This England (2)- Canals- the waterways system

I have just added a series of great images from my huge collection in the waterways section of my  transport photograph archives on my Flickr here:-English Waterways Images

(The images in this blog entry have been further greatly compressed from the originals so visit my Flickr to view them larger for greater effect ( although the Flickr versions are 80% reduced quality from the high quality originals, all of which are available to purchase.)

I now live in the North West of England, cradle of the Industrial Revololution living within the City of Salford which embraces the old borough of Worsley, birthpalce of of national waterways system.As a result of ground breaking ideas from the Duke of Bridgewater , an 18th century wealthy land owner and the ability of Engineer James Brindley to impliment those ideas we have today a national system of waterways , a network of canals.  The orange colour of the water in this canal is the  signature of this  original part of the national waterway system from the Bridgewater canal whose sourse is at the Delph ,Worsley in Salford. The colour is due to  iron oxide leeched out of coal bearing limestones during rainy spells. Underground coal mines were a feature of the Duke of Bridgewater's estate. The waterway idea was Bridgewater's solution to reducing the high cost of getting coal from his mines to Manchester by pack horse. 

At one time these waterways were the principle way in which manufactured items and materials such as coal were distributed across the country and indeed whole families lived and worked on the canal boats. Originally these boats, called narrow boats in the North West where I now live, were not motor driven but were towed by heavy horses and the golden age of this sytem was in Victorian times. The decline of the system for bulk transport was due to the development of the railways and motorised transport which had the adavantage of being faster. 

You can still see evidence of the use of ropes to tow narrow boats as the stonework of the walls of  various bridges over canals bare the signs of  wear as in this example art Lymm in Cheshire. 

These days , much work has been done, by British Waterways , to restore the entire canal system but principally for recreational and leisure use and narrow boats and these canals enable you to crusie ,at a leisurely pace, powered by a quiet diesel motor through some of the most picturesque scenery in the country.

The canals are punctuated by a number of locks, essentially two giant heavy doors in pairs to provide a kind of step down or step up so gradienrs could be navigated. The first lock was opened and the narrow boat moves into the lock. that lock is then manually closed and the bottom lock gradually opened until the water level and the narrow boat was lowered to the level of the water at the next section of the canal. that lcok was themn opened and the boat proceeded on its way. At stages their were small cottages where the "lock-keeper" lived and where , when the watrways were busy water highways , it was soemone's job to operate the locks on your behalf.  Here is an example of a lock keeper's cottage right in the heart of the City of Manchester, a city that is criss-crossed with a series of canals and related canal basins.

As mentioned, although many people lect to live on narrow boats as an economic alternative to dry land based residences, the majority of narrow boats these days are for leisure use.  Here is an example how the urban industrial landscape of Manchester , from Victorian times, is still in use today. the canal is in harmony below a wonderful victorian brick built railway viaduct. This particular area of the City, at Castlefields , is a veruy popular spot with a number of new bars and coffee houses and restaurants  canal side. In this area is also both the Science Museum and the Air and Space Museum as well as a number of other popular tourist attractions and within a stone's throw of the main shopping area of the city.

This gentleman has his home in a narrow boat, pictured passing the village of Astley bearing towards Manchester. Originally the working families lived in very cramped conditions in the small; cockpit area at the back of the narrow boat and the majority of the length of the boat was used for carrying bulk. these days the entire length of the boat is living space embracing clever space saving interior design. It is not however free to cruise the system and a series of licences have to be bought to allow you to access different sections of the national network. 

 

This is image was taken at the wonderful Elmesmere Port Boat Museum and illustrates  the way that space was utilised in the working days of such boats.  Elmesmere Port was once the terminus for the North West Canal system  where goods manufactured inland were transported and then transferred to ships for export.

This image was taken from the back of the Race Course near Stratford on Avon in Warwickshire "Shakespeare " country. It shows the English countryside and leisure/ recreational use of narrow boats.

Again the orange hue of the water indicates that this is the Bridgewater Canal with Worlsey Basin in the distance. You can also see the black and white mock tudor splendour of the Packet house in the Worlsey basin from whence pasengers and mail embarked to travel to Manchester and beyond.  Moving ahead here and bearing left would take you onto the Leigh Canal and on in the direction of the Leeds- Liverpool Canal section.

