Merchandise!

Merchandise!!

To accompany the shop I thought that there could be merchandise to help spread popularity as well as being functional. Winners of compeitions being held could receive these gifts to reward great photography. I think this would add to the photographic theme and would nice. With a clear and recognisable brand, I think that this could work as a marketing tool. This could expand to t-shirts. However, merchandising should still be very low on priorities of the business model. These items should be the icing on the cake, and be accompanied with a great enjoyable experience at the shop or tour. The shop is not a retailer and it's main source of income should predominately be from tour sales, workshops, print sales. We want to promote the taking of photos and displaying them rather than being kept in computers; photo albums, large prints, canvas prints, photo scrapbooks etc. Below are some ideas for the bokehlicious brand:

Keychain viewfinder – A simple and cheap tool which can be carreid with your keys. It allows the user to frame a shot without the use of a camera. You can still practise your imagination even if you don't have your camera. It can be a reminder and encouragement to always take your camera with you.

“Use your creativity in the viewfinder and not in the sky” (Kai Wong)

Photo albums - A variety of sizes, these can be classed for professional, home or personal-use. Professional are for high quality and larger format printing, whereas home can be for special occassions, medium sized. Personal-use photobooks would be the cheapest option catered for keeping photos within a book as a journal. It should be cheaper and made as a scrapbook of ideas and exploration; like an artist's sketchbook. There should also be a separate series where books can be refillable, although more expensive, the photos can be taken out and rearranged. A noval idea additional would be a permenant marker to be accompanied with the books to allow users to write in the books. Autographs, personal messages and notation for the occasion, or event would really give the photos more meaning.

“Seeing is not enough, you have to feel what you photography” (Andre kertesz)

Photo Guide Books

I think to accompany these tours, a small book to help remind and spark creativity would be ideal. There may be times when the tourguide is too busy and cannot answer all the questions, or cover all the aspects in photography. Therefore, in these times of creative block, this book can be handy to remind the photographer different themes, subjects, styles and techniques to experiment with. I hope this book is small, cheap to buy for any amatuer photographer and be something everyone would carry within their bags.

A separate, more comprehensive series of books teaching people what to look out for in York and photo opportunities would be good too. However, this must be a location specific book and give advice with example photos and explanations that would benefit all photographers. I hope this series would be written with a lot more content about composition and taking great photos, as opposed to technical schematic on how your camera equipment works. The series is aimed at photographers who have just purchased their first DSLR. More technical aspects of photography will only be covered in more depth when trying to achieve certain photo styles and effects.

Possible Book titles:

Book of Bokehlicious recipes

Shooting York with a 50mm lens (standard lens)

Shooting York with a 24mm lens (wide angle lens)

Shooting York with a 105mm lens (telephoto lens)

Shooting with a camera phone

Processing Raw files in Lightroom

Bokeh effects

Shaped holes in card - Very fun and simple effect. Make bokeh shapes to personalise your photos! It is simple a piece of card covering the lens with a shape cut out. This makes out of focus shapes turn into whatever the hole is shaped. A heart shaped hole gives heart shapes in the out-of-focus parts of the photos. Experiment with shape sizes and materials. Great fun for kids and also adults.

X Mas tree without bokeh shape

X mas tree with name shaped bokeh

Experimental bokeh shape 

Photography shop

Final Proposal - Photography shop

The proposal is to set up a Photography shop within York with the mindset of achieving part of “Reinvigorate York” mission objectives. The shop will primarily a headquarters where photographic tours can be run. This will be service design and emphasise on providing exceptional customer feedback.

Using a photowalk, a guide is able to lead groups into different areas of York, especially where there is currently very little footfall. Instead of shopping, there may be photo opportunities in these empty streets, where business is failing. The group may be there to take photographs, but they are given opportunities to sight-see the area. They may come back another time to visit the same streets/shops. I think this would diversify the footfall in York, helping to achieve: “Reinvigorating the city centre economy”, “Increasing footfall in the city centre” and “Maintaining York as a top tourist destination”.

As for the other objective: “Increasing the sense of York as a special place”. The photo tour will be encouraging a lot of looking. Looking at York in a different perspective. Often people walk past hundreds of things everyday without realising or appreciating it. The task of photographing something interesting, intriguing, unique or inspiring will make York special. Special to the photographer as they will be experiencing it and capturing York through their camera.

The final objective: “Improving the overall quality of life for resident” This proposal really only helps the residents by providing a photographic service. At the moment, there is only one photographic shop in York. These shops are a dying breed; York Camera Mart, mainly deals with camera equipment sales. They provide advice and is a great place to get assistance on anything camera related. However, this proposal will be an educational experience and service. There will be a public gallery space able to be rented out, a computer room for anyone wanting to process their photos, and of course the tour. There is no such thing in York at the moment, and this will bring together any residents who may be into photography.

