A fashion shoot with a difference. Recontextualising Crime Photo Novels through the (Fe)male Gaze.

I once used mirrors in a project at university which asked us to use five items. I recall my tutors at the time, enthusiastically telling me “you will use mirrors again”…

It takes a while to experiment with exposure times and identify just where you want your light to bring out the colour and texture of the object in order to create atmosphere and beauty not normally seen with the naked eye.

A test photo shoot with some ultra violet lights and flowers carried out today.

Little did I know that I would be teaching myself repeat pattern design, when I started this PhD research.

I have been to Burnby Hall Gardens twice now, however, I wanted to ensure I took some infrared images this time. The location is well suited to photography because it is so well designed that it is quite easy to get a good composition, however, there are times of the year which are better suited to infrared photography, namely ensuring it is a hot, sunny day but also making sure that the majority of lilies are open which is generally June – August.

I decided to tour around the East Coast of Yorkshire via bike, setting off from my home town to Robin Hood’s Bay which was just under 80 miles away.

My memory from when I visited the places many years ago (in 1990s) was that the village of Kilburn was very picturesque with a pub and quaint cottages and that there was some sort of event on at the time, where children were trying to race (or capture) plastic ducks in a small stream or pond in the middle of the village. I recall seeing the white horse of Kilburn from a short distance away, but then also remember watching the gliders from the top of the hill. My memory was vague and it sometimes annoys me that mobile phones were not invented sooner, as, even though I had been just studying photography not long beforehand, I never took my camera out with me if going for a trip somewhere.

I was inspired to revisit Mother Shipton’s Cave in Knaresborough through re-reading my diary about places I had been to.

Although only a bike ride away, this nature reserve lacked the atmosphere present in previous locations, consisting of a huge pond, with several fishermen dotted around.

It looks like the last hottest and sunniest day of the year so at 27 degrees, I decided to incorporate my bike ride into a photography trip. Complete with packed lunch, phone charged and times when I would be there, for how long and time I would be back, all health and safety procedures were covered.

The weather has been pretty awful all week. I am usually checking the weather every day, in order to ensure I get a bike ride in between any showers, so I am mindful of its unpredictable nature. It is always nice when there is an hour of sun which is unexpected and not as forecast. So I decided to have another go at infrared portraits, with myself, my husband and the cat.

Another trip to the Marshes where I live, this time to capture some shots away from the pond. This time I went with my husband, it was a sunny day with a breeze so perfect weather conditions. I was able to experiment further by asking him to model in the shot.

After post processing my images from the Yorkshire Dales and reflecting on the various settings used which could be improved upon, I set about another photographic shoot on the next sunny day as this is when infrared photography works at its best.

My staycation this year involved travelling through the Yorkshire Dales, with stop offs at Fountain's Abbey, Hawes, Ingleton and Haworth.

I set out with my camera to the local canal in order to test out the infrared lens which had just arrived. I forgot to take my field notes book with all the information given to me by a former colleague who is a landscape photographer, however, I remembered some of the details and was mindful that this was a practice run. I have just spent near enough the last two days finding everything possible trawling through my photography books and watching videos on YouTube to tell me what I needed with regards to processing it all, so I was fully armed with plenty of information and the best way to learn is by doing.