Dunn Quite a Lot

Guess what? Turns out I can do a blog post this week. And next week. Yay for me!

As I think I’ve mentioned at least once in the last week, I am back in Queenstown to continue work on my photo story about Q-West Gallery. While I’m down here I am interviewing artists who work and exhibit at Q-West Gallery. I’ve done two interviews so far and I have found that there is a great amount of depth behind the artists here. So much so that I felt I had to write about it. But I don’t want to rabbit on too much because, well, photo story. So what to do, what to do?

I think I’ll talk a little bit about James Dunn (He prefers Jim, and I know he’s going to be reading this, so there’s this evil little voice in the back of my mind saying ‘call him James!’. But I’ll defer to the fact that he’s bigger than me and call him ‘Jim’).

Now there is a hell of a lot about Jim that I can talk about. I can talk about the fact that he is a blind sculptor and quilter and wood carver. I can talk about the fact that he has worked in television and radio and healthcare. I can talk about… man! There’s a lot to talk about! But I’ve decided to talk about the impression I got of the man during the interview.

Jim is a 53 year old man with Autism. Don’t get the significance of that? Then let me explain. Jim was an autistic child during a time when there was no distinction between autism and ‘mental retardation’, to coin the term of the day. And not only was he an autistic boy, he was a blind autistic boy. Imagine the nice little cubby hole that would have made for him in the welfare system of the day!

Jim made it plain that, for much of his formative years and into his adult life, the things people were most interested in telling him were what he couldn’t do. The focus of family, social services, educators, everyone was on Jim’s limitations, not his capabilities. And I honestly believe that was the best thing that could have happened to him. Because it motivated Jim to prove them wrong.

This blind autistic boy, at the age of eight, completed his first ever artistic work; a quilt sewn on his great grandmother’s Singer sewing machine. Crafted by a child supposedly ‘mentally retarded’ and incapable of just about anything, as decided by a fresh-faced young psychologist straight out of school with a book of definitions.

So what else has Jim done to prove the system wrong? Well there’s the 30 years of community radio, including production and hosting late night talk back. There’s the television where he was a technician, a cameraman (no joke! According to Jim he just worked the focus until it was at its least blurry. And it worked!) And he was producer/director of his own show.

Now, in Queenstown, Jim is the secretary of the local Men’s Shed, and key in the recent acquisition of funding for that shed, he is an active member of the Friday afternoon Quilting Group and of the Q-West Gallery (funnily enough). And at home he carves wood.

And this is all very interesting and makes for a compelling story and had absolutely nothing to do with why I chose to tell you about Jim. You see, when organising this interview I asked Jim to bring in some of his pieces so that I could capture images of Jim with his work. During the interview, I asked Jim to talk to me about the quilt he brought with him. It was during this description that I saw the complex and subtle mind that lay behind all the history and all the labels. I saw someone with a deeper understanding of himself and his autism than any supposedly ‘normal’ and apparently ‘healthy’ person could hope to achieve. His description of the quilt, the meaning of the colours, the nuanced design and construction, the intentional disparities all served to paint a picture for me, not of the autistic blind man, but of the highly intelligent man, the highly skilled artist, it had been my pleasure to talk with.

And that is the point I want anyone reading this to take away; look beyond the surface. Ignore what you can see, what you are told is there and what you expect to be there. Do that and you will see what is there. Jim the Autistic Blind Man is far, far more than those labels convey, but many people have allowed those labels to define him. And man, have they missed out!

Back to Queenstown for the Photo Story

You may have noticed over the last couple of posts that I keep banging on about not being home next week. That’s because I will be dog-sitting at my father’s house while the oldies are off visiting my sister and her boys. And while I’m down there I am hoping to get the rest of the leg work done for my photo story on Queenstown’s Q-West Gallery.

So far I have got some images presenting the styles of art commonly on display at the gallery, the opening event of the galleries latest exhibition and some shots of artists at work. To complete the project I still need to get interviews with some of the artists that regularly exhibit at the gallery, images of those artists at work and some portraits.  I also still want to get some shots situating the gallery in the town but, to be honest, I cannot for the life of me figure out how! You have to see the problem to understand.

For today’s post I thought I’d give you a run down on my preparations for the tasks ahead. I’ll tell you about the gear I’ll be using, my preparations for the interviews, and the challenges I expect to be facing.

Okay, let’s start with...

The Interview

I may not know much about photography but I am pretty good at conducting a research interview. And what I have found that I always need to conduct an effective interview is the right recording equipment. For me, that equipment is:

·   Rode Smartlav+ - a low-cost, high quality lapel microphone designed specifically to work with smart phones or tablets.

