richarddixonphotographyblog

12-02-2017
still busy but still taking photos.. just about to start the Editing process
had a great lecture and Edit practise   using the Americans by Robert Frank
Editing is as much about what to take out as it is to do with what is put in.
Sequencing is also critical.
just a couple of pics for you today murky inner city photographs showing 
"Progress"  in Town planning and contrasting styles of architecture juxtaposed
in Huddersfield's urban towns-cape
 
The former Kirkgate pub dwarfed by hideous 1960's brick council buildings
but also sitting next to the former palace theatre built in an art deco style

I took this with my 24mm tilt shift lens and i think I have overcooked it
ever so slightly

The new Kirklees college towers above the old buildings at chapel hill
in the foreground at the right is the Rat & ratchet brew pub (ossett owned)
contrasting wildly with the new "Cruise Ship" behind .(Also 24mm TSE)

04-02-2017
Busy time so i'll keep it brief....
taken more photos, the work seems to be moving away from the theme "Britishness"
and incorporating a bit more "Britain" not sure yet if this is a good thing
but thats the way its going.
I'm still keeping to the quirkiness of Britain/Brutishness but it's moving about 
on and off topic... hopefully this will be resolved in the edit.
Still happy with the images .. just not sure how they will fit together as 
a body of work.we have had a few Talks ,both online and in the Uni by 
photographers which have been useful and interesting.
Been having a good look at photographers who have covered a similar range of
subjects,this week i've had a long and deep look at work by Daniel Meadows and 
Tony ray jones,i'm hoping to incorporate ideas without copying them 
reinterpreting might be the right expression.

here's a couple (OK Three) of mine below mainly useing signs as a theme

Grill Bar slop-shop more like, i hate these places which try to be all things to 
all stomachs failing in them all.. I imagine that if it wern't for drunks
no one would eat this slop.

Taxi Rank although you would never guess would you ;)

The council letting us know why we cant drive down this road .



21-01-2017
Back at Uni last week ,struggling to get going again after Xmass and spending 
so much time writing Dissertation and Critical reflective summary,pluss its 
cold outside.
been out around and about near to where where I live found a nice little farm 
protest about planning for Industrial units,which would blight our green
and pleasant land.


I also went up to Keighley a town i like quite a lot ,it's a bit run down but
has the Uk's if not the worlds best brewery "Timothy Taylors" and a few good 
pubs
Nothing more British than a pint of best Bitter,and nothing more British than
a proper Pub the above Boltmakers Arms is just that.But as i was driving and 
taking photos i resisted the temptation to go in :(.

In stark contrast to the Boltmakers and just down the road is the Cricketers
Arms looks like an interesting boozer still cling to life between a couple
of semi derelict textile buildings


Definitely a touch of the Peter Mitchel's (See earlier blog ) about these
two photos.     http://strangelyfamiliar.co.uk/projects/
just to pad the blog out a bit and also to show the wonders of British Towns
here's a photo i took in Knaresborough before back in October but hadn't time
so process.

It wouldn't be Britain without Cricket would it? and while in skipton i came 
across this statue of Freddie Trueman legendary Yorkshire Cricketer

A bit of converging verticals in the background but i decided to keep them.

11 01 -2017
Well it's next year already not done much in this blog since 21 st dec been way
 too busy doing my dissertation.
well thats done and uploaded so I will be doing some stuff here soon

21-12-2016
My Blog is like busses none for ages then two come along ;)
Another exhibition this time our  final years xmass exhibition
they say a pictures paints a thousand words so have a look at these photos
and i'll save my voice :D

three of our students mounting their work

Pictures at an Exhibition 

not a bad turnout of spectators

Silvana with her work

My photographs

Hope you like the photos and the Blog (If anyone is reading it that is :D)
have a happy Christmas 


20-12-2016
another late Blog been trying to do one at least every two weeks but lots 
writing getting in the way of the photography
another blog another gallery this time the Art Gallery at Manchester
great gallery http://manchesterartgallery.org/
super exhibition Strange and Familiar :Britain as revealed by international 
Photographers  
Including  a series of specially commissioned photographs by 
Romanian photographer Alex Beldea One Of our university's (Huddersfield) own.

Alex's work being admired at the gallery
info about the Exhibition


and a few photos i took of some exhibits 

Bruce Gildens work on the wall


more of the exhibition works

some great photographs at this exhibition BUT there are far too many to 
take in at one go,It's a great body of work BUT it's a Great BIG body of work
so i would advise you to maybe go twice or more.
Trouble with that IS Manchester is at best a shithole to drive into... and
the council are currently digging the place up to make it even worse to drive
into.They are putting in buss priority lanes.
so go by train which is a pain too and very expensive.

28-11-2016
Been a bit busy so this post is a bit late :(
but no worries you might like it 
Had a visit to the Impressions gallery Bradford last week great exhibition
by Peter Mitchel Manchester born but Leeds photographer it finishes on the
 3rd 
December its worth a look
heres a link http://www.impressions-gallery.com/exhibitions/?current
and bellow a couple (or five) pics i took at the exhibition

a couple of viewers


Interesting Graffiti 





all in all some good stuff 
Useful to me as my Project is on Brtishness, and Planet Yorkshire comes
within that remit,in my mind at least

so suitably inspired and whilst in Bradford I got the camera out,and looked
for a few interesting things i had seen whilst in Bradford last year.

and this time I made the decision not to crop  as tight as i would usually do
I think they are better for the loose framing.


wonderful piece of street sculpture down a back street of Bradford with
people just walking past it without a second look



Not just this piece of art people seem oblivious to either


Samson brings down the Temple and people just walk on by 


and here's the full effect of Samson's feats of strength as he brings down
what used to be the Temples of Bradford's Industrial area Little Germany



All That viewing of artworks and taking photos made me a bit thirsty
so to complete my day in Bradford I called in the Fighting Cock for a 
Pint of Taylors Landlord
Great alehouse if ever your up that way  21 Preston Street, Bradford
BD7 1JE,
England
Just to help you find it hers a couple of Photographs




18-11-2016
Struggling along with my Dissertation still cant see how it's gona make me
a better photographer but it has to be done so i'm going to do it
luckily i have Garry as my dissertation tutor so thanks Garry for all the
help and encouragement
took a few photos of the 11-11-2016 armistice day memorials
should fill up a bit of space on here 
hope anyone who is reading this likes them (Is anyone reading this blog ?)

