Devon photos

[Alex Hill]

Hi Roger,

I just wanted to quickly say that I really liked the Devon photos that you've recently put up (at least I think they're new, hadn't noticed them before!): very atmospheric, especially the farmland ones, with a great sense of place. Some of them actually remind me of where I'm from, even though it's hundreds of miles away from your neck of the woods: I grew up in County Durham in the late 70's/early 80's and some things didn't look so different up there.

[Roger]

Yes, I just posted them. The pictures were take for an archive of North Devon life and I borrowed the negatives to make some prints whilst I was back in Devon recently. I had not seen the images for some 35 years.

[Dan Fear]

Hello Roger

Really fascinating looking at your Devon pictures (I spent a bit of time down that way a couple of years ago, but a little further west, just past Holsworthy and also down at Saunton and Croyde).
In particular the fairground subjects and the hare stand out for me.

How did you approach your Devon project? Did you have certain things in mind or did you just go along without expectations and see where the journey took you, so to speak.
I wondered also if you’ve considered going back and taking a new look at the same area, and how the passage of time (both for the area and yourself) have changed things, and how you look at them.
Is there any possibility that you might post more of these images or let us know where could we see more of them?

I’d quite like to do something similar around my home on the Somerset Levels (time allowing), as it strikes me that from day to day we don’t really notice many changes but when I look back just a short time, like a couple of years or so that things do change quite drastically - people move on, the landscape changes, and a lot of it simply goes un-noticed.

Kind regards.

Dan, near Cheddar.

[Roger]

The Beaford project was my first photographic work and I was very inexperienced. Technically the images are not good. I had a small closet of a darkroom and did all my own processing - badly. I really should have approached the subject more methodically and this is what James Ravillious did for 10 years after he took over the project. You should take a look at his work when you get a chance. It is a perfect example of what can be achieved with regard to documenting a way of life whilst at the same time producing creative work in it's own right.
I visit North Devon quite a bit as I have a home in Kingswear, opposite Dartmouth. I wouldn't say the look of the countryside has not changed so much but the people and their lifestyles have. The old rural ways have largely died out and the small family farms seem less prosperous. The European directives on milk production and the National ban on hunting with hounds have had an effect. However, the countryside is changing again and public's interest in organic food production will probably see a renewed vigour in the North Devon farming communities.

[shughes84]

Hi Roger, hope you had a good christmas. Quite by chance I was given James Ravilious's 'An English Eye'. It really is a facinating body of work. I know the Beaford archive was your first project. How did you go about getting your documentry projects? I don't know whether its best to try and do my own documentry project and then see if i can somehow make money from it or try to find a project like you did with a company. do you have any recommendations??

[Roger]

Stills wise I only worked at Beaford and I was asked to do that job whilst I was at Art College. I was very lucky that the job was on offer and I was leaving College at that time. I suggest you could try your own project at the same time as looking for other opportunities.

[shughes84]

That makes sense. I do have a collection of images that I hope are good enough to exhibit. Almost at a point where I can take them to galleries etc. hopefully getting my name known a bit locally might help when it comes to getting a documentry project. And until then I can just keep concentrting on my own thing.
Thanks for the help.
Sophie

[shughes84]

Also I just wanted to say, looking at them again, i think your Beaford stills are impressive. I know you said that technically they are not good but you do get a real sense of the area from them, and i like the style in which you took them.