David Shapiro's blog

Dance at Park Youth Centre, Sheffield

2010-11-17T15:34:00.005Z

I've now uploaded shots of a dance session at Park Youth Centre, Sheffield, organised by Manor & Castle Development Trust and funded through Youth Consortium Sheffield. These youngsters were great to photograph, full of energy, commitment and enthusiasm. A few images below, more on my website.

Before the class got underway, some of the kids enjoyed limbering up:

Then, down to business with the routines to be practised for an upcoming show:

I was allowed to interrupt their rehearsals to get a posed shot of the whole group:

Katrina and Ben's Fundraising Concert

2010-07-06T15:30:00.000+01:00

Another outing for the Canon G11 compact camera, to Ecclesall Parish Church for Katrina Brown and Ben Gregor-smith's fundraising concert for their upcoming postgraduate studies in Switzerland.

It was good to be reminded what a splendid space this church is:

Good also to be photographing Katrina and Ben for real, playing, after our previous publicity shoot. Katrina played pieces by Brahms and Rebecca Clarke.

Ben played music by Debussy, Beethoven and Paganini.

The sizeable audience evidently enjoyed their excellent playing, ably supported by Yolande Wrigley's exquisite musicianship at the piano.

In particular, the older music-lovers amongst us were reminded of the huge wealth of talent and commitment amongst the young musicians of today.

More images are here.

Publicity Shoot with Young Musicians

2010-05-27T20:09:00.005+01:00

I recently completed a publicity shoot with two musicians, Ben Gregor-Smith (cello) and Katrina Brown (viola). Every freelance musician needs publicity shots for event programmes as well as websites and other media. Making these is very different from shooting musicians in rehearsal or performance. The approach is basically that of photographic portraiture. However, there is often (posed) musical "action", and the instrument figures prominently in every image.

We started in my studio, which is in my home. The space is 15 feet (into a bay window) by 12, and doubles as my study and digital darkroom. The ceiling is 8 feet high. These dimensions prove only just adequate.

The studio images were all made with a white background ("high key" style). This is a bit of a photographic cliche but it shows off the colour and texture of string instruments to good effect, and makes a dramatic contrast with the dark concert dress usually worn by both men and women.

I found both Katrina and Ben had a great visual sense of what would make a good image -- they both did Art A-level which may have something to do with it. The work was a meeting of creative minds, as we shared ideas and found out together what worked and what didn't. They were a pleasure to work with, and the time raced by!

We called one image "Girl with a Pearl Earring":

We moved on to the Sheffield Botanical Gardens, which are full of photographic opportunities. The weather was unpromising, and we only managed a few shots before we had to take cover from rain, first under the entrance portico:

and then in the glass pavilions:

More images of Ben here and of Katrina here.

This was a very enjoyable assignment and I'd be very glad to hear from other musicians requiring publicity shots.

Music in the Round returns to the Crucible Studio

2010-05-18T20:00:00.011+01:00

I've long appreciated the challenge of photographing chamber music concerts. Normally, of course, this is forbidden, because it can disturb the audience, quite apart from the ban routinely imposed by venues. Last week I was invited to shoot the final concert of Music in the Round's annual May Festival. This event was significant for two reasons: it was Peter Cropper's last Festival before retiring as Artistic Director, and the first Festival back in the Crucible Studio after reburbishment.

The musicians say that performing in the round, in the unforgivingly precise accoustic of the Studio, is initially terrifying but ultimately exciting and uniquely rewarding. Peter Cropper's vision has brought us a special immediacy of rapport between audience and players. It is this that I have tried to capture in these images.

