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No photograph that is displayed and posted on this blog may be reproduced, copied, stored, manipulated or used in whole or in part of a derivative work without the prior written permission of the Copyright (c) Owner & Photographer: Trevor David Betts BA (Hons). All rights reserved.

A POLITE REMINDER

If you want to use any of my photographs displayed upon this blog, for inclusion in an essay, presentation, talk, or for posting on your blog or web site. Or for use in any other way or means. Then it would be very much appreciated if you could contact me first (as a matter of courtesy and decency) to seek my permission to use any of my photographs. Failure to do so is breach of my copyright and rights.





Thursday 30 April 2009

WHAT MEMORIES?


A British D-Day veteran accompanied by his wife, gazes out across the now quiet beach close to where he landed with his fellow infantry colleagues on the morning of 6th June 1944. Riva-Bella, Normandy, France.

From The Normandy Veterans - (Lest We Forget) Project, 1998-2002.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

PHOTO STORY NO.2

This story relates to the documentary project I did about the Normandy Veterans. Over the course of this project I came to know, talk to and socialise with many individual veterans. But the one that will always stand out in my mind and last in my memory was a wonderful human being called Maxwell Vernon Hearst from Hull. Max was called up at the start of WWII and he joined the East Yorkshire Regiment has an infantry soldier.

Max took part in the retreat to, and evacuation from Dunkirk, in which many small boats and the Royal Navy managed to bring safely back to Britain some 300,000 soldiers. Max had a story to tell about everything. He remembers that they were low on food rations and he saw a rabbit suddenly appear in front of him, with visions of rabbit stew floating through his mind he put his Lee Enfield .303 rifle to his shoulder took careful aim, squeezed the trigger and fired one round.

He then went to pick the now deceased animal up but he found himself suddenly surrounded by French soldiers, all pointing their rifles at him and shouting. After the initial confusion he learned that he had just gone and shot and killed this French unit's Regimental mascot!!!

Max then served in the Desert with the 8th Army, and then he participated in the D-Day landings on the morning of 6th June 1944. Later on he was in Holland and whilst acting as a motor bike dispatch rider. He came under enemy mortar shell fire and one landed close by knocking him off his bike and into a nearby canal.

He was pulled to safety and taken to Hospital where he had both his arms put into plaster. Then his good mate "Taggy Taylor" entered his life (I will leave that one to your imagination). Both arms in plaster and a mate called "Taggy".

Max was a wonderful warm human being with a good sense of humour and he was a terrific story teller (all of which were true). But sadly like old soldiers he eventually faded away in 2003. It was my pleasure, honour and privilege to have known him. That is why the resulting project and exhibition touring programme meant so much to me, in that it made his and many other's like him experience's and exploit's available to a new generation.

I will always remember having the opportunity to sit with, and talk to Max whilst sharing a few pitchers of ice cold beer in a London pub one very hot summer evening (see the photo entitled "American Girl's"). History straight from those who where there, it does not get any better than that.

We are fast running out of living memory of this generation who we owe so very much to. Rest in peace Max and all the others who I came to know and who are now longer with us. The world is a poorer place without you all.

Wednesday 29 April 2009

MISTY DAY


A very damp and misty day is depicted in this sepia and selenium toned print. Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire, England.

From The Next Wave Project, 1996-98.

Copyright of all images and work displayed upon this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

Saturday 25 April 2009

DOUBLE REFLECTION


The window of one of this Railway Station building's is reflected in the rear window and boot of a parked car. Paragon Railway Station, Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire, England.

From the Chasing Shadows Project, 1998.

Copyright of all images and work displayed upon this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

SEAT ON THE PIER


This white painted seat really stands out from the background on a summer night. Cromer, Norfolk, England.

From the Traces along the Edge Project, 2003-.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

1944 D DAY


A D-Day and Normandy veteran accompanied by his wife outside the D-Day Museum, Arromanches, Normandy, France.

From The Normandy Veterans - (Lest We Forget) Project, 1998-2002.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

BRAIN DAMAGE


A still-life study using various purchased items and mirror tiles to photographically reproduce the track/song 'Brain Damage' by Pink Floyd from the classic album Dark Side of the Moon.