 

Another view of the wonderful living Museum at Elesmere Port Boat Museum , part of whose work , beyond the preservation of this series of locks and buildings and boats in the exhibitions, indoors and out, (so well worth the day out to visit)  is on-going restoration of historic waterway vessels and the presevation of exisiting exemplars and related objects.

I have huge respect for the Victorian age  and their inventiveness and their ability to find simple but effecti8ve solutions. How do you for example, keep the traffic flowing when the canal sytem is frozen over ? Here was their solution, ice-breaker boats ! 

.Notice how heavily constructed these two ice-breakers are. They were simply towed forward by pairs of heavy horses onto the actual ice and the sheer weight broke the ice ; then the process was repeated , again and again ,along that frozen section of the canal to ensure goods could be transported all year round.Here again, at Elesmere Port Boat Museum.

Salford -Dirty Old Town ?

 

At the heart of my photography is the belief that everything is beautiful in its own way, however ordinary  and I feel it is my job, vocation if you will, to find the good in everything and everyone and record it with my camera.

Some  people are uncomfortable and self-conscious in front of camera and I sometimes hear a  protest, when a hand goes up in front of the face, “I don’t take a good photograph.”  Trust me , I reply, “You just have met a lot of bad photographers and I only take good photographs- let me show you what I can do!” 

I elected to live far away from home, up here, away from the beautiful Dorset Jurassic south coast  where I lived in my formative years . My adopted home, the City of Salford, was notorious and had a reputation for not being a very healthy place to live but the reverse is true I found. it was the inspiration for Ewan McColl, (father of folk singer Kirsty MacColl) song, Dirty Old Town . In fact my city, while it does ,as all conurbations do , have its grot spots, it is in fact 60% green land and has some amazing places that are a paradise for a photographer.

Within walking distance of  my home, close to a Victorian mill and terraces of working class homes is a huge Country Park, at  Clifton , formerly a “ wet coal” mining area and thus unsuitable for housing development . Added to that, at its focal point, a huge fresh water lake  which is the result of a happy accident in terms of local geology. The area is in the outwash plane of the River Irwell , which snakes past the park’s eastern perimeter. 

Thus its geology is of shingle and sand  from way back in time. When the M60  ring road and  trans-Pennine motorway were  being constructed, huge deposits of sand and gravel were excavated at Clifton producing a rather large hole, similar to that in the River Mersey basin, South of Manchester that formed the basis  of Sale Water Park which was artificially filled with water. At Clifton, because of a fault line , the huge void left by excavations for sand and gravel naturally filled in.  

Even at this time of year , such places can be stunningly beautiful.

In the warmer weather there is always something to surprise you as you walk around Clifton Marina for example the resident water birds.

Canada geese are regulars as are mute swans, tufted and mallard ducks. Even the ordinary can make spectacular photographs.

Of course it is essential that a photographer treats all wild life with the utmost respect. It is particulalry important not disturb nesting birds. Here I avoided disturbing this coot using a long lens and she wasn't even aware I had taken the shot.

Nearer to home there is more open space at Clifton and Wardley Moss. These are park land straddling the northern section of the M60 motorway. It is essentially wetland bog and therefore again not suitable for building development but a great place for family walks. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVUZuVZWHkk

LYING DOWN ON THE JOB - ENDURANCE RUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY

 

This lovely scene, taken from high up, on a remote coastal pathway on the South coast is from one of a series of five endurance running events I was hired to cover by an international events company, Ambition Events. The  project  stands out as the most enjoyable, rewarding and yet most demanding commissions I have had in my career. 

Endurance running  events involve a special  brand of person ; runners who want something more challenging than ordinary cross-country or road race based marathons.  A simple  twenty six miles or so just doesn't tick all their boxes.

In all five big events I photographed for the company, they ran two or more marathons back to back over varied terrain most of which was not conventional road surface and rarely was it flat!  They managed in fact with very little sleep and , ever vigilant and not wanting to miss a thing or miss recording even the achievement of the last finisher in the very early morning, I slept when I could , in my car, but only for a couple of hours. each time.

