Caught ‘In the line of duty’ – images from Rebecca’s first photography exhibition
My first photography exhibition was based around the theme In the line of duty, celebrating people carrying out ordinary and extraordinary duties. This followed on from one of my City & Guilds assignments that I submitted towards my Level 2 distinction in Photo Imaging.
If you missed the exhibition, here are some of the images along with their captions. You can click on the images to see them larger and read the full caption giving the story behind the picture.
Rebecca
Walk the line, Farmer, Entlebuch Alpabfahrt, Switzerland September 2017 The Alpabfahrt, translated as the ‘alp descent’, takes place on the last Saturday in September in the small rural village of Schüpfheim, in the Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. As the cattle come down from their summer grazing, they parade through the small town adorned with flowers, headpieces and their signature cow bells. The sound alone is something else! Here the farmer leads his herd down, passing another herd that is making their final preparations for the Alpabfahrt. In total, 276 cows paraded through Schüpfheim in front of an estimated crowd of 12,500 people!
Dutiful daughter, Ellie, aged 10, Entlebuch Alpabfahrt, Switzerland September 2017 As a farmer’s daughter myself, I know there are many duties required growing up on a farm. Gathering spuds, bedding calves, moving sheep and going for runs in the car to get tractor parts formed a big part of my childhood. As part of my membership of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland, I got the opportunity to travel to Switzerland where I met Ellie. She led her family’s herd down the Alp into Schüpfheim. Look at the pride and joy on her face. I usually wore jeans and a jumper with my wellies, but I think you will agree, Ellie looks very smart in her traditional costume.
Waiting in line to be interviewed Barclay Bell, Ballyroney, Co. Down June 2016, Barclay is the current President of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU). One of their initiatives is Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend which allows the public onto farms for free each summer. BBC Radio Ulster were broadcasting live from William Bingham’s farm, about 3 miles outside Rathfriland. Here, Barclay is patiently waiting for his turn to be interviewed by the host, John Toal, as William speaks on air about life as a pig farmer. The programme’s producer is also there ensuring the sound quality is correct as another colleague records a short video for social media.
Seeking the perfect top line Cow fitter, Virginia Show, Co. Cavan August 2017 Clipping a cow’s topline is a key step in preparing for an agricultural show. The Diageo Baileys Cow Championships is the All-Ireland competition for Holstein Friesian dairy cows and has been the highlight of the Virginia Show since 1983. This fitter knows how particular the judge will be inside the cattle lawn and is perfecting the cow’s topline to ensure it is the straightest it can be. Previous to clipping, the cow will have been washed and its topline hair blow dried upwards to ensure the hair is standing straight, before being trimmed to perfection.
Leading the way, Cow handler, Virginia Show, Co. Cavan August 2017 Handling cattle is a skill that requires a lot of practice and is best learnt young – for both the handler and the animal. By choosing to edit and print this photo in black and white, it further cements the mutual respect that I feel is shown between the two main subjects in the photograph. There is a sense of trust from the animal that the human will lead them through the various obstacles in the busy cattle shed and a look of control from the human who is in charge and will lead at the correct pace and with great care.
Maintaining the potato line Trevor McConnell, Cabra, Co. Down October 2014 Machinery has increased the productivity of farming due to advances in technology, but there is one sure thing – they will always break down! One of the many jobs a farmer has to do is be able to fix machinery and tractors and part of the prevention route is to maintain. Here, the busy potato harvest has been stopped mid-drill until Trevor removes excess soil and debris from the web and fixes any bars. This picture also shows the beautiful scenery and weather farmers get to enjoy – at least on some sunny days!
Production line, Jacob Borkowski, JMAC Fries, Rathfriland, Co. Down July 2015, Production lines are important in the food industry and are used at all levels to increase efficiency and for quality control. Blanching the chips requires the correct length of time and this can change depending on the sugar level of the potatoes. Jacob is in charge of frying 22 basket of chips that will then be cooled and chilled before being delivered to catering establishments across Northern Ireland.
Bird’s eye view, Chair umpire, Wimbledon, England June 2014, Who would want to be an umpire? At least the job is a little easier now that John McEnroe has retired! Around 42 chair umpires are assigned each day during The Championships, calling two matches a day, although not necessarily on the same court. Many travel around the world and work at all the major tennis tournaments and Grand Slams. The nature of the outside courts at Wimbledon allow you to get quite close to the action hence I was able to take this close up shot. The world’s most famous tennis clubhouse, surrounding Centre Court, creates the strong line in the background.
Coach, Set, Match Peter Fryer, City of Derry Tennis Club, St Columb’s Park March 2012 Tennis is a big part of Peter’s life – he is a player, blogger [www.lovetennisblog.com], part-time coach and ultimate tennis fan. His passion for the sport was shown when I was photographing him on a dull spring day, he was so enthusiastic and encouraging to the kids. Here he is overseeing a service drill during the coaching session. Notice the demands placed on him as he tries to watch where one of the serves has landed on the other side of the net.
