Prospectus: Portfolio 2021
Objectives 2020-21
Welcome to my 2021 Portfolio, covering the period April 2020-July 2021.
As you may recall, my usual Portfolio covers April to April, however, in 2020-21 this changed due to the Covid pandemic which limited access outdoors, especially in the lockdown phases. In turn, the situation has limited the opportunities to take shots both in and outdoors, as well as keeping activities compliant with social distancing requirements. The extended time-base for the Portfolio has enabled me to collect a sizeable amount of potential images for inclusion.
Now that vaccination has become widespread, things have improved and work on my normal outdoor themes has restarted, so I can confidently state that my 2021-2022 Portfolio will once again be based on an April-to-April basis.
I have maintained my avid interest in landscape, engineering and documentary images, producing image sets in North Wales, along with the Midlands of England. I was unable to visit Scotland in either 2020 or 2021, as I had planned, to visit the Outer Hebrides which has been put off for another time: maybe 2022.
In 2020-21 I have used a mirrorless camera for the first time (Canon EOS R, purchased in August 2020). After a lot of consideration, I decided to use an EOS-R, so that I would be able to use all the capabilities of the Canon EOS-R camera and my existing Canon lenses. Compatibility between a Canon lens is often claimed by other non-Canon camera brands, but I found these claims misleading. In my experience, the full software functionality is only available with matching in-house cameras and lenses.
The big plus for a mirrorless camera is that it is still a reflex camera, which has a viewfinder showing the exact image output by the sensor, as opposed to the output from the optics, (i.e. pre-sensor) as used by DSLR. In addition, the absence of a mirror avoids unnecessary signal noise as no mirror movement occurs at the start of an exposure. Some comments have been made regarding the effect of the viewfinder operation on battery life, that I have not observed myself. Once I had started, I rapidly realised the convenience of a mirrorless camera when travelling and I used the EOS-R for the majority part of my work in 2020-21.
All the images in the 2021 Portfolio were taken in 2020-21, and are presented chronologically. There is a single exception, image P01, which was taken in 2017 and included in Portfolio 2017, when I remembered my liking for this shot; call it indulgence if you will.
My two principal objectives for 2020-21 were first, to familiarise myself with mirrorless camera techniques and second, to begin detailed studies of North Wales Slate Mining, its history, principles, engineering and heritage. There are seven main areas where slate mining was carried out, of which I have visited four in 2020-21. Of the other three there are only two that I have never visited before. I plan to make more progress on this topic in the coming year to establish the framework for my continuing studies.
I have used both digital colour and Black and White film photography in my Slate studies to illustrate the stark, austere, and minimalist nature of the mines and quarries. The black-and-white images are based on a graduated grey scale, which needs interpretation by the viewer, both in terms of true colour and texture. This work is continuing into 2021-22 and will be further described in due course. For the moment, there are some colour images included which set the scene (see P0 29-32 shot at Dinorwic Quarry, near Llanberis).
Prospect: Photography 2021