 At times the porject was sheer joy like here in a small village outside Stratford -Upon- Avon where I arrived by car, set up and waited several hours for all the runners to come through. While waiting there was always plenty of fresh and interesting things to photograph. 

By the very nature of the sport of Endurance running,  is in so many ways an indiviidual challenge with athletes digging deep into their reserves of stamina, mental strength and courage. It is a battle with the self to push to your limits and beyond.  Although several of the events took place in awful weather conditions, and one , which found me high up on Pennine trails ( which I reached on foot, having gotten as near to a pre-planned map point as I could by car), got so bad with storms and torential rain in the wee small hours , was so bad that only one of these hardened individuals, who had both a mountian bike ride marathon plus a running marathon to complete ,actually completed the course.

My mission in life is to always do my best through my photography and always give whatever it  takes to give my clients the best. I do a comprehensive job every time.  I share the event managers priorities, the sense of  duty of care and recognition of what this kind of event takes.  In short I also became one of the support team out of choice, always more  just a snapper. 

The first one home deserves a record in images of their triumph, yes,  but the last one in, often very late, one  or two  in the morning or later , is in many ways more deserving because you know, first hand , just how tough it had been for them, that they dug in and braved it through to the end. I made sure I didn't climb into my sleeping bag until I had photographed the last in at every event and managed ,like these guys did , on hardly any sleep.  

 The events meant that I drove as near to a check point as I could get, set up and waited often for hours (We were communially fed early in the morning and late in the evening)  but I had to be self-sufficent those long hours away from the base camp. Here is a view of the back of my car, my " mobile  home"  with the essentials. (I powered my laptop via the car battery and a converter, editing photos and internet access.) I also always carried a lot of extra water bottles- the athletes had to carry a certain amount themselves, but in this type of event, they could never have enough so I was a welcome watering hole as well.

Here is great low angle shot from the longest of the five endurance races I covered. I'd  had long steep climb and  lugged my camera kit and two big water bottles up to the peak. I was there some eight hours and it was dark before I came down. Not everyone wanted just to drink from the bottle. I didn't expect this guy to have a cold shower with it but was ready on the ground to get the shot! Classic!

I know as well that, since inevitably many of the runners became detached from the field and there were often big gaps of an hour or more between runners, the sight of my car and me, always Mr Cheerfull ,  day or night , was a welcome break to the grind and I always did my best to try and help lift their spirits as they came into site and encourage them onwards.Shared my hot Bovril and a banana or two from my stash too on ocassions!

Here we we are out in the country, middle of nowhere ,  in the very late evening  the runners picked out in the pitch black by my flash and (car headlights !) as their cross-country route  was about to cross a country road briefly and pass me.

 

Here is a photograph I took  in the Malvern "Hills" ( It exhausted me just getting up there on foot - felt like mountains to me ! )  from very high up on the first day and leg of the Marathon of Brtian, 2007 without a doubt the toughest race in the UK for endurance athletes and the most demanding event I have covered so far. Five consecutive days of five back-to-back marathons over often the most unforgiving terrian and gradients and in daylight rather too warm for comfort.

By this time after a series of four I had covered nationally at different locations , the project had taken  on a new dimension. And I took it lying down!

 

 This image gives you some idea of the challenge for the athletes and also shows that it was up to me to get on top of this series of long ridges to get the best shots, and that was with my camera equipment rucksack. I am too old for "yomping" but that is what was needed. It makes my legs ache and my lungs too just looking back over this series of images and I didn't have to run it ! 

When I say lie down, I meant it. Between the event director and myself we decided that I'd  abandon long zoom lens images and focus on the use of a wide angle 18mm - 35 mm lens to increase the impact of images. That meant lying down as runners came past me, between a rock and a hard place  a lot of the time! It certainly did the trick and made the runners look like super humans as indeed they were ! 