For the Constructed Images module, City and Guilds photography, 1992.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive propert of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

Friday 24 April 2009

PROJECTS: BARRIERS

This project was one of the final one's along with The Chasing Shadows project for the National Diploma Photography & Related Studies course I did at Hull College. I was researching and looking into both man-made and natural barriers within the urban environment. These obviously can take many forms from the purely physical to those that we perceive mentally.

There are many barriers once you step out of your front door (not just physical one's) I suppose each and everyone of us perceives things very differently from the next person. Some barriers are more obvious than others. A road is a barrier to a pedestrian but perhaps not to a motorist. A natural barrier can perhaps be crossed, but a man-made barrier is an obstacle.

A bridge across water might in it's self be a barrier if someone has a phobia of water and/or perhaps the bridge opening whilst you are crossing it.

It is a very complex and far reaching subject when you think about it. I know that I got a far greater response from when I took my work for a portfolio session at the Impressions Gallery in York than I did off my main course tutor (but the less said about that the better).

As such I actually put away all my Canons, and used a Mamiya 645 camera for this project.

Thursday 23 April 2009

BLUE TONED PRINT


This image is featured on another page on this blog spot which is entitled 'Tide Patterns' but that image/print is a straight-forward non-toned monochrome one. Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England.

From The Next Wave Project, 1996-1998.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

Wednesday 22 April 2009

AMERICAN GIRL'S


This is a terrific photo of a British Dunkirk, Desert Rat, D-Day and Normandy veteran - Maxwell Vernon Hearst. Posing with two young American ladies from North Carolina in the Suffolk Arms pub, Paddington, London, England.

From The Normandy Veterans - (Lest We Forget) Project, 1998-2002.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

Sunday 19 April 2009

POSTERS ON THE WALL


The shadow of a modern concrete bus shelter is cast by the early morning sun onto the poster strewn wall of the circa 1940s village railway station. St. Aubin-sur-mer, Normandy, France.

From The Normandy Veterans - (Lest We Forget) Project, 1998-2002.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

Friday 17 April 2009

COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHY






  • Sunset at Kielder Water, Northumberland, England.
  • Beach huts at Watergate Bay, Newquay, Cornwall, England.
  • Funfair ride, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England.
Canon A1 and Canon AE1 fitted with various Canon FD lenses with Hoya PL and skylight filters. Fuji colour print and slide film.

Just a small example of some of my Colour work. Even though the vast majority of my photographs are taken in monochrome, I do from time to time use colour film.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

PROJECTS: THE NORMANDY VETERANS - (LEST WE FORGET)

This project came about after I had just watched Stephen Spielberg's epic film "Saving Private Ryan". Due to my own military background I knew that not only the Americans had participated in the largest military seaborne operation in history on the morning of 6th June 1944. British, Canadian and many other nations on the Allied side took part.

After initial research I contacted the local branch of the Normandy Veterans Association and I was invited to accompany them on one of their annual pilgrimages to Normandy. This was a very educational and emotional journey for me. I later returned to Normandy to continue research and photography upon this project.

Out of all my projects to date this one has being the most emotionally charged out of them all. If you have visited Normandy and the battle sites and more importantly the many war cemeteries there must be something seriously wrong with you if you were not moved to tears.

From the outset of this project I never meant to glorify war (there are never any winners in war only losers). This was a project that I had to do to tell a story in some small way about a generation that is fast fading from living memory. In my opinion we all owe this generation so much for our present day freedom and way of life.

I spent a total of four years working with and for this branch upon this project, in that time I came to know many of the Veterans (some who had being evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk, fought in the Desert against the Africa Korps and then landed on either Sword or Gold Beaches on D-Day).

Sadly the ravages of time have caught up with many of these old warriors and many are now longer with us. Therefore the resulting exhibition touring programme and relevant publicity hopefully made their stories known to a new audience and a different generation.

This Project is dedicated to the memory of the following: Bob Thompson, Tom Lyons, Len Pounder, Maxwell Vernon Hearst, John Smith and Alf Mellors. And many other like them.

INSIDE THE CAVE


This sepia toned print shows the tide coming into a cave. Thornwick Bay, East Yorkshire, England.

From The Next Wave Project, 1996-1998.

Copyright of all images and work displayed upon this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

Tuesday 14 April 2009

PIER AT NIGHT


A night time shot of Cromer Pier. Cromer, Norfolk, England.

From the Traces along the Edge Project, 2003-.

The Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

SHE NEVER FORGOT


A wreath of poppies is left on the final resting place of a young British soldier who was killed in action near Ranville, Normandy, France.

