RPS workshop - photo journalism

I was up and out early this morning for the RPS (Royal Photographic Society) DVJ (Documentary and Visual Journalism) Group workshop with Alison Baskerville.  It was tipping it down, which did not bode well.

We 10 students had a morning of tuition with Ali, learning about the essential elements of photo journalism. After lunch we set out to find our own stories on the streets of the city.  We needed 5 images minimum fo a story: Setting the scene, Portrait, Detail, People at work, The Decisive Moment.  It stopped raining!

I had a great time, photographing and talking to various people. I did 3 projects. One was with the man who stands in Northumberland Street with a large banner "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved".  He is 81 and used to work in the Neurosurgery Theatres at Newcastle General over 40 years ago, when patients were cooled down for hours and cryosurgery was used to try to control the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.


The second was in and around the Weigh House in the Grainger Market, where people go to be weighed for 30 pence a time. It brought back memories of childhood when we visited the weigh house and you were weighed for 1penny (that's old money of course).

The third was working with a group of Anti Racists who were promoting the socialism of Cuba.

It was all fascinating.

When the Anti Racists packed up, a group of evangelical Christians with a healing ministry arrived.  I watched them setting up and just walking carefully around the woman in the foreground. I've chosen this image because she looks as though she could be praying with them.  I went and sat beside her to check she was OK. She told me she had had a lot to drink last night and was just sleeping it off.

I managed pretty well until mid afternoon when I needed a rest.  It was a great day out, not least meeting the rest of the "students" on the workshop.