It's essential to use a silent (mirrorless) camera and to be positioned unobtrusively rather than in the thick of the audience. This was the first major outing for my Canon G11 compact camera. It coped reasonably well at ISO 400 but images made at ISO 800 to reduce subject movement blur were rather more compromised. This first image shows the expectant audience:

The most challenging images were those showing both performers and audience when the house lights were down -- the small sensor's dynamic range is scarcely up to this. Of course, you can't combine images of moving subjects to extend this range, but blending multiple RAW "exposures" or localised Photoshop levels and curves adjustments improved matters somewhat:

My favorite shot of the night shows the flourish of string players' bows in the instant following the very last note of the final piece of the Festival, Schubert's monumental Octet:

Peter Cropper, delayed in France by volcanic ash, arrived too late to perform in the concert. He just made it in time to receive the appreciation of the audience at the end of the evening:

This outing confirms Canon's wisdom in reducing the pixel density of the G11 as compared with the G10. It also confirms the benefit of Canon's restoration of the swivelling LCD screen, last seen on the G6. In terms of image quality, the G11 is a great improvement on the G6, which I sold to help finance the G11. I'm glad not to have invested in any of the intervening G series cameras!

More images are posted on my website.

The Top Shelalas

2010-03-22T21:36:00.002Z

A great night's singing at the Walkley Community Centre in February opened with a set by The Top Shelalas. I've been inspired by two of these wonderful performers, Helen Lyle and Kate Thomas, who teach Purple Cats, the community choir I joined last year after photographing their spot at the Sheffield Green Fair.

The singers themselves chose the following images for their own use:

More images here.

Back to Blogging

2010-03-22T21:09:00.000Z

The last several months have been pretty busy with all sorts of things other than photography. It's felt like there's been no time to keep up the blog. But I've had some good photographic times since my last posting. So I'll write a few posts over the coming days -- in no particular order -- by way of catching up.

Update on Yorkshire BIPP

2009-08-23T19:06:00.012+01:00

Back in December, I floated the idea of BIPP activity local to South Yorkshire. Since then, I've been going to meetings in Selby most months. The drive can be a pain, expecially when it takes me 50 minutes to get to the M1 from my home on the other side of Sheffield. But it's been well worth it.

The meetings are advertised on the regional website, as well as via email. I've found them really helpful. Most of the presentations have been skills-oriented, which has suited me as I've still so much to learn. There's a very friendly and supportive atmosphere, with informal discussion and networking during breaks and continuing after the meeting's been formally closed. The committee, experienced and busy photographers, obviously put a lot of effort into putting on stimulating and productive meetings. And they must find the attendance levels and feedback they get very rewarding.

For example, there have been two presentations on off-camera flash for outdoor portraiture, one by Clare Louise using Speedlites and another by Steve Howdle, using Elinchrom Ranger Quadra kit. Taken together, these gave lots of practical guidance and inspiration.

Most recently, there was an excellent full-day workshop on Photoshop retouching of portraits by Dave Wall. He's a very engaging speaker, witty, friendly and informal, and explains things very clearly. His teaching methods are very sound, including frequent admonitions against writing things down whilst he's demonstrating them, with promises to repeat instructions specifically for the purpose of everyone writing notes on a process before he moves on to the next item. He covered a lot of ground and seemed to satisfy participants with varying levels of knowledge of Photoshop.

Most of us brought our laptops and Dave passed around pen drives with the images we were to work on. The committee had set us all up with trestle tables and power extensions to make us convenient workstations.

It was especially helpful to see how to make subtle changes to an image rather than "overcooking" them. I did find it ethically challenging, though, to be invited to make changes that the subject would not be aware of, but which would leave them feeling better about themselves (e.g., by having their width reduced by 5%). I couldn't help wondering whether this doesn't reinforce potentially damaging ideas that people need to be seen as thinner than they are in order to feel acceptable. Is it OK for us photographers to encourage our clients to subscribe to the potentially unhealthy "size zero" norm of thinness?

Dave took us through the process of whitening a white background by masking off the subject. I'd read this up before but had never seen such a clear, thorough and systematic demonstration. I have since found this a promising tool for unpainted background areas of my reproductions of watercolour paintings or botanical illustrations.

I made a point of spending much of the following day reviewing my notes and trying out the techniques Dave had presented. This went very well. I was able to reproduce nearly all that Dave had presented without difficulty, testimony to his first-rate skills as a teacher.

Altogether an excellent event, for which I'm very grateful to Dave and to the committee for organising it so well.

