A little help. Could you please share any photographers, instagram accounts or photographs which you feel sums up or conveys rural decay, rural isolation and general darkness, despair, remoteness etc in a countryside or rural context. Particularly regarding or featuring Irish, Scottish, English Welsh lanscapes and features but not ruling anything out if they are sort of about those themes.

Don’t want to say anymore than that for now as I don’t want to colour anyone’s suggestions too much.

I realise that’s a fairly specific brief but I know there are some excellent photographers on here.

it’s been quite a study of mine for a few years, so a lot of stuff from rural Ireland and a bit from England, only some is published. Some landscape stuff, mostly this sort of thing:

PM if you’re interested and care to give a bit more info on what it’s for.

SteveM of this shire does some wonderful urban shots

but I know there are some excellent photographers on here

Look no further than yer maun http://www.polarisandy.com

http://www.alanmc.co.uk/-/galleries/scotland-the-dreich

Keep it coming. Good stuff.

Also, if it doesn’t have to be contemporary, look up Robert Frank and Bruce Davidson’s work in 1960-70s Wales.

bob_summers – Member

Also, if it doesn’t have to be contemporary,

It doesn’t but I suppose vintage would not be the point. And thank you.

Bump for the day shift.

Doesn’t quite fit your brief (too American, too urban?) but there is a Rusty and Crusty group on Flickr that I’ve posted a few things to…

https://www.flickr.com/groups/rusty_and_crusty/pool/

Here’s my best effort:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/8S4mQa]0611 – Barn Door[/url] by Beanum, on Flickr

Don’t want to say anymore than that for now as I don’t want to colour anyone’s suggestions too much.

I realise that’s a fairly specific brief but I know there are some excellent photographers on here.

Just use Getty image keyword search. You do have an account don’t you? Only is sounds like you are trying to outsource your job to STW and keep the £. Why not get an intern to do the legwork? 🙄

MrSmith – Member

Just use Getty image keyword search. You do have an account don’t you? Only is sounds like you are trying to outsource your job to STW and keep the £. Why not get an intern to do the legwork?

Well there’s always one isn’t there. The reason for my thread was because I’m trying to inform or develop my own photographic style and I find myself very much drawn to subjects of rural decline. However I am struggling to develop a coherent theme or stylistic approach to work to. This is why I was asking for photographers / instagram accounts of people who work in this style.

I’m not looking to ape or mimic anyone’s personal style, rather I’m looking for confirmation that there’s a validity in persuing this slightly personal interest, and I’d like to see how others put together collections on this theme.

I’m not trying to outsource any job, I’m not looking for anyone to do legwork and I fully intended to explain what I was doing once I got a few more submissions. As I’d already said, I didn’t want to colour the suggestions people were submitting, and the reason I wasn’t explicit about this being about my personal photography was that the obvious response would be for people to request to see my photographs which would lead to a thread about critiquing them.

I’m not opposed to this but I was looking for inspiration and validation, not technical critique.

So thank you for your post, but your completely wrong, you’ve completely misjudged what’s going on and you’ve been an ignorant tosser too.

I like taking shots of this sort of stuff.
Don’t seem to find the time lately but ive got a few pics on Flikr

[img]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1481/24364149814_57664753bc_k.jpg[/img]

[img]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1682/24699288920_68d0d8820a_k.jpg[/img]

Thanks spectabilis, that’s very much like the stuff I am trying to shoot. And threefish and beanum too.

I’m not looking to ape or mimic anyone’s personal style, rather I’m looking for confirmation that there’s a validity in persuing this slightly personal interest,

It’s really as valid as it is to you, and the desire is there to explore a theme; therefore it is valid. Get out there and explore!

Three_Fish – Member

I’m not looking to ape or mimic anyone’s personal style, rather I’m looking for confirmation that there’s a validity in persuing this slightly personal interest,

It’s really as valid as it is to you, and the desire is there to explore a theme; therefore it is valid. Get out there and explore! [/quote]

Valid is maybe the wrong choice of word there. I mean I know there’s validity in persuing it as a personal project for my own creative outlet but I suppose what I am wrestling with is how do I turn an interest into a coherent theme, or how do I turn random snaps into a body of work.

