The Long lens Blog

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Outsiders at London Design Festival with Interactive Newsprint

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This pioneering technology, used for the first time with any form of photography, is part of the Interactive Newsprint project, led by the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

I’ve tried to work out the best way to describe what Interactive Newsprint is.

The best I can come up with is through these two definitions.

OUTLANDISH: Interactive Newsprint is internet-connected paper on which microphones, speakers, buttons, LED displays and moving images can be printed with specialist ink.

SCEPTICAL: Interactive Newsprint will be limited to novelty-value gimmicks on expensive paper, an unnecessary piece of technology to sit alongside more robust media devices like tablets and smartphones.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. It will take some time and major technology developments for the paper to fulfil this outlandish definition.

Already, Interactive Newsprint is an internet-connected paper allowing an increased evel of interactivity between the user and the writer/advertiser. This includes instantly updateable audio
But the development of some of these outlandish technologies – perhaps a printed battery, a printed solar power source or printed moving images – will move a step closer with this project.

And that’s the beauty of this project, the possibilities Interactive Newsprint (IN) could lead to. The product currently is wi-fi enabled and uses circuits made of printed ink (though I’m not sure how far the printed circuits will be developed in the prototypes).

Technologists believe that eventually moving LCD images will be cheaply printed on to paper and other products, such as drinks bottles or crockery.

Designers hope that by developing IN they will enable new ways to fund content, a crucial development if any kind of print industry is to remain in years to come. Music could also be a key element for IN’s progression.

As we approach the fall of 2012, IN is a prototype which has been seen at SXSW in Austin Texas and is about to unveil its latest designs at the London Design Festival (in September 2012).

Several community, news and arts-based groups are helping develop the technology.

As part of the development my own Outsiders project is being used for IN, with three of the interviews from the book printed on to the paper.

The interactivity comes from embossed buttons on the images which, when pressed, play either audio from those interviewed, my own thoughts and views on the subject or opinions from those who have experienced the IN paper at the deign festival.

My personal favourite possibility is a localised paper with an advert from the local butcher, who can update the embedded audio in the advert at any time to tell customers of special offers or that he is closing early because he has to take his son to football training.

For photography, the project is a unique way of engaging viewers and we hope to develop this arts-based approach to the newsprint as the project continues.

NOTE: IN is funded by the Digital Economy (DE) Programme and led by the University of Central Lancashire, with technology company Novalia and Dundee and Surrey universities.

More details on IN at the London Design Festival will be announced soon.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Marlboro Nights, Come To Where The Smoking Was (looking back at the ban on smoking in public)

[gallery]My six-week exhibition at The Continetal in Preston has just come to an end.

Marlboro Nights the exhibition marked the fifth anniversary of the ban on smoking in public in public in England (July 1, 2007).

Marlboro Nights the book is availble now on Amazon in the UK and the US.

This big brash book documents smokers before the ban and then follows them as they were forced to go outside. Some of the portraits can be found elsewhere on this blog (or on www.gazcook.com where you can buy a signed copy from the store), below are some lovely landscape shots.

NOTE:

Blackburn Coffin Parade 2012 (the one which used to be held in Bamber Bridge)

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The coffin parade held in Bamber Bridge whenever Blackburn Rovers or Preston North End are relegated or promoted did not take place this year.

Problems in Bamber Bridge to do with disorderly conduct last year led to police objections to this year's Rovers relegation party.

But some die hard Blackburn fans made a big effort to carry on the tradition. You can re ad more about that here.

These images document the result, a short march between two pubs near Ewood Park.

The parade in Bamber Bridge involved a huge part of the community and includes several dozen floats and an hour-long procession. It was a trvesty that the tradition was unable to continue.

NOTE: Images of previous parades can be seen in the features section of www.gazcook.com

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Preston Guild 2012 First Proclamation

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Preston Guild is held once every 20 years.

It's the only Guild celebration in the country.

The Guild was first started in 1179 by local traders, craftsmen and merchants. Known as the Guild Merchant, the organisation used to control trade in the town.

The Guild Merchant's trade control ended in 1790 but the Guild celebrations continued.