The idea was that Ambition Events ,as a successful company, had ambitions that they needed me to help fulfil . Naseba International were interested in expanding their portfolio and my images were needed to help in a marketing presentation to the board of Naseba. This image , of a fully laden runner coming near to the top of a huge climb is one of the stand out images from  my opus used in that presentation ( successfully I might add- Naseba bought the company out as a result ) 

The scene in Nottingham near the castle was electric as I waited for all the runners to come home. amazing scenes ! Even Robin hood here gave them a wink! Hugs from family and friends, a beautiful medal , phone calls home, and a welome beer or two and pub grub after a rub down.But the real reward for completing the Marathon of Britain was that, base camp packed away in a couple of transit vans, we all were booked into a really nice hotel in Nottingham and had the bliss of a hot shower , a proper meal and then a feast, the award ceremony , and the marketing presentation. 

The marketing  presentation was really impressive and my photogrpahy work played its part , did the trick it turned out- Naseba happily embraced Ambition events and thus they went global with my help. Great to see my work seen large on screen!

Finally, the standout endurance athlete, Stuart Power from my part of the world ,  who was streets , valleys and hills ahead of the rest of the field , winning each of the events I covered, usually by a considerable margin. A  legend and a nicer, more modest bloke you could not wish to meet. We have been friends ever since and I am proud to know him. I know that both he and his family really appreciated the detailed record in hundreds of great images that I managed to get.

Footnote: There has been an explosion in emerging event management companies, nationally, and a growth in new local events to cope with the growing appetite for new challenges in the growing life style and leisure industry , especially in running and cycling related events such as triahtlon . 

Some such comapnies  are disguised cottage industies and whilst most are ethically run and not simply for profit , one of the areas the poorer companies  tend to fall down on is skimping on prizes and goodie bags for competitors!

  Typically,  a speech mention , on a PA system if they have factored thaT COST IN,  often no certificate or medal  for all and a " cost  effective " recyclable trophy and bottle or two of usually of cheap plonk or a pack of beers for podium winners . The cop out is often a "goody bag" for all, and that's usually very low value mraketing freebies from sponsors and retailers of associated products. 

Such events have a number of hidden costs but of course athletes pay a non-returnable fee. sometimes it is a lot,  to particpate but I know that some   have , in a few cases,  been really annoyed, had felt ripped off and  vowed not to come back for another tilt. 

From my experience I know that skimping on rewards and small items of recognition is always self-defeating and false economy. Anything is better than nothing, and , at the very least , a certificate isn't going to break the bank and just requires the thought. Such grumbles do   filter through to thgrapevine  broader community and always affect future choices and the reputation of the event and the company running it. It wouldn't be that big a deal to come to some arrangement with a photographer so that prints even DVD's could be made part of it to set the event appart from others. 

Gone are the days when freelance professionals like myself tur up on spec to mass events , with the organiser's consent , usually at the cost of merely providing a few chery-picked shots for future marketing and website use. This in the hope of capitalising from post event sales of prints to competitiors. It is no longer economically viable, the return is always negligible. It still makes sense to hire a pro for general coverage of an event because the event website generates future business and DIY shots give out all the wrong messages in what now is a competitive and crowded market. Freelances like myself are more than willing to share copyright of images if the fee is right.

Ambition events was a professionally run company and the director had more experience than anyone of other people's marathon events as the world record holder in terms of sheer numbers he had completed . Consequently the award presentation was more like a family get together and rewards were worthwhile tokens and trophies , good quality event tee-shirts and other awards covered a wide range of categories including some humorous ones. I was even given a special cup to recognise my efforts. All that takes commitment and planning.

At the Marathon of Britian , Stuart's achievement was immense, the pinnacle of another year of triumphs  but the trophy he received from Rory Coleman is the most special I have ever seen from any event. He was awarded this  beautifully crafted engraved  full size replica of an English broad sword, "Excalibur."  

Contact me any time if I can provide this sort of support for your event or project. I belive I sytand out from the crowd rhe way I provide services and thus am more than capable of helping you stand out for your market and target audience through great photography. did I mention that my skill range doesn't end with editied images? Here I used my images and journalism to complie my own report which was great PR for Ambition Evnts and Naseba and appeared in the prestigious Tri247, the official results and information website for British Triathlon and related events.  Here's one of the shots from my endurance series that was published with my expertly written report one of many that i have had published in this area of sport for my clients.

http://www.tri247.com/article_2226.html

My modest but greatly prized little trophy! 
.

