Presentation Research

To help with the presentation process I looked at examples of triptychs and sets of images that work together and compliment one another.

I think that a lot of my images fit together like this, and although they may not be strong enough to be shown on their own, they create a great image when presented together

THAT'S IT!!

The reason my previous post is called 'Final Shoot' is because I feel that, although potentially I have time to find more cafes, my time would be better spent properly editing and choosing the photographs I intend to use, and investigating how they would be best presented. If I take too many images, the project would be extremely difficult to edit and I would end up struggling to choose the best!

Presentation Ideas

There are potentially many ways that I could present my final chosen images. I feel that some of the images work well together as sets, and some are strong enough to stand alone, and this seems to lend itself to a book format. Also, the subject matter fits well into a coffee table type book as it is important that the images are viewed together as a set, and a book seems to suit this the best.

In the case of my image sets, a lot of the images work well in series, or in triptics, so I will edit my photographs down to a manageable amount with this in mind. 

Final Shoot - Two More Cafes

Following the Easter Break, I decided to take a final trip out of Leicester to find some more cafes, and these were the two I found:

This cafe was owned by the gentleman pictured, and as my confidence has grown over the course of the project, I managed to get him to stand outside of his unit for a photograph which is a little bit different to the ones I have been achieving before. However, to be on the safe side I took a photo of him inside too, to fit in with the rest of the portraits I have taken.

The next cafe I found was recommended to me by the first cafe owner, and it was very similar to the others I had found. Due to the position of the unit (next to a busy road in a crowded layby) it was difficult to get some of the images I had intended to, but the lady was very friendly and let me take her photograph without any problems.

I feel that as my confidence with the project has increased I am getting the photos I want as the people I am photographing trust me more as I seem to know what I'm doing! I am pleased with the images I have today, and they go well with the ones I have already taken.

Shoot Six - Three more Cafes

I decided to explore east of Leicester for this shoot, and I came across two static cafes, and a mobile unit.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

Hillside Cafe on the A47 was a great place to photograph. It was full of F1 memorabilia and art works, and the couple who owned and ran it were really friendly. I chatted to them for a while, and as a result was much more confident when it came to asking for their photo. 

 

The next Cafe was also on the A47, and the owner was also more than happy to let me photograph inside and take a portrait. I was chatting to him and two regulars who were having breakfast, and they made me realise it was the right idea to take the project away from the motorways and into smaller cafes; I would never get the photos I have been or meet the characters I have if I hadn't done so.

 

  

  

  

  

The final Cafe I visted that on this shoot was Jakes who again was happy to let me take a few photos. I am really happy with the portrait of Jake, and I think that is the style of portrait I will try and use for the remaining cafes I will visit, rather than the more candid style I have used so far.

This shoot was so much more successful, I feel I have produced some more usable portraits than previous shoots.

Shoot Five - Many many cups of tea...

Here are some more shots from recent expeditions to find some more cafes:

 

Red Cafe is unfortunately closed now, but none the less made for an interesting photo.

 

Mock Tudor Cottage was run by a woman who told me about the Red Cafe being closed. She wouldn't let me take her picture, but was happy to let me photograph the unit.

 

This Burger Van was run by another lone woman, who also declined a photograph, but said I could also take a photograph of the unit. 

 

 

  

This Refreshment Wagon worker was much more happy for me to take photographs, but I wasn't brave enough to ask her to pose for a shot as she seemed busy and had customers to serve. 

As a recce I think the shot was semi successful, and I was tipped off to the locations of some other cafes and vans. However, the images are not up to scratch for a final project.

Shoot Four - Brekker's Cafe

Having found my new direction, and following the assessment, I've made a start on finding some roadside Cafes. On the drive back from Redhill to Leicester I cam across Brekkers, and took a few shots to get the project rolling...

These four are the usable images I got from this Cafe. As a first attempt I think these images are ok, but I need to develop my ideas a little more, and have more confidence when asking the staff for portraits.

Roadfood.com - The culture of Roadside Food in America

Whilst researching photographers who shoot smaller cafes and diners during their travels, I came across this website which is dedicated to the joys of small diners across the US.

From the Roadfood website...

Roadfood means great regional meals along highways, in small towns and in city neighborhoods.

It is non-franchised, sleeves-up food made by cooks, bakers, pitmasters, and sandwich-makers who are America’s culinary folk artists.

Roadfood is almost always informal and inexpensive; and the best Roadfood restaurants are colorful places enjoyed by locals (and savvy travelers) for their character as well as their menu.

It is our intention that Roadfood.com will lead the way to:

• great local color
• the best regional specialties
• unforgettable diners, celestial barbecue, and four-star pig-outs galore!
  

I think this really captures what I am trying to do with my project, but whereas Roadfood is concerned with the food on offer at these sort of establishments, I am interested in the people that work there. The website details hundreds of spectacular food places with character and something a bit unusual about them which is extremely interesting, but unfortunately for me the website is based in the US.

Hopefully, with my travels on the UK roads, I can come up with something similar to this, but with photographs instead of recipes. The sort of places that I am looking for are likely to contain some pretty interesting characters, and are much more likely to embrace a photographer interested in what they do. The problem with the service stations is that the staff have no passion for the food they are serving, whereas smaller independently run places are much more likely!