Karen Strunks Professional Birmingham-based Freelance Photographer

Wear Good Shoes: Advice to young photographers

Austria. 1948. © David Seymour/Magnum Photos.

A great post from Magnum Blog. It’s full of advice, insight and inspiration for photographers.

What can you do with a ball of wool?

This was the challenge I faced when sent to a job for the Birmingham Mail. From the information given to me on the job brief I was going to an Oxfam shop where a lady was knitting a huge blanket made up of different coloured squares to help raise money for a charity.

OK. A nice big colourful blanket. That will make a nice pic. On the way to the job I was thinking of different set ups: lady with blanket wrapped around her, knitting; lady surrounded by balls of wool, etc. As I have found with this work, very often what you imagine you are walking into will be completely different, and this was the case with the lady and her blanket.

When I arrived at the address it was the lady’s house, not an Oxfam shop. No problem. There will still be the blanket and balls of wool.

After being invited in and having a brief chat I asked the lady ‘So, where’s the blanket?’

“It’s not here, it’s at the shop.”

Oh.

“Ok, but you have balls of wool here?”

“No. I might have one ball of wool I can look for if you like?”

So, bang went my ideas, and I was left thinking what can I do with a ball of wool?

I must admit to giggling a lot during this shoot. Not at the lady, but just the situation and my zapped ideas. Luckily the lady saw the funny side too as she watched me trying to think of inspiration!

Here are a few of the pics that weren’t used.

Yep! I was struggling!

After about 15 minutes the lady’s husband arrived home with their little boy. Great!

I was finally able to get my shot.

Published in Speak Out Magazine

Digbeth

Get your own – Open publication

The team behind Speak Out magazine picked up on my B4AM project via Created In Birmingham. Thank you CiB.

Speak Out magazine is produced by the charity BRAP. Taken from BRAP’s website: At brap we aim to make a sustainable difference by working with others to better understand how practice might be improved in ways that reduce inequality.Equality should matter to everyone. None of us live in isolation and our reliance on others is an important aspect of life in our society. So we don’t focus all our work on what are perceived as Black, Asian or BME issues. We work for the betterment of society for all people on behalf of all people.

Speak Out is distributed in the Birmingham area. You can view my picture on the inside cover via the online version of the magazine.

I am delighted that the B4AM project is generating such interest. I am planning to venture out again (at 4am!) in December, and will be asking my readers to get involved. I haven’t decided if I will post another poll, or have another way for folks to choose a location, I’m still having a think about it. I like the idea of the project becoming a joint venture; Readers choose the location, and I take the pics!