At ease Ball girl, Wimbledon, England June 2014 The ball boys and ball girls undergo strenuous training from February before they are put to work on the most famous grass courts in the world at Wimbledon in June. They have various duties including passing the balls to players for them to serve, retrieving balls after points, lifting and laying towels from players between points and fetching water from the fridges underneath the umpire’s chairs. Here we see the ball girl standing at ease, waiting for the umpire to call time at the change of ends whilst a member of the ground staff team holds an umbrella to protect the player from the summer sun.
On the line, Line umpire, Wimbledon, England June 2014 One of the more riskier jobs at the All England Tennis Club is that of a line judge or line umpire. Subject to serves of up to 148mph, they have to stay focused on the lines and call shots when the ball has been hit long or wide. Close calls can now be verified with technology via Hawk Eye on the show courts, but here on Court 5, it is up to the naked human eye to determine whether the ball was in, out, or on the line. This is one of 345 strong lines men and women that help the tournament run smoothly!
Safety first Golf marshal, Irish Open, Royal County Down Golf Club May 2015 There are some jobs and duties that may seem very unimportant but yet they need to be done to make events run smoothly and in this case, safely. The green flag indicates that the target area is clear for a shot to be hit. Take a moment to appreciate the view this marshal enjoyed whilst on his shift! The Mourne Mountains provided a stunning backdrop and Royal County Down was recently voted the world’s number 1 golf course for two years running by Golf Digest.
Keep calm & caddie on, Ken Comboy, Golf caddie, Irish Open, Royal County Down Golf Club May 2015 It was a delight for local golf fans that the 2015 Irish Open came to County Down. As a volunteer, I got a free pass into the grounds after my car park duties were over, giving me access to see the top players up close. Here Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell is walking the fairway with his trusted caddie, Ken Omboy, carrying the weight of the trolley. It is nice that he is looking directly at the camera whilst the others, particularly Graeme as the celebrity golf pro, are not. Ken helped Graeme McDowell win the US Open at Pebble Beach. The caddie has an important role – in addition to carrying the clubs, they are the only person allowed to give the golfer advice during play.
In the line of fashion Models, Belfast FashionWeek, Europa Hotel March 2012 During my City & Guilds photography course, I received a photographer’s pass for Belfast FashionWeek allowing me to capture the style forecast for Spring/Summer 2012. This shot was taken at the end of the night when all the models came out for one last strut down the catwalk. The spotlights and rows of the audience enhance the natural line of the runway.
Keeping up Appearances Katie Larmour, Belfast FashionWeek, Europa Hotel March 2012 There are many people on duty at a fashion show. From the models to the makeup artists, to hairdressers perfecting tresses and DJs creating a buzz, various teams combine to produce an entertaining visual spectacle for fashionistas to enjoy. This shot represents the importance TV presenters must pay to their appearance especially given that Katie is hosting the programme for FashionWeek and cannot be seen with a hair out of place! The camerawoman is also featured playing her role, ready to hit record.
On bridesmaid duty Mya Hall, First Rathfriland Presbyterian Church December 2012 From the minister who performs the official act of marriage, to the chauffeur that drives the bride to the church on time, there are many duties carried out at weddings. The bridal party, selected to stand by the bride and groom, assist the happy couple both before and during the big day. Here, Mya is full of concentration for the task ahead – that moment when she walks down the aisle ahead of her fellow bridesmaids and the bride, her aunt Rachael.
Call to be Captain Claire Boyd, First Rathfriland Presbyterian Church March 2012 Claire was Captain of the 353rd NI Company of Girls’ Brigade from 2005 to 2016. Her role required endless hours not just on company nights from September through to March, but in preparation, administration, leadership and prayer for the work of GB. The red lanyard indicates her rank of Captain. The various badges on her lapels represent different achievements in her time as a member of the Christian organisation.
Duty to tell others Mary Steele, Ballymena, Co. Antrim August 2013 When I interviewed Mary for the Presbyterian Herald about her work with Wycliffe Bible Translators, she was 85 and still working half the year in Ghana, Africa. Since 1962, she was part of a small team translating the Bible, book by book, from English into the various tribe languages spoken there. This was no easy task and it took 40 years to produce the Bible in Bimoma and Konkomba for the local people. Mary passed away on 20th December 2017. This photo helps me remember with fondness my time with her that day and recall how humble a lady she was and what an inspiration too!
Farming in all weathers John McConnell, Rathfriland, Co. Down December 2010 This photograph was taken with a Canon compact camera demonstrating that you don’t always have to have expensive kit – it is about capturing the moment with whatever you have in your hand. It was the winter of the big freeze and I went that morning to help Dad feed the calves before church. I was meant to be keeping the calves away from the trough as he dropped the feed, but as you can see, I wasn’t doing a good job! This photo was entered in the Irish Farmers Journal social media competition and it was published in the paper as the winning entry! A month after this photo was taken, Dad was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
This article was written by purplerain