F&C Project Idea Needed

C

Carl Hall

Suspended / Banned
Messages
3,817
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm rattling my brain trying to come up with a project but I can't seem to find anything that jumps out at me. I've really enjoyed POTY this year but now that the final months are coming up I'd like to get my teeth into something new and I'd really like to put lots of focus and effort into doing something specific, rather than going out for the day and taking photos of what I find like I mainly do now.

I'd like a project that can be done in contrasty B&W on both 6x6 and 5x4 cameras. Something a little more creative than I usually do, with a bit more planning and forethought rather than walkabout photos I usually take. Ideally with a subject that doesn't move so I can take my time with each image too.

I know that's a bit of a wide question that could do with narrowing down a little, but I'm all out of ideas at the moment. Need a little bit of idea input so that I can have my light bulb moment and think "yes! That's what I'll do!"

Anyone's head overflowing with ideas so much that they need to part with one?

I've kept this within the F&C area as I'm not sure how many F&C people would see it in the Projects bit, plus I'd like sensible ideas from film folk who know what limitations I'll have.

Cheers then! :)
 
have you thought about doing some studio shoots? Working with models is an experience. There was a local studio that hired out quite cheaply which i used to use and did a lot of medium format shoots there with the free type of model. I did lots of themed shoots which all took some planning with regards to fashion styles, the look of the model, lighting etc Its something im going to be back into as soon as i can find some time and a studio locally.
 
Yep portraiture at home is great and you can start with friends and family...you can make up a frame to hold a backing sheet of coloured paper and two flashguns are the basic requirement usually one at half power then just a bright light from above to light up the model's hair (optional)...you can also have fun going high or low key depending on the subject.....usual prime lens is about from 80-120mm for head and shoulders but a zoom would do if stuck.... with kids with small features you can come in close with other lenses.
It's not easy at first as you have to look at the model and work out the best angle e.g. you can make a sq jaw in a woman look worse, but it doesn't matter so much for a man.
 
Back in the mists of time college lecturers used to set study projects, I dunno what they do now but in those days I found them challenging.
They forced you in to experimentation, to look at a particular subject for far longer, and be more creative in recording what you see than you normally would.
Michael Kenna did a few studies, like this one of power stations, Martin Parrs portfolio is full of studies.
Dunno what there is in Taunton besides a Sainsburys with crap toilets and a pay car park but you're only 10 miles from the coast.
For an inside job over winter, R Mapplethorpe shot flowers to death, I've got a project in mind using fruits and vegetables on slide film......but we won't go in to that......ehem

our lass has a thing about lighthouses......but I'm not going in to that either..:D
 
My advice is to shoot something you feel strongly about. I did an A level in photography and the projects they gave us to do, while perfectly valid, bored the life out of me. I'd never have done them on my own, and because they bored me to death, I didn't put everything into them. So perhaps start not with a subject or genre, but start with something that you feel strongly about and perhaps try and generate a message to portray within the work. As a completely random example, perhaps take something like poverty. Can be captured in the landscape or in the city, on any format, etc etc.

A guy whose website and flickr stream I follow has a personal side project that he shoots on LF (along with all his other work) that aims to look at the impact of industrial agriculture on his native Colorado landscapes.

Just my 2p :)
 
Ever taken time to look through the old shoe box full of ageing pictures?
Start your own living legacy, shoot your family, local area say up to 10 miles. Market day, Scouts parade. Demolition and rebuild.
Local characters and buildings. Transport and bus, rail stations.
All of this will be history to your Grandchildren..But. You've GOT to print them, write on the backs of them. This project will never end..
 
Tree portraits. I'm still working on a "trees" series.
 
Fifty strangers on film?
 
AshleyC said:
have you thought about doing some studio shoots? Working with models is an experience. There was a local studio that hired out quite cheaply which i used to use and did a lot of medium format shoots there with the free type of model. I did lots of themed shoots which all took some planning with regards to fashion styles, the look of the model, lighting etc Its something im going to be back into as soon as i can find some time and a studio locally.
Click to expand...

excalibur2 said:
Yep portraiture at home is great and you can start with friends and family...you can make up a frame to hold a backing sheet of coloured paper and two flashguns are the basic requirement usually one at half power then just a bright light from above to light up the model's hair (optional)...you can also have fun going high or low key depending on the subject.....usual prime lens is about from 80-120mm for head and shoulders but a zoom would do if stuck.... with kids with small features you can come in close with other lenses.
It's not easy at first as you have to look at the model and work out the best angle e.g. you can make a sq jaw in a woman look worse, but it doesn't matter so much for a man.
Click to expand...

ChrisR said:
Fifty strangers on film?
Click to expand...

I'd really love to be able to take portraits but I'm not really confident with directing people or working with strangers haha.

Also I'm planning on using LF too and as I haven't mastered it yet it'll take me half an hour to get a shot lol.

Going to practice shooting some portraits on people I know soon though, I'd love to be able to get better at them! Perhaps it's a project for next year after some practice :D
 
joxby said:
Back in the mists of time college lecturers used to set study projects, I dunno what they do now but in those days I found them challenging.
They forced you in to experimentation, to look at a particular subject for far longer, and be more creative in recording what you see than you normally would.
Michael Kenna did a few studies, like this one of power stations, Martin Parrs portfolio is full of studies.
Dunno what there is in Taunton besides a Sainsburys with crap toilets and a pay car park but you're only 10 miles from the coast.
For an inside job over winter, R Mapplethorpe shot flowers to death, I've got a project in mind using fruits and vegetables on slide film......but we won't go in to that......ehem

our lass has a thing about lighthouses......but I'm not going in to that either..:D
Click to expand...

