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B+W3 TRADES AND INDUSTRIES
2 EDGELAND WILDLIFE
1 FACTORY LUNCHTIME
Like the famous Pompidou Centre in Paris
which has all of its functional services
on the outside, industrial estates on the
outskirts of our towns feed our never-
ending demand for disposal, utilities,
products and services. While many new
estates are modular and identical, look
out for older industrial settlements where
buildings have been repurposed from
another age, as this example shows.
Look for unusual businesses or those
selling an unexpected service – you might
be surprised at what you find. The post-
industrial landscapes of photographer
John Davies are an excellent place to start- especially his European works found in
his book Cross Currents, shot from his
trademark high and distant viewpoints.
While most wildlife photography places
great importance on recording the very
essence of a species, there are plenty of
alternatives to this approach. If you place
yourself within a man-made environment
there’s an equally interesting way of
showing edgeland wildlife as it exists.
Hidden in the most unusual of places, like
this bird’s nest found in a scrapyard, is
evidence of the animal kingdom’s clever
adaptation to less than ideal surroundings.
Artist and photographer Stephen Gill’s
A Book of Birds similarly displays an urban
vision of wildlife, showing his street level
encounters with our feathered friends.
For a more surreal project, look at Ricardo
Cases’ excellent book Paloma al Aire –
showing the rituals of Spanish pigeon
fanciers and their colourful charges.
Both books make the connection between
wildlife and people and urban centres.Lunchtime outside many factories and
industrial estates heralds the arrival of mobile
food vans, a respite for cigarette smokers
or perhaps for the more football minded,
the chance of a quick kickabout. On your
shoot, keep a look out for such things, like
this example of a rudimentary goal painted
under a railway arch in Runcorn.
Lewis Hine’s groundbreaking
documentary photographs showing riggers
working on the Empire State Building
created many iconic images, but none
better than those showing workers enjoying
their lunchtime breaks and recuperation.
Look also at Richard Avedon’s project
In the American West, for his on the spot
portraits taken outside the factory gates.
What would workers nowadays look like
after emerging from a similarly long shift?PHOTO PROJECT 30:
THE EDGELANDS
L
ying on the outskirts of our
towns, those peripheral spaces
that have become known as the
edgelands are a rich source of
inspiration for photographers. While
not fitting into any of those traditional
themes of landscape, the built
environment or urban exploration, the
edgelands provide an alternative site
for exploring the world we live in.
Industrial estates, out of town retail
parks, power plants, scrap yards and
ring roads were all invented to keep themore functional aspects of society at
arm’s length and were never envisaged
as visitor destinations. Less planned
and much less manicured than our
towns and cityscapes, such places
exist everywhere and can provide a
fascinating glimpse of the forgotten
spaces that support our increasingly
complex and layered world.
For this project, I’d like you to visit
a place that you’ve never considered
previously and see if you can unearth
a hidden photographic gem.The marginal areas surrounding our metropolitan centres are great places for
photographic study. Look for picture opportunities in industrial estates and
factories, retail parks and railway arches. Tim Daly redrafts our city limits.
SECTION 1: THEME IDEAS
Pick a local area that you’ve got easy access to and do some desk research first
using Google Maps before you venture out. Don’t be put off by anything unpromising,
as these bland, nondescript places can produce unexpectedly good returns.TECHNIQUE
All images© Tim Daly66-69_TIM_DALY_185 ER/MB.indd 6666-69_TIM_DALY_185 ER/MB.indd 66 02/12/2015 11:2202/12/2015 11:22