The shop will consist of a public computer room, a gallery space and an area for merchandise. The shop caters to keen photographers, and hope to bring a gentle and fun learning experience in all areas of photography. The computer room is for workshops in processing your photos, and also a base to run the brand's website. The gallery space is there to promote individual photographers and really display photographs appriopriately. Ideally, there would be a print shop running too, but for a smaller business, I have decided to uses local print services. Most importantly, the shop should be able to provide good, simple advice, and secondly accomodate processing digital to displaying complete photographs. The shop will become a social hub.

The photography tour is aimed at visitors who are keen photographers, and will enjoy company other visitors sharing the same hobby. It is a change from travelling to a city you haven't been before. There may be foreign visitors on the tour, or local residents. Either way, the experience should be different and new each time.

Thanks to all who inspired me, and helped me on this journey through the complex world of photography.  Also, a special mention to Johnny Pang for lending me his equipment and also being patient.  The following are Jacky lee, James Pang, Kai Man Wong, Trey Ratcliff, Lok Cheung and my older borther Wai Lun Pang.

Photowalking - Trial run

Thanks to Sam for participating the Photowalk!
(Portrait Photography)

Trial Run - conclusions

Doing a trial run of a photowalk this sunday (1^st December), it is clear that timing is difficult to manage. I found that sometimes, getting a particular shot can take time. People have different speeds of taking shots. Some like to take many shots from different angles. It would be best to allow photographers to spend as much time as they needed on each location. However, there needs to be some strict control over time; there shouldn't be a worry that people didn't have enough time to explore to get the perfect shot. However, a positive attitude to explore the nect location should be encouraged. I should also note that there needs to be time allocated to reviewing photos, there is to be learnt by not looking at the photos you have just taken. I would recommend at least four good locations, each encouraging a broad range of photography skills. Remember, this is a photowalk, and needs to appeal to a variety of photographers. Taking people out of their depth is good to improve, and promotes question-asking.

What do I find interesting?

What kind of photography I like?

How can I use this lens in this situation?

Problems I realised during the trial is that there are times when you do not know what to do. What to take photos of and find it hard to find something interesting. When these situation arises, boredom will take place. There is disinterest, and may make people within a group dis-satisfied. Therefore, I think there is a need to have some sort of guide book, so that whenever you have a mental creative block, you can refer to this to spark some life into your brain. It should bring out the many possibilties with shots. Something to illustrate very easily what can be achieved in York.

Photo-journalism

Architectural photography

Photography here has to be quite specific to York and this type of environment. I think this because often, there are many times when you may look at amazing photographs from prefessionals, and you think “I wish there was something like that in York”. You may see an amazing street photograph of an indian woman, lots of colours and activity. But in York, England, there is no way you can take a similar, inspired shot. Therefore, this guide book will need to highlight aspects of York which will work. From past experience, clearly there are limitations such as landscape, wildlife, sports photography, event/wedding and studio type photography. A photowalk in York would best suit outdoor, street and architecture photography most. Landscape photography in York can be very isolated and more touristy type photography, much of which is against this concept. Landscapes usually require very strict conditions, and often weather is a huge factor.

Finally, this guidebook should not be filled with awe-inspiring only. It's purpose is to encourage expirimentation and photos need to be used in a way to emphasise a way of shooting and looking at the world. Ways to look at a single subject, but approach it from different angles! There could even be simple creative excerises inside. Lastly, remember that this is a book to be accompanied on the walk; users should not be totally consumed into the book, rather they should also learn from others within the group. That's what the group leader is there for!

Landscape photography

Street photography

Tutorial conclusions + Photowalking

Talking to Simon and Duncan

26^th November 2013

Proposal explained: Photowalk, incorporating Lomography cameras and encouraging different viewpoints around York. A fun guided tour with an element of education in photography, and ending with a large print of a photo as a souvenir.

• Simply too complicated.
• Get rid of all the camera equipment stuff (Lomography)
• Everyone has their own camera e.g. camera phone
• Appeal to people who love taking photos
• Themes: Christmas, Street, People, colour etc.
• Competition: add a competitive element
• Places even the locals wouldn't know!

Photowalking

A photowalk is simply going out with the aim to take photos of your surroundings. Usually associated with a group of photographers walking together along a planned route. It is often a social event in itself, with new people meeting each other, interacting and sharing a similar interest. (Jeff Revell, 2008) These events vary from club members only, to public meet-and-greet types. It is a fun activity and is welcoming to everyone; even if you do not consider yourself as a photographer, but enjoy taking photos, you are are welcome. There are often relaxed rules on camera equipment, age groups and finishing times. The main emphasis of these events is to enjoy photography, getting to know each other and learning about photography at your own pace. A diversity of skill levels and new people offer a lovely charm to these events and help each other learn. (Tiffany Mueller)  Kai Wong from Digitalrev TV does something similar, in that he walks the streets of Hong Kong taking pictures of what interests him.  He talks about what he finds interesting and it is easily visible on his photos.

