City of Nottingham

The learning process

Euan Duff the course leader at the Photo Department at Trent Polytechnic knew I enjoyed documentary photography so give me the opportunity in my second year to work with a graphics student who had a project on schooling in Nottingham.

One of the schools I photographed was a small private primary. Entering the classroom was like going back in time to my state school in St.Helens, perhaps the floors were less dusty here but it flooded me with memories of listening to stories and the strict and not so strict teachers.

On the desk is a packet of sweets or munchies, not too sure if they are confiscated from a child or used to reward good behavior. Young minds informed.

Elegaic light

Nottingham Municipal War Memorial next to the river Trent. A nightime walk with my camera and tripod in the early 1980s.

The light brings out the sad beauty of the monument, it would seem to me that a lot of thought has gone into it, a focus for complentation.

Concentration

Taken not at my state school Cowley Boys in St.Helens but at a real private school in Nottingham.
Part of a second year Trent Polytechnic Photo project covering the subject of schooling in Nottingham in collaboration with a design student in 1981 or 1982

Very similar school to Cowley boys in pretty much every way except this was a fee paying school. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go to Cowley as they managed to drag me up from ‘failing’ to ‘mediocrity’ in academic terms, a huge shift for me. The ethos of the school promoted learning and development and it did rub off.

Framed arrangement

View from St.Stephens Church, Sneinton, Nottingham. Looking West towards the Kingston Court flats. Taken in 1981/1982.
I used to live on Lees Hill road in Sneinton and passed this church each day. Sometimes its good to explore and get a different angle on things.

Caravan of secrets

A fortune teller at the Goose Fair in Nottingham, approx 1982. HP5 high speed film pushed 2 stops.

As part of my final year documentary project at Trent Polytechnic I had been photographing people in pubs and clubs using available light, a low shutter speed and a wide aperture to get enough light to the film. Hand held photography at night felt liberating, a technical challenge but also fun. Walking through the Goose fair and recording what I saw felt natural to me though pretty strange perhaps to others.

The curtains of the caravan were open for all to see but what was said stayed inside as the music, machines and crowds provided a protective wall.

A vague memory of taking this picture but i only noticed its thin and sparse negative 38 years later. Not one of my better images but like a blurry photo of a live dodo it has some merit (searching Google images for fortune teller caravan reveals no true documentary image of the subject – let me know if you find one).

 

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