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Trade union photography

Photography and illustration for trade unions and NGO’s

I have had the pleasure of working with many trade unions since I started as a photographer and illustrator in 1994. I have covered campaigns, mergers, strikes, conferences, festivals and almost every other area in which unions are active. Some of my photography has won the TUC annual awards.

Trade union photography at conferences and AGMs

I have worked on conferences and AGMs for PCS, ACCORD, RMT and ASLEF. The types of shots I have taken include, portraits, delegates and the lecture, guest speakers, reactions from the audience, group shots and informal shots of delegates enjoying the event.

Trade union photography - AGM conference delegate

Delegate at ASLEF AGM

Group photograph at ACCORD conference

Trade union photography - pictures of audience

Questions from the floor – ACCORD conference

Guest speaker at trade union conference – John McDonnell

Images for magazines, journals and publications.

I often take images to go on the cover of the union journal or for editorial images to go inside. These might be documentary, illustrative or staged images.

Campaign illustrations and photomontages

Sometimes a still image cannot illustrate a complex story effectively but an illustration or photomontage made from a number of separate images can create a powerful campaigning image.

trade union photography and illustration

Commissioned Photomontage for CWU created using Photoshop

trade union photography - Jeremy Corbyn at TUC Tolpuddle Festival

Jeremy Corbyn – leader of the Labour Party – Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival

‘Saucy Jack’

The Marshfield Mummers continue an ancient tradition every year at 11am on Boxing Day. A short, three minute play is performed a number of times along the length of the High Street in Marshfield near Bath. The play has changed little over the centuries, it is only performed on Boxing Day with a single rehearsal earlier in the morning.

The image below is of ‘Saucy Jack’ who carries his family on his back. Other characters include King William, Tenpenny Nit, Beelzebub and Dr Fennix.

There are more images in this earlier post

'Saucy Jack' a character from the Marshfield Mummers Christmas play

‘Saucy Jack’ with his family on his back

Traditional black and white darkroom workshops and consultancy service

Many photographers feel that while their digital cameras produce amazing quality images when used correctly but believe the craft of the media has been taken from them and embedded in software applications. The darkroom is still a place where the true craft of photography can be found. Darkroom equipment which was once priced beyond the means of the typical enthusiast photographer can be picked up in online auctions for a tiny fraction of its original value. Sadly, courses on the subject are slowly disappearing as colleges convert their darkrooms into digital editing suites.

The day was jam packed and we both learnt a lot about various parts of traditional darkroom photography, the developing process, pin hole cameras, photograms and luminograms. Emma Hart, Sandy Secondary School, Bedfordshire

DeVere 504 large format enlarger

Traditional black and white photographic prints still have some significant advantages over their digital equivalents the most obvious being its archival quality. A properly processed and washed black and white print on fibre based photographic paper should still be around in a hundred years time. The digital equivalent would need regular conversion by the photographer and their progeny to be available for future generations.

Darkroom options

My permanent darkroom is just outside of Bath, it houses two enlargers, a Devere 504 covering a range of film formats including; 35mm, 6cm x 6cm, 6cm x 7cm, and 5″x4″ and an LPL C7700 enlarger for 35mm up to 6cmx7cm.

I also have a mobile darkroom to provide onsite training which can accommodate the smaller enlarger.

Due to the compact size of the portable darkroom it is normally suited to teaching smaller groups.

Nova Darkroom Tent, outside (left) inside (right)

Darkroom consultancy service

If you are planning to set up a darkroom or revive a darkroom which hasn’t been used for a while, I can provide onsite support to test equipment and materials, provide the guidance and training to get you up and running. If you do not have a darkroom, I can bring along a small portable darkroom, all I need is a nearby sink and electricity.

Nigel sparked not only confidence in us, in what we were going to teach the students but also newfound enthusiasm for the process. Whilst with us Nigel also spent time checking out, advising, and helping organise and clean our current darkroom that hasn’t seen much love. He advised us on best practice and items to purchase to make what we had already easier to use and more effective, he even brought along his own kit as examples and to demonstrate techniques to us. Emma Hart, Sandy Secondary School, Bedfordshire

Typical workshop content might include;

an introduction to darkroom equipment,
film processing demonstration,
camera-less photography, photograms, luminograms,
contact printing, enlargement, use of multigrade paper,
advanced darkroom technique, dodging and burning and split grade printing
experimental darkroom techniques.

Preparing a darkroom

Guidance on teaching darkroom techniques on GCSE, A level and BTEC course at schools and colleges

Having taught film and darkroom photography for some time, I recognise the common pitfalls encountered by new users and have developed a range of strategies to simplify learning. If you are introducing traditional analogue photography and darkroom techniques into your curriculum, I can help you to structure your sessions to support learning. Sessions also include a range of experimental darkroom techniques

Film photography

In addition to darkroom workshops, I can also provide training on using black and white film, choosing a camera, loading film, unloading film, processing options and film processing.

Film (analogue) photography

Pinhole photography and camera-less photography workshop

Learn how to create photographic images without the need for a camera. In this practical workshop, attendees will learn how to create photographic images without the need for a camera. They will also learn about the camera obscura before making their own pinhole cameras and using them to take a range of different pictures. At the end of the session, they will be able to take their cameras home to take extreme pinhole exposures over several months in length.

6 month pinhole Cheney Court near Bath

Prices

Prices start at £350 for a day for up to 5 attendees (2 if using the portable darkroom)

If you would like me to deliver an analogue photography workshop at your home or workplace give me a call or drop me an email.

Celebrations at the finishing line. Hafren Round Britain

Linking in to the earlier story on the 2nd July, Phil and Jeremy sailing in their tiny Wayfarer dinghy Hafren successfully managed to knock 43 days of the previous record for sailing around the coast of Britain.

Hafren Round Britain Celebrations at the finishing line

Trade Union, not for profit and NGO photography

I have provided photography and photomontage services for trade unions and NGOs for over twenty years. The work is varied and interesting and differs widely from one organisation to another.

Photo-montaged images are often used to represent complex topics which cannot be illustrated with a traditional photograph. The types of subjects I have illustrated include, teenage pregnancies, John Major’s ‘Back to Basics’ policy, employment rights and environmental issues. This images often draw heavily on visual symbols and metaphors and can make very powerful images for campaigns, front covers or home pages. Some of my photo-montages have won the prestigious TUC media awards.

You can see more examples of my photo-montages here

Royal Mail privatisation. Commissioned by CWU

Most of these organisations have annual AGMs or conferences and need images of the event. Conference photography typically involves unobtrusively photographing speakers and delegates, taking shots of fringe meetings, team shots and stalls, recording any planned publicity events and forwarding images to picture desks from the venue.

Reaction from the floor- trade union conference

RMT – stewards

Guest Speaker – Dave Smith

RMT Conference delegate

My day rate for trade union and NGO work is based on the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) agreed day rate of £300/day before expenses.

Photomontages can require props and numerous location shots so please contact me for a quote.

Trade unions I have worked for; PCS, RMT, CWU, GMB, NUT, TGWU, UNISON, GPMU,

NGOs I have worked for; Greenpeace, War on Want, Central Americas Human Rights Commission, Prisoners Abroad,

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