From The Normandy Veterans - (Lest We Forget), 1998-2002.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

SURREAL


This rather surreal image is one where I was actually looking up from a cave at the root structure of some trees, which can be seen through the ferns. Littlebeck, North Yorkshire, England.

From the Tree Stories Project, 2002-.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

Monday 13 April 2009

PHOTO STORY NO.1

Just to give you an insight into what goes into the planning, organisation and production of a photographic project of mine, and to give it an emotional and personal aspect. Here is just one such example.

For the Remembrance Series Project I placed adverts in the local media requisitioning the loan of various items of WWII memorabilia so that I could photograph these then return them to their rightful owner.

In the case of the image that features the letter of commendation awarded to a Colour Sergeant in the King's Own Scottish Borderer's Regiment, which was signed by Field Marshall Montgomery himself. Which on this blog is entitled 'From Monty'. The original letter was a little worse for wear so I got a friend to scan it and clean it up in Photo shop and print out another copy for the lady who loaned me it, she was the widow of the soldier in question.

When I took her this and a 12" x 16" selenium toned fibre based print of the finished image she was overcome with emotion. Because at the time I was a full-time mature student she insisted on paying me for the print, which she need not have done. Because she along with all the other kind people who loaned me items to photograph for this assignment and project assisted me far greater than they ever realised.

It is nice now and again to help people and get a positive response from your photography. Many of this generation have hundreds if not thousands of my prints and photographs, it is the least I could do for what they all did for us all in the dark days of the Second World War. Besides they are fading away at an alarming rate, so when you see an elderly man shuffling slowly down the street he was perhaps once a front-line Infantry soldier who fought in the Desert and then landed on the beaches of Normandy on the 6th June 1944.

In my own personal opinion we owe this generation a great deal, yet sadly we as a society do not give them the credit, support and assistance that they so rightly deserve.

Saturday 11 April 2009

WET TREE TRUNK


The recent rain has left the trunk of this tree glistening with moisture as the wind blows and blurs the branches. The Peak District, Derbyshire, England.

From the Tree Stories Project, 2002-.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

THREE POINTED STAR


Another image featuring that well-known corporate logo.

From no specific project, 1997.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts . All rights reserved.

Friday 10 April 2009

BRITISH KOREAN WAR VETERAN


A British Korean War veteran poses for the camera in his home. Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England.

From A Different Time and a Different Place Project, 2000-2001.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

OVERBOARD DRILL


The crew of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute's Humber Lifeboat practice man overboard drills in the middle of the River Humber.

From the In the Wake of the Bow Project, 1995-1996.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

BROOK STREET TREES


On a damp winter evening a bus passes by these two trees on Brook Street, Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire, England.

From the Tree Stories Project, 2003-.

Copyright of all images and work displayed on this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.

PROJECTS: IN THE WAKE OF THE BOW

This project was a natural follow on if you like from the previous project that I undertook at this location. The Royal National Lifeboat Institute (R.N.L.I) have over two hundred and thirty lifeboat stations located along the coastline of Great Britain. However there is only one full-time crew and that is the one which is based at the Humber Lifeboat Station on Spurn Point.

After doing this project it increased my respect and admiration for these crews who risk their life at sea saving others in distress, they often go out in Force 8 and 9 Gales with waves often up to 30 feet high.

I managed to ruin one of my cameras during photography on this project (due to sea salt spray residue). At the same time on my second visit I ended up going out with them on a call-out (now I know why I decided all those years ago to join the Army). I was sick as a parrot, it was only a Force 5 or 6 with the sea rough to choppy.

Once again I found myself documenting the activities of another well established national charity that receives no aid from the Government and relies entirely upon the generous support of the Great British Public.

This project took place at roughly the same time when the R.N.L.I launched a major appeal for a new state of the art Lifeboat for the Humber Station at the cost of nearly £2M. I did donate some of my exhibition print sales from another project to this appeal.

Thursday 9 April 2009

Trevor David Betts BA (Hons.) Photo Blog

Hello and welcome

To my first photo blog. I am an experienced photographer and darkroom technician who works with film. I also work mainly in monochrome. As such I intend to use this photo blog to show my photography and link it in with other online resources to make my work available to a larger audience.

I do hope that you will find this blog interesting, educational, entertaining and informative, when and where ever possible I will keep it updated with a combination of mainly images with some accompanying text about my photography projects, exhibitions and other relevant issues.

