Unit 10- Engaging with an Audience | Time changing.
For this project I will be comparing how the times have changed in Southport and I will do this by showing how Southport used to look in the time period of 1970-2019 I will be using old photographs of Southport that can be found on Google and to show the change in time I will be going out and photographing what that certain location looks like now for example I will be using an old photograph of Lord Street then I will go out and photograph what that part of Lord Street looks like now, I will then write a part about what they were decades ago and I will write about what they are now, if they are still in use a long with what they used to be used as or what they used to be.
Audiences in photography.
Exhibitions- By showing your work in an exhibition it is a way of self-advertising and a way of "getting your name out there", by showing your photographs in person people who see it will know who you are and by presenting your photographs in person people who view it will be able to see the quality of your photographs and can ask you any questions they have.
Advertising-billboards/ magazines- By using Billboards as a way of advertising people will see it when they are either walking or when they are in a car, if you use it as a way of advertising your business then if you have your business location and your business contacts then anyone who is interested or knows someone who will be interested in hiring a photographer for a wedding, family photoshoot then you have a higher chance being noticed and business will "pick up" as your contact details will be conveniently shown on the billboard. If you use a magazine for advertising purposes then there is also a high chance that someone will contact your business contact as they might require a wedding, family photographer or just want some photos taken of them professionally, the wider the range of advertising your business the higher chance you have of being noticed.
Commercial- By commercially advertising your work you have a high chance of having people call,email you enquiring about your services, charges and if you have an packages you may have if they are or are not advertised.
Books- self published If you self publish book that could be an autobiography that also show cases your images or it could just be a photo book, however if you self publish a book, it is a way of show casing your work and it is also a way of "getting your name out there" and self advertising examples of what photos you have created.
Newspaper- local/ regional/ national/ global. By advertising through the newspaper or any popular or well known newspaper, you will catch the attention of the readers so if you put a passionate caption underneath your advertisement then the people who look at your advertisement will read how passionate you are and if you leave contact details, e.g. Mobile/work number, email, etc, then the people who are interested in hiring a photographer for the occasion you are advertising e.g. wedding, baby photos, family photos, party/function photographs then it will be easy for them to get in contact with you.
Online- Ecommerce By advertising your business online you can use multiple social medias for example, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also use photography websites to advertise your business such as Linkedin, ViewBug, etc. By using social media/websites you have a chance of being noticed as millions of people use social media everyday and if they search for a photographer then your name/account/business could be one of the first to pop up however depending on what type of photographer you are for example, wedding, family photographer or social event photographer such as a party/function photographer, so if someone searches for a family photographer and you photograph that category and they will visit your business website to see your quality of work then if they like what they see then they will either call or email you from the contact details that you have listed on your website/social media account.
Magazines- specific to photography area i.e. fashion, documentary, environmental, humanitarian, portraiture etc. - By putting your photographs in a magazine such as a fashion magazine, the audience that view that style of magazine will see that you have a good photographic eye and you know how to successfully photograph style, models or the clothing used in the photographs could of been made by you and you are openly showing that you made the clothes and took the photograph, by putting your work into a popular magazine you are putting your work out into the open and if you leave your name and email in one of the corners then you are using the article to advertise yourself, this could then open the door for many opportunities within your future.
Stock agencies- Getty, Shutterstock, Picfair etc By using stock agencies to advertise your work, you could sell your images online, for various prices and various sizes, the agencies will take a small portion of the price of any image sold so if you sell a photo thats a 6x4 for £10 then the agency can take a percentage of this such as 10% however the agency will be the ones printing, handling and sending the image to the buyer, by doing this you are selling your images as many times as you want it to be sold and by having various images on your profile someone could come across it and if you have your email linked then they could contact you to talk about your images or they could be interested in your work and ask you to do a photoshoot for them or hire you for an event or wedding, so by using agencies you are getting paid for any image you sell and all you have to do is upload images.
Brochures- Individual. By making a brochure of your business you are advertising yourself, examples of your work and your business, by printing brochures you could hand them to local cafes, hotels and shops this will then further your chances of getting a client, by advertising yourself through a brochure, it can be physically passed around from one person to the next. If you have your contact details on the brochure printed clearly on to the page then it'll be easily visible to the person who has hold of your brochure of business.
Individual- client work By advertising your business through clients, if you take photographs that they like they are likely to recommend you to a friend which will not only build your business but will also build your reputation, your first client could be a family member, friend of the family or a friend of a friend.