This was Saturday, August 18, 2012.

Morris Dancers are obligatory at every Preston Guild.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Twitter and the Changing Face of Society (or Now We Know What You Really Think You Vile Pigs)

Estimates vary from five per to twenty, but whatever the percentage it is a fact that a significant portion of the population are a bunch of tw@ts.

Everyone has always kind of known this. The aggressive road rage driver, the aggressive drunk twenty-year old or the aggressive tracksuit-wearing mother shouting obscenities at her five year old. Can you see there’s a lot of aggression here? Some people just aren’t very nice.

But it’s not just that, there’s also the blokes in the pub making racist comments to each other, the blokes at work telling racist jokes and the racist parents teaching their kids to how to be racially insulting. Yes, there’s a lot of racism around, too.

The only difference is that today, this aggression, those insults and these points of view are recorded for everyone to see. Welcome to the colourful world of twitter.

A more accurate snapshot of people’s darkest beliefs could only be made if someone were to invent a machine that could transcribe people’s thoughts directly to the internet. Though, judging by the way that some people lack any form of self moderation in the things that they tweet, this is hardly necessary.

But this is the good news: Twitter will have a hugely positive effect on aggression and racism in society.

I’ll gloss over Twitter’s history, how many users it has and how it disperses and defines the news.

Twitter today is a mirror on society. Conversations that were previously confined to the park, pub or behind closed doors can now be read online in bite-sized sentences.

While much of the population use the platform to cheerily reveal thoughts on X Factor or their plans for the evening, others just can’t help themselves.

Out comes the bile, the racism, the spite and the abuse. It’s as revealing about society as it is disturbing. But we should appreciate that we are now able to read streams of consciousness of what other people think.

The term ‘internet troll’ has been coined for those tweeters who go a bad step further and start personally abusing those they don’t like the look of. In Britain there are daily instances of celebrities being abused, racially or otherwise, and of others in the public eye who have closed their accounts because the vile comments are too upsetting to read.

Thankfully, there have also been a number of cases where the abusers have been quickly arrested, cautioned or charged by police – most recently the 17-year-old who tweeted to British Olympic diver Tom Daly that he had let his dad down after failing to win a medal in the synchronised 10m platform. Daly’s father died in 2011.

Similar arrests by police have followed abuse of footballers on twitter. Another Twitter abuser was jailed and booted off his university course. It’s a routine I hope is repeated.

If it is, what we will see is these people who think their opinions is all that matters getting the message that they could suffer consequences if they continue airing their disgusting comments.

And if these nasty buggers start employing a degree of self moderation in what they tweet, they in turn may not verbalise these thoughts. Eventually, they may even stop thinking them. Yes, I know this is a long way off and there will be stupid, stubborn exemptions. But it’s a positive step if fear of legal action or loss of their job stops a racist tweeting about ‘black b@stards’ or ‘our ethnic friends’.

In this respect, the mirror that Twitter is on society will ultimately have a positive effect on the people who use it. And that’s not bad for a rather dumb social media platform.

Now, try saying all that in 140 characters.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

360-degree panorama photography (review 2) DMD Pano app

The DMD Pano App.

Quite fast to use once you get the hang of it.

You hold your phone upright and tap the screen to start. Then you move it slowly round until the two yin and yang symbols on the screen join together. A second image is automatically taken. repeat until the app stops (it recognised when it's done a 360).

What you are left with on your phone is a superb quality panoramic image.

The problems start when you want to get the 360-degree image online.

You can share it immediately on most platforms (Twitter, Facebook etc). But what you are actually sharing is a flat, wide image. There is no spinning the image round.

The best way I have found to get the interactive 360-degree image online is to visit DMD's website, register and then upload the image to it. I did this by dragging a tweet of the image on to my desktop, I know, this is hardly a simple one-button publish exercise.

Once the image is uploaded (with descriptions, geotags etc) you can then grab the html/embed code and paste it into your website or blog. Apparently Wordpress does not like this code.

And, if it works, the result is shown below.

GOOD: Easy to use. Image looks superb on the phone.

