The Event

Another year over for the Welshampton bonfire, so how did it go?  The simple answer is, very well indeed!  It’s amazing how things can seem to change in just one day.  I know I wasn’t alone in feeling that the event had run it course and that this would very probably be the last one, in fact Cathy and me had made our minds up (collectively, as you do) that it would be our last one regardless.  And then the was the bonfire itself on Saturday night.  The event was great, all went well.  The weather looked a bit iffy in the afternoon and Mary our music maestro looked far from happy with the music stage as it tried it’s best to do an impression of a sailing ship.  Thankfully the wind died down.

The music, drumming and Frippets were all great.  The puppets were stunning and worked really well in with a crowd that was a manageable size this year.  The feeling that lots was going on all at once was great, music, circus acts, fire juggling, large puppets, drumming… all leading to the Haunted House itself.

The house looked quite stunning when lit and the shadow puppets within the windows worked great.  Fireworks (as ever) were a joy to watch and the burn was a good one.

As for me, I enjoyed it.  As usual the photography of anything like this is a bit manic and you just can’t get everything as there’s so much going on. Lots of thinking on your feet and wiping the lens hoping that the drizzle didn’t turn into all out rain.  I missed the circus acts which I was gutted about and so have no shots of that at all but am happy with most of what I got.  I think the shot I’m happiest with from the evening is one of the large puppet walking off into the smoke from the fire-cans

At the de-brief there was a feeling that this year the crowds had been the right size and so not shouting about the event had been the right thing to do.  I was also felt that this shouldn’t be allowed to fade away and I agree.  Even though I went into this year feeling it was more from duty than enthusiasm I have come away feeling like I want to be more involved again!

Here are a few of the photo’s of how it all looked

A mixed bag for me…

The whole Welshampton bonfire ‘thing’ seems to be in full swing now.  The build is looking good and there’s lots going on.  As ever there seems to be little time and lots to do but I’m sure all will be well in the end.  I has been  mixed bag for me this year in many ways though.  The build is interesting as ever and the workshops are all fun but somehow it seems very distant.

The lack of social meetings has taken a lot of the fun out of it for me this year.  Most of the meetings seem to to be short affairs that are before workshops and start way to early  (for me 6.30pm is wayyyy to early.  By the time I’ve got in in from work, grabbed something to eat and got out again anyway).  From the meetings I have been able to get to they have been rushed through due to starting the workshop, with a general feel of getting things done quickly and a lack of fun.  For me one of the big parts of the Bommy Commy meetings was going to the pub and discussing it all.  Talking and letting idea’s evolve and grow as the event got nearer and nearer.  Generally getting together and all the banter that a night in the pub with lots of different idea’s will cause.  Shame that seems to have gone this year.  The ‘old system’ of many meetings in a pub also meant most people had a good idea of what was going on which brings me to one of the other things that’s a bit distant form me this year.  After the Phoenix last year we all seemed to agree that the format needed to change and that the characters and story telling was generally lost on the audience and so perhaps we should re-think it.  This year there were a few discussions about story telling and my understanding was that we had all agreed to not do that this year…

Enter the story of the little girl and the postman…

Where did that appear from?  I know I’ve not been to all the meetings but I know I’m not the only one that has very little idea of what is happening on the night.  I now feel that whatever happens on the night happens and that’s fine as it all has so little to do with me.  It’s an unfortunate way to feel but that’s more about me being disillusioned with it all than with the event itself I think.

Anyway, enough of my whining and bitching and onto a few pic’s of how it’s all going so far!

The House takes shape…

The build has been moving on and the Haunted House is now starting to take shape.  There is some really good wood to work with this year which is good but there is also a noticeable lack of people.  Seems a little quite down on the field, fewer people and less banter, not that I can complain as I’ve not been able to find a huge amount of time myself.

To try and round up a few willing bodies Janet has sent an email around to all the usual suspects to see if anyone can spare some time this weekend, lets see what happens.  I’ll certainly be down there for one day (maybe more but I’m not sure as yet)…

Drumming workshop tonight and I have to admit I’ve not learned the drumming set we were asked to  (tut).  I don’t know how many other people will have but I’m sure it’ll be fine…

Some gloomy looking sky’s above the build last weekend but we managed to avoid the rain.

Workshops

Last week was the first of the workshops for the Welshampton Bonfire.  This year we have decided to drop the lantern workshops as we have done them year after year and it was suggested we do some ‘lighting sculptures’.  This is building sculptures with newspaper, wood, glue and sticky hands quickly.  There wasn’t a huge turn out considering the first one was for adults who will then bring their kids along this week.
For those of us that were there it was good fun though!  We are building gargoyles for the haunted house!

