Exhibiting The Church

At this point of the project, we were asked to edit the photos we produce for Quays News, in order to fit into an exhibition. 

In my opinion, the work that i have produced is not capable of being exhibited individually. Hence i am thinking of a way to exhibit them to be viewed as one piece. 

So, i am thinking of placing them in a huge wall, and preview them in different sizes, in regard to their importance of the subject illustrated. 

For instance, i surely want to have as a central point the Church. Therefore this image

As it has to be edited in order to fit in a more creative environment i edited the colors in order to add some vibrancy to the photo. In my opinion, the colors should reflect to the fact that promoting such a subject is a good thing and only embracing goodwill awareness of a subject.

Hence the following image is my selected image to be exhibited in a larger scale than the other. Additionally, this will lead the viewers to understand that the other images are related as well as reflected to the main image of the church. 

i am aware that each photo cannot be viewed and appreciated as single pieces of work as, my starting intentions were to provide a story and show a subject related to the activities happening within the Church and further the society.

I deciding the scale of the rest of the photos, i relied to the importance of the subject as well as the quality of each image. in accordance i am thinking that the wall should be combined by differed  sizes of images and hence viewed as on bigger image. 

As a starting idea of what should the wall be like, i a thinking of a big white wall and the images to have a black frame in order to create contrast between the background. 

The structure of my idea is as the following sketch :

At this point, i have edited my photos in order to make the more presentable in the exhibition. Respectively i have cropped and edited the colors. 

At this point, the final point i have scheduled how the wall would look like. Obviously in reality there would be space for description and the frame of the picture would have equal and appropriate to the sizes of each image. 

I intended to show a form of puzzle as each activity and person and place captured in the photos, are reflecting to the Greek society and Church of Salford. Hence the name of the exhibition, would be be the Greek Orthodoxs of Salford. 

Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation

Photographs

In order to reflect all the activities that are happening in the Church, i had to go there many times. Additionally it has to be noted that most of the events are happening every Sunday and therefore i had not as much time as i wanted. 

In selecting the final images i relied to volunteering, school, church and activities. Accordingly those categories were divined to several subcategories that would show in combination the story of this subject of the Hidden Salford.

Volunteering

Volunteers are the source of the church's power. If it had not been for them, the Church would not have survive thought the years. Moreover, they are not only offering to support the church but also they are there to help in keeping the life within the buildings, to share and maintain the Greek traditions and to help each other. 

School

It is obvious that in order to keep the traditions alive and to spread the history and ethic of Greece and Cyprus, school plays a major role. Having regard to this, the Church is offering free extra education to the kids. Every Saturday, teachers are volunteering in teaching the Greek language and history to the kids. By doing this, the kids are getting together, meeting new friends and learning about their motherland. 

The Church

As Greeks,religion is our identity. We are strong supporters of our beliefs and hence having a church in Salford had a great impact to Greeks. As a church, it operating normally having every Sunday the mass, as well as christening, weddings e.t.c. 

Sunday Meals for the Public

Another great activity by the society, are the organised meals. Those meals are including Greek traditional food. It is well known that the Greek cuisine is rich in flavors and variety. Not only Greeks but also the rest of Salford and Manchester are welcome to join them. Greek are known for their hospitality and hence each gathering is full of joy and positiveness. 

Imperial War Museum

War Photography Exhibition

Being a war photographer is one of the most dangerous and traumatising jobs.  Through the camera, the public has the ability to see the ugly reality of and affecting of a War.

In a photographic sense, a photographer is having the chance to capture creative and ‘full of meaning’ images. Nonetheless, the cruelty of the events is sometimes extremely high and hence it is obvious that the work of a photographer may be affected.

Throughout the years, many photographer have been practised war photography and at the present day, many of those photographs, played a major role and had a great impact to society, in delivering the true events.

Lurry Burrows

Lurry Burrows was one of the greatest English photojournalists. Through his career he captured the war in Vietnam and has offered to the public numerous unforgettable images of the war.  His life and career came to an end, while he was in the field of the War, as his helicopter was shot dawn.