Thoughts on my livelihood, copyright and respect

I have been asked several times about the issue of copyright law in respect of photographs. I have been thinking of a way to simplify it for people, especially those who use Facebook or have some sort of website, especially those web sites that provide a service or support for a sport without a view to profit. Club websites and hockey associations are two examples.

In the example above I have effectively "spoiled" that great shot to make my ownership of the image completely obvious (and make it less liekly to be ripped off by internet users!. Other times I chose to have my "watermark" more discretely some where on the image, ( usually bottom right) , but even then, try to place it  to make it a little harder to crop off easily. This should tell people that the image is a product of mine, offered  for sale and which has a value i.e. as in © in the word "costs !" It cost me to produce items like this so reasonably , there is a cost to anyone that wants it. 

My watermark is usually "image/photograph ©johncoxon" and it contains this symbol © the internationally recognised  symbol  for copyright.( in other languages this often more obviously  expressed / translated into the phrase "rights of the author."  

Whether you are a professional or amateur photographer, under a set of international laws in the "Berne Convention" , the author or artist owns all rights to his or her "intellectual property"  that is their painting, a poem, a report, a book or any photograph they take . Thus their work, whether for profit or pleasure remains their property , unless they give their rights away and those rights are protected in most countries in the world who are signatories to the Berne Convention. 

It should be understood, that, even if a photographer does not mark their image with their name and the copyright symbol, they still own the copyright of any of their images  and you have no rights to use that image anywhere without the owner's permission. That includes anywhere on the internet including Facebook. Facebook terms and conditions are in line with international law. You can only post images that are yours or those you have a right to use. You cannot, for example, lift an image from say a singer or players website, even if it is watermarked, on your Facebook , without having the permission of the copyright owner. It is a common fallacy that anything published on the internet is in the "public domain" and therefore fair game.  On that basis anyone would be free to walk into a public high street shop, take what food they want , and leave without even expecting to have to pay!

All images on the internet are owned by the person who took them with their camera device and you are only free to use them if , for example, the photographer has expressly given permission for a use or any use of their work, for example on so called "royalty free" image websites.

I am frequently asked to cover games or supply images from games to clubs, teams, players  and associations "free" of charge and often the owners / administrators of those websites agree to give me a mention as the photographer. This is sometimes known as a "credit" or a "by-line" in the press. Typically those people are running web sites on an amateur basis on behalf of a group or organisation as an unpaid volunteer and typically those websites technically are "not-for profit." as their group or organisation cannot afford to buy in professional photographs. 

In fact, anyone who thinks that a mention of the photographers name, their website for example, has any real value to the photographer, is sadly mistaken!  Kudos is not an international currency and is unbankable. A photographer with a website has , ultimately, to pay for any increase in visit traffic through increased use of bandwidth. In the main visitors will be window shoppers not paying customers.

Images that are used in print and other media that are actually paid for tend not to be marked with a copyright watermark, and indeed I usually have to insist that newspapers identify me as the photographer as it is not always normal practice to automatically credit the source with a by-line. Increasingly print media uses images under licence from one of a handful of major world image agencies like Getty Images and AP. 

Typically , for example , Getty images have their watermark discreetly bottom right af all their images. Usually as well, the newspaper will include a vertical caption along the edge of one of those images which also identifies the photographer. Getty do not own any of those images, the photographers submit images to them and take a cut of any income Getty, as an agency , can get for them. 

Now then, how many images do you see on people's Facebooks that actually are Getty Images? Hundreds and thousands. What's the harm in that? It is free advertising the myth goes. Trust me, Getty images do not need to advertise. They do however, occasionally hit some poor innocent who abuses their copyright and take them to court for unlicensed use of images. 