After a quick informative run through from Tony and Mary (and the enlightening discovery for Richard that after 30 years in the business, news paper does indeed only tear one way)  we all get to screwing up sticky newspaper and sticking it to pieces of wood and trying to get the general idea in head to look at least something like the sticky newspaper thing in hand!

The taiko drumming workshops have now started as well.  There was a very good turn out for this and I have to say it was great.  I normally don’t take part in any of the performance due to photographing the event on the night but really wanted to have a go at this and am so glad I did.  It’s great fun!

OK, so it’s right-left left-right… right-left-right-left-right (and left arm in the air)…  etc.  Oooh hang on no, it’s left-right left-right (arms in the air)… left-right left-right (arms in the air)…   bugger I’m lost!

The bonfie build begins!

The build for the Welshampton bonfire has now begun.  After much changing and chopping of themes from Fairgrounds to myths and lighthouses to settling eventually on a Haunted House theme we begin!  The plans look really fantastic and the build itself should be one that most of the people involved can work on as it at a reasonably low level compared to some of the taller structures we have built in the past where only a few people at a time can work on it as it gets higher and higher.  This years build also looks to be less ’sculptural’ in structure but leans more towards  ‘theatre set’ and will make much more use of detailed painting and shadow puppets than we usually have done.  This I feel is mainly due to a change of artistic director for the event and of course everyone brings their own vision and skills to it.

If I’m honest I have to admit I feel a little bit out of touch with it all this year.  Meetings seem to be fewer and over quicker and there’s less of a social element (for me anyway).  I don’t know at the moment how I feel about the whole event but then this could be as much that there is a whole lot of other things going on at the moment in life which leave me feeling a bit melancholy but that should all sorted out soon (for anyone that doesn’t know what I’m on about don’t ask)!

Unfortunately Cathy and me could only make the Saturday but for a first day it seemed to go well.  Anyway, enough of my prattle and on to some photo’s…

As the day went on it did get quite windy but apart from that the weather was ok (on the Saturday at least).

This year Phil Barrett is around and about as he’s using the event and some of the people involved as one of the subjects for his lens media degree.  He was also good enough to help with the moving of wood and pallets on trailers from one end of the field to where the build is (good man that he is).  Will be interesting to see what he comes up with.

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Using Cremorne Gardens

Cremorne gardens in Ellesmere seems like a very under used space and as the whole front of the Mere including the gardens has been given a re-vamp lately it’s now good to see it getting some use.

The Hit and Run Art Show was a great event for Ellesmere.  It was something put together by Phill Evans and a friend of his and was based from art shop/gallery ‘SPACE’ in Ellesmere.  For those that don’t know SPACE is a charitable set-up which allows local artists to display and sell work for a small percentage which then goers to the charity, everyone’s happy.  There is a great range of mediums in there from sculpture, paintings, glassware, fabrics, photography prints (yes, there are a few of mine in there).  The Hit and Run art show was an outdoor art fair in cremorne Gardens by the Mere, the weather was good, there were over 50 artists displaying work and plenty of interest from the public (a few sales too)!

There has also been the ‘Party in the Park’ where the British Philharmonic Orchestra played by the Mere in aid of Save the Children.  It really does make me think that cremorne gardens is so under used and could be a really good place for events and fairs etc in the future.
Unfortunately the event was under subscribed and lost money but it was the first one staged there.  I gather there will be one next year and I only hope it grows.  For those of us that where there (which was all the usual suspects), a good time was had by all.

Looking back at Bonfire photo’s…

After my last post I found myself looking through the past few years photo’s of the Bonfire and builds and a couple of things struck me.  Firstly my photography has improved over the past few years years without doubt (I don’t mean that like it’s something wonderful now, more that it was just crap then!) and secondly that I have taken more photo’s of the build over the past couple of years then before.  I think this year I want to have a good go at documenting it and the people that make it happen.

As I looked through the folders of photo’s I have I have picked a few images out of the people that make this all happen.  Not in any order of relevance or importance.  Just images that made me smile or made me remember being there when they were taken.  Looking through these has inspired me to try and do a decent job of capturing it all.

So, for anyone not involved in the bonfire you can expect to see more of these fine people here!  For those of you that are involved in the bonfire, you can expect a camera pointed at you pretty soon!

The Bonfire so far (and we’ve only just started)!

Seems to be an interesting year already for goings on with the Welshampton Bonfire. We are having meetings waaaay earlier than normal as changes are afoot! The committee had all agreed that this year should be different.  This coincided with a change of artistic lead (Gav stepping aside due to commitments and his Dad Tony stepping up) has meant the there is lots going on.

We had originally thought that we would do a multi installation event on a Fairground theme with a smaller build, there was much discussion about changing this to an evolutionary theme telling the tale of the ‘last of their kind’ which met some resistance (of which I may have been a bit too vocal, sorry Tony, certainly no offence meant). Now we are looking at another theme change due to the lack of numbers that we would need to run multiple installations and the constraints of the space available.  And an interesting theme it is!