Although the Owl at Hambleton (near Selby) is a very suitable venue -- comfortable enough without being too plush or pricey, unpretentious but well-prepared meals at reasonable prices, and very convenient for the motorway network -- the committee are interested in reaching out to members based some way away, such as South Yorkshire. This might be by putting on additional, local meetings. I said I'd ask around for ideas re possible venues. Any ideas, fellow-members from South Yorkshire?

Richard Heeps @ Cupola

2009-08-10T20:48:00.004+01:00

Returning to Sheffield after a break, I caught the last day of the show of photographs by Richard Heeps at the Cupola Gallery. Some of the pictures are reproduced in his book Man's Ruin. Although this is a fine book, inevitably the images made much more impact as big original prints on the wall. As well, their trademark bright colours were so much more subtle in the chemical prints.

Richard's work is inspirational to the photographer. There's life and attitude in the people, the images are timelessly engaging, and their compositions very satisfying. Of course, the pictures are superb in terms of technique. But this mastery is almost understated, serving rather than driving the vision, never showy, even when that's exactly what the subjects are! I came away buzzing with visual ideas, and with two of Richard's books under my arm; Man's Ruin and his project on a Scunthorpe mill, Rolled Out.

In my own work, I thought I'd more-or-less resolved the film vs. digital debate in favour of the practical convenience of digital. But Richard's adherence to film is a bit of a challenge to that. In my first steps toward shooting hot metal in a Sheffield foundry a couple of years ago, I shot similar images on both colour negative film and digital. The film images certainly captured a wider range of tones.

HCYA Fun Day

2009-07-09T17:24:00.025+01:00

With it being the Fourth of July, Hallam Community and Youth Association's annual Fun Day had an American theme. There's so much happening at this event, that when I was invited to photograph it I was delighted to recruit Malcolm and Anne Sales of Buttercross Photography to help me out. Take a look at Malcolm's blog for his take on the day.

Everyone had a good time. The police horses and riders who led the parade evidently found this one of their more relaxing assignments.

Hathersage Band were on fine form ...

... as were jazzy singer Katie Campbell and her backing group.

The field was busy with many colourful stalls and rides.

The Fun Run was strongly contested from the off ...

and kids enjoyed taking part in an impressive demonstration by dog trainers Boney Fido.

In all, the Fun Day lived up to its name!

More images taken by Malcolm, Anne and myself can be seen on my site, where prints and downloads are for sale with a share of profits to HCYA funds.

Purple Cats at Sheffield Green Fair

2009-06-28T17:53:00.006+01:00

The Sheffield-based community Choir, Purple Cats, sang at the Sheffield Green Fair on 27th June. I enjoyed photographing this and have posted images on my site.

Farewell to Elias Quartet

2009-06-28T17:35:00.008+01:00

The Elias String Quartet said (another) farewell to some of its Sheffield audience on 25th June, in the intimate setting of Patrick Vaughan's home. The Quartet have rehearsed there regularly during their time in Sheffield. Evidently a win-win for both sides, as Patrick has enjoyed and learned from their music-making.

The Quartet played Schubert's Rosamunde Qaurtet D804, followed by a very satisfying selection of movements from Britten, Mendelssohn, Bartok, Schumann and Mozart. This served as a timely reminder of the breadth and range of the quartet repertoire.

I photographed them rehearsing prior to the concert; images are posted on my site.

The concert was sublime, the atmosphere warm and friendly, and the food was excellent. Their Sheffield fans will follow the Quartet's future career with great interest.

Ensemble 360 @ Millennium Gallery

2009-05-26T17:55:00.002+01:00

On 22nd April 2009, members of Ensemble 360 performed in Sheffield's Millenium Gallery, with a promenading audience. I had a go at photographing this event. Not easy, as the light levels were diabolically low and flash would have spoiled the experience for the audience. The required wide apertures, slow shutter speeds and maximum camera sensitivity conspired to limit the quality of the images, but I've put a few on my website.