So once you've taken the first step of getting involved in a photowalk, what do you do? Firstly, there will always be a leader/host; follow their instructions and listen to what they have to say at the beginning of the walk and remember who they are! Because, if you are unfamiliar of the route or area, knowing who to keep an eye on could save you from getting lost. Next, is to socialise! Talk to others in the group and don't be afraid to ask questions whether it be related to photography or themselves. However, be considerate and don't hound people when they are taking photos. Don't always stay with the group, try exploring your surroundings for a different viewpoint, you never know what you might discover. Don't forget also to check out what equipment people use whilst on the walk. Ask what camera they use and how they like to take photos. Everyone is different, and especially when you are starting out, there will always be types of photos that interest you. Find out how they are produced and try it out yourself.

Photography is so vast, I think there needs to be a simple guide book that needs to be taken on these walks for the amateur photographer. Here are some classic quotes in the world of Photography; Kai elaborates on some of the quotes:

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst” Henri Cartier Bresson

“Try new things and reflect on them. Don't just take 10,000 pictures of the same shit” Kai Wong

“If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough” Robert Capa

“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it” Ansel Adams

“You cannot depend on your eyes if your imagination is out of focus” Mark Twain

“The most difficult thing for me is a portrait. You have to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt” Henri Cartier Bresson

“If you can smell the street by looking at the photo, it's a street photograph” Bruce Gilden

“A great photo is about depth of feeling, not depth of field” Peter adams

“Which of my photographs is my favourite? The one I'm going to take tommorrow” Imogen Cunnigham

“It's not what you look at that matter, it's what you see” Henry David Thoreau

“I am forever chasing light. Light turns the ordinary into the magical” Trent Parke

“theres a certain beauty to light and different kinds of light that you can shape or hunt for to make your photo look that much more special” Kai

“I only use a camera like I use my toothbrush. It does the job” Don McCullin

“Seeing is not enough, you have to feel what you photography” Andre kertesz

Kai's own quotes:

“Emulate some of the style of the greats to get you started, but don't keep on doing it”

“Photography is as much a reflection of the person taking the photo”

“Shoot to please no one apart from yourself”

“Setting themes keeps you focused and gives you sense of direction”

“Be critical of yourself and you will continue to improve”

“Be brutal when you're deleting photos”

“Show only your best”

“Changing photos to B&W doesn't make an uninteresting shot interesting”

“Look at other people's work, consider what makes the shot good and what makes it bad”

“Post your work online and let people critque your work”

“Use your creativity in the viewfinder and not in the sky” kai

There are many videos on Youtube to get a feel for what they are like. There are a few notable leaders and organisers of these events such as Trey Ratcliff, Larry Becker and Thomas Hawk. To get a feel for such an event, I have been trying to find an event in York. So far, I have booked the event “Mobile Masterclass” run by www.yorkshirephotowalks.com. It is run by Tom Marsh and the event is catered for shooting with a camera phone. It takes approximately two hours and begins and ends at York Minster. This is on the 14^th December 2013. (Update: The event was cancelled due to low numbers of participants.)

References:

http://www.revellphotography.com/blog/?p=474

http://blog.trevorcarpenter.com/photowalking/

http://www.yorkshirephotowalks.com/walk_details_mobile_masterclass.html

http://www.yorkcameraclub.co.uk/events

http://www.lightstalking.com/setting-yourself-up-for-a-successful-photowalk

http://121clicks.com/tutorials/dos-and-donts-on-a-street-photowalk

http://121clicks.com/tutorials/5-thing-to-do-on-a-street-for-every-street-photographer

http://digital-photography-school.com/what-do-i-look-for-on-a-photo-walk-part-1-city-walk

http://www.photo-canvas.com/blog/need-creative-photography-ideas-try-a-photowalk/

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=photowalk&sm=3

Snickleways of York

Snickleways

The Snickleways of York are famous in York. Revd. John Southgate, the Dean of York “Historic cities are rather like people. It takes a long time to get to know them properly and we never know everything about them.” When people describe York, they often talk about the Minster, the city walls, the railway and Yorvik. But the Snickleways are forgotten (Mark W Jones, 1991) These 'Snickleways' are often seen as alleys and shortcuts; people use them everyday to commute quickly. They weave in and out from the Minster to Shambles to Whip-ma-whop-ma-gate to the city walls. Snickleway: A narrow passageway or alley between walls, fences or buildings.

