Paper Edit

I took the following images and printed them out 4 to a page of A4 (so A6) and spread them out on a table and from there, made my edit. I made two edits and then asked for help from Andy and he then helped me narrow it down to a really tight edit of 20. I then took that edit home with me and looked at it periodically over the weekend, after some further reflection I still couldn’t find anything I didn’t like about it. The week after I showed some of my peers that edit and they then put three of the discarded images back in. I had become fairly attached to the edit as it was so I admit it was hard to change it but I’m glad I didn’t just reject their suggestion out of hand because I think those extra three images certainly don’t harm the edit.

Edit 2 (Last few days)

I didn’t do this as a ‘better’ edit I did this using only that I had shot after the first edit, I was aware there were stronger images that were in Edit 1 that weren’t included here but this was a deliberate decision to force myself to use images that I would have otherwise just thrown away and I have done that before only to look back and kick myself later down the line.

Edit 1 (first few days)

This is the edit that I put together after the first few days shooting, when I putting this together I realised that the thing that tied it together is roads. Images that didn’t have roads didn’t seem to fit as readily as those that did. I didn’t come up with the title “The Road Beneath My Feet” for a while and that name came from being sat on a train staring out the window. Which seems to be how a lot of ideas come to me.

Scamblesby 25.04.2016

This was the day before I left, I knew there were a few images that I still wanted from Scam so i trudged around with my tripod once more and I’m glad I did as there are a couple of images that have made it to the final edit and although they aren’t anything spectacular they do help tie things together. Something I didn’t mention before is that just over the brow of Cawkwell hill (IMG_4631 the hill there) is Cadwell Park Circuit, tucked in the middle of the Lincolnshire Wolds sits an internationally renowned circuit for motorcycle racing, with it’s infamous mountain section where the Superbike’s now get a good foot or two or air off of. It’s a fantastic place, it’s also something which I totally forgot to get an image of which I feel is a sin as despite it being something that not all that many people know about those that do, tend to be favourable of it. Scamblesby is one of the closest villages and every year they send out Christmas cards as a thank you. What with so many UK circuits facing closure due to noise complaints it does make me laugh that a Circuit in the middle of an area of outstanding natural beauty has never had a noise related issue. Still, it is something that I feel remiss for not having included.

Anyway, those are the contact sheets that make up my final edit. The ‘first shoot’ is actually three days and I’m just too lazy to separate them out into each day. I’m honestly shocked how fast this project came together and I really do want to continue it. Certainly continue it within Lincolnshire but also expand it to other areas in the UK.

The Big Sky (Also, Heckington again)

I really wanted to get an image of the Windmill I could use for the final edit as it is the only 8 Bladed one in the country but, alas I failed. Now, being less dramatic this was a Saturday that my dad took me on a tour of the south of the County, referred to by the locals as ‘The Big Sky’, why you ask? It’s really, really simple. it’s very flat and there is an amazing amount of sky as it is flat more or less to the horizon in most directions. Despite having been going up to the County for most of my life I have never been The Big Sky and well, the name lives up. The sky felt almost comically large as there’s nothing to get in the way. This is another day that netted a few of the final edits images. It also has some of a tidal river port that I love but they have no real place in the edit, same with IMG_4460 I really like the image but, it doesn’t fit in.

A153

Mick Toyne – Agricultural Engineering, what a name for a business. Unfortunately, the pictures aren’t any good but, it’s still a fun little thing to be sat along the 153. Now the entire reason I went out that day was to take a picture of the Lincolnshire Wold sign with no traffic, I was quite surprised how long it took to get it clear. I was there for nearly 15 minutes just to get a few frames with an empty road. Now I know that 15 minutes isn’t much in the grand scheme and had I done this on virtually any other A road it just wouldn’t have been practical during the day but, this is Lincolnshire. On a week day, in the Wolds. Once people have gone to work there’s not much traffic kicking about, especially on the 153, it’s only real job up in the wolds is to link Horncastle and Louth together. So I suppose it is some surprise that I saw mostly private vehicles, no tractors and one truck in the entire time.

Still, I got what I wanted and it was also a quiet day’s shooting as my sunburn was at the very red and angry stage, because I’m an idiot who forgot that suncream is a thing. On the flip side I got a lovely tan out of it.

Donington On Bain

Donington is only four, maybe five miles from Scamblesby and despite it being even more rural than Scam is (it’s along a B road and is further from civilisation). Fairly recently there has been a bunch of new builds put up in the village, they have a village store, a pub and a post-office. Donington is also a bit of an odd place, the lady who runs the store is clearly a local and is one of the “you’re not from round here, are you?” types, which is fine but isn’t the most welcoming. Whereas the Post-Office was recently bought by a couple who have moved to the area and are lovely, but I suppose it’s the difference between someone who has been there for years and is jaded against the enthusiasm that comes from a new adventure.

Just outside Donington there is a wonderful place, a place called Capri Gear. That’s right, it’s a yard dedicated to parts for the Ford Capri. My dad used to own many Capris (you don’t have a choice otherwise you’ll never have one that runs) so he used to take me there when I was a kid (around aged 5-9) and Martin (the owner) remembered my dad as he was a good customer and having the last name Wiltowski really helps. Of course he didn’t recognise me, the last he saw of me I was 9 for crying out loud. But, the second I said who I was he was all smiles and was shocked that it has been going on fifteen years since I was last there. Once I had finished having a little chat I went round and asked him brother (who owns the yard) if he minded me poking round with a camera, he had no objections so off I went.

I was like a pig in shit, it’s a proper yard with all the buildings filled with bits, tools and projects all waiting for there turn. IMG_4330 is probably my favourite from the project. It also has no place in the edit as it doesn’t work in the set. Which sucks because I love places like that, you know something will happen with that bike eventually, but it could well be another decade before it sees the light of day again. Note to self, if all else fails buy a yard somewhere and fill it with stuff.

Belmont Transmitting Station

The first page and a bit was just me playing with a sunset and the weather was never right (on a good day with no haze you can see straight down to Boston). This was a really stupid day for me, it was only 14 degrees with a nice cool breeze but as you can see there was no cloud cover. I might have got a little burnt. However, I did get a lot of images from this little jaunt. The one thing I didn’t get was a picture of Belmont itself, I plan to spend some time during the summer up at my dads so I will go back and try again then. But, something I didn’t quite clock was how tall the thing is, it stands at just over 350M tall and was reduced from 380M in the late 2000’s when it switched to a digital tower. It deals with TV and Radio bands for a large portion of Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire (thanks to its position high up in the Wolds). Though sadly it doesn’t carry any telecommunications networks which leaves much of the County with pretty poor signal.

Woodhall Spa

The first two images are the view out of my bedroom, so yea. Proper countryside including the back garden filled with sheds, tools and chickens. Moving on, Woodhall Spa is both the national centre for golf and it also has the only remaining rear-projection cinema in the country (Kinema in the Woods). Due to this it’s a fairly posh little place. I really didn’t take that images due to in part to me starting out fairly late (and having to be back to look after my siblings for a few hours) and also me being lazy and just not using my camera as much as I should have.

However, the last few frames of the A153 did make me go out and shoot one of my favourite images from the project, so it’s all good.