Frank Watson

Soundings from the Estuary

Beautiful self published book
well worth a look

Just bought it and would recommend a look

Nature Reclamation 

Taking recon photos on my digital camera before my minor project.

A large concrete slab where once were sited a number of world war II huts for the pilots based at Teesside Airport.

Even weeds are finding there way through the cracks in the concrete slabs.

There are no signs of a pathway to the huts as the vegetation has reclaimed them as their own.

Sadly all the huts have now been demolished, before I could return and capture them on 5x4 colour film.

Tree Survey Influence

Part of my job description has been to carry out structural surveys on properties in regard to the close proximity of trees to buildings and dwellings. This structural appraisal would usually be carried out when the owner / occupant of a property or dwelling has noticed cracking to the external envelope of the building, be it to the external leaf of brickwork, the plaster finish within a room, a crack to a concrete floor slab or movement noticed around door and window openings.

In most situations the most common scenario for the damage experienced to the property will be due to either damage caused to the bearing substrata of the foundations from the close proximity of a mature tree (root zone influence) through desiccation of the founding clay, or dislocations / fractures of the drainage system serving the property. Sometimes a combination of both scenarios where the root zone influence has penetrated the foul and surface water drainage system, which in turn allows all the water from the drainage system to wash away the small fines of the founding substrata, over time causing the foundations of the property to subside.

Misconception of how tree roots grow.

This image is of how most people picture the growth of the roots of a normal tree, expecting the root ball to almost mirror what the observer sees at the top of the trunk as foliage.

In reality the majority of tree roots grow at a shallow depth, only burying deeper when they have to search for more water, or an easier source of water and even then these roots would be thinner.

My minor and major projects, along with the majority of images I have taken this academic year, appear to be heavily influenced from my cultural background and up-bringing. I remember as a child living in a property with a small front garden, directly in front of the garden wall was a tree. Every property on the road had a similar tree located the same, which over time undermined the garden wall, causing the wall to crack. Other properties had the wall removed and a low level fence put in its place due to the wall toppling over.

My parents have just moved to a brand new bungalow on a new estate, every property with a small garden at the front has also had a sapling planted by the builder, whether it be Wimpey or similar. Without consideration to the species of tree, it may be me carrying out a survey in ten years time.

The industrial estates are quite similar; the contractor clears a large area of land from all forms of vegetation, exposing the dark clays beneath. Large amounts of crushed stone and dolomite are brought in and compacted for the road system / network, followed by the erection of the industrial units on their raft or strip foundations as the case may be. Once the construction work has been completed it is then the turn of the landscapers to bring back the nature which was previously ripped out and destroyed.

A number of sites that I am visiting have just been vacated and left to fend for themselves and nature is reclaiming its rightful place. Wildlife daring to habituate the now un-manned buildings and the un-trafficked roads, bringing with them the seeds of various shrubs and plants. Birds finding a way in to the buildings, nesting in the open span rafters, weeds and various vegetation growing through every crack, striving to bring life back to a place that man has abandoned.

It is amazing that however much concrete, or brickwork and other man-made material we use, life will find a way through.

Not only do I design and over see the construction of dwellings, offices and industrial units, I also get the opportunity to survey the same properties when they are damaged by nature to put together a repair schedule, and through my photography I am now recording the final chapter in similar buildings, around abandoned machinery and various man-made objects as they are going through the various stages of reclamation from the surrounding nature.

Back To My Major Project

I took a bit of time out from my blogging and theory side of my major project and just started to go out and enjoy taking my photos again.

I think things were getting a bit too much, trying too hard, putting pressure on myself – not just to get the right composition, but a perfect one. Trying to tick all the boxes. With work commitments, my shooting options are limited – coupled with the weather I’ve really felt up against it. There’s nothing worse than being sat at work in the office, or being on site, when the sun is shining and there isn’t a cloud in the sky and you can’t get your camera out and start taking pictures. Even worse when I’m in the office as the sun starts to rise and the light is amazing – inspirational.

But just getting out with my camera I could see that my images were becoming more relaxed and I started to enjoy it a lot more, to the point of getting my 35mm Leica back out, wiping the dust off and putting 3 to 4 rolls through. Taking my Bronica out with colour and black & white film, just shooting what I wanted – nothing to do with my project, just felt so good. Strange how it never crosses my mind to pick up my digital camera and just go out.

So back to my major it is, with a little more gusto and a positive direction.

After discussions with Mr Chambers and his humorous quirky way of telling you to take lots and lots of photographs of everything yet stick to your project, we came to the conclusion that my project may be coming a little boring, primarily due to me reading a book by Donovan Wylie called the Maze – the last I.R.A. prison in Ireland. A lot of images and a lot of repetition, 26 images from the same angle of a cell / bedroom with the only difference being the curtains, 20 to 30 images of the perimeter fence where the only difference was the number on the wall and number of pebbles and weeds on the path.

Taking this approach in to my industrial estate compositions did make the project a little stagnant, the compositions all the same, lighting very similar, with the only difference being the name on the outside of the building and the shrubs and parking spaces to the front aspect. Although this was the point being put across, almost like a fast food restaurant, an industrial estate made to order, I could understand how my major project submission may not be the appropriate time for such subject matter.

Comparing my minor project against the recent compositions there were a number of points I could take from each

• ·      The latest images used a better technique, slower and composed a little better considering all horizontal and vertical lines.
• ·      The actual compositions and colours from the minor project came through a lot better, although technique was a little sloppy and maybe rushed. 
• ·      Overall – the subject matter for the minor project was a lot more interesting for the viewer.

 This led me to look at all the images I have taken from the start of this academic year; comparing composition, technique and especially subject matter.

Collecting a broad selection of prints and discussing my ideas with Jamie, we agreed with Antony’s opinion that the latest images were a little boring, albeit the concept could be revisited at a later date, but for now I should concentrate on my industrial compositions, with my images taken on my Bronica of a site in Birmingham being my strongest compositions.