From 1973 to 1974 my first real photographic employment was with an aerial photography company (no I didn’t get to go in the planes) in Hertfordshire run by a handful of ex RAF chaps – the last cohort to do National Service and who couldn’t quite leave flying behind them. The business was to take (uninvited) black and white aerial photographs of people’s houses, generally in affluent areas, followed up by a visit to the owners from a charming salesman who would show a black and white photographic proof and invite them to purchase, at considerable cost, a hand tinted, 20″ x 16″ canvas mounted print. The customers only got to see this unsettling Continue reading
Author Archives: Liz Milner
Slow photography
Contact print from 6″ x 8″ view camera negative. Bradford on Avon Tithe Barn 1974
How long does it take, now, to take a photograph of say, an architectural gem, a skateboarder, or a moonlit river, and be able to see the outcome? Turn on the camera, find your subject, aim the lens in the right direction, press the shutter. You might remember to focus, look at the shutter speed or check for camera shake, but it’ll probably be OK even if you don’t. Then you can view the result – a positive (as opposed to negative) image, in just a few seconds, and for imperceptible cost – a real bonus for everyone in austerity world. But this ease, speed and low cost has led to the constant assault of digital imagery we’re exposed to every waking hour. I’ve recently come across some of the images I’ve taken during a lifetime working in Continue reading
Days out – Between the Tides
Framing the Bristol Channel – and some Europeans
As a Local Journeys associate I spent a stimulating and enjoyable two and bit days recently in the company of some fascinating and lovely people from the Netherlands, Germany and UK after Local Journeys was invited by Antony Lyons and Owain Jones to join some of the activity they’d arranged locally for ‘Between the Tides’ – a cross-disciplinary research and exchange project focusing on Tidal Cultures. It’s a joint project with the Universities of the West of England and Groningen but includes visual and sonic artists, theatre makers, Continue reading
Encounters Festival 2013 – Film Journalism Workshop
Just spent an intensely productive workshop week with a lovely team of aspiring young film journalists, photographers and filmmakers from Estonia, France and the UK at the wonderful Encounters Film Festival at Watershed and Arnolfini.
This was the second time this workshop has run at Encounters and I was involved last year too, but on this occasion we had added Europeans – thanks to a Youth in Action grant! Their mission was to cover all aspects of the Festival, from their own perspectives, through the production of 3 ‘dailies’ and a blog, all in English – I have huge admiration for Continue reading
Industrial photo excursions
I’ve always been drawn to industrial processes, if only visually – I’m partial to cogs and gearwheels, cranes and grids! (Margaret Bourke-White was an early influence.) So I’ve enjoyed a couple of visits with a camera recently to some gritty, grainy, slimy and atmospheric locations – a tannery using traditional methods to convert animal hides to leather, and Bristol Foundry where some plaster hands were transformed into aluminium sculptures to be inserted into decorative railings in Weston-super-Mare (the first stage of this process can be seen on this post). There are further photographs from both venues over on flickr (tannery and the foundry) but my relationship with this type of work goes back Continue reading
Wildlife Safari 2 – into the night
Local Journeys‘ second Wildlife Safari (see previous post about the first one) took place in the Ham Green area on 31st August and proved to be very popular with families. As part of the Local Journeys team I’d helped with organising and documenting the event, as well as preparing some moths – they had to be warned that Continue reading
World of Small – Portishead
On a sweltering hot day in mid July, Local Journeys, with support from Avon Wildlife Trust, took 60 children plus teachers and helpers from Portishead Primary School on a visit of investigation and imagination to Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve. This was part of another World of Small project – a complete contrast to the first one in Pill during the November 2012 flooding! The bird hide made a pleasantly shady temporary sculpture studio, while pond-dipping and explorations around Continue reading
A return to the origins of photography
Cyanotypes and ‘plant diary’ on display at the Lamplighter’s Marsh Riverside Festival
Although I’ve been aware of the cyanotype process since college days I’d never actually made any work in this way until last month when, working as part of Local Journeys, we were asked to produce an intergenerational project in Shirehampton that related to the riverside nature reserve Lamplighter’s Marsh. The area is one of several that have been included in Bristol City Council’s Wild City project – encouraging local communities to Continue reading
Wildlife Safari 1
A Local Journeys bid to get kids involved and engaged with the great play and wildlife resource on their doorsteps – the fields, ponds and copses that surround our village. Understandably parents have concerns about their children being exposed to dangers but we’ve been hearing first hand from teachers and adults that many children have a real anxiety about ‘failing’, taking risks, getting dirty; all things that can help you learn how to become a fully functioning adult. Continue reading
Bristol Mayorwatch – part 2
A follow-on from the previous citizen journalism project covering the election process for Bristol’s new Mayor. This time we (myself working freelance for Watershed, and Ujima Radio) were working with a new team of young people who were enthusiastic about using radio and citizen journalism techniques to track developments in the City’s transport and economic development since George Ferguson won the election in November. The workshop programme also included coverage of the local elections. For more details see my ‘News from Elsewhere’ blog documenting the project. Continue reading
