(P. ramorum) V: Ground Work

Phytophthora ramorum (P.ramorum)

Location: Glenariffe Forest Park

This was an odd one for me. I was photographing the affected area to discover how to photograph the content for this project.

Although the subject matter is pressing, engaging and urgent, the method of repeating a photographic composition is not. Making portraits of dead and dying tree stumps is boring (when considered en masse). The sloping terrain of the Glenariffe forest park combined with the heavily distressed woodland floor makes for 'beautiful' compositions, genuinely lovely images of destruction and deforestation. However, this does not intrigue me.

Instead I am drawn to the details scatted about the scene: painted indicators; chainsaw marks, split trunks, fungi patterns across tree rings, and so on. The beautiful minutia. The wide photographs work well to establish the scene and to record the scale of the soil erosion and deforestation, but the most engrossing points are found by moving much closer.

"The devil is in the detail". This was a favourite mantra of one of my photography teachers, and I suppose this has stuck with me.

P.ramorum, or "Sudden Oak Death", has already had a devestating impact on America in the past decade, specifically Northern California. Here is a video from QUEST's archive series on P.ramorum:

(sorry about the forced crop on the video)

-PM

Back to it!

For the past month I seemed to have been bogged down in thinking about photography, reading about and writing about photography (applying for funding for projects). As important as each of those actions are they do not compare to taking and making photographs.

I had lost sight of project work and was wallowing in word documents. No longer! I made a point of getting back to it today, back to the frontline with cameras in hand. Bertha (my medium format Yashica) was out for the occasion, functioning as my mechanical muse and walking companion. Twelve shots later and I was home again, contented and refocused on image making. Keep an eye out for a Godzilla in high heels appearing in the stream shortly...

Tomorrow I am off to the Glens of Antrim, once again I will be focusing on the affected woodland areas and P.ramorum.

More soon. This new vigour will probably spill out here, Twitter and Instagram...

-PM

On Twitter!

I have finally added Twitter to my social networking toolbox. It made sense, and I had only been putting it off for years... (._. )

Well, I am on there now! @PeterMarley_

[Me, on the set of Boys From County Hell, recoding some EPK footage - Feb 2012]

In other news I have discovered a time capsule of photos from Japan that I was urged to sit on back in 2008. Thank you Twy! Looking at the 1000+ images now much more than I ever would have back then. Although I did post a few of the photos up here when I go back there were so many I glossed over. So this felt like returning to a box of contact sheets!

As a result I might make a short film/slideshow containing the images and the (unseen) videos from the 2008 trip to Japan.

More soon!

-PM

Boys From County Hell (2012) - Teaser Trailer

The teaser trailer for Boys From County Hell (2012) has been finished off. This is a locally produced short horror film that was made last month. I was onboard as their stills photographer. You can see the stills from the three-day shoot here and here.

BOYS FROM COUNTY HELL - Teaser Trailer HD from Chris Baugh on Vimeo.

-PM

'Churches', by Sylvia Grace Borda

Churches

Sylvia Grace Borda

20th January - 2nd March 2012

Belfast Exposed, Belfast

[taken from BelfastExposed.org]... Sylvia Grace Borda is interested in exploring the architectural legacy of Modernism in Northern Ireland and has made a photographic survey of its modernist churches. Borda spent 2 years journeying through Northern Ireland, seeking out and photographing its churches. The result is an extensive photographic typology, which forms a contemporary portrait of Northern Ireland, and its unchronicled Modernist past.

Modernist civic buildings in Northern Ireland have been characteristically imposing, adopting brutalist architectural strategies. Many of its modernist churches however have aspired to be ethereal and open. These designs reflected the Modernist 1960s idea that architecture had a potential, through spatial openness, to improve social and political lives. Modernist churches employed architectural designs that did not privilege one particular faith over another. It is almost impossible to examine the structural form of many churches and readily distinguish the associated faith.

Churches is an exhibition in 3 parts. At the front of the gallery is a display cabinet containing a series of ceramic objects loaned from antique shops and official Government collections in Northern Ireland. The traditional "souvenir plate" was popular as a token of remembrance, and was often associated with travel and the depiction of picturesque locales. The main gallery space hosts an installation of photo-printed, ceramic plates, entitled "Coming to the Table" and a video projection of over 100 unnamed modernist churches from across Northern Ireland.

http://www.sylviagraceborda.com/

http://belfastexposed.org/

2012 so far...

Forget the Year of the Dragon, this has been the year of short films! So far I have worked on four. I shot Lady Grey (and founded FalseAlarm Media as a result); I worked as standby props in Ryan and Andy Toehill's most recent film, Eyeline; and, as you may have noticed from the barrage of recent posts, I have been taking stills on Boys From County Hell and Pennyinch.

[Crew photo from Eyeline, photo credit: Alasdair McBroom]

That's the film side of things. Back to photography. I have submitted '100Portraits in 100Days' to a few local galleries in an attempt to exhibit the work. Fingers crossed. I am also working on creating a project that focuses on Phytophthora ramorum, the 'rapid tree fungus' that is dramatically changing the landscapes of the U.K.

Naturally, I have been photographing throughout the first two months of the year. The final total of digital photographs taken last year was just over 10,000, which is not bad. I do blame working on Game of Thrones for almost six months for this, but working in the Props department in film is something I wish to continue with. And I was still taking photos, I just can't show most of them anywhere. However, I can show my handmade flail made from a Monkey Fist with splice handle (the life of props provides an unusual skill set):

However, this year has been fun so far and I aim to make the most of it. I turned 24 last month. I made a promise to make one self portrait every month throughout the year so I could track any changes that 'making the most of it' would have, the results are included below.

[Occupy Belfast Camp, Writer's Square Belfast, Jan 2012]

[Brussels, Belgium, Jan 2012]

[Road Sign, Ghent, Brussels, Jan 2012]

[Self portrait with black-eye, Jan 2012]

[P.ramorum affected area in Glenariffe Forest Park, Jan 2012]

[Hannah & I reflected, Soho, London, Feb 2012]

[Glare, London, Feb 2012]

[Self portrait against an elephant wall hanging, Feb 2012]

[Photo tabletop created using old analogue prints and contact sheets, Feb 2012]

-PM

Pennyinch (2012) - Day 2

Day Two in Pennyinch.

Directed by Lucy Caird and Darren Chesney

Written by Lucy Caird

Director of Photogrpahy: Ian Marrs

-PM