John Londei: Shutting Up Shop: The Decline of the Traditional Small Shop

Book's Front Cover

Shutting Up Shop: The Decline of the Traditional Small Shop

This book has links to the theme of cruel and tender with the declining independent shops that are in the high street even this might not have a direct link to the project it has links to the idea that age does not define us.

Book’s Description

Shot over a 15-year period beginning in the early 1970s, this is a tribute to an era that has all but disappeared - the traditional small shops that feature have now almost all gone. In 2004 Londei began the task of updating what had become of the shopkeepers and shops he’d photographed so long ago. (London, 2007,4 )

What Is denoted?

The Book denotes shops that have closed because of the declining footfall in these areas. The book shows the shops as they were closing and what they are today in the location.

What is Connoted?

The book connotes the message of the company is closing and the feeling is doe to be suddenness. With the use of the vignetting to add the negativity feeling in the work. The book uses negative space in the work to show that the shop is beginning to shut down which highlights the problem of what is going on in the retail industry.

What makes this work significant to you (and or your project)?

The work is significant to me work having worked before with small companies in the past to produce a project about small companies. The Work is important to the work as they all link to the end outcome of a book that is cruel and tender.

What ideas will you take forward to think about in your work?

I am planning on taking on the idea of the positioning of the camera to show the information about what is going on. I am planning on taking on the way he has used contact sheets at the end showing what they are now.

Who is the intended audience?

The audience was intended to be viewers at a gallery across the world and people interested in the subject that he has participated in. The work has lived on with many students emulating his work since his death back in 2012.

What context have you seen the work in?

I have seen this work presented in the book that he has published and seeing a MOMA image of how it was presented in the gallery. I think the way of seeing this in the book because the entire book is done in a typology fashion with every image being shot in 2 different ways of it being a landscape or portrait,

Is the work part of a bigger series?

The work was originally done in the 1980s of the main shop fronts but it was shot in the late 2000s with the locations showing what they are today. Explaining what some of the shopkeepers got up to. This is the end of the series as he died in 2012 and it can only be redone with be people doing it in the style of him.

References

Londei, J., 2007. Shutting Up Shop: The Decline of the Traditional Small Shop. [Online]
Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shutting-Up-Shop-Decline-Traditional/dp/1904587461
[Accessed 1 11 2019].

Londei, J., 2008. Shutting Up Shop: The Decline of the Traditional Small Shop. 2 ed. Stockport: Dewi Lewis Publishing.

Invisible Britain: portraits of hope and resilience

Invisible Britain: portraits of hope and resilience

A key part of the project revolves around the book Invisible Britain: portraits of hope and resilience by Paul Sng as it shows people having come invisibly.

Book’s Description: 

Invisible Britain: Portraits of Hope and Resilience reveals untold stories from people who have been left out of the media narrative and left behind by government policy. Featuring the work of accomplished documentary photographers, the book presents people speaking in their own words to create a narrative showing how an unprecedented world of austerity, de-industrialisation and social upheaval is affecting us all. (Sng, 2019 )

From this description, I am going to take on the message from people feeling like that they must be hidden. The book shows the problem that is going on with life from the government cuts and how we have made people feel like that they have to be isolated in order to get on with life and be themselves.

What Is denoted & Connoted?

The book denotes portraits and text about the lives of people in the UK. The text and images are all done to be true stories to highlight what is going on. The book connotes the feeling of people who have become invisible because of social changes and problems that they have had from life. The book symbols how the photographers have documented them and how they have become invisible. When looking at the book the feeling starts of being sad and makes you pleased that you can understand what they have gone through and they are not alone. On all the pages with portraits, it has got text next to it to make it easier for people to understand what is going on and for people to understand the story.

How am I affected as a viewer?

When looking at the book the first thing that is seen is the cover and the foreword by Michael sheen explaining what the book is all about. The first impression on the book is full of negativity with people having become invisible but this was to change when looking at the images and what they are all about. The book repulses me with the way that they have been treated during their life with racism or being ignored as they are not rich. The book makes a political point that we needed to treat people the same.

What makes this work significant to you (and or your project)?

I have seen this book online with images and descriptions while looking at the book you can get the emotional connection to this work. The context of the work I have seen shows it is almost like a labour political Broadcast with the way it is connoted. While looking it online on news websites you get to read what people looking at the work thinks of this and it gives it more of an understanding. The work is significant to my project because it highlights how people have become Invisible from problems that they have faced. This links to cruel and tender because it shows negativity that they have faced making it cruel while they are all shot in a tender way.

What ideas will you take forward in your work, What Are the Strengths & Weakness?

