<<< o >>>party politics #1 53 comments + add yours
chromasia.com

In the spring of 1997 I was at a conference just outside of Berlin, deep in a forest, miles from anywhere. And on the night of the UK general election a few of us sat down with a cheap radio, some equally cheap whisky and various packets of German cigarettes. We sat there until the early hours of the morning listening to the election coverage on the BBC World Service and marvelled as Labour swept to victory. And at the time, after years of bleak Conservative rule, it finally seemed as though things might change, that there might be some light at the end of the tunnel and that the country might return to something approaching a socialist agenda. And we smiled as we drank our cheap whisky, smoked our cigarettes and listened to the remaining results come in.

And I guess, at the time, that it seemed as though we had some choice: that we could vote for political parties with radically different agendas and that our votes determined our futures - at least in part.

Eight years later it's almost election time again. But this time, and maybe it was really like this in 1997 too but just seemed different, it doesn't seem as though any of it makes much difference. Labour or Conservative. Global capitalism or Global capitalism. Yet more consumerism or yet more consumerism. Hmmmm.

Anyway, the upshot for me is that for the first time since I was eighteen I won't be voting in this general election as it seems to me that politics, in the UK at least, isn't about changing things, or making them any better for those in need, it's just about more of the same in different shades of grey.

On which note: I saw this scene today and decided that for me at least it captures something of the emptiness of contemporary British politics.

All of which isn't a request for a political debate, it was just on my mind ;-)

capture date
camera
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aperture
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shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
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3.05pm on 11/4/05
Canon 20D
EF 17-40 f/4L USM
21mm (34mm equiv.)
f/7.1
1/200
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
100
no
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C1 Pro
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3x2 + fylde coast
comment by sensations flux at 09:49 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

Your photo encompasses that very emptiness and it's not just in the UK. Great shot.

comment by chris at 09:51 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

the more things change...

Nice photo. Sad though.

comment by Jon Clark at 09:53 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

wow, very powerful image. besides the vivid colours, the juxtaposition is really effective.

comment by Chris at 09:54 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

The contrast is perfect for this photo.

comment by bryan at 10:04 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

i see that clear channel has their claws into britain's billboard market, too... are they close to owning 80% of your radio stations as well?

is this perspective corrected at all? the top of the image seems to bow out a little bit

comment by djn1 at 10:12 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

bryan: I'm afraid I don't know anything about Clear Channel over and above the fact that they seem to own nearly all the billboards I've noticed recently. As for the perspective correction: no, I didn't correct it. Well, I did try, but it made it worse. I guess the top of the billboard must be bowed anyway.

comment by nogger at 10:24 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

Yes. Well. I think the picture says it all really. I'll still be voting though. And it won't be for the Tories.

Wonder if the Grauniad would be interested in this for their election blog? There again, you may not want to give it away.

comment by justin at 11:03 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

Great shot that says a lot! Sad days in many ways.

comment by chris at 11:06 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

nogger: or indeed this could form the first proper addition to their flickr gallery.

comment by djn1 at 11:18 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

nogger/chris: I've sent it to them.

comment by luke at 11:19 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

the worst I've seen is the tories "how would you feel if your daughter was raped by a prisoner who was released early?" billboard. I mean thats a) sick b) Scaremongering c) pointless, if my daughter was raped I'd be distraught never mind who did it. I think that adverts just low.

Nice lines in the shot, good processing as well.

comment by djn1 at 11:22 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

luke: I saw that one today as well, and I agree, it's revolting.

comment by Simon C at 11:26 PM (GMT) on 11 April, 2005

Interesting story, busy and effective image.

If you're tired of grey consumerism then why not vote Green!?

comment by Fellow Eskimo at 12:08 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Well, I know nothing of British Politics...I guess you could call me a typical american?

As for the photo, it has an old feel to it. I cant explain why...maybe its just the run down furniture, and the stairs, and the peeling paint...but it feels very old. The sign is a stark contrast to its surroundings. Good work.

comment by Thinh at 12:34 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

chris: ...they more they stay the same.

Great photo today! I love the multitude of colors (which I haven't seen much in Calgary as the weather is still quite crappy as of late, but spring is slowly showing its signs). The billboard and the foreground go hand in hand...fabulous.

One thing that's attracting too much attention is the edge of the parking line on the very far left hand side. Couldn't you photoshop that out to make it a bit more symmetrical?

Cheers.

comment by spoon at 12:39 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Clear Channel is evil! But the shot is amazing. Love the contrast and saturation. Tell me it's post-process, or else I'll go insane.

comment by fernando at 01:02 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

great! street photography at it's best

comment by Ryan Rahn at 02:01 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Whlie I strongly dissagree with your politics, the shot is wonderful, yet again. I love the colors and clarity. Good composition and it sets the mood very well.

comment by hungaro at 02:50 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

nice, quite nice...
don't give your vote away though; the Greens might be your way out (even though I do not know about their program in Britain)

as my British friend says - the Italians have the mafia, we have the establishment


comment by Steve Jenereaux at 03:04 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

well executed!

comment by kate at 03:26 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

i feel your pain. hope it's just getting it off your chest and that you don't sacrifice this gift...even grey can be priceless, depending on your perspective...
www.terra.com.br/sebastiaosalgado click on migrations

comment by Sharla at 04:07 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

A very emotional shot that can have tons of different meaning, depending on the viewer. Such an eye you have.

As to politics, I know the Americans did not appreciate outside opinions in the recent elections and I'm sure the British probably feel the same.