I have to admit that I have had some mixed feelings this year about the event. It’s something I’ve been involved in for the past six years and I have no major responsibilities as generally I’m the one photographicly capturing the event which as far as I’m concerned is a fun evening. With this in mind I had found myself wondering how much I wanted to be involved this year but I have heard plans emerge which are up for discussion next week for another theme and build that have really grabbed my interest

I also have to admit that I always have this urge to want to capture and document the event. Not just the performance but the people that make it happen. The meetings, the workshops, the build, everything. I feel it’s important that someone should be documenting this and as I have the opportunity to do this at each stage I want to do it.

I have done this more and more each year and (so far) no one has objected. I know not everyone enjoys a camera being pointed at them but I think everyone knows I’m going to be lurking with a camera and so just gives me a damn good ignoring (or pulls silly faces of course)!

It’s the committee’s AGM this Monday and then it onwards we go!

Let the event coverage begin!

The ‘Big Lunch’

We were invited to a ‘Big Lunch’ in Welshampton last weekend which had been organised by Mary Keith, a friend of ours.  Even though we now live in Ellesmere I gather that as we once lived in Welshampton that means our Welshampton passports are still valid!

The event was lovely and just as this kind of thing should be, a good social event with lots of good food, a few drinks and a good deal of laughter.  Even the classic British summer rain couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm (although it did find it’s way through the gazebo in a few places)!
I really like this kind of thing and thought the ‘Big Lunch’ idea was great.  Welshampton is one of those little gems of a village that has a great social side to it but on that note now that I’ve turned forty I feel it is my social duty to grumble about society today and so here we go; there just doesn’t seem to be enough of these kind of things going on today.  Social event where everyone contributes and people just enjoy other peoples company.  We are happy to Facebook our way around the globe but don’t take the time to know the people around us (mutter, grumble, mumble)…
When we got there Mary asked me to take a few photo’s of the event and I happened to have the camera with me (no surprise there then).  Once I had taken a couple of group photo’s I spent a bit of time taking some candid’s (in between the important business of eating, drinking and general joviality) which is a nice thing to do.

I like the challenge of taking a decent candid portrait of people that you enjoy being around, to try to capture what it is that you find interesting about them.  It’s all the more interesting and challenging as a good deal of them don’t like having their picture taken anyway!

All in all I think a big thank you to Mary Keith is needed for organising this lovely social event
Thanks Mary.

Painting with Light

I have been playing around with light painting a bit more over the past few months.  It’s one of those photography techniques that can be useful once in a while but takes a bit of practice.  Light painting can be done in two different ways, either using a torch to ‘paint’ and highlight something that is in the shot during a long exposure or having a torch (or other light source) in front of the camera moving which ‘paints’ lines of light onto the frame during a long exposure.  My first attempt at this was lighting a fireplace in a derelict farm house.  The room was just about completely dark with all the windows boarded up and I wanted the room to stay pretty dark and just pick out the interesting fireplace.  After several attempts at different shutter speeds between 20 and 30 seconds here it is…

My next attempt was at another little Urbex outing at a derelict Pub.  This one is a mixture of remote flash and light painting of an old Safe.  I can’t take all the credit for this as the other photographer I was with (Alex Taylor) suggested lighting the inside of the Safe with a remote flash and I just though light painting around the safe would add to this.  This is where I find myself on my knees trying to frame a shot in a pitch black dusty cellar with no light source but a torch… ahhh the joy of Urbexing!
Another remote flash shot from the same outing was a cold store room.  The remote flash inside the cold store and lighting the doorway.

On a different scale altogether was a a trip out with the Shropshire Community photography group to Jodrell Bank radio telescope.  There were several attempts at this shot and this was my best of the night.  The sun had just gone down and lighting the Lovell Telescope (which is huge) was done by painting the structure with two high power hand held lights which were moving all over the telescope for the duration of the 30 second shot.  There are some lights at the base of the telescope but the main structure was lit by these two torches alone (thank Steve)!  To put the telescope into some scale you have to remember that the control tower structure on the top the ‘leg’ to the right is in effect the size of a three story building!

Finally here is an example of the other kind of light painting, the type that paints lines of light onto the image.  This one was taken for the Shropshire Community monthly photographic theme ‘Painting with light’ and basically involved my walking around the field behind my house swinging a torch around at arms length at sundown.

As you do!

Here we go again!