Artists Open Studios South Yorkshire 2009

2009-05-13T13:05:00.008+01:00

Enjoyed two weekends visiting studios around Sheffield during this year's Open Up event. There were way too many to get round all of them, but those I did manage to catch included:

Penny Withers' fine ceramics
Kristan Baggaley's dramatic paintings, including atmospheric seascapes alongside Derbyshire's gritstone edges
Cath Dunn's semi-abstract landscapes, in a fascinatingly distinctive, almost constructivist, style
Katherine Rhodes, whose excellent flowers and landscapes I've reproduced, also showed impactful figures
Strong colours in acrylic and gouache from Terry Brooker
Simon Clements was showing prints, etchings and watercolours, including cityscapes, landscapes, industrial scenes and musicians in concert. Simon told me he'd sold some of my prints of his watercolours.
Erica Just, an out-of-town guest with Sheffield friends, with finely executed original watercolours inspired by grasses. I sought these out as a challenge for my Imaging for Artists service. Any attempt to reproduce these paintings must leave the large areas of unpainted white space untouched by ink in the reproduction. But Erica declared herself robustly uninterested in reproductions of her work, preferring these to remain prized as originals.
Toby Hazel's colourful abstract acrylics, including some made whilst blindfolded. I was drawn to those reminiscent of Miro and Kandinsky. In a classic "village Sheffield" moment, I enjoyed telling Toby that, in the 1970's, his neurosciences PhD supervisor, Paul Dean, had stayed with me when I lived opposite Toby's home and studio.
Neil Kay's small-scale but highly atmospheric acrylic and soft pastel landscapes of mountains, moors, wetlands and seashores. Neil's name was familiar to me as Sheffield's Director of Social Services way back when ...
Alison Down's evocative watercolours and mixed-media paintings of landscapes, streetscapes, still life and gardens
Steve Elliott's impressively large display of Derbyshire pastels and oils, which showed a compelling evolution over time towards increasing abstraction as well as an increasingly distinctive and dramatic colour palette.
Martin Field's splendid photography -- landscapes and seascapes -- using square format and wide angles to great compositional effect, with a delicious range of tones and colours
Lyn Littlewood's brilliantly colourful Derbyshire landscapes and flowers. Her home and studio nestle deep in the hills beneath Stanage Edge. When I got into embarrassing difficulties turning my camper van in their narrow lane, Lyn's husband kindly and expertly rescued me.

Extreme Cellists Attacked by Japanese Cats

2009-04-27T10:35:00.006+01:00

I was amused to see a post from kebaneco in Japan, whose prints of my Extreme Cellists images were subject to unwanted attention from cats! I can't read the Japanese but recognise the pics well enough. Kebaneco's shiny cello case doesn't look as if it's been up many mountains. Not yet, least ... Many thanks, kebaneco, for showing me this.

Silverdale Pupils Get Fighting Fit

2009-04-27T09:36:00.005+01:00

Earlier this month, I was pleased to be commissioned by the Fitness Industry Association to shoot a showcase event with pupils from Sheffield's Silverdale School -- my daughters' old school -- at Ladyzone on Ecclesall Road. Pupils enjoyed a Boxercise class, then posed for for a group shot with instructors and local MP Richard Caborn.

Sheffield Chamber Orchestra

2009-03-20T10:05:00.016Z

I've now completed post-production on a shoot with the Sheffield Chamber Orchestra. This long-established group of around 40 players gives three concerts a year, under their two resident conductors, Robin McEwan and Richard Haworth. I was commissioned to provide rehearsal images, formal shots of the orchestra and conductors before the concert, and shots during applause. The occasion was a concert at Firth Hall, University of Sheffield. The soloist in Beethoven's Violin Concerto was Jiafeng Chen.

Before the shoot, I found inspiration in the work of David Bazemore. I wonder how he achieves such fine images? They set a standard for photographers working with classical musicians. Of course, actual performance in concert dress gives stronger images of musicians at work than does rehearsal. But camera noise can be an issue, more for audience than for performers. A sound-deadening enclose for the camera, known as a "blimp", is very expensive.