I am going to change how the layout with mines I am going to take most of the text out and replace it with statistics as I am not going to be interviewing the subjects that I am going to shoot. The strengths of the book are how they have got the text explaining them by the image so people can understand what is going on. I think the weakness though with this book is that it does not have the flare of changing layouts to keep the user in engaged for longer this weakness I will remove in my work.

Who is the intended audience?

The work is done to be contemporary with the way it has been shot to highlight the current problems. The audience is done for people to wake up and understand what is going on now in time.

Is the work part of a bigger series?

The editor of the book has made other works showing the inequality of day to day Britain this has been designed to photographer the problem in the United Kingdom. This book has got some of the biggest collections of celebrates and photographers.

Any other information that you think is relevant? 

Most of the artists are supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and this makes it important to understand the political viewpoint coming from this. The editor is a campaigner for labour as well as the photographer shown in the works he has produced.

What context have you seen the work in?

I have seen this book online with images and descriptions while looking at the book you can get the emotional connection to this work. The context of the work I have seen shows it is almost like a labour political Broadcast with the way it is connoted. While looking it online on news websites you get to read what people looking at the work thinks of this and it gives it more of an understanding.

Charlie Clift

Sue Perkins Comedian and broadcaster

Charlie Clift

Alastair Campbell Political aide and author

Charlie is an editorial photographer who has worked with many companies, for example, Bafta, GQ and the Guardian. He has produced a wide range of portraits and editorial works. The work I have selected to annotate are from his series from, “ ‘LET’S TALK’ SPARKING MILLIONS OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH” (Clift, 2018, p. Including all the photos). The series captures people showing the inner emotion which makes it easier to understand what is going on with the problems that they all face.

What is denoted? 

The Image denotes celebrities sitting down in the studio with writing on the heads of them all. The images have all got writing on the face of them all.

What is Connoted?

All these images connate the feeling of hurt and mental illness that people have faced over their faces. The images have been designed to make people understand the problem that people might face. It communicates the feeling of hurt with all the problems written on the faces of the subjects.

Lettering artist: Kate Forreste

How are you affected as a viewer?

Steve Harris Disabled activist

When looking at the images from the series the 1st thing that most people will see is the white writing on the face to highlight the problems that they have got on. The images make people feel sad as it highlights the problems that they are all facing in the time. The image highlights what the stigma about mental health has been all about. With the negtive space shown makes people focus on the subject and what the mental health problems that they have all got.

What makes this work significant to you (and or your project)?

When looking at the photographers I like the way that the subjects have all got writing on the faces of them to make it easier to understand what they are all about. The way that the subjects are lit with soft backlighting with a soft feel on the models to make it easier to understand what they are all about with making it easier to see. This significant in styling in the future about displaying the problems when it comes to mental health for the readers to understand.

Strengths & Weaknesses

My work is going to be street photography of someone at the edge of life who is about to jump and I am going to take forward the writing and add it onto the subject. The visual styles are important as it shows the mental health problems with the writing being the biggest strength from this body of work that has been produced. While the weakness in the way I am going to use this is that they are in the studio.

Who is the intended audience?

The intended audience is for people to look at the work in the newspaper or other places and to talk about people mental health problems. The work is important as it is designed to highlight mental health issues. It was aimed at anyone in order for them to open up and talk about the issues that they are facing.

What context have you seen the work in?

I have seen the work shown in the context of a viewer online and reading what these are all about because this has been key to understanding it. With the message that is being sent out.

References

Clift, C., 2018. Let's Talk. [Online]
Available at: https://www.charliecliftphotography.com/work/lets-talk/
[Accessed 9 10 2019].

Niall McDiarmid

Niall McDiarmid

Niall McDiarmid is a Documentary Portraiture photographer who has done three books about documenting the lives of people across the UK. Niall McDiarmid work shows people with colour and also the location to stand and to make the shots look similar to make the viewer think.

After watching an interview

After watching an interview with him on YouTube I have learned more parts of him around him. I have learned that he meets and speaks with strangers and he builds up a relationship that people and then he will ask to shoot them he wants to capture them in there natural state. So to this, he shoots 2 – 3 frames which account for blinking he understands the problem with digital which is, to shoot too early with the composition he shoots down the barrel to the camera lens. When some come to him and goes to him you should them he believes that they are always not the right one, He started with one lens and Fuji camera and he shoots down barrels.