So ... great pic!

comment by Juice at 04:27 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

David,

What sort of lighting was this taken by (what time of day). I've just spent the last two days in Boston working on some street photography and have been repulsed by all of the distracting shadows and other problems that midday lighting causes. There seem to be no distracting shadows in this shot, was it taken later in the afternoon?

comment by Kieran at 05:07 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

What kind of post-production did you do (if any) to this photo? The colours have a lot of contrast and punchiness. The picture's grittiness is added to by the colours and by the fact that the picture doesn't show the meticulous detail that some digi pics do.

comment by Zishaan at 07:47 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

And I thought it was only in India that we cribbed about politicians and political parties. Even after 57 years of independence from the British, things have become little better here. Some cities might be shining, but 70% of India is still rural. And still neglected.

Anyways. David, that is a very evocative photograph (you must have guessed that by now :-)). Looking forward to similar such work.

comment by Adriana at 09:16 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Well the political information was interesting but putting that aside, the composition of the image and those (so vivid) colors are just great. The combination of the ad, with the rest of the elements (old) looks great :)

comment by Andy (SensorChip) at 09:27 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Your best in a while, IMO.

comment by Andy (SensorChip) at 09:27 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

p.s. I'm still waiting for my outdoor sofa shot. One day!

p.p.s. My shot of the day.

comment by Ade Rixon at 09:28 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Not often one finds biting satire in a photoblog! Excellent image, says a lot about the north of England too.

comment by Lyle at 09:49 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Stunning shot. Beautifully done.

Me, I'd send it to Barnardos or similar too - they had a history of using imagery like that a few years back.

comment by Aegir at 10:03 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

I'm with the other people - vote Green. They're going to get rid of the royal family, so basically that gets my vote straight off. ;)

Maybe they can ban billboards for being a waste of resources too...

comment by pierre at 10:06 AM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Well, Andy is right, that's your best in a while mate.
Well done.

comment by flygirl at 12:59 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

It's a very nice shot and I like your thoughts that go with it. The shot kind of represents the chaos we all live in right now pretty well. I don't know too much about Politics in the UK, but let me tell you it's a big old mess just about everywhere...

comment by fer at 01:58 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

great composition

comment by laura at 02:25 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

it's appalling, isn't it? the empty words all the shiny teeth politicians speak are summed up right there. amazing shot.

comment by Paul at 02:42 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Please vote! If you don't like any of the candidates spoil your ballot (in fact if you're going to spoil it write something amusing on it to cheer up the poor ballot counter), but at least let them know that you care enough to go to the polls, and you just don't like the politicians.

Superb picture btw, I love the colour saturation!

comment by getpixed at 04:26 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

great. this is photo with idea

comment by VPra at 05:08 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Has greats conceptual and techinical aspects to it. Incredible contrast and photo.

comment by bob at 05:31 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Great photo Dave -- and poignant words... I know what you mean... I'm a firm believer that change now occurs at a grassroots level -- by sheer human force... I talk about it from time to time -- about 'paying things forward' - not back -- floating all boats in the harbor, not just few... I wish I had the answers -- I don't -- I just try to make a difference where, and when, I can... Nice thought -- thanks for sharing....

comment by Daaave at 07:11 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

David - I'm from Northern Ireland (even though I live in England now), so I'm sure you can imagine how sick I am of politics...

But even still, I am getting more and more interested these days (up to a point), but like you I'm struggling to find anything to get excited about. Everything sounds like a big bunch of promises that will never come true. I can only commend the Lib Dem's for saying that they won't build their campaign on negatives against Labour and the Tories (although I'm not sure if they have been sticking to this). The comment above about the Tory billboard just puts me off the subject even more.

Anyway, cracking shot, very nice find and you've captured it very well. The position of the old sofa is perfect.

comment by Jacob at 08:27 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

You could always vote Lib. Dem. They're at least moderately sane and different. They're not even right wing (shocking eh?). Love the shot, really made me look.

comment by not one of you at 08:55 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005


No species which votes will last long.

Eloquent photograph (as usual) ;-)

comment by John at 09:00 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Great shot David.

DON'T Get me started on politics otherwise you might be reading for a long time.

I find the whole lot of them utterly revolting. They ought to be ashamed of themselves for what has happened to this country. At heart I am a socialist but our so called socialist goverment is a disgrace.

comment by djn1 at 09:52 PM (GMT) on 12 April, 2005

Thanks everyone.

As for the politics: I guess I probably will vote, but for the first time in my life I'm not sure who I'll vote for.

comment by m at 12:03 AM (GMT) on 13 April, 2005

Could be called Now & Then.

comment by A at 04:16 PM (GMT) on 13 April, 2005

Hi there.

I've been reading (ok, not reading, watching) your blog for awhile now and I am constantly amazed by the photographs.

I would love it if you would stick a tips section in your site somewhere, especially for photographs like this. I know no one wants to give away their trade secrets, but your skills are too good not to be passed on. Think of it as your contribution to making the world a better place; I know it would make my day.

Thanks in advance, :]

A

comment by djn1 at 09:19 PM (GMT) on 13 April, 2005

Thanks everyone. And yes, it's the same sofa as the one in yesterday's shot.

comment by karolajna at 11:48 AM (GMT) on 14 April, 2005

great portfolio !!!

comment by Michael at 08:08 AM (GMT) on 16 April, 2005

Perfect!

comment by crankyT at 01:29 AM (GMT) on 20 April, 2005

Fantastic shot.

comment by Brendhan at 11:02 PM (GMT) on 22 April, 2005

What is interesting about this photo is the junk underneath the sign. It looks like someone was evicted from the building some months ago. The stuff was left to rot below the meaningful sign.

comment by myla at 04:13 AM (GMT) on 15 May, 2005

I don't know how I missed this one -- but wow, Dave. This is wonderful. Please say hi to L and the girls for me =)

comment by Eamon lane at 12:58 AM (GMT) on 31 May, 2005

A magnificant image, then this you know

you are an inspiration and the images speak for themselves

eamon