BAD: Too hard to upload and embed interactive 360-degree image into blogs or website. Using the upload process described above, the panoramic image looks low quality on screen.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Preston Guild 2012 Photography Workshops

PP: Photography Preston
Produce the images of a lifetime at Preston Guild 2012
Since the mid-19^th century, documentary photography has been used to record major historical events.
Preston Guild will have more cameras focused on it this summer than at any time other time in its history.
PP: Photography Preston will help you get the most out of your camera during Preston Guild – and push your photography skills to the next level.
This opportunity happens just once in a generation - this workshop will inspire you to capture Guild 2012 in all its glory.
Workshops will cover technique, project aims and the law with regard photographing in public. Our aim is to allow you to gain confidence, successfully deal with the public and produce great images from the celebrations.
We will also arrange special access to several locations in Preston to allow participants to produce unique documentary images.
Whether you are an aspiring amateur or a keen snapper, whether you own a digital compact, SLR or medium format, the course will help you produce documentary images which will form an important record of one of the city’s most important events.
Participants will attend workshops, be guided on location and will have their work reviewed as the course progresses. Assistance in editing of the final images will be given at the end of the project. Some of the images produced could then go on to form an exhibition at The Continental.
All workshops will be held at The Continental, South Meadow Lane,
Preston PR1 8JP. www.newcontinental.net
Workshops: maximum number of 10. Minimum number of seven participants required.

KEY DATES:
Saturday, Aug 18, morning (before First Proclamation)
Workshop to deliver technique, themes and aims. Two hours
Saturday, Sept 1, morning (before Final Proclamation)
Workshop to review images taken so far, discuss ideas for Guild Weekend. Two hours
Saturday, Sept 15, morning (week after final Guild weekend)
Review of images, editing. Selection of images for possible exhibition at The Continental. Two hours

Cost:
£120 for three two-hour sessions, plus assistance during events on the Aug 18 and Sept 1.

For more information and to sign up to the workshops contact:
Garry Cook on 01254 822 179 or 07976 579 522
E-mail: gazcook@hotmail.com

Monday, July 09, 2012

Article about Outsiders from Lancashire Telegraph

This text and photo montage is taken from the online version of the article on Outsiders in the Lancashire Telegraph. It was written by Jessica Cree. The photo of me is by Andy Ford.

A WHALLEY journalist has released a thought-provoking new book containing interviews with some controversial figures.
Garry Cook has compiled Outsiders, a book of 20 interviews and portrait photographs on diverse themes such as religion, war and racism.
Featuring transcripts of chats with BNP chairman Nick Griffin while he was canvassing for local elections in Burnley and Padiham, a transsexual dominatrix and a British soldier injured by friendly fire among others, Garry said he was keen to explore issues usually shunned by society.
He said: “My aim has been to present stories and people’s experiences in an open and as honest way as possible, enabling people to evaluate subjects they may have preconceived ideas about.
“We all judge and pre-judge people but through some fantastic stories I want Outsiders to help us look at our own thought processes and behaviours, however distasteful some of these may be.”
Garry, of Mitton Road, said one of his most interesting experiences while gathering material was meeting a mid-American family, who are part of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church and were extremely homophobic.
Garry, 37, said: “It was amazing to interview the family. They are the perfect, wholesome American family, I have never been treated so well. They are so nice and loving to each other.
“But then they start talking about religion and it becomes a bit hard to stomach.”
Garry said he was also shocked by some of the things he came across while spending the day with Mr Griffin.
He said: “It was strange, a lot of people who were standing in the local elections were doing it for really good reasons.
“But they have adopted this stance and you wonder how they have ended up there.
“Mr Griffin had these big burly bouncers with him and it was certainly an education.
“A lot of things he said to me were quite normal and then he just hit you with this extreme stuff.”
Outsiders is available to buy now from Amazon or Garry’s website www.gazcook.com

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Outsiders by Garry Cook - Interviews with the unique, unusual and misunderstood

[gallery]Outsiders - Not one of us.
Now availabe on Amazon in the US and in the UK.
Also availble on Kindle in the US and in the UK (and you can also get it on Kindle in most other European countries).