 Queens Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, June 2015 – Niall Mcdrimand

Paddington, London, November 2017 – Niall Mcdrimand

Bargate, Southampton, Hampshire, July 2014 – Niall Mcdrimand

He started this project when he did not have a lot of money as he wanted to go out and shoot around the country and go to other places that he has not been he said if he was rich he would not have done it as he would have gone to somewhere they were rich. Typology X, and curate as this style, Niall does not like interwar photographer like August Sander, he knows the work but he is not happy about categorising people, his models he finds find hard to categorise themselves as people come around people across the UK and have moved over. He is not a storyteller but he includes street, town and date only. August has done a lot and him sociality categories e.g. baker Jewish baker, bakers wife as that his what was the style back in August’s day.

Women with red hair (Niall McDiarmid, 2014)
A man and his stick (Niall McDiarmid 2014)
Man in Yellow sitting on the bench (Niall McDiarmid, 2015)

These two shots are some the greatest shots that Niall Mcdrimand did for his latest book Town To Town, the shots are done with the location and the communication. These shots I like as he communicates to the model and captures them in their natural light. I want to use his styles in my work as they correlate to his message. Even though this was a personal project and a bit of fun he used this to show his work off. I want to use the style that he has done in my work. These shots are done with a similar styled compared to his first set of work of crossing paths. Niall uses a style that is relevant to him with this work he does not show peoples name or what they are like, as he hates people stereotyping what people are from different walks of life and the location, which shows how Diverse Britain is.

 Luke and Levii, Queen Street, Bridgend, May 2014
Southchurch Road, Southend-On-Sea, Essex, February 2017
Marine Parades, Hastings, May 2011

How does this fit with the Contemporary and Documentary Portrait Photography 

This work fits the Contemporary and Documentary Portrait Photography because this is documenting the UK from town to town. This style resembles with people and that these tell a story of what people are like and people can relate to what we are like. This fits the Contemporary portrait story as these are done to show what people are in the Morden life these done to show the here and now. I like how Niall is bold when making the colour choices with the subjects he has chosen what the location has connected to the viewer and we can understand what it might be in our life. When linking it to the style that I am after with his work it forms together with the way he has shot environmental portraits in the Past. 

 Hertford Street, Coventry, (Niall McDiarmid, 2012)
 Bedford Street, Rhyl, (Niall McDiarmid, 2011)
Adelphi Street, Blackpool (Niall MacDiarmid, 2012)

About the Crossing Paths shots

Niall’s shots are articulated to highlight the diversity in around London with none of his shots are showing someone looking similar because he wants to highlight that nobody is the same and that everybody is different. Niall uses prominent locations that most normal people will understand can relate in their lives. Niall turns location that looks run down or looks ugly into an inspiring masterpiece his work is taken around Britain as the crossing lines work is about a portrait of Britain. His work is done to document what real people are like he was after “the many not the few” (Labour Slogan 2017) of real people, not the rich elite that people must sadly put up with. After looking at his work in this Unit I understand how that Niall uses his work to show what Crossing paths works, this works together in and even though at times it comes together in other works for this project I am planning on using his environmental portrait style when shooting the project.

Bibliography

All photos are from Crossing Paths, Town to Town. From Niall McDrimand.

Maciej Dawowicz · Cardiff after dark

Maciej Dawowicz · Cardiff after dark

About Maciej Dawowicz shots

These shots are articulated to show some of the problems of people being drunk has caused in around the city of Cardiff. Maciej wanted to show the negativity of what being drunk has caused for the city and what people can get up to the influence of drugs or alcohol. I am gobsmacked when looking at Maciej’s shots because I am used to Cardiff being a busy tourist location with no litter or chaos that can loom overnight. Maciej’s shots are designed to communicate what some people might see and understand what the problem could be in Cardiff. When shooting Maciej uses a Canon EOS 5D with hid focal length tending on being 35 mm while if we're shooting this my focal length could end up being 70mm plus due to the scale.

How has Maciej used the problems in Cardiff to show emotion?

The Book cover · Cardiff after dark

Maciej uses the emotion of fun as shown with the transvestite and the shots above.  I think this important when showing the emotion because I like how it shows how the location shows the problems.   When researching I found a quote that he gave to an interview:

Britons can have fun. ‘To the fallen.’ They will be happy to show their performances at the Ibiza, Canary or Cracow shows. As it turns out, at home they can also "go all out" with fantasy and with a snob, as photographed in the series "Cardiff after dark" (polskieradio & Czwórka, 2013).

I believe that Maciej has used this to create the Ibiza feeling that he wanted to do this in the quote when he was just starting out on his work. I think the Ibiza feeling can be felt and understood when looking at the shots that he has done, and it makes me relate to the shots and makes me think that people here in the United Kingdom can go out and party and have fun and look silly.

The Transvestite

Cardiff after dark – a stag night in a pink dress.