He spent almost 10 years of his life in the war, and hence he had the ability to provide both creative and informative photographs. A great example in 1966 he provided to the Life Magazine the ‘Reaching out’[1].

In relation to him John Saar provided that “The depth of his commitment and concentration was frightening. He could have been a surgeon or soldier or almost anything else, but he chose photography and was so dedicated that he saw the whole world in 35-mm exposures. Work was his life, eventually his death, and Burrows I think wouldn’t have bitched.”[2]

Moreover, as Lurry illustrated, his dream was to capture Vietnam at peace , however, at the time he was there, he had to capture the war without picking the safer aspects to capture, but the reality of what is really happening.Surely, Burrows provided timeless pictures and hence all his dedication and braveness was paid off.

Joe Rosenthal

Joe Rosenthal is best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning photograph ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’[3]. 

He had contributed in the history of the World War II, and hence his legacy is timeless as well as his work.

In relation to him, it was illustrated that:

“For exceptionally distinguished public service in support of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. On February 23, 1945, a bespectacled Mr. Rosenthal made a picture of five U.S. Marines and one U.S. Navy corpsman that immortalized the American Fighting spirit during World War II and became an everlasting symbol of service and sacrifice, transcending art and the ages. Mr. Rosenthal's poor eyesight prohibited him from serving in the armed services, so, he instead went to war summoning the craft he had practiced since the Great Depression. He bravely accompanied island-hopping forces in the Pacific as a civilian news photographer. On Iwo Jima, Japan, short of breath from climbing the 546-foot volcano, Mr. Rosenthal, in haste, stood on top of shaky rocks in search of the best graphic composition. As the six men hoisted an iron pole and the American flag unfurled in a smart breeze for all to see, Mr. Rosenthal captured the precise moment, unaware, until much later, of its significance. Since that very day, his iconic photo has stood as a testament to the perseverance, esprit and dedication of American Marines. In recognition of his own service and dedication, Mr. Rosenthal is posthumously awarded the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.”[4]

PROJECT

As a part of my project, i had the chance to visit the War Museum in Manchester, were the photographs of Sean Smith were exhibited for limited time.

v  Sean Smith

Sean Smith is considered to be one of the greatest war photographers of nowadays. Through his career until now he had offered remarkable series of images of what is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and DR Congo.

One of his latest exhibitions was related and dedicated to the war in Iraq, and hence his work of ‘Iraq: Photographs by Sean Smith’, was until recently displayed in the Museum of Manchester.

 Iraq: Photographs by Sean Smith

In my visit to the museum, I had the chance to see Smith’s exhibition and to see the description of each image through his written wording.

 Iraq: Photographs by Sean Smith

On imaged that touched me was the photograph of a woman crying in front of two American Soldiers.  The situation is very touching as within a single picture I could feel the pain and the negative impact of the war to the civilians as well as to see a deeper meaning. In my understanding,  by viewing this image is that despite the pain caused, the war has no feelings and continues no matter what, until the politicians get what they want.

By watching the photographs of Smith, I realized that he is a brave man. Doing this job means dedication and risk taking.  In order to achieve in what you are doing as a photographer, you have to take risks and to deliver the subject as it is with having no fear and choosing wisely what the public has to receive by watching the related subject.  War is the worst thing that can happen to individuals as well as to the society and country. It is not something to be embraced though images but to show the cruelty and negatives of what is offering.

Even if though time the Earth suffered great pain for wars, and even if it is well known that a war is offering nothing else but death and victory to politicians, they are still part of our existence and hence photographers are fighting in their way to provide peace.

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[1] LARRY BURROWS’ ‘REACHING OUT,’ 1966, available in http://life.time.com/history/vietnam-war-the-story-behind-larry-burrows-1966-photo-reaching-out/#1

[2] Read more: Vietnam War: The Story Behind Larry Burrows’ 1966 Photo, ‘Reaching Out’ | LIFE.com http://life.time.com/history/vietnam-war-the-story-behind-larry-burrows-1966-photo-reaching-out/#ixzz2ptZb6svI

[3] Available in http://research.archives.gov/description/520748

[4] Odom, Sgt. Christine C. (September 17, 2006). "Marine Corps awards Joe Rosenthal Distinguished Public Service Medal". Marine Corps News (United States Marine Corps). Archived from the original on May 18, 2008

Hidden Salford

Greek Society

As a base for getting together and organizing events, the Greek Society is using the Buildings of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Bery New Road.