I've worked on this book since 2008. It's a series of controversial interviews exploring the lives of unique, extraordinary and misunderstood people.

Outsiders contains 20 interviews and portrait photographs on subjects as diverse as religion, war and trainspotting.

Interviews include BNP chairman Nick Griffin, a British soldier injured by ‘friendly fire’, a cerebral palsy sufferer seeking sexual fulfillment and a transsexual dominatrix.

There are some darker subjects in the book - areas of life many peple are too horrifed or too scared to consider. Issues explored include racism and the usually shunned and emotive issue of paedophilia.

There are very valid reasons why these are included. I strongly believe that education and being properly informed on specific issues is the only way you can make proper social decisions.

I travelled across three continents – America, Europe and Asia – and visited seven countries for the project.

In mid-America, I spent a day with the homosexual-hating Westboro Baptist Church, a group composed of mainly one family who picket the funerals of American soldiers claiming their deaths are God’s punishment for their own country’s support of homosexuality and other sins.

In the Czech Republic I met a treasure hunter who has searched for treasures and myths across the globe.

In Israel and the Palestinian Territories, I spent time with two teenagers, one Israeli and one Palestinian, who have both lost family members in the long-running conflict.

And in Holland I met and interviewed four paedophiles in order to explore the difficult and often misrepresented subject and how it can be dealt with by society.

By presenting these interviews side by side, I'm exploring how we judge others through prejudice, appearance and ignorance.

Through these profiles of individuals who inhabit sections of society alien to most of us, the project explores the human characteristic of judging which can often lead to prejudice, racism and hate.

My aim has been to present stories and people’s experiences in an open and as honest way possible, enabling people to evaluate subjects they may have preconceived ideas about – then also look at their own behaviour and attitudes.

All the interviews have been presented as direct-quotes pieces to minimise the impact of my opinions in the project.

We all judge and pre-judge people but through some fantastic stories I want Outsiders to help us look at our own thought processes and behaviours, however distasteful some of these may be.

Selected quotes from Outsiders:

Treasure hunter: ‘They came at us with spears crying ‘argghhhhh!’

Converted Geordie Muslim: ‘People see a Muslim woman and you can see all the word association flashing through their minds: Bin Laden, terrorism.’

Homeless man: ‘My Thai wife paid someone to push me off a third story balcony.’

British soldier: ‘I was on fire but I couldn’t see much, the flash had burned my eyes. Just thought I’m going to die.’

Westboro Baptist Church member: ‘If you’re going to dedicate your life to serving yourself, and your lust, God hates you. That’s what the Bible says.’

Paedophile: ‘I don’t regret the relationships, only the sexual part of it.’

Israeli teenager: ‘Some of my friends in Israel, they don’t see the Palestinians as humans.’

Continents visited for Outsiders: North America, Europe, Asia.

Countries visited for Outsiders: USA, Czech Republic, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Ukraine, Holland, United Kingdom

NOTE: More images from Outsiders can be seen on gazcook.com

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Olympic Torch Relay 2012 in Blackburn

Saturday June 23, 2012. The Olympic Torch Relay came to the outskirts of Blackburn at 9.12am.

There were hundreds of people waiting for its arrival.

NOTE: The torch actually came via mini-bus to Blackburn from Preston. It is not physically carried by joggers throughout its entire route.

The Long Lens blog. Photography with added snaps.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Outsiders at London Design Festival with Interactive Newsprint

Monday, August 20, 2012

Marlboro Nights, Come To Where The Smoking Was (looking back at the ban on smoking in public)

Blackburn Coffin Parade 2012 (the one which used to be held in Bamber Bridge)

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Preston Guild 2012 First Proclamation

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Twitter and the Changing Face of Society (or Now We Know What You Really Think You Vile Pigs)

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

360-degree panorama photography (review 2) DMD Pano app

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Preston Guild 2012 Photography Workshops

Monday, July 09, 2012

Article about Outsiders from Lancashire Telegraph

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Outsiders by Garry Cook - Interviews with the unique, unusual and misunderstood

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Olympic Torch Relay 2012 in Blackburn

Buy Outsiders now

www.gazcook.com website

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