I'm about 25 miles east of taunton which is actually really good as the Somerset coast and Dorset coast are both about an hour away :) I had a thing for piers and lighthouses once too :D

Flowers is a really interesting idea. I saw Andysnaps LF flower a few days ago which was superb. Got a free morning tomorrow I might nip to the florist in town and have a look around :)
 
I'd love to do portraits but I don't know anyone willing to sit.

I've mentioned before that it would be great if we had a list of people in F+C who would be willing to sit for each other.
 
trevorbray said:
Ever taken time to look through the old shoe box full of ageing pictures?
Start your own living legacy, shoot your family, local area say up to 10 miles. Market day, Scouts parade. Demolition and rebuild.
Local characters and buildings. Transport and bus, rail stations.
All of this will be history to your Grandchildren..But. You've GOT to print them, write on the backs of them. This project will never end..
Click to expand...

Someone in my town took loads of photos back in like the 60s and 70s which have just been shared around on Facebook. The town has changed a lot since then and it was interesting for people who could remember and also for people like me that weren't around back then. Would be ace to have some photos like that to look back on in years to come
 
What about joining a camera club, the other members with sorta group therapy will stop you getting bored h'mm well now might be full of digi guys though :(,,,,I really enjoyed my camera club once a week before I moved away and although T&C is great, you can't beat mixing with people and their gear.
 
excalibur2 said:
What about joining a camera club, the other members with sorta group therapy will stop you getting bored h'mm well now might be full of digi guys though :(,,,,I really enjoyed my camera club once a week before I moved away and although T&C is great, you can't beat mixing with people and their gear.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine went to our local camera club and said it was just a load of creepy guys who hired models to take photos of each week, but they were more interested in the models than actually taking photos! Needless to say he didn't stay there long lol.

There's a couple other clubs within reason already distance, but ones on a Monday when I play skittles, and the other is on a Wednesday when I go kayaking!

As you say though, I guess it's mostly digital gear in the club's now
 
Carl Hall said:
There's a couple other clubs within reason already distance, but ones on a Monday when I play skittles, and the other is on a Wednesday when I go kayaking!
Click to expand...


You've just given yourself two projects right there...

Got to be something about skittles - the people, the venue, the game itself, the beers before/during/after... loads to come up with, and in a circle of people that already know you and might well be more amenable than a bunch of strangers.

And if you can't come up with something interesting with a bunch of people in a Kayak club, I think you're going to struggle with anything more abstract - you've got action, gear shots, people (most paddlers i've known have been real characters - especially the white-water nutters!)....
 
Carl Hall said:
A friend of mine went to our local camera club and said it was just a load of creepy guys who hired models to take photos of each week, but they were more interested in the models than actually taking photos!
Click to expand...

The cliche about those guys is that they manage to take a hundred shots without needing to change their film . . . because there isn't any film.
 
TheBigYin said:
You've just given yourself two projects right there...

Got to be something about skittles - the people, the venue, the game itself, the beers before/during/after... loads to come up with, and in a circle of people that already know you and might well be more amenable than a bunch of strangers.

And if you can't come up with something interesting with a bunch of people in a Kayak club, I think you're going to struggle with anything more abstract - you've got action, gear shots, people (most paddlers i've known have been real characters - especially the white-water nutters!)....
Click to expand...

Should be fun with LF :)
 
kendo1 said:
Should be fun with LF :)
Click to expand...

well - lots of environmental portraits and establishing landscapes on the LF camera, then switch to the Hassy for stuff with a bit more movement to it... If you're doing a project, it's always good to do it about something you a) understand and b) enjoy...
 
TheBigYin said:
well - lots of environmental portraits and establishing landscapes on the LF camera, then switch to the Hassy for stuff with a bit more movement to it... If you're doing a project, it's always good to do it about something you a) understand and b) enjoy...
Click to expand...

No good for me then :confused:
 
TheBigYin said:
You've just given yourself two projects right there...

Got to be something about skittles - the people, the venue, the game itself, the beers before/during/after... loads to come up with, and in a circle of people that already know you and might well be more amenable than a bunch of strangers.

And if you can't come up with something interesting with a bunch of people in a Kayak club, I think you're going to struggle with anything more abstract - you've got action, gear shots, people (most paddlers i've known have been real characters - especially the white-water nutters!)....
Click to expand...

Interestingly I'd not even considered either of these things as projects! I'm not sure skittles would be practical but I'll definitely have more of a think about kayaking. I'm not sure how well it'll work as I'm usually in the water (unless I can fabricate some kind of large format kayak mount... :D ) but I really like the idea of some sort of set up photos of the boat shed and equipment etc. I'm off for two days of white water kayaking in Wales at the weekend so perhaps I'll take the LF and try some photos in the afternoon after everyone has stopped for the day :D
 
I love how we all think differently.

I immediately had loads of thoughts about the skittles.
 
Its hardly a common pastime is it, I'd take a camera to a skittles game just because its.....unusual..:)


edit....heck I hardly even know what it is, is it like a bar room game or....I dunno....oop north we refer to 10 pin bowling as skittles..
 
Last edited:
I'd shoot the skittles. It's one of those pieces of British heritage that deserves to be preserved.
 
joxby said:
Its hardly a common pastime is it, I'd take a camera to a skittles game just because its.....unusual..:)


edit....heck I hardly even know what it is, is it like a bar room game or....I dunno....oop north we refer to 10 pin bowling as skittles..
Click to expand...

Ha it's common down here! Every man and his dog plays skittles in Somerset! It's basically like bowling but none of the balls are round, and none of the pins stand up straight :D
 
I assume it's the type of skittles played with a ball not the Northamptonshire/Leicestershire variety played with 'cheeses'?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top