Holmfirth war memorial i got a little bit lucky with the light and the 
clouds made an interesting sky too


Particularly pleased with this on as the contrails in the sky make it look
like an Arial dogfight has taken place


Another shot from Holmfirth war memorial


Bailiffe Bridge war memorial garden very interesting memorial 
"We waited here for Tommy"




10-11-2016
Got a couple of interesting photos last week of a piece of British
Heritage which although now facing obsolescence has been given a new
lease of life. A disused K6 telephone Kiosk which has been turned 
into a mini Library or Book exchange


  
 A great idea as it would be a shame to lose our heritage
On a more political theme i have been working on my "Britishness" project 
with "Brexit" as my theme
here are two  "Work in Progress" ideas from  a shoot i did the other day
the flag is in need of an Iron, but they are just to see if the idea works


The fading away of the EU from British politics is the theme





5-11-2016
I'm learning more about blogging by the week :)
apparently i'm supposed to put my newest ramblings at the top
that way people who view my Blog dont have to scroll through endless
ramblings from the week before.Sorry :D
so Now I shall be adding my weekly posts at the top.

Went to York this wed 3-11-2016
Nice place, i've been endless times but still like it 

My project is on "Britishness"  so i popped round to the 
WAR Memorial by the Minster and took this photo 
of the wreaths of Poppies and the fallen leaves which i found symbolic


as we are coming up to November 11th

I wandered  round to the Museum Gardens to see a bit of the Roman History
and there in amongst the Roman sarcophagi were squirrels performing for
the cameras of the tourists

so as not to feel left out I Joined in and took a couple too



1700 year old (ish) Roman sarcophagus with Squirrel 



I wonder what form of wild life will be playing on my Grave in 1500 
years time 

Onward and ... errr  across  town i found these punishment stocks outside 
Priory Church of Holy Trinity Micklegate


it's good to observe that even in Medieval times York catered for the disabled
they could punish two able bodied miscreants and a one legged miscreant
at the same time ..... in these unique stocks.

And then up the road and round a few corners... one of these in a doorway

Flying the flag for Britain
a tourist from Hartlepool perhaps ????? or maybe a French spy in disguise  ???

And finally for those of you who are new to my blog 
something to keep you regular :D


  







A little about me 
I am a third year mature student at Huddersfield University,
Yorkshire ,England (For my overseas viewers/readers)
Studying Photography
as part of my Studies I have to do a blog
now that I Know what a blog is. :) (...isn't google wonderful)
I can now start my blog
as I am a Photographic student you are going to get more photos than words 
but don't worry they will be good ones

IF anyone would like to see some of my other photographs which I have taken 
before during and after I became a student here is my Deviant Art page
http://richardldixon.deviantart.com/

and here is a link to my photos on the Megalithic Portal
a much more specialist web site for ancient Historical sites
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/user.php?op=userinfo&bypass=1&uname=rldixon



Yesterday 11/10/2016 we had a small exhibition at the university
just one photo each,which was a worry as our photographs are part of 
our major project and as such may not work as individual photographs outside of 
the context of the project.So picking a single image had to be done with care
My thoughts were that I  should exhibit a photograph that would stand up on its 
own as a single image,and below is the photograph which I chose and exhibited
the subject of my major project is Britishness

some of our students putting up photographs at our Exhibition 




19-10-2016 Trip to London
visited a couple of Gallery's in London long day :(
will upload  a few pics and some comments soon....

And here they are 
the first exhibition was at the photographers gallery
a retrospective 
of Feminist Avante-garde work from the 1970's
not really my cup of tea and so very dated but still of interest ,if only as an
historic reference,probably good for our younger students who didn,t live through
it 




two of the works which i liked 

Some of our students watching a video by one of the artists

Outside the young women of today seem to walk past oblivious to the 1970's 
feminist movement.How quickly we take things for granted.


As we gather outside the Photographers gallery "Silvana" spots a camera pointing
in her direction.



Interesting poster (with alterations /additions) The best art as often is,Is on 
the walls outside not in gallery's.

Tourists doing a little dance in front of an iconic London K2 Telephone Kiosk 
and the Houses of Parliament.


A Man in some very exotic clothes and very un-exotic trainers ...

And on we went to the National portrait Gallery to see William Eggleston
unfortunately they would not allow photography.. AT A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION..
so i will not give them any publicity..on my Blog except to say it was worth 
seeing BUT not worth paying £7 to see ..... Others may disagree but they will 
have to disagree on their own Blog.

26-10-2016
Reading week at uni so not been doing much photography concentrating on the 
dissertation.. soul destroying but i will get there in the end
so here are a few architecture photos i took during the summer I just love
interesting Buildings 


Wonderful building the Corn exchange Leeds just begs to be photographed

And over the other side of the hill in Lancashire is the Midland Hotel
Morecambe 1930's art deco Railway Hotel Stunning




Stairway to heaven ????