I decided to take this course both as a retirement project and because I wanted to take a degree in photography when I left school in the 1970s. In those days photography was not considered worthy of a degree, so instead I decided to take a different direction and obtain a degree in science.
In level three I wish to improve my creativity and produce images which are not just pretty pictures, but ones like those of photographers I admire, those which tell a story.
In this module, I intend to complete my studies on perception and create a major work consisting of images of the Fens, the man-made landscape near my home. My particular interests are alternative forms of photography, such as infrared photography, drone photography, three-dimensional photography, and photogrammetry.
Since starting this course I have tried to use my imagination and creativity to create images and sequences of images which either tell a story or create an opinion in the viewer. Projects in previous modules have related to local controversies[footnote 1], mental illness,
[footnote 2], and story telling,[footnote 3].
More recently I have been investigating how we create a three-dimensional world from the images received by our two eyes, using three-dimensional photography, both stereo photography and photogrammetry to try and reproduce this three-dimensional world.
For my final project, I have adopted another method of seeing which is to use the light which we cannot see, namely infrared. Much of my photography up to now has been experimental, using cameras that I have modified myself, and then purchasing a professionally modified camera. Trying the use of infrared film as well as using electronic cameras to record the infrared radiation which surrounds us whilst being invisible to our eyes.
My use of infrared extended to my external project in module 3.2 where I tried to use infrared imaging to produce an air of mystery to complement the writing of a best-selling author. This was not totally successful as the publisher did not like the results despite them being approved by the author, but the images were used for publicity and were seen by over seven thousand of the author’s followers on social media.
For my major project, I intend to continue my investigations into alternative ways of seeing. I will continue to take images in infrared but also consider other ways of creating images which go beyond what we can normally see.
My subject has been the Fens, the landscape around Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire which has been completely created by man over the last three hundred years replacing the watery marshes which were the natural conditions of this low-lying land, much of which is still below sea level.
The nature of the Fens is still changing. The low land means that the winds can cut across the fields, and it has become an ideal location for wind power. As the regulations are relaxed, the number of wind farms is increasing, and the Fens has become a major hub for electricity with the massive substation at Walpole expanding to distribute the extra power, whilst the resulting pylons appear in nearly every photograph of the area.
As well as photographing the land I am trying to learn more about the history of the area in the hope that I can integrate this learning into the imagery that I am creating. I would certainly like the result to be more than just a collection of photographs, but more of an honour to the area and the people who lived and worked in this unique part of the country.
In order to distribute my work, I have obtained permission to display some of my prints for sale in the Babylon Gallery in Ely, a prestigious art gallery in the middle of the Cambridgeshire Fens. I am currently working on producing suitable good quality prints for that purpose. I have also joined a local art group which will give me the opportunity to exhibit my works in the Customs House in King’s Lynn, the major port town of the Fens.
My interest in the Fens doesn’t just come from my current location but it would appear that my maternal ancestors originated in the Fens. My grandmother was born in King’s Lynn and her first employment according to the 1901 census was as a mat maker, presumably weaving mats from the rushes and reeds harvested from the rivers of the Fens. Her maiden name Dixon appears to have originated in the Fenland village of Islington. The village no longer exists but the ruined parish church, which still contains monuments to the Dixon family, sits beside the original route of the Great Ouse.
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| Fig 1: St. Mary’s Islington (Bainbridge, 2022) |
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| Fig 2: Monument to the Dixon Family (Bainbridge, 2022) |
This monument to the Dixons records the death of one branch of the family, probably from smallpox due to the epidemic which raged from 1721 to 1723. I can only trace my family back as far as 1739 so I cannot tell for certain whether or not these may have been my ancestors.
The broad sweep of the river at this point, which was bypassed in the early 19th century by the digging of the Eaubrink Cut, was drained and became very fertile agricultural land. I assume that it was then that the village was abandoned as the indigenous people who had subsisted on the bounty from the river were forced to move into the so-called Yards (slums) of the nearby town to survive.
As a result, I have a great affinity with the area and with its history.
List of Illustrations
Featured image (on cover page): River Ouse from German’s Bridge to Lynn in Norfolk
Fig 1: Bainbridge, G. (2022) St. Mary’s Islington.
Fig 2: Bainbridge, G. (2022) Monument to the Dixon Family.
References
- BOYCE, J. (2021) IMPERIAL MUD: the fight for the fens. S.l.: ICON BOOKS LTD.
- SAUNDERS, K. (2021) THREE MILLION WHEELBARROWS: the story of the Eaubrink Cut. S.l.: MOUSEHOLD PRESS.
[footnote 1]
https://bainb.com/wp/?p=1566
[footnote 2]
https://bainb.com/wp/?p=2350
[footnote 3]
http://bainb.com/wp/iandp/2018/08/24/assignment-four-image-and-text/