As part of their activities, they are offering free drinks and food to the people, they are running a Greek school every Saturday, they providing dancing lessons, they occasionally offer Traditional Greek Meals, and they organize events related to the Greek culture and traditions.

Everything done is provided by volunteers and the money to run the activities and to maintain the buildings are offered by the public.

“The Church was founded in 1861. The Greek community of Manchester has its roots in the early part of the 19th century. Greek merchants, many especially from the island of Chios, arrived soon after the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire (1821) and established themselves in the area where the church now stands. The community had almost certainly begun to organise itself by about 1831, and in 1843 had a place of worship on Cheetham Hill Road. At some point it had a chapel on Wellington Street”[1].

It is obvious that Greeks had been a part of Sanford long ago and furthermore, they are trying to safeguard a part of the Salford's history by maintaining and keeping in life one of the oldest buildings of Salford

In reflection to my research and to the information that i got for the representatives, volunteers, and Father Konstantinos

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[1] http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LAN/BroughtonS/BuryNewRdGreekOrthodox.shtml

Quays News

Project

As part of my project Areas of Photographic Practice B, I had to provide a series of images, capable of being used for an article of the online news platform, Quays News[1]. Hence, we were told by their representatives that the Images must be visually stimulating and help to tell the story and that they are looking for creative images – either in the subject matters themselves, or the way the subject matter is photographed.

Additionally, we were asked to reflect a subject related to Salford and more specifically to the ‘Hidden Salford’.

At this point I have no clue on what subject I would be able to focus as I am familiar with neither Salford nor its story, problems, society and further its hidden themes. Accordingly, I had to spend a little time of research. As an information provider, I had used the Quays News. I relied to the fact that they were providing the news and related stories and events of Salford, and because I had to see in which subject they were previously interested on.

In reflection to my research I saw that Salford had been developed in the last few years and that the society is paying attentions to the issues that are affecting the reputation and the people of Salford. Having realised that Salford is known for its highly criminality, I have to admit that I feel confined in my subject choices.

I have spent a quality time of wandering around Salford and getting familiar with aspects that were in need of embarrassment and recognition by the public. For instance, my first idea is to capture the hidden beauty of Salford. Regarding my idea, I have placed down the positive and negatives.

Consequently I decided that I would not come across with the requirements I was asked to cover. In relation to this conclusion I first considered the fact that I, as a Cypriot and a ‘stranger’ to the society of Salford, would not be the most suitable person of introducing something new about Salford to the people of Salford. Moreover, I felt that I would have to spend many time in getting to know Salford and what was within it that would be considered as hidden and having the need to be known and form a part of a story.

Therefore, I have now concluded to another idea. The journey that I had in order to find this aspect was considerably long as I had to do a lot of research and conduct many people. The starting point of my idea was related to the fact that I knew that they are many Greek-Cypriots living in Salford.  Respectively,  I started asking around for people that may knew somebody that could inform me about Greek Society of Salford. I then got informed about a Greek Orthodox Church in Salford.

Through the internet, I found several emails and conduct details of representatives of the Society and Church. Once I conduct them and told them that I wanted to cover their activities as Greek Society, they were extremely willing to help me and to provide me with anything I wanted, as they expressed to me that they had the need getting known and recognised by the whole Salford, as they are having a part of it.

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[1] http://www.quaysnews.net/

Research

Research

For this Project we were ask to provide images both for journalism as well as for exhibition. Respectively, the work had to be  demonstrating an aspect of the Salford considered as 'hidden'. 

As a starting point, i have to become familiar with photojournalism in order to understand the needs of a photograph, in order of satisfying and supporting an article. 

Photojournalism:

According the definition provided by Google, photojournalism is the practice of communicating news by photographs, especially in magazines[1]. Hence my understanding is that the aim of the images that I have to capture is to support the subject of the article. At the same time, the pictures should be cable of forming an article.

