Landmarks of the Emerald Isle

Landmarks of the Emerald Isle

By Karl Graham

Goals & Objectives

The subject of this proposal is the Counties of Ireland and the landmarks that define them. The idea of the project is to determine what each county is most recognised for and how it differs from county to county. It will also look at the differences, if any, between landmarks in the Republic of Ireland and those in Northern Ireland. While the island of Ireland can be separated by religious beliefs and ownership, I hope the project will show that the landscape and landmarks bind the country as one. Another aim is to teach people, viewing the exhibition, about landmarks they may not have known existed or that they didn't realise were in a particular county.

Methodology

I will travel to each location with my girlfriend, in order to derive somebody else’s opinion on the landmarks. I previously studied Mechanical Engineering and when I completed the course I decided to do some traveling  I travelled to places such as North America, South-East Asia and Australia. I caught the traveling bug and this was what encouraged me most to attempt a project involving travel. I am excited at the opportunity to travel the length and breadth of the country and explore places I may not have previously known existed.

Before I begin my journey, I will sit down and write out a list of suitable landmarks for each county. I will then research each landmark and consider how associated it is with the county. The next step will be to draw up a schedule that will allow me to reach each landmark within the project deadline. Once I reach each county, if it is possible I will try to speak to some of the locals and ask them for their opinion on which landmark defines their county. I will then go to two or three of these landmarks, depending on time-constraints and distance, and photograph them.

I will set aside a number of weekends between November 2013 and March 2014 to visit three or four counties at a time. I hope to capture some of the landmarks during the spring to incorporate the sun and newly blossomed flowers. I also hope to snap some in a typical Irish winter scene involving snow and ice. The idea behind this is to maximise the visual effect and showcase the landscape during different seasons.

In regards to the equipment, I would ideally like to shoot the photographs with a professional camera but if I cannot get my hands on one I will use my iPhone. The professional camera would help the project really stand out at the exhibition but the iPhone would bring a good amateur feel to the project.

When it comes to choosing the right landmarks to photograph, I will try to include both the famous ones and those less well known. As I said previously, I will travel to the counties in both the Republic and the North. I think this is important in the representation of Ireland and believe that there are too many amazing places in the North to simply leave them out of a project of this nature. 

Evaluation

The project will be well laid out at the exhibition in alphabetical order. It will be in book form but, depending on the success of the project, I will also look into displaying it on-line and in magazine.  

I think in terms of county definition, the level of success will be determined by people’s ability to easily associate the landmark with the county at the exhibition. It will also give us a good understanding of people’s knowledge of the country.

Finally, I believe the project can be classed as a success if it gives people a new found desire to visit these landmarks and help give the Irish economy a much needed boost by injecting more money into Tourism at home rather than abroad.

War Photographer - James Nachtwey

War Photographer - James Nachtwey

What do you think of his approach to photographing people in crisis?

At the beginning of the film I thought James Nachtwey's approach to photographing the people in crisis was very inappropriate. He photographs them at their most vulnerable points in order to catch the full emotion of the situation. He later goes on to explain that in war normal codes of civilised conduct is suspended. In order to photograph these people he needs to be accepted by them. This changed my opinion of him and made me realise he is the voice of these people, to the outside world.
He shows the people he is photographing respect by moving slowly around them and not speaking too loudly. He shows the world how these people are suffering and how they are the victims of unnecessary violence.


What type of subject does Stern magazine cover? Provide a link online

Stern magazine has been published in Germany since the end of World War II. It deals mainly
in hard-hitting, powerful photography from war-torn countries.


What conflicts and issues does he cover in the film?

The film kicks off with him covering post-war Kosovo. He photographs the emotion around an elderly woman returning to her home and finding it in ruins following the war. He also captures a group of women desperately crying over a coffin, which suggests a lot of local men lost their lives in the war.

Victim of the Kosovo War

The film then heads to Rwanda, where Nachtwey reports on the deaths of innocent people estimated to be in the region of 500,000 - 1,000,000. He comments on the particularly brutal way in which they were killed using clubs, rocks and machetes. He also tells how Cholera swept through the refugee camps and caused further tragedy.

Survivor of brutal attack in Rwanda

Jakarta is the final destination of the film. Here Nachtwey depicts the hardships of 'a workers city'. It follows families who have come into the city from the country to work and try to raise their families but end up in extreme poverty. They cannot afford housing so build shacks next to railway tracks. He photographs a man, alongside his family, resting on the stones between two sets of tracks. The man had previously lost an arm and a leg from a drunken train accident. He spends his days begging for the money to keep alive the family he so clearly loves.
We are also shown a garbage dump where people spend the day going through garbage for pay of 85 cent per day.