Of course, the quality of imagery you can get is constrained by the extent to which the players are able and willing to adjust to the needs of the photographer. Most of my work with classical musicians has been opportunistic -- and, hopefully, minimally obtrusive -- rather than resulting from time having been dedicated to a photoshoot. For example, cleaner images of groups of players could be obtained by re-arranging the platform to isolate small groups. But this would not be compatible with effective rehearsal. However, the SCO rehearsal shoot could have been improved simply by taking the time to clear the auditorium of musicians' belongings and darkening the windows.

So I tried to convey the atmosphere of rehearsal, including visual communication among players and conductor, and including the informalities of the rehearsal context. I hope SCO members will feel free to add their comments as to how far we succeeded in this.

As always, I found it hard not to be distracted from my work by enjoyment of the music. But I was free to enjoy the concert itself. Although an "amateur" orchestra, SCO members have all achieved at least Grade 8 on their instruments, so their playing is excellent. And Jiafeng Chen was stunning in the Beethoven, obviously a rising star of the violin.

I'm grateful to SCO for favouring me with this commission and hope the images do not disappoint.

Getting Colours Right

2009-02-11T10:40:00.000Z

Gearing up for my Imaging for Artists service, this week I've had my system colour calibrated by the excellent Simon Clifford-Smith. Although Simon travels over a wide area -- his car has 200k miles on the clock-- I'm fortunate that he's based near me in Sheffield. An accomplished landscape photographer, he combines technical mastery with a keen understanding of photographers' needs. His charges are reasonable and the results consistently excellent. He's also a mine of information and helps his clients understand what's going on. In addition to calibrating my printer for the fine art papers I'm offering to artists, he showed me the correct use of advanced settings with my eye-1 monitor calibrator. Result of Simon's visit: total confidence that what is seen on screen will be faithfully reproduced on paper.

To complete the flow of accurate colour information from the digital file to viewing of the final print, I've also recently invested in a GrafiLite desk lamp. You can't judge your print output under biased lighting, and Simon's measurement confirmed that this lamp is, er, spot-on.

Vista 64 -- nightmare over

2009-01-22T11:17:00.000Z

Last year I replaced my desktop computer. Not before time, as I'd had it for 5 years, during which time the only upgrade was additional memory and new peripherals (NEC Spectraview 2190 monitor, Wacom tablet, USB disk drives). In an attempt to make the new machine last as long as possible, I went for a 64-bit operating system. This means you can use more memory, which should speed up heavy-duty processing of photographic images. Seemed a good idea to future-proof against the demands of higher-resolution cameras. I thought I'd checked that my existing kit was compatible. But not carefully enough, it transpired.

Here's a list of (the most important) stuff that didn't work for me:

Canon driver for 5D camera (web searches suggested this is down to the installer rather than the driver itself)

Adobe Photoshop (CS3) Bridge (various windows mysteriously greyed over; increasingly frequent crashes)

Nikon CoolScan 5000 35mm film scanner (no 64-bit drivers available)

Wacom Intuos 3 graphics tablet (all sorts of hassles)

Asus WL-BTD201M Bluetooth dongle (failed to install)

Installation of ICC profiles

Sound card (stopped working)

Of course, it's possible that some of the above was down to user error. I've been using PCs for over 20 years but have never considered myself an expert. Just learned as much as I needed to get by, with the aid of a resourceful and helpful local supplier: The Real Computer Shop. After patiently fielding my frustration for many weeks, they finally advised me to give up and revert to 32-bit XP. I've now been running that for a week. Bliss! I'd forgotten what it's like when everything installs and works first time. Of course it may be that a more expert user wouldn't have had as much grief. But I suspect my own computer skills are no worse than average. So, if anyone considering a 64-bit system finds this posting, I hope it might save you hassle.

Geoff Roe on Photographic Composition

2009-01-06T16:32:00.000Z

An intriguing 5-star short review in Amateur Photographer dated 3 January '09 led me to a brilliant, self-published book by Geoff Roe on Photographic Composition. The author is a retired academic, and this succinct little book chimes with my background in psychology, as well as making frequent links with painting and music. Informed by cognitive science, it goes far beyond the usual, hugely dissatisfying, platitudes about the Rule of Thirds and Lead-in Lines. Very informative and refreshing. ISBN 978-0-9529867-2-0, available from GE Roe, PO Box 220, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 2UZ, for £12 plus £2 p&p.

