The Final

yesterday i went to my mums mums for my last shoot. i think it was a very successful shoot and i was able to get alot of the images that i felt were needed to improve the project further. i went back with a wide angle lens to get some broader shots of the rooms. but because of the sheer volume of clutter these images were difficult to get and in the end i gave up.

here are a few images from this last shoot.

these are a few snippets of images that i particularly like. i explored different areas and was able to develop the porject further. many of the photos taken in this shoot are being used as part of my final edit.

Last shoot

Now from the imagery have collated so far i am now going to return for one last shoot to cover all of the aspects of the project that i feel need to be re visited or re shot.

So far i have got a lot of imagery and feel that to expand the project a bit more i need more general shots of the room and close ups of the objects. I have a lot of images of my mums mum and my mum and their relationship so mow i feel confident that i can focus on shooting the house itself.

With under a month left till this project is due i feel that i am at a good point for the project to end as the house clearing has hit a halt and the images are beginning to appear repetitive. Because of this i feel that i can stop the project after the next shoot. however it will be something that i will come back to in the future as i will be looking to document the house when my mums mum plans to move and get it re done which will be over the summer all being well.

that's the plan for the next shoot which will be happening in a few days. until then i am going to be working on idea for my book and sorting through the video that i've got so that i can start working on the wording to accompany the images.

10 image edit. so far

now we have asked to create an edit of ten images that could be used as part of our final set. it has been difficult to do especially as for my final set i dont think i will have as many as 10 because i need more writing to go into the book.

so to begin with here are the ten images that i have chosen.

 I definately want to use this image in the final edit but i may possibly go back and re shoot the image because the sign is a bit hard to read. the positioning of the broom the sign and the cross works very well as an opening image for the whole series.

 This image is included because i think its a good portrait of my mums mum and well it makes me laugh. the other images below are also included because they have potential to develop the story but at the moment they are not definite because i still need to complete more shoots.

this image is chosen because of how it shows the clutter. flash was used which i'm not so keen on because it has altered the colours in the image. the image clearly shows the clutter however

this image focuses on my mum, shes looking at papers. sorting through everything. its a strong image that portrays how my mum feels well. i think.

now these are just an edit from the images that i have at the moment. some will be part of my final edit however i still have another shoot to get some more imagery so until i have done that i dont want to finalizing images too much.

The hoarder next door Christmas special.

Now a hoarder at Christmas is sure to be very exciting. well it is. channel 4 made another episode to their series looking at hoarders. unfortunately its not available on 4od but it was really interesting to watch. one lady that they focused on had never let any of her grandchildren see the inside of her home so she wanted to clear it in time for Christmas so that they could come round. however the only problem with a hoarder at Christmas is that they have far more decorations than the average person so you can imagine that although the house was cleared it was then filled with around 20 Christmas trees and tinsel and well it looked like Christmas had thrown up over the lounge. it was crazy.

Heres the link to the programme. You cant watch all of it but there are clips which are worth checking out.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-hoarder-next-door/episode-guide/series-2/episode-1

i've watched all of the hoarding programmes. even some of people in america. they are far more shocking to watch. however it has made me more open to how these people have to live and how there's always an underlying issue to what makes them do it.

as i've been photographing my mums mums house over the past months i have noticed that each time i go to shoot it has become less cluttered and the lounge and kitchen are becoming more welcoming and spacious. however i have realised that she is merely moving the clutter from downstairs to upstairs so now her bedroom and the spare rooms are becoming even more packed. i have tried to photograph the rooms upstairs but it is becoming difficult especially as they are small and dark rooms and i cant get to the windows to draw back the curtains. i have experimented with flash but i dont like the effect it gives the image. it seems too harsh and bold.

Some of the photos

Here are a selection of images from yesterdays shoot. i am very pleased with the outcomes that i have achieved and also feel that i've been able to focus on the relationship between my mum and my gran well.

 i filmed them whilst we were sat in the car as took photos of them sat next to each other. this was just to capture our whole journey and time whilst we were away from the house. although for my final set of images i think the images should only be ones taken in the house to add to the point of the story.

 how many blondes does it take to use a pay meter at a car park.... in this case three apparently. while they pressed buttons and got confused i snapped away capturing their shared confusion, it was quite comical actually.

 I was intrigued by their hands whilst we were at lunch  and noticed that they both wear the same ring. the difference in age on their hands was something that also interested me, they have similar hands but the age is what separates them.

 my mums mum wears alot of jewellery. she sleeps in it as well, she doesn't take her rings off at all. i asked her to hold her hands in front of her face just to see how the image would be i think the image has turned out quite well. the lighting was a bit bright and hazy in the restaurant but it highlights the lines on her hands more.

 they are always showing each other things, it makes me laugh watching my mum try to use her phone and then my mums mum even more baffled by the phone itself. i've picked this image because i really like the lighting and the composition of the image.

this image focuses more on their relationship. the image is centred on my mums mum and my mum is blurred. the composition of the image makes you focus on my mums mum first. what they are looking at is out of view so its add mystery to the image.

this small selection of images are just a quick edit that show how they interact together. i didn't want the images to be posed so i've just snapped away whilst they are doing what they usually do. this way of working has been far better and has got shots that i would not of otherwise got.

todays shoot

So today's shoot went pretty well. i have got a lot of images to go through and also shot alot of video as well to develop this skill more. i focused more on my mums mum than on the house itself but i think this was a good idea because now when i go back again i know exactly whats missing and what needs to be developed further.

Death Row

I have just finished watching an episode of another documentary called death row. its a hard hitting documentary that is difficult to watch but is truly fascinating at the same time. i watched the episode about Hank Skinner who was sentenced to life for the murder of his girlfriend and her two mentally ill sons. he has been sent to be killed three times but each time he has had the date changed. on one occasion he had even had his final meal and had his last phone calls when the verdict changed.

at the time of the film he was still pleading his innocence, i dont no if he was ever killed or not. the film was a year ago so they may not of known at the time.

hes a very harrowing character to watch and although he is meant to of committed such a terrible crime he doesn't seem scary or frightening just creepy. however you can see how being on death row has taken its toll on his mental state and he comes across as though he is going slightly crazy. which i suppose is expected.

the thing that struck me the most about it though was that he didn't seem scared of his inevitable death. he'd fully excepted it and wasn't scared of dying. he was scared of what happens after your killed. the unknown.
the link below is for the documentary. the episodes are quite long but are definately worth watching.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/death-row/4od#3411379

as well as the content of the film being interesting and striking. i also found that the way it had been filmed to make it even more absorbing. the main part of the film is just hank talking and all you can hear is his voice. it creates a very emotional and engaging response.

plan for tomorrow

Now tomorrow i am going back to my mums mums to get some more shots of the house and her. this time i am going to also be looking at the relationship between my mum and her and how they interact with each other.

I will be going there with my mum as always so this will be a good opportunity to capture them together. I'll be spending the whole day there so hopefully i will get some really good shots. i will be shooting some film as well but this is just because i want to get a wider range of imagery that will be a bit different to what i've already shot.