Photographers at work.

Before I really start this post I would like to clarify that living and working in Enniskillen was fantastic.

Having said that, being trapped in a land devoid of phone signal and a decent internet connection has been crippling in terms of acquiring new information (thankfully the local shops do stock the daily papers), maintaining blogs or electronic correspondences, and any sort of "online presence" (ah, contemporary culture moves too fast for photographers trapped in the sticks).  This pastoral paradise, however, the opportunity to work alongside two very talented photographers: Campbell Mitchell and Neil Davidson.

Campbell and I were working as a standby prop team on the feature film Miss Julie (2014), and Neil was the unit photographer.  The culmination of our efforts can be seen below (photograph by Neil; retouched by Campbell).  Although it has been agreed that this could be our spin-off sassy-country hillbilly-chic album cover (should the world ever need to hear that) we are actually hard at work (trimming trees and fending off nature's barbs).

This is some of what has been going on over the past month or so.

-PM

March: Then

When putting together the previous post on March 2013 I had a quick swim through my archive.  It was fun to revisit the previous projects that had grabbed me at this point in the year, over the years.  Here are a few images that jumped out at me.  If I get a moment I may set up the links to previous projects here or in the appropriate sections (failing that, just check out the archive on this blog or search for a keyword!).

March 2010

 

March 2011

March 2012

-PM

'The Rabbit Trap'

A few stills from a short film called 'The Rabbit Trap'.
5/5/2012

 

When the folks get the website up and running I shall send on the links.

-PM

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(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

(P. ramorum) III

Here we are again, back on the trail of Phytophora ramorum. I have been burying my head in websites and sifting through the available information to formulate a proposal for my next project. Thus far I have discussed this project with other photographers and visual artists and their excitement and feedback has encouraged me to follow this through (thanks Sylvia!).

The most concise information guide can be viewed here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8352779/p-ramorum-disease.pdf

(Photo from www.forestry.gov.uk, demonstrating Phytophthora ramorum affecting Japanese larch trees)

So, an update: I have contacted the Forestry Commission and instigated the dialogue to learn more. I have made a list of the areas affected in Northern Ireland, I mean to start locally with my photography and document these woodlands first. There are in the excess of ten sites recorded at the end of last year, including Ballyboley, Bohill, Capanagh, Glenarm, Glenariffe, Tardree, and Woodburn. There are also many cases on private estates around the Antrim Plateau.

More soon!

-PM

(P. ramorum) II

A comparison; a reason...

I sifted through my archive to find one specific photograph so that I could make a point. The photo was taken in the Glenariffe Forest Park in September of 2008, the image is almost garishly green because of a recent shower. The rain water, caught in the trees and vegetation, dapples the light and makes the landscape literally sparkle. This photo was taken during one of my few trips home that year, and to me this was home.

And that is why walking the same path only two weeks past I was stunned to find that the avenue of trees no longer existed. The trees had become infected, were systemically felled and have been destroyed to prevent the spread of Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum).

More later, when I know more.

PM

(P. ramorum)

A little background to start...

In Europe, including the UK, P. ramorum has been found mainly on container-grown Rhododendron, Viburnum and Camellia plants in nurseries. It was first detected in the UK in 2002, when emergency measures were introduced. The initial measures included destruction of infected plants, a ban on imports of susceptible material from affected areas of the USA, and notification of movements of susceptible nursery stock. These measures were notified to the EU Standing Committee on Plant Health, which agreed EU-wide emergency measures in November 2002, based largely on the UK's action. Those measures are still in place.

Phytophthora ramorum was first identified in the mid-1990s as the cause of widespread devastation of wild oak trees in California and Oregon, USA (which earned it the name 'Sudden oak death').

Source: http://fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/plantHealth/pestsDiseases/phytophthora/pRamorum/

In 2010, P. ramorum came to the Glenariffe Forest Park in the Glens of Antrim. The removal of infected trees has had a serious impact on the landscape of the area.

-PM

Forgotten Roll from 2010

It has taken too long to get around to scanning this roll of film (Kodak 400vc), which was shot in 2010 over a period of months. The reasons behind the photos range from photo-adventure walks to recording the length of my 'dissertation' beard.

-PM