Many photographers have been practicing this kind of photography and throughout the years the responses to this area of photographic practice have been rapidly developed, since the needs of the media are having the same rhythms of growth. 

·       

  Eddie Adams

Eddie Adams was one of the greatest photojournalists. His photographs had a great impact to society, as he captured the reality of the events at the time he was practicing. Though his numerous photographs, it is shown that he was interested in wars as well as portraits of politicians and celebrities. 

One of his greatest photographs that offered him the Pulitzer Prize was the 'General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon'[2]. 

In relation to the photograph, many arguments and comments were raised as it had a great impact to society. For instance, critic David D. Perlmutter illustrated that 'no film footage did as much damage as AP photographer Eddie Adams's 35mm shot taken on a Saigon street ... When people talk or write about [the Tet Offensive] at least a sentence is devoted (often with an illustration) to the Eddie Adams picture[3]

According to his Adams wording, “The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera. Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them; but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths. … What the photograph didn’t say was, ‘What would you do if you were the general at that time and place on that hot day, and you caught the so-called bad guy after he blew away one, two or three American people?”[4]

·         

Margaret Bourke-White

Margaret Bourke-White is considered had a great impact to the history of photojournalism, since she gained great titles of being the first female war correspondent, the first female to work in a combat zone, the first foreign photographer to be granted the right to photograph the Soviet Industry, and the first female to have her photograph grace the cover of Life magazine. During her career, she had worked for several world known magazines such as Time Magazine and Life Magazine. Respectively, she offered great pictures that had a great impact to the magazine and most importantly to the society[5].

Her photograph that was used as a cover to the Life Magazine was a portrait of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin[6].

For Life Magazine, Margaret also offered the great photograph of Gandhi[7].  

In response nowadays the magazine is showing their appreciation to her by dedicating articles embracing the importance of her work. Hence it was stated that “Bourke-White was, of course, one of the century’s most intrepid chroniclers of conflict and strife: her pictures from Buchenwald in 1945, for instance, and from the horrific violence that attended the 1947 partition of India and the creation of Pakistan are among the most powerful of her extraordinary career. But she was also capable of sensitively documenting the quieter — and, in many cases, the more representative — moments from the lives of the great and the powerless, alike. Incredibly, though, her now-famous picture of Gandhi did not appear in the LIFE magazine article for which it was originally shot”[8].

My Understanding

Generally, i have now developed the basis of my understating related to the elements of a photograph that would  play role in being selected for an article. Hence, i believe that a succeed image would be the one that would reflect upon an issue or a subject that would concern society or a group of people, that would be able to support a written description, and that would be beneficial for the magazine reputation or for the subject matter. The understanding of the readers, should be supported by the images and the images themselves should reflect to the sub-aspects drawn withing the story of an article. 

In relation it was provided that: 

I believe that the chief value of photography as a means of communication depends entirely on the ability of the camera to arrest life instantly. It thrills me to speculate how the invention of photography has contributed to the speeding up of human reflexes. The rapidly working camera has sharpened man’s capacity to observe and observe rapidly; it has taught many of us to use our minds to classify visual phenomena in an instant of time; to relate our own attitude to that of the person in front of the camera in a split second. This to my mind is the essence of photojournalism[9].

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[1] https://www.google.com.uk/?gws_rd=cr&ei=8tXNUv3pCImItQbdu4G4Bg#q=photojournalism+definition

[2] © 1968 Wide World Photos. Copy found at BBC News

David D. Perlmutter,Photojournalism and Foreign Policy: Icons of Outrage in International Crises, 1998, at page 138

[4]  Adams, Eddie (27 July 1998). "Eulogy". Time Magazine.

[5] Gandhi and his Spinning Wheel, 1946: The Story of a Famous Photograph | LIFE.com

[6] ©Margaret Bourke-White/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, 1943

[7]©Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, 1946

[8] Gandhi and his Spinning Wheel, 1946: The Story of a Famous Photograph | LIFE.com

[9] Jozef Gross - “A point of view: fact of feeling?” [cited in: Creative Camera March 1968, p. 99]