Exposure: This shot here has got a shutter speed of 1/30 and having an aperture of f/2 and with ISO 1600. I am interested in how the shot has got a good depth of field with the shot because it is known having a high aperture means a low depth field but the way Maciej has composed the shots and how it is not blurry with having an incredibly low shutter speed, which could make the shot look interesting. Maciej has also used a 35mm focusing because he knew he could capture the background while getting the man enjoying his stag night out in Cardiff, which is fascinating and amusing.

About the shot: This shot fascinates me about how some normal guys might go into the pub at night comes out in a dress looking like that he either a transvestite or gender-neutral. I like how Maciej has composed his shot because he has got the drunken man trying to climb over the fence and showing the emotion that he is not body concise and that he is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Emotions from these shots, This shot conveys the emotions of laughter because of the fashion that the man is wearing, and he looks interesting. The feeling of curiosity is shown because of his facial expression showing that he is after something while this is removed by the main focal point of the dress. The way the shots are translated into a normal person’s mind will make people look twice and get people excited and laughter.

The fast-food at a Bus stop

‘Fast Food at a Bus Stop.’ – Cardiff after dark 

Exposure: The exposure for this shot had the shutter speed on 1/50 while this had a high aperture of, f/1.8, ISO 1600, 35mm. this shot had a higher aperture compared to the transvestite shot but at the same time managing to keep the strong depth of field and capture all three planes on this shot and I am guessing Maciej has used a tripod for the low shutter speed.

About this shot: This shot is designed to show the problem of people waiting for the bus and not having a litterbin to put their McDonalds and other fast foods meals in the bin. This shot is interesting because it shows the couple on the left eating their take away and it is implied that the litter on the left is related to them. While the shot on the right shows them having eaten their food and it implies the litter is on the floor. In the future, if I see people doing these I am going to shoot what is going on because I want to make people aware of the problem that is going on the street at night and during the day.

Emotions from these shots: The emotion of these shots is disgust because of the litter all over the street and the problem is huge in the UK. Another emotion coming from these shots is anger as they must walk across the street with rubbish down the road and makes people think that tramps walks down and live down the streets. The other feeling is making people think my tax is going down to fix the streets to clear the litter up.

Pole Dancing 

 Pole Dancing – Cardiff after dark 

This shot is articulated to show the man on the left doing tricks on the pole at night. I am interested about how Maciej has mange to compose these shots with the man going around the pole, as it would have been hard to take at any time because it is not a natural position that anyone would normally be in. I think the shot is designed to show people that want to do when they are under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Emotions from these shots

This shot conveys the emotion of amusement because it looks like the person looks like that, he is having fun. Even though Maciej properly had set this up as I had mentioned he wanted to show that people in the United Kingdom were open to let their hair down and even if it does mean spinning around the people while they are intoxicated.

How could I use Maciej’s work in my work?

I am going to use Maciej’s work as inspiration showing that not one shot is to complicate when it comes to shooting my work. I might not get shots like the way he has done it, but I want to use his shots to capture the vibe of any location that I might go to and show what the southeast is like.

How does Cardiff After Dark Portray?

How do these images portray people/subject?

Maciej work portrays people of having fun with not having care and most of his shots show the problem of people drinking and getting around and having fun. The subjects are not set up, but he waits for the shots. He has written on his website about what he wants to show his subjects are like.

Everything takes place in public – from drinking, fighting, kissing to crying and sleeping. There are queues outside popular bars and the security guards together with police patrols, keep an eye on the whole spectacle. (Dakowicz, 2012)

What Maciej has shown is that he does not go into bars but stay outside as quoted above there is no major action inside as it is heavily policed because of the problems he has highlighted in his work and the bartender will not want that in the pub.

How do these images portray Society? These images portray society of being drunk and disorderly and that everyone is out looking like an idiotic every weekend and they do not care about littering or looking a fool. His work has been designed to portray society in a humour way, not in a way to humiliate Britain and Wales.
How do these images portray stereotypes?

These images portray the stereotype of drunk distortedly members of society and that they get up to no good. The stereotypes portray a negative look on a stunning and interesting piece of work. I like how people with no care will think what a bunch of idiots that are drunk while people will understand and look at his work in a different context of it being a laugh.

What did Maciej want the viewers to get out of the book?

I simply want them to enjoy the book, have a good time going through it. I want them to be amused, sad, shocked and laughing. I want a full gamut of emotions, as it is what you get on a weekend night in Cardiff or any other British town. I want people not only to appreciate single images but also to find connection between pictures, all these little stories hidden there.  (Kim, 2012)

This shows that he wanted people to want to connect with his book, unlike the Daily Mail who calls his project a sham and people going like ‘This where our taxes are going.” I believe that this book has been done to make people connect with what goes in the town late at night. Most people do not believe this because we do not go out and get drunk.