Best Christmas Present

2008-12-29T16:01:00.000Z

Daughter Amy gave me World Architecture: The Masterworks by Will Pryce. Photo-essays on 49 great buildings across the world, by a photographer who is also a trained architect. I'm hugely impressed with the photographic vision and technique displayed in these images -- especially as I've had a go myself at two of the featured buildings this year: the cathedrals at Durham and Ely.

Sheffield BIPP network?

2008-12-19T15:14:00.000Z

Having just become a qualified member, I wonder if BIPP members in and around Sheffield have any interest in networking together? So I've emailed 18 local colleagues listed on the BIPP website and invite you to post comments here if you think there's value in building something locally. Skill sharing? Passing on work? Car-sharing to regional meetings at Selby? Any other ideas?

Back to Bank St

2008-12-14T10:46:00.000Z

On 13th December, a brief visit to Bank Street Arts for their Christmas Fair. Hoping to meet again some of the people I photographed there for Open Up Sheffield in May. Brought Abigail Ivall and Caroline Twist a print of my image of them in at work their studios, shot from the landing.

Sorry to miss Ken Horne, although his fine recent work was in evidence. Interesting conversation with John about language and visual arts, as well as the value (or otherwise?) of formal qualifications. Left feeling I really must keep in touch with Bank Street.

Now I'm a Qualified Photographer: So What?

2008-12-12T14:19:00.000Z

Does it matter whether a photographer is qualified? Some people seem not to care one way or the other. Some photographers say they can get work without bothering with formal qualifications, based on word of mouth and the quality of what they've done before. Just as some customers have told me that all that matters is personal recommendation, and whether they like the person's previous work.

But coming to it after a career in another profession, where qualifications are absolutely essential, I felt differently. I wanted to demonstrate an assured level of competence, recognised by a respected professional organisation. So I looked into the UK organisations that offer qualifications. The one I chose was the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP). This is solely concerned with maintaining and improving professional standards, developing skills and encouraging continuing professional development, facilitating communication in the photographic industry, and safeguarding the future of the industry. It doesn't function as a commercial trade organisation. It does genuinely seem focused on improving members' skills. It doesn't hard-sell goods and services to its members. It also appears to have the most rigorous and systematic assessment processes.

The entry level qualification is Licentiateship. This represents an established level of skill and competence. It requires you to present a panel of 20 images (preferably mounted prints) that demonstrate: composition, control and lighting of the subject; and sound technical competence. The images have to fall within a specific category of photography: mine were Press & PR. A Working Profile document is also required, which describes your working methods in general as well as specifically in relation to each of the submitted images.

I've been favourably impressed with the processes involved. BIPP offers one-day training courses to candidates at reduced rates. It also offers candidates free mentorship from senior members (BIPP Fellows). Regional meetings provide opportunities to share your work with other members and get useful advice. The judging of submissions is carried out by three Fellows, who examine the images before inviting the candidate in for feedback. I found this very informative, with the strengths and weaknesses of individual images very trenchantly described. I got really useful advice on how to develop my skills and my style of work. It certainly felt rigorous, anything but a walkover. I felt I could easily have failed to pass, had I worked any less hard on the images I submitted.

Here's an image the judges said nice things about. They liked the composition with its use of the windows into the atrium beyond. It shows artist Cynthia Harrison at Bank St Studios in Sheffield and was part of my commission to photograph artists' studios for Open Up Sheffield in May 2008. More of these images are on my website.

So now I'm a qualified photographer. So what? I do feel anyone employing a photographer would be well-advised to choose someone qualified with BIPP. And also that I've been validated, through a process I found well worthy of respect, as having shown myself competent. I'm also encouraged to pursue my development as a photographer, to aim in due course for the next level of qualification, BIPP Associateship.

Endcliffe Park Playground photos now up on website

2008-12-03T13:33:00.000Z

Today, I've posted the photos of the opening event for Endliffe Park Playground on my site. Prints are for sale at modest prices, with a third of proceeds to the Friends of Endcliffe Playground. I am grateful for the opportunity to support such a worthwhile event and am sure the playground will benefit kids and families for many years to come.

