beginning to wonder if the title fits the full body of work. It's an interesting title and the first 6 or 7 photos fit the theme but then it starts to wander off, pages 30-34 don't seem to fit the title at all. I'm not sure what more to add, I think a strong title sets fairly clear expectations (Beach Balls and Pier Dogs was really great BTW) and this doesn't really meet what I had anticipated at least, may be a heavy edit?
 
sirch said:
I've looked at this a couple of times now and I'm beginning to wonder if the title fits the full body of work. It's an interesting title and the first 6 or 7 photos fit the theme but then it starts to wander off, pages 30-34 don't seem to fit the title at all. I'm not sure what more to add, I think a strong title sets fairly clear expectations (Beach Balls and Pier Dogs was really great BTW) and this doesn't really meet what I had anticipated at least, may be a heavy edit?
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I couldn't think of a title TBH and wanted something that wasn't too literal - so I (pretty much) nicked one.

I should probably have sat on the pics a while longer before putting them into a collection, which I'm sure would have produced a tighter edit. That might have got it to make more sense to other people looking at it.
 
Rather than start a new thread...

I've got to that stage (again...) where I'm wondering why the hell I'm carrying on with some themes. It seems pretentious to call them projects as they don't seem to be going anywhere, just becoming an accumulation of pictures around a basic subject.

I had hoped to get a sheep book project going but after an initial approach to my contacts outlining the concept, which seemed to be met favourably, it's all ground to a halt. That would have given me something to aim at, and ideas for what pictures to shoot. But I'm back to square one - floundering around taking more and more photos.

Putting photos on Facebook has got me an audience and some perks such as a ticket for a show this summer, but Iit's not much of an outlet. It's starting to feel like self-indulgent playing around with added delusions of importance for the pics!

When I want to enjoy myself doing something for its own sake I go fishing, but for some reason photography seems pointless for me if it doesn't have a purpose.

There's a sheep dog sale tomorrow, but will I be going just for something to do?

Frustrated!
 
Well done for remembering this threads existence and finding it again!

Ed Sutton said:
just becoming an accumulation of pictures around a basic subject
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At some level isn't that what all photographic projects are? Did the "new topographics" know that's what they were doing before someone came up with a clever title for an exhibition.

Honestly I really admire your projects, accumulating photographs on a theme is a seriously valuable piece of social documentary. A project must come to some sort of end point, I deliver software projects for a living and these rarely have an endpoint with which everyone (indeed anyone) is satisfied, they usually just get cut off due to funding or timescales and are delivered in some almost finished, ragged around the edges, splat that sort of gets tidied up later ... maybe.

But if you have had enough, have a break, there is nothing wrong with that, you have done the sheep and sheep dogs and shepherds. I assume you are not in it for the facebook likes, you have created that body of work so take time to recharge the batteries.

And thank you for making your work available on here.
 
sirch said:
....accumulating photographs on a theme is a seriously valuable piece of social documentary.
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In my ego maniac phase I imagine I'm doig something important like that. But if the only repositories for the pictures are here and social media it still seems a bit of a waste. Hence making zines which might be seen at a future date.
sirch said:
A project must come to some sort of end point, I deliver software projects for a living and these rarely have an endpoint with which everyone (indeed anyone) is satisfied, they usually just get cut off due to funding or timescales and are delivered in some almost finished, ragged around the edges, splat that sort of gets tidied up later ... maybe.
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This is like the 'paintings are never finished, only abandoned' thing! Same with photo projects unless they have a deadline.
sirch said:
But if you have had enough, have a break, there is nothing wrong with that, you have done the sheep and sheep dogs and shepherds. I assume you are not in it for the facebook likes, you have created that body of work so take time to recharge the batteries.
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I don't think I've had enough, more doubting the point of it all. There's still a lot I'd like to do, but I don't seem to be able to get it off the ground.

Forty years ago my tutor told me that the art world is no place for shy retiring violets. So I haven't picked up a paintbrush in anger since! I guess it's the same when it comes to photography. I should be more pushy.

I resisted Facebook for years. But it's the easiest way to show the photos to people I meet at events. And I do want them to see the photos. After all, the pictures are about them. On Twitter they mainly get seen by other sheep photographers!
sirch said:
And thank you for making your work available on here.
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Thanks. :)
 
Ed Sutton said:
other sheep photographers!
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There are others? :LOL:

You can't be such a "shy retiring violet" because you actually go to places and point a camera at actual people, that to me (and I imagine to every other "landscape" photographer) is something so daunting as to make us run fir the hills, literally.

Seriously though, you have produced books and zines and that is surely the point? IIRC you even sold some at a sheep show? Send a copy of them to the British Library
 
sirch said:
There are others? :LOL:
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More than might be imagined! :) And not only professional agricultural photographers. https://www.gaj.org.uk/

sirch said:
You can't be such a "shy retiring violet" because you actually go to places and point a camera at actual people, that to me (and I imagine to every other "landscape" photographer) is something so daunting as to make us run fir the hills, literally.
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:D I don't find it easy, and have 'bottled' it often enough to miss some potentially great pics.

I was very shy as a child, and still find it difficult to strike up a conversation with strangers - but with a camera in my hand and an interest in what the people I'm photographing are doing find it much easier. I do wish I was more like a friend who gets people's life stories within minutes of meeting them. He'd make a great documentary photographer - but he's only interested in landscapes. :rolleyes:

sirch said:
Seriously though, you have produced books and zines and that is surely the point? IIRC you even sold some at a sheep show? Send a copy of them to the British Library
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I have sold some sheep zines, and the poultry book did OK (someone bought a copy of that to give to the Lancashire Archives). This is where I'm not pushy enough I think.

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement.

Resolution : Be more assertive! :exit:
 
I've got out of the habit of putting my thoughts about photography on my blog for over 12 months, putting odd snippet in my various project threads here but I had a few things to get off my chest! If anyone wants to click through I'd welcome thoughts and feedback. It goes on a bit of a ramble...

lumbypics.blogspot.com

Thoughts on art, documentary, and projects.

I've always taken the view that if I have nothing to say I'll say nothing. Hence the tumbleweed here.What little I have had to say I've been...
lumbypics.blogspot.com lumbypics.blogspot.com
 
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