Instagram/ Social media- marketing/ features. By using the marketing feature on a social media such as Instagram, when you post a photo and tag it as a business shot, you can use hashtags in the caption which also furthers your chances of being noticed as for example when you post a photo and use "#Photography", when people search that hashtag your work will be seen as well as millions of other photographs that people have posted using that hashtag so if you type multiple hashtags then your work will be put into all hashtags listed which will further your chance of your work being seen and if someone likes your photo and sees that you have posted it as a business photo which is an option on the marketing features then they can click your profile and go over to your business website and email you or they can directly message you on the Instagram app
Digital research.
I will be using a digital camera to take the photographs of how Southport looks now, I will be using photos off google to show how Southport used to look.
Old Southport.
The first image is what The Atkinson looked like from 1890-1900, the area surrounding the building has changed over the last century, one of the main changes was made outside of the building as in 1890 there was a fountain that has statues inside however that is no longer there and there is now a water fountain that can not be seen in frame on the second image but the fountain is now just a plain fountain that is open for anyone to walk into for example small children.
The statue of Queen Victoria was originally placed outside The Atkinson on Lord Street in 1904, it was then moved to few locations before finally taking its stand on Neville street where it stands on a pedestrianized path, by the statue being on a pedestrianized path it avoids the risk of a car smashing into it.
The first shot of the bridge was the state of the bridge before it was renovated and updated in 2012/2013, the bridge was renovated and its appearance was changed to look how it looks now which is shown in the second image.
The original site of Pleasureland was built in 1913, the original wooden roller coaster was first opened on good Friday in 1937 whilst all the joys could be had and the memories had been made, the site has suffered many disasters for example in January in 1961 the wooden roller coaster was majorly damaged by a hurricane, it was soon restored and was open again for the public to enjoy however the roller coaster encountered one more critical hit as it was damaged by fire but it was rebuilt rapidly in 1984.. however the ride was officially closed in 2006 when it was taken down to never be built again, however there were more attractions and chances for example the fun house was open in 1955, which was moved years later and in its place now stands the ghost train.
-All information can be found through an artical at www.southportvisiter.co.uk
The first photograph shows how the hut looked in 2009, then when the bridge was renovated, the huts that are located around Marine Lake were also painted and broken benches were also replaced, this made the huts look "up to date" and this also made them look more modern than what they previously were.
The side of the bridge was shown previously in this blog, these shots show how the footpath on the bridge looked before it was renovated in 2012/2013, the second image shows how the bridge looks after the renovation and how it continues to look like now.
The first image is what The Scarisbrick looked like in 2009, before Britannia took over the hotel, it had an O2 shop where the front lounge is now, The Scarisbrick was built in 1881 and has been owned by a various people before Britannia took over the hotel a few years ago, Britannia continues to own this hotel.
Film research
Whilst looking at landscapes that were shot on film, I looked at the work of Sebastiáo Salgado.
Sebastiao Salgado
Sebastiao Salgado is a photographer who traveled to over 120 countries for his photographic projects, most of which were shown in a number of press publications and books, his work has been presented throughout the world. He won 12 awards including the award he won in 1982 which was "W. Eugene Smith memorial fund grant" then in 1992 he won the "Foreign Honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences", his latest award was in 2007 which was the "M2-El Mundo people's choice award for best exhibition a PhotoEspana, for Africa".
This image is an example of the photographic work of Sabastiao Salgado, this image was taken in 2017 in Suruwaha, Amazons, Brazil. This image captures someone walking/making their way through the river. This image is currently being sold for $10,000 which I have shown in a screenshot under the current image.
My film shoot
This is the first roll of film that I have shot for this project, I photographed the clock face that is the main clock face in Southport. Then whilst I was travelling I decided to photograph a part of the train station, I did this because I thought that by photographing the train station on film would make it look different to it being shot on digital, in colour.
I then decided to do a few shots of my place of work/a close up of one of the drinks that I serve which was the Guinness shot.
I then used my advantage of being in a building that has many floors by photographing the clock tower again but this time I was at a higher height and I did experimental shots where I focused on the flower bed pot and had the clock tower out of focus, I then took a shot where the clock tower is in focus and the flower bed pot is out of focus, then for my final image I focused on a flower and had the clock tower out of focus.
I decided to photograph the Guinness beer tap because it stood out from the other beer taps that I have on the bar that I work at, the simple black format with white writing stands out from the other beer taps as the other taps are silver and cast a reflection as they are shiny.
I decided to photograph the train station whilst it was empty because without people in the frame it gives the image a "blank canvas" as there are no people in the frame which also could give the image a feeling of solitary confinement
I decided to photograph the clock tower on a overcast day and I decided to print the image under exposed so both of these elements give the image an atmospheric feel.