Some images have great value to the photographer and it is not uncommon for one great image to bring in say a couple of thousand pounds in a year. This is especially so when one great "generic” image has very broad appeal and can be put to good use by a variety of clients. One such image was one of an estate agents sign which had ivy growing around it. This was a great icon for the down turn in the housing market given the direct implication that that particular house had been on the market so  long ivy had grown over the sign.

I have thousands of images in my collection and most have little potential value other than to the people who are in them. Even this fantastic hockey photograph has no real value. The player jumping has no wish to actually own the image, and that of course is a matter for personal choice over which I have no control. Essentially I am guardian of some great moments from the game at all levels.

The only value to me with "keepers" like this ( outstanding  images from the sport amongst large numbers of relatively ordinary action shots ) is that it confirm I am a rather hockey photography than most as you rarely get images like this by accident! ) Great photography is about capturing the moment and more important being experienced enough to do it consistently. A professional with nearly forty years experience should , at  every occasion, whatever the subject, guarantee that the majority of their images will be top drawer. 

In the main, most of the images from the game you see of mine, and I include around the world here,  were used on websites and in newspapers without any payment , but  used with my permission . That is me making a conscious choice   to help out and support the game or a particular team. 

I have for example, never received any reward from the not-for-profit ezine, Women Sport Report.com for any illustrated report (on any sport)  I have contributed there. This is not just a flash in the pan thing, this is  over a number of years and there is, by now,  quite  an body of my work there. The two founders run that site in their own time, at their own expense, are on a long term mission I share with them, and , event though doing that would be a full time job anywhere else, both have to do day jobs to keep the site up and running.

So there we have it. My name goes on my work because I am proud of what I do. You know it mine. It also flags up that I value my work and if you want to use it there is a cost unless you can persuade me to grant permission of use at no charge! 

You should know that I do not take pictures like this at no cost to myself and nor do any of my professional colleagues . Quite apart from l, overheads, including maintenance of professional photographic and associated IT equipment, the running costs of my office etc , runs  out,  on average,  between £80-£90 for tax purposes. (Accepted Inland revenue rate for car travel expenses , associated with your work, is 40 p a mile currently!) That £90 is not  a week, I should add ,  but per day! so when say, a "pro" agrees to cover an evening  birthday bash for £100, all in, the return isn't that great! 

Getting back to the copyright issue, I do now understand the market and know all about recession and struggling to make ends meet. What I do professionally is a luxury that people can't afford  everyday and you can always find photography cheaper from somewhere else, maybe even find a mug who will do it for nothing, although no professional will so it is at your own risk.

All I ask is that you respect my work , my livelihood after all, and the situation I often find myself in ,and  do not use my stuff without at least  asking me first. Maybe you might like to think of the  © symbol next to my name on all of my work as "c" for consideration or consequences? 

Please note I have no affiliation with either Bowdon Sports Club , Bowdon High Town Women's Hockey team , its officers and officials and none should be implied or is intended. The image is included to illustrate one of the issues, informally discused here,  namely where a photographer  allows one of their images to be used on a voluntary, not for pofit basis, that is free of any charge,  and where that generosity is acknowledged by the media making use of that image.

MINKE SMEETS RETIRES

After a very successful hockey career of 15 years, Minke Smeets is ending her  international hockey caree. Minke Smeets expecting her first child in June 2011. she will continue to play for Laren this winter and is yet to decide she will play on in thr Rabo League sometime  in the future.

Minke Smeets, vice-captain of the Dutch women's team captain and from Laren, played 312 international games, scoring 23 goals. Smeets is the first and currently only Dutch women with more than 300 international matches behind her name an internationalrecord. For thirteen  years Smeets was part of the Dutch women's team, her career highlighted by the World Title in 2006 and 2008 Olympic gold in Beijing. Smeets played for the Dutch national team in three Olympics, four World Cups, five European championships and just missed a Champions Trophy (2005) due to a cruciate ligament injury to her knee.

Rhe Technical Director of the KNHB Bert Bun , congratulated  Minbke and  her husband Tjerk for their fantastic news. "The hockey federation," he said , " Was very grateful to Minke for her contribution in the Dutch national team. With her relentless efforts, she was a model for many. " He affirmed.