 -   iPhone 5S – The smart phone I happen to own at the moment. Any smart phone or tablet will do the job, so long as it has a 3.5mm jack.

·   A free Dictaphone app. The iPhone comes with a voice memo app, but I want to be sure I record everything, so an app developed specifically for this kind of use is essential. And its free, so who cares?

Put these three together and you have a rugged, dependable, go-anywhere voice recording device in a small package that will meet your interview-recording needs. Slip the phone into your subject’s pocket, clip the microphone to their lapel and away you go.

There a lot of different opinions on how to conduct an interview. The way I’m going to describe is just the one that works for me. It is an incredibly simple technique, but it does require the interviewer to be flexible and adaptable.

Step one is to decide what you want to learn during the course of your interview. For example, I am interviewing artists so I have decided there are four main topics I would like to cover with every artist and then I want to find some special or unique feature of each artist that I want to highlight. That is what I want.

Here’s the thing, though. Regardless of what you want, in a good interview the interviewer goes where the answers take him or her. Yes you have the points you want to establish, but if you allow yourself to be guided by the interviewee, you may find a far more fascinating tale to tell than your questions would ever have revealed. And, as a bonus, you will find your subject becoming far more relaxed and willing to open up. At the start of the interview your subject is going to be tense or nervous or on the defensive. Letting them be your guide through the process is an empowering gesture that helps them achieve that relaxation and a more open approach.

There is one thing you should note with my method, though. Ordinarily I would only use this as a preliminary interview in order to find topics to drill deeper into during subsequent interviews. But in this case, considering the final use to which I will be putting the information I receive, I don’t think I will need any secondary interviews. We’ll see whether I’m right, I guess.

Next:

The Artist at Work

This will be a fun, and challenging, part of my week in Queenstown. Fun because I will be photographing something new and different with every artist, in new and different environments and a range of different lighting conditions. Fun right?

The challenge comes from the fact that I will have absolutely no idea what kind of environment I will be shooting in. This is where gear choices become important. For maximum flexibility I will be taking my 70-300mm telly lens just in case I have to shoot from a distance; my 18-55mm kit lens because it is the widest piece of glass I have and I may find myself in a tight situation; my nifty fifty f1.8 for best results in low light; and my 50mm macro just in case there are some detail shots on offer. Thinking about it, I might take my extension tubes to use with the telly. You never know!

Finally:

The Portrait

This one worries me. As I think I have mentioned, I am a nature photographer. I shoot landscapes, wildlife, macro and dogs (just ‘cos’ I like dogs, you know?). I have never shot a single portrait in my life! I have taken some candid people shots, but I have never sat and posed a subject in a formal portrait-type situation. I mean, look at my gear! I have just listed every lens I own for you, and none of them seem really suited to portraiture.

But here’s what I’m thinking (and if you have a better idea, please let me know!); my best options are the 50mm f1.8 or the 70-300mm. Mounted on my D3200 the 50mm becomes a 75mm (1.5x crop) giving me that little bit of compression and, with a fast aperture, it gives me a bit more flexibility with light. On the other hand, the 70-300mm gives me more compression but, with its variable aperture, it makes finding correct exposure for the lighting (whatever that may be) a little more interesting. And just to add a bit more complication, the kit lens might be the best choice because, to get the artist with their work, I’m looking at something more like an environmental portrait, meaning I’ll want fit more in the frame. Gee I love not knowing what I’m doing! And let’s just crank up the complication a little further, shall we? I don’t have flashes, nor does anyone I know, nor would I know what to do with one if I did, so it’s available-light portraiture for me. Oi!

So that’s where I am with my photo story. If anyone has experience with portrait shoots please, please, pleeaassee give me some tips. And, as always, if anyone has questions, comments or suggestions, or just wants to share their own experiences, there is a comments section just down there ↓ so go for it!

 As always, I hope you enjoyed the read!

Please check out my portfolio at:

https://bobcartledgephotography.myportfolio.com/

You can also find me at:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+BobCartledge

https://www.facebook.com/bob.cartledge.758

https://www.flickr.com/photos/152458661@N05/

https://www.instagram.com/bobcartledgephoto/

And I am @BobCartPhoto on Twitter

Communication

As I mentioned in Wednesday’s post, last weekend saw the start of work on my photo story about Q-West Gallery, Queenstown. I had been assured by my super-secret contact that all individuals involved had agreed to participate in my little project. All was in readiness for my arrival.

