Everybody should buy this months edition of the “Ecologist” magazine, be the best. Read my rather wonderful article!

2. I got my degree results today and have a first class honours degree in Visual Communications (photography); so confirming the recent press speculation about standards slipping I suppose.

My Photos, originally uploaded by troutmask.

18th June, 2008

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]]> http://petemarshall.com/new_blog/2008/06/18/eigg-ceillidh-hall/feed http://petemarshall.com/new_blog/2008/05/29/pete-marshall_final-statement?&owa_from=feed&owa_sid= http://petemarshall.com/new_blog/2008/05/29/pete-marshall_final-statement#comments Thu, 29 May 2008 15:05:45 +0000 troutmask http://petemarshall.com/new_blog/?p=151 Pete Marshall

This was my original proposal as posted on my RVJ

“February 14, 2008 - 2:07 pm

Incomers

Proposal for negotiated project
A photojournalist story of the life and work of a resident of the Isle of Eigg of the coast of North West Scotland.
The Isle of Eigg has seen dramatic changes over the last decade. Its purchase by the residents was the first such in the UK and led directly to the new land acts governing the sale of land to communities in Scotland. Land rights remain a major political issue for many people particularly in the highlands. The role of incomers (as those not born in the highlands that have moved there have been called). Many incomers in the past have been rich people buying holiday or retirement property. There are a new type of incomers as will be represented by this documentary piece, who seek to make a life working the land in as traditional way as possible.
Eigg has also recently been in the news for at last getting some form of mains electricity (in the form of a small wind farm and cables). The eighty residents no longer relying on expensive diesel generators.
I have a lot of contact with the island and will focus on one individual who moved to Eigg five years ago from the midlands (England). He lives from a small holding, forestry and some building work. He has also worked on the local creel boat. He and his partner, who is an herbalist, are now trying to obtain a croft on the island.
I will make two visits to the island in the spring.
My audience is primary magazines and newspapers and I intend on writing several pieces aimed at different publications to accompany the images. I will also be seeking commissions for the work. I may also produce a small book for final work if this is required.
I will also be shooting for various stock libraries whilst on the island.”

The only change from this is I actually used two residents rather than one. I would also add the people of Eigg as a separate audience and I am doing a show for them and their visitors during the Feis Eige in June. I also have written a piece for the “Ecologist” magazine which will accompany five of my photographs as the photo feature in the July issue of the magazine.

The concept behind the work is also contained in my RVJ here

Inspiration for “incomers”

Pete Marshall

This was my original proposal as posted on my RVJ

Hi Pete,

Received your press release on your book. It is too late for our June edition but may be an interesting photo feature for July/August? Who else is running it?

All best

Pat

Pat Thomas
Editor
The Ecologist

Going to offer first rights for pictures and a story for sensible payment. Magazine has a circulation of over 30,000 and is just the audience I am seeking. Don’t expect much in the way of payment, but would be a great opportunity.
Got my cheque today for the Faroes piece (took a reminder letter, the pains of freelance!) but all helps.

I have been considering a documentary about Eigg for several years since my first visits. I didn’t want to just start photographing the people until I had got to know them and become accepted; the islanders have had a considerable amount of press interest in recent years and haven’t always been happy with the results. Also many tourists behave in a very intrusive manner with their cameras. I therefore stuck to landscapes and wildlife whilst getting to know the place well through regular visits.

I have been interested in land rights issues for many years, arising out of my experiences as a climber and mountaineer. I also love the poetry of John Clare who has been a fixed point in my thinking about the British countryside for a very long time.

I finally decided to start working on what I hope will become a long term project recording the life on the island. A project I have provisionally called “Land without a Laird” and “incomers” is just the first stage of this.
I want to involve the islanders as much as possible in the process very much in the way that “Raised by Wolves“ was produced. I started this with Dean and Berni. I have lent Berni a small compact Canon G5 camera, which I was able to buy second hand for

I have been considering a documentary about Eigg for several years since my first visits. I didn’t want to just start photographing the people until I had got to know them and become accepted; the islanders have had a considerable amount of press interest in recent years and haven’t always been happy with the results. Also many tourists behave in a very intrusive manner with their cameras. I therefore stuck to landscapes and wildlife whilst getting to know the place well through regular visits.

I have been interested in land rights issues for many years, arising out of my experiences as a climber and mountaineer. I also love the poetry of John Clare who has been a fixed point in my thinking about the British countryside for a very long time.

I finally decided to start working on what I hope will become a long term project recording the life on the island. A project I have provisionally called “Land without a Laird” and “incomers” is just the first stage of this.
I want to involve the islanders as much as possible in the process very much in the way that “Raised by Wolves“ was produced. I started this with Dean and Berni. I have lent Berni a small compact Canon G5 camera, which I was able to buy second hand for

I have been considering a documentary about Eigg for several years since my first visits. I didn’t want to just start photographing the people until I had got to know them and become accepted; the islanders have had a considerable amount of press interest in recent years and haven’t always been happy with the results. Also many tourists behave in a very intrusive manner with their cameras. I therefore stuck to landscapes and wildlife whilst getting to know the place well through regular visits.

I have been interested in land rights issues for many years, arising out of my experiences as a climber and mountaineer. I also love the poetry of John Clare who has been a fixed point in my thinking about the British countryside for a very long time.

I finally decided to start working on what I hope will become a long term project recording the life on the island. A project I have provisionally called “Land without a Laird” and “incomers” is just the first stage of this.
I want to involve the islanders as much as possible in the process very much in the way that “Raised by Wolves“ was produced. I started this with Dean and Berni. I have lent Berni a small compact Canon G5 camera, which I was able to buy second hand for

This is a set of images that go together to make my book.

svgallery=incomers_book

Here is the details of how they were made.
All the photographs were taken on my last two visits to Eigg. The were taken on a Canon 1D mk II camera using either a 28-70mm f2.8 or a 70 - 200mm f2.8 lens. Occasional use of a 580 Canon Speedlight was made as appropriate. A polarizing filter was also occasionally used.
The shots were taken in RAW. Initial processing, selection, key wording etc. was carried out in Lightroom. One image (the woods) was an HDR image created from 3 exposures in Photoshop due to the large dynamic range of light present. The images were made into B&W and all final processing carried out in Lightzone.
All images were exported as 16 bit tiffs, resized as appropriate using LR/Mogrify and then placed on the page in In Design. Text was also added in In Design.
The pages were exported as sRGB 8 bit JPEGS and placed in the Blurb software to make a final book. This was exported for printing.
Prints of images were prepared using Qimage and printed by Peak imaging on Fuji Crystal Archival paper.
The prints for college display were mounted on polar white, museum grade board and framed in black 50cm X 50cm frames by myself. The prints for display on Eigg were mounted on foamboard by myself.

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