The light in the darkness

[karenoliver]

Sunlight comes through the window of a smoking room that is situated on the locked ward of a psychiatric hospital in North Wales. The window does not open any wider than that. This is the smoking room and patients here are detained under the mental health act. I liked the drawings on the windows that give it a stain glass effect and it seems their drawings are pleas for love or religous orientated. The sun light is a glimmer of hope within their darkness. The room smelled of stale cigarettes and felt claustrophobic.
From a series of shots made today that form part of a project spanning 2 years.




I looked at the windows of the ward and the views that patients would have seen. This was not a locked ward and unlike the locked ward it was not ground floor. It also had larger windows.



Lots of the windows were adorned in notices and posters.



Karen

[matt wilson]

spot on .As a nurse I can see exactly where you are coming from and I agree the symbolism does play a huge part in patients lives.

The top left flare is fine but not sure re the green one ,whether or not it's removable or clonable I don't know.And if being really picky you could try sorting the verticals.

[karenoliver]

I decided to leave the green flare in because it was visible and would have been visible during sunlight to patients , plus I am rubbish at PS :-) The verticles need tilting forward or backward or the image needs rotating to the left or right? I was using a focal length of 16mm and I really struggle with distortion all the time with it. I wonder if I cropped in closer it would look better?

Karen

[ABERS]

The picture is interesting, but all the copy attached to it spoils it for me. I like to wonder why it was taken, what is the message that it tries to convey. I don't have to use any imagination or thought because you have told me all about it'

A one word title would have been sufficient to whet my appetite. 'Hope', 'Despair' something like that would have made look and wonder.

Hope you don't mind me making such a comment.

[karenoliver]

No I don't mind constructive criticism at all. I'd much rather that than someone just trying to be nice and saying its great if it isnt. However, its a documentary shot, I don't want it open to interpretation as its documenting something which is part of a larger project. Its not an art shot or an abstract. I want people to know this was the only sunlight those on the locked ward got, this is how far their window opened and this was the light that shone through. I want people to know that the patients drew on the windows and the walls, that their self-expression was both borne from frustration and was cathartic.

Karen

[mart_brown]

I love the flair in the top image... but then at the moment I'm taking photos where I'm looking for more and more flair!! :-) The flair in this one really adds to the feel of the image and works well. Not bothered by the verticals either - the top picture is great as it is.
I'm not so keen on the second image - I think it's the differences in colour temperature that doesn't work for me. The inside wall looks somehow wrong - can you mess this a little? Maybe do a mask over the outside window and just change the inside using the colour balance tool??
Good luck with how this project develops - sounds interesting...

[karenoliver]

Originally Posted by mart_brown

I love the flair in the top image... but then at the moment I'm taking photos where I'm looking for more and more flair!! :-) The flair in this one really adds to the feel of the image and works well. Not bothered by the verticals either - the top picture is great as it is.
I'm not so keen on the second image - I think it's the differences in colour temperature that doesn't work for me. The inside wall looks somehow wrong - can you mess this a little? Maybe do a mask over the outside window and just change the inside using the colour balance tool??
Good luck with how this project develops - sounds interesting...

Thanks for taking a look, Martin. The second image has been cross-processed to look like Fuji provia film so you are right about the colours looking weird. The original colours were sort of orangy and murky and I wanted to lighten them up. I think it probably is better to stick with the orginal look when doing something like this.

Karen

[PolaroidSky]

1 and 3 are wonderful... really wonderful!... very well composed, love the subject matter...

For number 2, I might have spot metered for the outside light, shot at f18...maybe f22 and used the flash to light the interior... but it all depends on what you wanted the narrative of the shot to be... maybe the extreme light suggests a fear of outdoors... that daunting hard light?... either way it's a great series!

Hard to get the permission?...

Very well done you - going in the portfolio entry for this year? ; )

Jim

[karenoliver]

Originally Posted by PolaroidSky

1 and 3 are wonderful... really wonderful!... very well composed, love the subject matter...

For number 2, I might have spot metered for the outside light, shot at f18...maybe f22 and used the flash to light the interior... but it all depends on what you wanted the narrative of the shot to be... maybe the extreme light suggests a fear of outdoors... that daunting hard light?... either way it's a great series!

Hard to get the permission?...

Very well done you - going in the portfolio entry for this year? ; )

Jim

Thanks, Jim :-) I did keep the hard light on purpose but I think I agree that its not worked out that well really and I do have one where I did use flash etc. I made other window shots too that form part of a mini series within this larger one.

Permission surprisingly enough was so easy! I wrote to the chairman of the NHS trust 2 years ago to gain access to the construction site of the brand new psychiatric campus ( the one the patients have just gone to from this one) He wrote back offering me all sorts of help and bent over backwards for me. Allowed me on the construction site ( I spent 2 years documenting the construction of the new one) and invited me to a private viewing when it was completed, also allowing me to photograph. Last week I just showed his letter to a staff member in the old building who told me to go ahead and photograph. We had about 2-3 hours in the old complex on our own and had free reign of the place. Previous to this one and the newly constructed one I documented the decay in the original psychiatric hospital which was a huge Victorian building set in amazing grounds. So I have all 3 hospitals. You never know I may be photographing the new one in 20 years being abandoned for something even newer lol

The photographs of the new build they have left for are here : http://bit.ly/7c9qhx
Not all shots are there.

The decaying hospital is here : http://bit.ly/9MKSYO

I am the only person who has documented all 3 so its nice to have created some sort of historical document for the local NHS.

Karen

[OldBoy]

Well done on the project Karen and for having the gumption to ask. The green flare in the first image wouldn't have been seen by the patients, as it's a refraction in your lens glasses. I like all three images as they reflect how we treat mental patients, and how low down the list they are put when it comes to funding.

Just looked at the photos on flickr, not all of them but quite a few very impressed with your eye for detail. Love the long exposure on Little Planet.