An Insight Into The Homeless Of Blackpool
02/08/10 07:46 Post: Personal Work
Taken at 08:27pm in Blackpool, UK. Sunday 1st August 2010.
Last night, after far too many hours looking at a computer screen, I decided to go for a walk along the promenade with my camera to see what I could find. You never know what may happen in this town. There’s always a chance to encounter a photographic opportunity or come across something interesting on your travels. No more than half an hour had passed before I stumbled upon a man who I’d photographed and featured in a blog post back in June entitled ‘The Idiosyncrasies Of Photographing Strangers’.
We recognised one another instantly and briefly chatted about the weather before I left him to eat the rest of his pineapple and listen to the music playing on his portable radio.
As I continued my way along north shore promenade I was approached by a couple with three Rottweiler dogs that asked me to take their photograph. I obliged and answered their questions before we finally headed off in our own directions. With the sun now setting and the tide in the far distance I made my way onto the beach to capture the last glimmers of natural light for the day.
The steps zigzagged downwards towards the beach and, as I followed them, I came across a man sheltering himself from the wind half way down the embankment. He told me that his name was Mick (otherwise known as ‘Beachy’ due to the amount of time he’d spent sleeping rough on the beach) and began telling me how he’d come to live here. I asked whether he’d mind me photographing him while we talked and he said it wasn’t a problem.
Mick told me how he’d walked the 47 miles from Nelson to Blackpool eleven weeks earlier and that he needed to wait another three months for the council to consider him for housing. With no permanent address in Blackpool, he said that he’s unable to receive the prescription drugs needed for his various medical conditions (which include angina, throat cancer and clinical depression). He also told me that he’d attempted suicide on a number of occasions and that he found it increasingly difficult to see any hope in his current situation. It was obvious that he’d had more than his fair share of bad luck and that he needed help.
Despite all of this, he managed to retain a sense of humour and he joked as he showed me how he smashed open raw mussels that he collected from the beach; “if they’re good enough for the seagulls then they’re good enough for me!”
I have to admit that I felt sorry for him and so I offered to buy him some fish & chips and a soft drink. I know that it isn’t much, but I thought it was better than doing nothing. When I returned with the food he said thank you and that he really appreciated it. I asked him about his plans for the forthcoming days and he showed me a scrap of paper with the words ‘The Ashley Foundation’ written on it. We said our goodbyes and I left him to eat his meal in peace.
The whole experience has made me radically re-think how I wish to approach my personal photography. I have been involved in community-based projects that have helped raise awareness for social issues in the past, but I think it’s about time I did something more substantial to help those in need. Photography is a powerful medium that I believe can inspire change.
I would like to produce a photo-essay (free-of-charge) for any UK based charity that wishes to raise awareness for it’s chosen cause. Please feel free to contact me if this sounds like a project that you’d like to be involved in.
Technical Information
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 55mm
Shutter Speed: 1/125th sec
F-Stop: f/4
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Cure Leukaemia Art Auction 2010
12/05/10 08:17 Post: News
In January 2010 all the artists represented by Visual For Business were invited to donate a piece of artwork for the Cure Leukaemia Art Auction, which is due to take place on the 20th May 2010 at Wragge & Co's Banking Hall in Birmingham.
Cure Leukaemia Art Auction 2010
Cure Leukaemia is a charity based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham that supports the treatment of and research into Leukaemia and the patient environment. Now in it’s fifth year of fund-raising, the Art Auction is going from strength to strength in supporting the art programme at the Centre for Clinical Haematology in Birmingham and contributes funds towards research and specialist equipment, benefiting both patients and staff in the most profound way possible. Over the last four years the charity has raised approximately £61,000 via the generous support of artists donating work to the auction.
The Auction is entirely independent of Arts & Business and, as I like to think that I’ll do as much as I can to help a good cause, I was more than happy to donate one of my photographs. I just hope that it goes someway towards helping the charity raise the money it needs and thoroughly deserves.
From the look of the auction catalogue (which is beautifully designed by Empty Creative) there is certainly an amazing array of work from the thirty nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, photographers and designer-makers who kindly donated and were selected for the Art Auction.
To register interest in the event, view the auction catalogue or RSVP for the event, visit the Cure Leukaemia Art Auction website or contact Haley Dunn via email on hayley.dunn@uhb.nhs.uk.
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