film photography Archives - Page 9 of 14 - Nigel Goldsmith photography & film

Ghost caught on pinhole camera

I am currently going through the current crop of extended pinhole camera pictures and discovered that a camera had recorded a ‘ghost’ of a structure not present when the camera was put up or taken down. On the left side of the building there is a faint image of scaffolding which must have been in place for around half of the exposure (3 months). You can see more pinhole images in the gallery section of the website

Ghost of scaffolding captured in 6 month pinhole camera exposure

Trade Union, not for profit and NGO photography

I have provided photography and photomontage services for trade unions and NGOs for over twenty years. The work is varied and interesting and differs widely from one organisation to another.

Photo-montaged images are often used to represent complex topics which cannot be illustrated with a traditional photograph. The types of subjects I have illustrated include, teenage pregnancies, John Major’s ‘Back to Basics’ policy, employment rights and environmental issues. This images often draw heavily on visual symbols and metaphors and can make very powerful images for campaigns, front covers or home pages. Some of my photo-montages have won the prestigious TUC media awards.

You can see more examples of my photo-montages here

Royal Mail privatisation. Commissioned by CWU

Most of these organisations have annual AGMs or conferences and need images of the event. Conference photography typically involves unobtrusively photographing speakers and delegates, taking shots of fringe meetings, team shots and stalls, recording any planned publicity events and forwarding images to picture desks from the venue.

Reaction from the floor- trade union conference

RMT – stewards

Guest Speaker – Dave Smith

RMT Conference delegate

My day rate for trade union and NGO work is based on the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) agreed day rate of £300/day before expenses.

Photomontages can require props and numerous location shots so please contact me for a quote.

Trade unions I have worked for; PCS, RMT, CWU, GMB, NUT, TGWU, UNISON, GPMU,

NGOs I have worked for; Greenpeace, War on Want, Central Americas Human Rights Commission, Prisoners Abroad,

Ship breakers in Bangladesh

This image was part of a series of documentary images shot in 1998 of ship breakers on a beach just outside of the city of Chittagong in Bangladesh. The beach is the last port of call for numerous huge ships which are stripped down to their raw materials often with just pure brute force. While the ship breakers were mainly concerned with recovering steel and other metals from the ships they would also have to remove asbestos and other harmful materials from the ship.

While I was using digital cameras at the time I decided to shoot the whole project with the Hasselblad. The images were commissioned by a London based development organisation.

Prints from this series can be purchased from me directly. For more information, visit my print sales page

Ship breakers, Chittagong, Bangladesh

The Marshfield Mummers

The ‘Town’ Crier’ leads the Marsfield Mummers along the High Street

I don’t normally work on Boxing Day however this year I was invited to photograph the Marshfield Mummers as they prepared for their annual performance.

Mummer’s costume case

The history of the Marshfield Mummers goes back more than two hundred years. The Mummers themselves are played by men local to the area, their identity is concealed by a costume made from torn strips of newspaper and cloth.

English Turpentine, used in the play for healing

Getting into costume

Typically, Marshfield is a sleepy village on the southern edge of the Cotswolds however on Boxing Day the pavements are packed with visitors who have come to see the annual performance.

The short 3 minute play is repeated a number of times along the High Street, between performances the Mummers walk in procession led by the ‘Town Crier’.

About to perform

The audience is invited to make a charitable donation to the Mummers, the money collected supports local projects. Many believe that a donation to the Mummers brings good luck for the following year. To read more about the Marshfield Mummers follow this link.

‘Saucy Jack’ a character from the Marshfield Mummers Christmas play

‘Beelzebub’ Marshfield Mummers

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One day Pinhole Photography workshop at Dyrham Park near Bath

On Thursday the 22nd of August I am running a one day pinhole photography workshop in the beautiful grounds of the National Trust’s Dyrham Park Estate.

Over the course of a day attendees will be introduced to the principles of photography (analogue and digital) before making their own working cameras and then taking pictures around the site.

The price for the day is a very reasonable £25 per person which includes all materials and entry into the grounds. Spaces are limited so book up early to avoid disappointment.

To book a place call 01225 892 374 or get more information please visit the Dyrham Park site by clicking here.

Pinhole image of the National Trust property at Newark Park, Gloucestershire

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