Elias Quartet Concert

2008-11-28T15:07:00.000Z

The Elias String Quartet gave another great concert in Music in the Round's autumn series at the Upper Chapel on 27th November. Particularly fine in Kurtag and Mendelssohn, composers for whom they have evident enthusiasm and deep empathy. Always grateful for what they've brought to the musical life of Sheffield, determined to enjoy them before they leave us next summer. And for me personally the opportunity to photograph them for their Mendelssohn CD was a real breakthrough. The resulting images are on my site.

Lodge Moor Playground

2008-11-27T14:31:00.000Z

Having moved to the Sheffield neighbourhood of Lodge Moor earlier this year, I'm getting to know a new community. It would be good to find ways of using my photography to benefit this community. So I went to the South West Area Panel meeting on 26th November, at St Luke's Church. Met local councillors, as well as Hazel Fair, who does community liaison for the Hallam Community and Youth Association (HCYA). This was timely, as local playgrounds are topical on this side of Sheffield at the moment. Alongside the excitement at Endcliffe Park, there's been concern in Lodge Moor about a threat to the playground on the former hospital site, now the David Wilson estate. Since a public-access sports hall was lost to the new development, the planning authority placed an obligation on the new estate to provide a playground, mini football pitch and open space for public use. Now, the management company (the organisation of estate residents) has put in a planning application to be relieved of this obligation. Unsurprisingly, lots of people have objected to this. Comments are still being received on the council's website. As of today there were over 120 objections, together with a petition from 12 youngsters. It does seem perverse, as well as socially divisive, to deprive youngsters of opportunities for exercise in the beautiful upland surroundings of Redmires. The nearby Spider Park, established by HCYA, is so successful that it's often too busy for young children to use safely. The arguments against this planning application are put really well by Jennifer Hocking.

At the Area Panel meeting, strong feelings were expressed by members of the public against the threat to the playground. Although no residents of the new estate were present, the meeting was told that one reason for their wanting the obligation removed was the cost of repairs following vandalism. So a possible solution might be for the Council to help out with the maintenance costs.

On 2nd December, I learned that the application has now been withdrawn by the applicant. Good sense has prevailed, following the posting on the Council website of around 130 objections including a petition from a group of youngsters.

Getting Started

2008-11-24T14:01:00.000Z

I've thought about starting a blog for a while. Decided to give it a go after a busy and enjoyable weekend meeting new people and doing new things.

On Saturday 22nd November, I photographed the opening event for the new children's playground at Endcliffe Park, Sheffield. I was recruited to do this by Tracey Shibli, whom I'd known for years; we met when she ran Music in the Round. The event was hosted at Trinity United Reform Church, a striking Brutalist building set into the (eponymous) cliff-end overlooking Endcliffe Park. The stars of the show were Sheffield Young Singers, led by Helen Cowen. They performed both in the church and again in the amphitheatre within the new playground. There were brief but inspiring speeches by the Friends of Endcliffe Park organisation that had raised substantial funding for the new playground. The park was declared open by one of the youngsters and a group of them collectively cut the ribbon.

I'll be posting more images of the event at davidshapirophotography.com. The success of this kind of community initiative is such a delight to see. People working together, driven by shared vision and values, making something happen that brings benefit to so many.

On Sunday 23rd November, a glorious drive over Strines Moor to Holmfirth for the Art Market. At the suggestion of my client, Hilary Simms, I went in search of painters and sculptors who might have need of my Imaging for Artists service. Met several really interesting people, producing lovely work that would be a delight to photograph. To name just a few: David Mayne made the wonderful bear in the Sheffield Botanical Gardens bear-pit; glorious works in glass by Louise Watson; finely shaped and textured ceramic vessels by James Oughtibridge; very striking raku and smoke filled figurative ceramics based on the human form, by Jenny Eaton; Pat Ellacott's paintings inspired by the shape and form of animals and insects; Victoria Ashworth's colourful and boldly-composed images of predominantly north-western English scenes and locales.