Poverty stricken man with his family

Why did he become a war photographer?

Nachtwey was drawn to photography, in order to become a war photographer, after being inspired by watching the images coming out of the Vietnam War during the 1970's. He felt the images coming out were contradictory to what they were being told by politicians. He moved to New York to fulfill his ambition and began to receive work straight away. He was attracted to the sense of adventure that facing danger gave him and feeling peoples emotion. It makes him feel like he is on stage as the lead character in a play.


What kind of personality do you think photo journalists like James have?

James Nachtwey has been described by some of his colleagues as a loner. I think this is a trait needed in order to do a job such as this. I think you also have to be fearless to a certain degree, while also having the ability to show empathy and respect for his subjects. You also need to be willing to accept that danger is part of the job.
A big aspect of the job is how much your personal life is affected. This is why I think in order to do the job a person has to have a strong personality and be able to deal mentally with the experiences they are going to have.

What kind of pictures end up being used?

The pictures which end up being used are the most hard-hitting ones, that will make the viewer stand up and notice. Whilst some war photographers will use photographs with shock factor in order to earn money, Nachtwey uses photographs designed to show the world who the real victims of these brutal wars are.
The photographs are full of heartache, pain, starvation and brutality. He considers famines the most tragic and destructive by-products of war, which is evident in his exhibition.

Famine victim in Rwanda

VILNIUS - Photographs of Old Town by Kestutis Stoskus

Kęstutis Stoškus is a Lithuanian architectural photographer and museum curator. He graduated in economics from the University of Vilnius in 1973 and has worked as a photographer since 1985. He is known as a master of black-and-white photography and prefers to focus on the architectural aspects of Vilnius, continuing the tradition of other photographers closely related to the city. Stoskus' photographs of buildings are often captured up close to highlight its scale, detail and decor. He takes advantage of the the hills surrounding the city to capture the essence of the city from above.

It is clear to see from the exhibition that Stoskus' interest is in highlighting the beautiful architecture of the city, rather than the daily lives of its inhabitants. This is evident by the way he blurs out the rare appearance of people in his photographs. The exhibition also gives off the impression that Vilnius is very much a religious city. The regular appearance of cathedrals, churches and graveyards gives testament to this. The images of run-down parts of the city also lend weight to it being religious, as religion would have prospered in the more poverty stricken areas. Another reason for Stoskus' to photograph these areas could possibly be to capture them before they disappear in an ever modernising world.

Rasu Cemetery in Winter

The above photograph is one of Rasu Cemetery in Vilnius, taking by Stoskus. It was taking during the winter and the presence of the snow against the black-and-white imagery makes the photograph stand out and draws you in. The scattered headstones and the overhanging trees bring a somewhat eerie feel but at the same time could also be interpreted as peaceful.

Photomarathon

Street Art

Halloween

Dirty Old Town

Love is in the Air

Street Style

Fixing the Shadows

Fixing the shadows is the first of a 6-part documentary by the BBC depicting the history of photography and its influence on developing the modern world.

While photography was known to have been invented in 1939, there is evidence of it's use as far back as 1802. This evidence is in the form of the camera obscura, which is known to have exceeded photography. The camera obscura was the study of light sensitive chemicals. This can be produced by making a room completely black, only leaving a small hole for outside light to enter the room. The result was an inverted reflection inside the room of the outside world. The problem at the time was they could produce an image using this process but they could not halt the development cycle and prevent the images from turning completely black.

Louis Daguerre

The program also explains the work of Louis Daguerre, which is starting to become re-used in modern day photography. Daguerre's process produced one of a kind images which could not be duplicated. Although at the same time, he was in competition with Talbot Fox who was working on a print process which could allow duplicate copies to be produced at a more reasonable price. In the end market forces trumped and Fox's Calotype process prevailed.





The documentary also goes into a little detail of the role George Eastman played in photography by setting up the Kodak company to produce portable cameras. These were known as Brownie cameras and revolutionised photography by bringing it to the masses. It was originally sold with children in mind for $1 and introduced the film roll and cheap cameras. They coined the slogan "You press the button, we'll do the rest", meaning that any amateur could pick up a camera and simply take pictures before posting them off for Kodak to develop. The circular print from the film roll became the distinctive emblem of the amateur photographer or 'Kodak fiends' as they became known.