What is the context? The context of his work was to show the fun in Cardiff after dark and to show what problems can occur when people have too much to drink. His context was never to give the City of Cardiff a bad name but show that we need to relax but drink sensibly.

How have news companies portrayed this?

I have researched two big news companies the Guardian, Daily Mail and BBC news I will be showing below the Title or Subtitle from their websites

The Guardian,  (O'Hagan, 2012) 

Cardiff After Dark by Maciej Dakowicz
The Polish-born photographer's epic study of Cardiff nightlife is a hymn to camaraderie and pleasure-seeking`

This heading is explicit with it saying that what the work is about and who is the artist. The subheading is briefly explaining about the information relating to Maciej work. The heading is not rude and is not judgemental against Maciej.

Because of the subject matter of these photographs – the ways in which young people choose to enjoy themselves to excess on a Saturday night – you could say that Cardiff After Dark is a visual essay about Britain's binge-drinking culture. If you were you so inclined, you could even view it as a snapshot of what has gone wrong with Britain since deference and good manners gave way to lack of respect and vulgarity. "Captured on our streets by a foreign lens, the shaming images that turned Britain into a laughing stock," ran a Daily Mail headline from September 2011, which managed to shoot the messenger and fume about this nation's disgrace.

This paragraph shows the problem that news companies are trying to get on their political perspective on his work. The Observer has been a lot kinder to the Maciej’s work compared to the mail because they see him trying to create a fun and happy location and shots.

Daily Mail (Hardman, 2011) 

Captured on our streets by a foreign lens, shaming images that turned Britain into a laughing stock

This headline was designed to roast and ridicule Maciej, as the Daily mail does not agree with the shots he has done. The quotes below show how the problem is what I see coming from this editor’s point of view and that he believes that he is not being patriotic to the UK and it is explicitly clear that the laughs are patronising.

Around 50 of these images were presented at the prestigious festival on a giant screen. The critics lapped them up.
 ‘The reaction was very positive,’ says Dakowicz. ‘The audience was laughing.  They were making fun of British people.’
 No doubt they were.
 The nation, which was once regarded as a buttoned-up bunch of repressive in bowler hats, is now a land of incontinent alcoholics.  Spiffing, eh?

The main reason why the Daily mail ridiculed him is that he is Polish, and they won't make it look like he is trying to take the mick out of Wales. The Mail wanted to have a negative view of how he has shown his work because they do not want the UK to look like a drunken Country.

BBC News (BBC News, 2012). 

Cardiff After Dark nightlife photos go on show  
Sometimes surreal, sometimes controversial - Dakowicz says he has tried to capture Cardiff nightlife. A controversial collection of a photo depicting Cardiff nightlife is going on show in the city for the first time.
The BBC’s point of view is that they have no option apart from that they are telling the reader about what it has not got a lot of support and people do not like the style Maciej has done it.
Do these articles change my opinion?

Overall these articles do not change my opinion overall after reading the Mail I agree that it is not patriotic but Maciej only wanted to document the truth. I believe that if he did not include the location and just showed the shots the reaction would not be this dramatic. I loved looking at his work as it made me laugh but I believe he wanted to show a problem with alcohol.

Bibliography

BBC News, 2012. Cardiff After Dark nightlife photos go on the show. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-19936135
[Accessed 15 12 2019].

Dakowicz, M., 2012. Cardiff After Dark. [Online]
Available at: http://www.maciejdakowicz.com/cardiff-after-dark/
[Accessed 15 12 2019].

Hardman, R., 2011. Captured on our streets by a foreign lens, shaming images that turned Britain into a laughing stock. [Online]
Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2040260/Maciej-Dakowicz-Cardiff-After-Dark-binge-drinking-images-turned-Britain-laughing-stock.html
[Accessed 15 12 2019].

Kim, E., 2012. Interview with Maciej Dakowicz on his “Cardiff After Dark” book Published by Thames & Hudson. [Online]
Available at: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2012/10/10/interview-with-maciej-dakowicz-on-his-cardiff-after-dark-book-published-by-thames-hudson/
[Accessed 15 12 2019].

O'Hagan, S., 2012. Cardiff After Dark by Maciej Dakowicz. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/sep/30/cardiff-after-dark-maciej-dakowicz
[Accessed 15 12 2019].

The Welsh "go to town" -polskieradio, n.d. The Welsh "go to town". [Online]
Available at: https://www.polskieradio.pl/10/216/Artykul/769423,Zwyciezcy-Milacha-biora-wszystko