Said arrival occurred on the day before the opening of the gallery’s latest exhibition – a collection of sculptures by regional artists. I headed to the gallery to get a few shots of the final stages of the preparation for the opening event. I stepped in, greeted those people I had already met, was introduced to others, and prepared to shoot. I surveyed the scene, found my first shot, raised the camera to my eye and *CLICK*.

“Did you just take a photo of me?” came the indignant cry.

“Yes,” I replied, somewhat nonplussed. “It’s for my project. You do know about my project, don’t you?” (Okay, so it’s not verbatim, but its close enough. I’m only misquoting myself, the other line is 100% accurate!)

The reply to my question came in the form of blank stares and puzzled glances. It turned out that no one had seen my proposal nor did they know anything about it. Upon investigation I discovered that my contact had run it briefly past one person who thought it was an okay idea.

It was about this time I popped my cork.

I had sent the proposal through to my contact and asked that he share it with everyone involved specifically so that everyone was aware of what was going to occur and could decide whether or not they wanted to participate. My contact assured me that he would do exactly that. He didn’t do exactly that, or anything like that. So... POP!

But I am a big boy and knew that it would not be appropriate or dignified to throw a tantrum in the middle of the gallery. Instead, I went for a walk and muttered under my breath, gesticulating wildly. Having people think I was a lunatic was okay, so long as I didn’t lose my dignity.

On my walk, once I managed to calm myself, I realised that the whole situation was my fault. So where did I go wrong?

Point 1: I made assumptions. I assumed that my contact understood why I had written the proposal and why I required all relevant parties to read and approve my proposal. I assumed my contact had passed on my proposal and, when he replied that there was agreement, I assumed that he had done as I asked. And, rather foolishly, I assumed that the rapid response (one to two days – I know! I know!) was due to excitement over my idea.

Point 2: I didn’t create a paper trail. I should have included a disclaimer or form or something for those who read the proposal to sign and return, acknowledging that they had read the document and agreed to participate in my project.

Point 3: I should have taken model release forms to Queenstown with me and had them available should the need have arisen.

I got back from my little walk, put my camera away and set about helping with the final set up and clean of the gallery in preparation for the exhibition. After a while the number of people at the gallery lessened and, importantly, the person who had objected to being photographed left. I took out my camera once more and, careful not to photograph anyone, I set about documenting the gallery and the art on display.

Later in the day, when the opportunity arose, I sat down with my super-secret contact and we discussed why the proposal was so important. I outlined for him the ways in which the images would be used, why such usage might require informed consent and the potential legal repercussions for me if such consent was not explicitly given, even if only verbally (I’m going to do some research into Australian laws that apply to photography and write a post about that some time soon.) At the end of the conversation my contact agreed to take a copy of the proposal to the gallery in order to get some explicit consent coming my way.

The next day I went down to the gallery to see if anyone had seen the proposal and what their responses were. Happily, everyone that read the document agreed to participate, even expressing a level of enthusiasm or excitement at the prospect. Just in time for the opening event of the exhibition I had verbal, explicit consent to start my photographic project. I got some great images of the crowd attending, the art on display, and the artists themselves (I’ve shared some of them here). And only 36 hours after I intended to start shooting.

I suppose the problem, ultimately, stems from the fact that I assumed I could bypass best practice, dodge all the paperwork and just shoot. I figured the identity of my super-secret contact (if you don’t know read my post about Queenstown) and his position within the gallery was a neat work-around. Nope! I should have done it right the first time.

So where to from here?

I’ll be heading back to Queenstown around the end of this month; ostensibly I’ll be there to dog sit for my parents, but I’m also going to use the time to get some one-on-one time with each artist. Hopefully I’ll get to interview them, get some nice portraits and some shots of them at work on some project or another.

Before then, I have some work to do. I’m going to get online and find a model release form I can tailor to my needs, as well as an appropriate document to get signed by the gallery officers, thus giving me official permission to shoot. I’ll take these with me on my next visit and start making a paper trail for myself.

I’m going about this all backwards, I know. And I am paying for it. I mean, think about this; because I don’t have anything in writing giving me permission for my project, the gallery is well within its rights to say “We changed our minds, you can’t do it.” and then I’ll be sh*t out of luck. Time, money and effort wasted.

So how am I going to sum this one up? What am I taking away from all this? I guess it comes down to one word:

COMMUNICATION

If I had communicated my intentions clearly to my super-secret contact I wouldn’t have had to go through all the drama that stopped me from shooting. But it’s more than that.

