Veteran Shoot No.2 - 22/12/23:

This shoot was instigated when I was invited to a Christmas party that the Stockport veteran group were hosting at the Produce hall. For this shoot, I continued to develop my idea of documenting the veterans socialising from a distance. I believed that by documenting their Christmas party it would be a good opportunity to showcase an informal and intimate view to the group. 

The first image that I shot for this shoot was of a sign that is on the wall at the entrance of the produce hall. I thought that this would be a good companion image to go alongside the documentary shots of members of the group. The sign explains the history and origin to the place where the group meets regularly. 

The Image above I feel works better as it raises questions. As it is a closer shot there is more of a focus on the one person. The expression tells a lot in this image. It makes the viewer ask how the person is feeling. There is a sense of disconnect within the frame. The subject is almost drawn put of his environment, alone with another veteran in the background taking a photo on their phone. The positioning of the Union Jack flag adds to this image, in my creative opinion. 

The two images above were two of the landscape shots that I took to add within the narrative of the project. To show the surroundings within their usual meeting place. The second image, of the Photo Booth, has a very sinister and atmospheric tone to it. The lighting, positioning of the object and the emptiness of said object. 

The image directly above is one that I believe works well, it has a more intimate feel to it. The placing of the persons hands with the other person behind that does not look engaged within the conversation. 

The image above is a still life shot that I took in-between shots that I think fits in within the context of the shoot. This image reminds me of the work of Niall McDiarmid's still life photographs. McDiarmid's still life images has a use of colour, my image does does particularly have an emphasis on colour coordination, however the framing reminds me of his work. If I had not had knowledge of McDiarmid's work, I may have not taken this image. 

The image above is another image that I believe is one of the better ones on this shoot. The feedback on this particular image was that if the subject was looking at the camera while continuing to be positioned the way he is, it would make a good portrait. On reflection, I wish I asked for his portrait. 

The cropped image above is one that was one that was received well during my feedback session. The reasoning for my decision to take this image was the imtimacy of the body language as well as the subtle colour coordination of the red nails with the red coat. I believe that this crop and framing make the image work. 

I ended my shoot by asking two people for portraits. Noel, who is the founder of the group, runs the group and also served himself. The second portrait is taken of Julie, who is the events manager of the group. During taking these images I thought the framing of the person within the Christmas decorations would add to the image, in addition the the subjects wearing Christmas clothing. Upon reflection, I do not believe these portraits work towards my goal. 

Throughout this shoot, I came to the realisation that shooting from a distance may not be the right approach for this project. By documenting the veterans from a far, it slightly contradicts my aim to showcase an intimate side to each veteran. While showing the group within their environment can give an insight to the socialism that they have and the importance of the group, it does not have an effect on the viewer in the way that I intended. During my time collaborating with the group, I have founded a relationship between myself and each of the members. As the group feels comfortable around me as a photographer, I decided that I needed to find a different approach to this project.