I have this niggling feeling that I can’t adequately convey with a single image and I need to figure out a method or a motivation to go from idly taking the odd snap to actually compiling something meaningful. And whether I should.

I am well aware I am rambling here.

Well there’s always one isn’t there. The reason for my thread was because I’m trying to inform or develop my own photographic style

To a cynical industry type your OP really did sound like a loose brief from a client who knows what they think they want but can’t articulate it so expects you find it with a snap of the fingers! That’s why I thought it was a thinly veiled “please do my research for me” post.

I can think of many photographers with an urban focus not rural, the trouble is the urban usually falls into the ‘new colour’ school (even though it’s decades old now) from the likes of Paul Graham or the rural stuff is still weighed down with a lot of pictorial hackneyed baggage.

If you are interested in those aspects then just shoot them. Though do check out Grahams work, the A1 great north road work is great.

However I am struggling to develop a coherent theme or stylistic approach to work to. This is why I was asking for photographers / instagram accounts of people who work in this style.

I’m not looking to ape or mimic anyone’s personal style, rather I’m looking for confirmation that there’s a validity in persuing this slightly personal interest,

It reads a little as though you are trying to find a style which you think will impress others and do to that you are prepared to compromise your own personal interests somewhat. If a genre/style interests you, then that is what matters. You develop your own style, which in turn will develop itself the more you get out there and learn/take pics.

I’d like to see how others put together collections on this theme.

By getting out there and taking the photos and learning.

In general terms I don’t think there is a single consistent approach/style you can take that will fit all photographs. Each in its own merit so to speak, and don’t worry about it.

fisha – Member

It reads a little as though you are trying to find a style which you think will impress others and do to that you are prepared to compromise your own personal interests somewhat. If a genre/style interests you, then that is what matters. You develop your own style, which in turn will develop itself the more you get out there and learn/take pics.

I don’t believe that I am looking to compromise my style, or even change my style and I’m certainly not looking to impress others as I am proactively trying to avoid big landscapes and pretty things.

Basically, I have a project I want to tackle. I have no client, no brief, no confines, no instruction, no timescale, no limits, I don’t know what the project is and all I am going on is a whim 😉

what I am wrestling with is how do I turn an interest into a coherent theme, or how do I turn random snaps into a body of work

It sounds like that’s your more relevant question at which point I imagine quite a lot of practical questions will get asked. I’ve been through that process myself and the variables I find most relevant to answering the above question are:

– can I fit the project in with my every day/family life
– can I access the subject matter readily, either for long periods of time or if I have a spare moment
– does the subject matter offer real scope for exploration over time
– can I see there are many ways in which the subject matter can be explored and do those ways fit with my own personal interst

As for making it a body of work, I find it helps to narrow down some of the technical variables, so for example whether it will be colour or B&W, film or digital, 35mm or MF, landscape or portrait and what aspect ratio etc.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dJX5S1]7/365[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

Thanks geetee, I think you can see what I am scratching at.

Can I fit the project in with my every day/family life – Yes.
Can I access the subject matter readily – Yes.
Does the subject matter offer real scope for exploration over time – I feel that it does although, that would be part of exploring it I feel.

Can I see there are many ways in which the subject matter can be explored and do those ways fit with my own personal interst – Maybe. Again I probably can’t say until I’m more focused, or further down the road a bit.

As for making it a body of work, I find it helps to narrow down some of the technical variables, so for example whether it will be colour or B&W, film or digital, 35mm or MF, landscape or portrait and what aspect ratio etc.

That’s very helpful. It genuinely didn’t occur to me. At present I am using instagram as my only real outlet and while I really love instagram it’s not ideal for what I am trying to do and I have found that I am trying to curate my stuff for that medium. I’ll post some examples in a wee while, maybe you’ll see what I mean.

And thank you Matt.

Well I have to bump now to get the feedback I said I didn’t want in my op 😉