We have had an early meeting this year for the Welshampton Bonfire as after last years event there were a few things that we all felt needed changing this year. The most important change was the number of people! Last year around 4,000 people turned up which we all agree was wayyyyy to many. The question is how do we limit the numbers this year? How do we make it a smaller event again? It is a free event and for lots of reasons we want to keep it that way so the idea of charging to get in was put to one side early on. It’s not as easy as you’d think just keeping quiet about it either. The local radio and papers get in touch with us asking what we are going to do without asking and word of mouth has meant that we have become a success beyond anything we had planned for or expected!

This event ‘could’ become something big, a true ‘festival’ of fire that attracts a whole spectrum or interesting people and performance artists but none of us wants this. When it boils down to it there are about 10 or 15 people that organise this and none of us wants to be responsible for that kind of event. We all agree we need to scale it down but also not try not to lose the essence of what makes it good.

As a group we seem to have differing ideas about what is ideal, for me around 2,000 to 2.500 is about right. A good sized crowd but not getting out of control!

The other major change that has been discussed is the format of the event. After several years it is felt within the group that a change in the format of the event is about due. So with this in mind we are looking at multi-installations and fire jugglers and singers and still having a large sculptural build as a finale this year.

So, in true Welshampton style, this year it seems the plan to keep the numbers down is to be put on an event that will have more to see, more interesting things going on the field and entertaining things to do, a multi-installation event that will still have the big sculptural bonfire and big fireworks too.

Oh dear, here we go again!

Conformity…

I have been thinking lately about conformity.  This has been set off by a recent discussion with a friend about the street artist Banksy.  Now I’ll be honest, I like Banksy.  I like the stencilled ‘look’ and I really like the social commentary in a lot of it.  Some if it may be lacking in subtlety but this is street art (and so in many ways is modern day pop art and shares much with Andy Warhol’s works).  I did like the anonymity of it, art that appeared over night created by a secret artist.  There’s something very cool about that.  So does it matter that he’s no longer a secret artist?  That one of the tabloids felt the need to expose him and that he is in fact a middle class guy in his forty’s and not some hardened street rebel?  Not to me it doesn’t.

The real problem for many people is how Banksy has gone about what he does.  I guess there’s no getting away from it, a lot of what he’s done is illegal and to some people is nothing better that vandalism, but somehow I feel you’ve just got to love it.  It’s art that provokes a reaction, art that says something, art that is a two fingered salute to the establishment.

It’s art that is not conformist.  I’m happy with that!

More of Banksy here and here

Banksy’s recent exhibition in Bristol

Directions & Derelicts

Ever since the end of last year I have found landscape photography draws me in less and less, I have also been finding myself drawn to derelict buildings more and more for some reason that I can’t put my finger on. There’s just something about the light you get in derelict buildings and the colours too that I find I really want to photograph. They fascinate me in many ways, seeing the way nature moves back in when left to her own devices and the evidence of habitation from long ago that can still remains in these places. So for the moment at least, derelict buildings it is!
I am starting to produce images I’m happy with but still feel there is much more that I can do to make them better. I’m starting to use remote flash more and have been experimenting with light painting. So far I have only visited reasonably small places, the cottages and abandoned farmhouses that Shropshire seems to have an abundance and feel I’m just scraping the surface.
Here’s a few I’m happy with and the reasons I like them.
There will be more to follow in this and other area’s of photography…

This is the kind of thing I’m aiming for, colours, textures, light and shadows;

One of the things I like about urbex is the textures you find, plaster, paintwork and time do wonderful things when left to the elements.

Love the light that you find in these places, the possibility of finding little pools of colour and light in every room.

This one on the left is a little more experimental, an old safe found in a small abandoned Pub cellar. The room was completely dark and the image is lit with remote flash inside the safe and light painting with a torch around the safe during a 20 second exposure.

I also find stairs can be very interesting subjects in derelict buildings (in more ways than one)!

This is the doorway at the top of the stairs in the image above taken from the top of the stairs. That light and colour again.

Finally a self portrait taken in a derelict Pub. This is a combination of two shots as the light was much brighter in the second room that I am stood in.

Uploaded the images!

At last I have uploaded the images to the Welshampton Website and here they are!
The Welshampton Bonfire 2008: The Firebird.

Hope everyone that came enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed making it happen!

Capturing the event

Once the dust has settled and we all move on it’s still a busy time for me (in some ways the busiest). I have several hundred images to look through and ‘work up’ and the website to update but it’s all coming along.
The event went very well, there were issues in design, planning and performance but I’m sure the audience had a good time and that’s the whole point of this event. For myself it had it problems, mainly the rain. If it looks like rain next year I’m going to have to get a rain cover for the camera as it got a damn good soaking at the top stage (but seems none the worse for it). The loan of a fishing umbrella earlier in the day (thanks Derek) was a great help for capturing the main stage area. Anyway, enough of this, here’s an image of the event to start with, lots more to follow!