Mark Jones, the author of “The complete snickleways of York”, the master of these paths suggests starting at Bootham bar. From here he has devised the best route round most of them. It totals to three and a half miles long and covers the Minster, along part of the river Foss, Castle museum, along river Ouse, the Shambles and then finishes back at Bootham Bar. Such an expansive route would take around an hour to walk. With a larger group, and some talk, I would reckon this route would take close to one hour and a half, maybe two hours.

Map of Mark Jones' ideal route of the Snickelways

Main footstreets of York, illustration from book.

I think that by adapting this route, a photowalking opportunity can be made.I hope there will be plenty of stimulus and landmarks also to keep a photographer's eye interested. There are spaces which are more open, as well as tight spaces in the book, such as the Dean's Park behind the Minster or Shambles that are tight.  Also, I  hope there are plenty of opportunities to shoot different subjects, whether it be architecture, nature, people, landscape and street. The variety and quality of locations is important in a photowalking scenario.  People will have different interests and also allow people to experience a different type of photography.

Street art in York

Street art in York

From the previous post about Romanticism of York, street art came to mind. How are we able to modernise York? How can we try to advance York as a city? The juxtaposition of street art would be ideal. One day whilst walking into the city centre, at a very familiar junction, I looked up and saw ugly blank walls. I thought, why on earth is it plastered with that horrible cladding? It's in a prime location, by a busy junction. Hundreds of cars pass it each day, and it currently is an eyesore. There must be other areas of York that are almost derelict; walls and building rotten with age and currently serve no purpose and interest. Would streetart be accepted in such an area? If this 50+ year old resident of York can appreciate street art, surely there is hope for the rest?

Blank canvas above the intersection

Elderly York resident:

“I HAVE just caught a posse of people red-handed. They were “vandalising” a wall of excellent street art with bland cream paint under the A64 by the giant solar system sun at the start of the Selby cycle path.

Apparently this “cream vandalism” was organised by the Probation Service using people on community service, as recently championed by Lord Mayor of York Susan Galloway as a social service.

I don’t think so. I am in my 50s and regularly walk from York College to admire and photograph the excellent spray-painted art that embellishes and enriches the underpass.

Most of it is giant words or names, but regularly beautifully painted good cartoon pictures, sometimes political. They never stay the same for long. It is a fantastic large flat wall space for artwork. The site provides a social service for street artists to paint large pictures. Many people really enjoy looking at them and anticipating what we will see next.

It is already self-regulating. All the artists know their work will only last a few weeks before someone else paints a new picture

I’m sure most of us are glad to see offensive graffiti removed. We should stop wasting money painting over anything else.” (Charles Everett, North Moor, Huntington, York)

London graffiti artist questions “is there any harm in drawing on rotten buildings?”:

“I wasn’t a building drawer. What happened was I was sitting opposite the buildings that are on the other side of the road from where I usually sit, the old decrepit buildings, and I started drawing them to practice and get it right. I thought I would do it with these ones because they’re rotten old buildings“(John Dolan, Sept 2013)

Banksy

For the situation in York, I think that Banksy could be a good ambassador for the streetart scene in York. Satirical work; It makes people laugh, and then makes them think (Wikipedia on satire, 2013). From his previous works, I can see there is often a message to be expressed. And this is done comically, and very cleverly. His work can be large or small, but it is always engaging with the audience. Also, it is not just an artwork placed in a certain location; much of his work interacts with wall. For example, many of his work feature characters, and are done close to real-life scale. He is able to communicate with the public very effectively as well as provoking thought.

“Banksy porbably doesn't give a crap. He sees it as, he's doing the place a favor to draw tourists to areas where they wouldn't normally visit but these less talented or less creative 'artists' seek to destroy his work and damage it. If they can't see the bigger picture and only see 'he's on their turf', they are nobodies.” (Real Talk)

"Banksy" Google images

Village Underground – The Wall Project

A wall on Great Eastern Street becomes London's most public gallery. It is very simply a wall where artists are invited to present their artwork. Predominately urban street art, made in situ. Amazingly they claim to have “over 1 million 'visitors' a month” meaning passerbys and cars. A public gallery with a busy road as it's audience. It has become internationally recognised, with guest urban artists from all over the world. And finally, they are planning to turn these temporary exhibitions permenant. Previously, artists painted over the wall, and then use it as a blank canvas, but now organisers want to use glass enclosures to allow boards and digital mediums to expand the artwork displayed.

The Wall project is a great inspiration to help bring life to parts of a city. For York, the Gillygate and Bootham junction could be an extension of the Art Gallery. Displaying works, to help entice people to the Gallery.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/readersletters/8455095.Vandalising_some_excellent_street_art/

http://www.yorkminster.org/about-us/news/top-uk-street-artists-at-york-minster.html

http://streetartlondon.co.uk/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2460471/Banksy-sees-street-artworks-vandalized-New-York.html

http://www.villageunderground.co.uk/wall