Please feel free to leave a comment and/or send me an email. So please do log on and browse. I hope you enjoy your visit, log on again soon.

Yours sincerely

Trevor David Betts BA (Hons.)

SLIDE SHOW

HELLO AND WELCOME

To my Photo Blog,

All my monochrome photography is darkroom produced. This portfolio consists of photographs from several of my projects, assignments, personal and course related work. Some of these monochrome photographic prints are then selectively toned.

Take a look at the slide show, or the popular posts. Click onto some of the many excellent blogs that I have listed in my blog roll. I welcome constructive feedback (post a comment).

Click onto the links in some of my posts which will then take you to the relevant website link where you will be able to find out more about that location, charity or organisation etc featured in the post and which is relevant to that specific image.

Also please click onto my links. Join my blog and my Google + followers. If you would like to know more about any particular photograph or project then please send me an email. My email address is at the foot of this page.

Also from time to time I will post videos that are of interest to me, mainly from my military background.

Yours sincerely

Trevor David Betts BA (Hons)

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

All the photographs featured on this blog spot were taken on Canon analog 35mm SLR cameras which included: Canon A1, Canon AE1 (non-programme) and Canon T90. The Canon A1 was rendered useless after prolonged exposure to salt spray residue, and the AE1 suffered a malfunction, and one of my T90s just packed up on me during a photographic shoot.

Most of my camera equipment was initially purchased brand new, then as the years have past I have purchased second-hand equipment. But the vast majority of equipment I currently possess is well over twenty years old.

Canon FD lenses used were: 28, and 35mm wide angle, 50mm standard, 35-105mm short telephoto zoom and a 70-210mm large telephoto zoom lenses. Also used was a loaned Mamiya 645 with 50 and 80mm lenses. My favourite combination is a T90 fitted with the 35-105mm lens with an Hoya orange filter. I use Hoya orange, red, neutral density, and skylight filters. Hoya and Canon lens hoods. A Canon remote cable. I have used a great Metz 45 CT-4 flashgun for many years. I used this for the bounced and fill-in flash for some of the documentary and portraiture work.

Studio flash used was Courtenay brolly flash (just two heads fitted with soft boxes) at Hull Community Artworks studio (sadly this excellent local arts facility closed in 2001). Billingham and Tamrac camera bags (the Billingham is a old model that I have had for years - wonderful bags). The Tamrac one is a medium sized back pack type bag. Slik Black Diamond 88, and 500 DX Pro tripods. A Cullmann touring set (which consists of a light tripod, ball and swivel head, all-purpose clamp, suction cap, and a ground spike). I presently have three Canon T90 and one A1 SLR cameras.

Film used was mainly 35mm (with some 120mm). Ilford Delta monochrome negative print film, 100 asa (a few rolls of 400 asa as well). Ilford HP5 and FP4 (400 and 125 asa respectively). Fuji Neopan 400 asa. Various Fuji colour film. Photographic chemicals: Ilford ID-11 and Microphen film developers. Agfa Rodinal fine grain film developer, and Ilford Hypam fixer.

Photographic paper: Ilford Multigrade IV VC paper, Fibre based VC paper including warm and cool tone. Kentmere Velvet Stipple and Art Document papers. Kodak selenium toner. Barclay and Fotospeed sepia toners, and Colorvir blue toner. Durst M60 and Meopta 5 enlargers fitted with 50 and 80mm Schneider lenses. Kenro negative sheets and Jessops negative folders.

Most of my photography involves the use of the camera being securely mounted onto the tripod, with the shutter set to the 10 second delay. I bracket my exposures (relying on the excellent Canon in-camera meter). My aperture settings are usually between F5.6 and F22. In the vast majority of cases the very first exposure I take is usually the correctly exposed one.

Finished photographic prints (spotted if needed). At the 10 x 8 inch size are then scanned on an Epsom 1660 photo perfection scanner using Adope Photoshop CS2 at the 5.5 x 3.5 inch image or canvas size, 150 dpi and at the 750 x 550 pixels size, and saved as for the web. The only thing that is manipulated is the brightness balance and contrast levels.

DON'T FORGET

"It is the soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to fair protest.

It is the soldier, not the politician, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."

From: "Fighting for Queen and Country,
by Nigel 'Spud' Ely. Blake Publishing London, 2007.
"