I shouldn’t have left it to my contact to pass on my proposal. It wasn’t his job to communicate my ideas and wishes, it was mine. I should have communicated with each member of the gallery individually and provided them each with their own copies of the proposal to study and consider. Then, before even taking my camera out of my bag, I should have gone to each member with the ‘permission slip’ (for want of a better term) and got signatures on paper. Then I could take photos. But I’d have release forms with me just in case I needed them!

That’s what should have happened from the start, and what is going to happen from now on – with this and every other project from now on.

Has anyone else out there had a similar experience? What did you do? What would you have done in my place? How do you go about preparing for a shoot? Share your thoughts and experiences; I’d love to hear from you...

Time to Start a Photo Story!

You may remember a few posts ago I told you about shooting in Queenstown. I went to Q-West Gallery and had a look around, took some photos... remember? Good! Now, do you remember I said I wasn’t done with the gallery and I would be going back?

Well, I had a chat with my super-secret contact at the gallery, during which we discussed the possibility of my doing a photo story about the gallery, its art and its artists. He said the members would possibly be amenable, so I sent down a proposal for the members to peruse and I waited.

It only took a couple of days to an answer. And that answer was? Put it this way; this weekend, I’m going back to Q-West Gallery to start work on a new project! Woohoo!

“What’s the project?” I hear you ask? Well, in broad strokes, the project is an exploration of Q-West Gallery; its life, its personalities, what it means to the members and what it means to the artists in the region.

Blog-wise this means you will be getting updates on the progress of my project as when there is actually progress. I can’t tell you how often I’ll be doing this, or even promise you any kind of regularity, because progress will depend not only on my schedule, but also the schedule of the gallery and the artists. And for a project like this, trying to coordinate a comparatively large group of people over a period of weeks or months is, I can assure you, akin to the herding of domestic felines. But there will be posts, I promise!

How about I start the ball rolling by telling you what the plan is for this weekend?

I sat down to think about exactly that today and the first thing that occurred to me is that every story has a setting. Be it a house or a space ship or a desert island, there must be a location in which the story can occur. So part of this weekend will be dedicated to establishing the location for this story. First I’ll get a nice wide shot encompassing Queenstown, the town in which the gallery resides, and the valley it rests in. Then I want to show where the gallery sits in relation to the town centre. From there I want to show an exterior view of the gallery, then go inside and tour around the gallery floor, following the path a gallery visitor may take. My thinking is that, by taking the audience on the journey to, and through, the gallery I will be taking the audience into the story with me. I’m also thinking about maybe getting a couple of images of the actual journey from my place in Somerset to Queenstown, but I’m not sure. What do you think? Please comment below or email me at bobcartledgephoto@gmail.com if you have any thoughts.

Anyway... Where was I? Oh, yes, I was in Queenstown at Q-West Gallery. And this weekend is a great time to be there; for me and for anyone in the in the west, northwest, north, east or south of Tasmania at the time! Why? Because this weekend is the opening of an exhibition of pottery and ceramic art by artists of the region.

I have been invited to the opening Gala on the 28^th of October, at which I have been given permission to photograph the evening. This will give me the opportunity to document one of the essential ways Q-West Gallery, and indeed all galleries, interact with the community. I’m hoping I will be able to get some interesting images of guests engaging with the art pieces and with the artists who created them so as to give a sense of the dynamism of the gallery. I prefer to record dynamic images where possible. I don’t mean images that make the audience go “Wow!”, I mean images that give the audience a sense life or motion or something that says, “This is a moment in time – a small part of a greater whole. There is more going on that what you see here.” Does this make any sense? Hopefully you will get the idea when the images from this shoot are finally published.

(Of course, you could always go to https://bobcartledgephotography.myportfolio.com/ to see the sort of images I like. There are links to my Google+, Facebook, Flickr and Instagram on the site. Hint, hint!)

This project will be quite a challenge for me. You see, I haven’t really done much people photography. I have taken some candid shots, a couple of which I think turned out alright (my favourite is over there!) but I’ve never set out to really capture the human experience. It should be interesting to see how well I do. My prediction is that I will absolutely nail it, get excellent portraits and truly stun the photographic world with my skill and expertise. OR I’m gonna screw it up royally and never be allowed into Queenstown again. OR I’ll do alright for my first try, I’ll learn a lot about photography and portraiture, and my I will develop new skills.

I’m expecting it to be the last one.

That’s where I am at the moment, and where I’m heading. Where are you? What have you got planned? What have you just completed? Share your experiences with me; share your blog or your site with me – I’d love to see your work!