SAZ MEDIA
ISSUE 2
THIS TIME LAST YEAR GWEN RI PHOTOGRAPHY IS A LOT OF THINGS TO ME. IT’S FREEDOM AND ESCAPISM, BUT IT’S ALSO A WAY TO THINK ABOUT THINGS. IF I GET DOWN, OR I AM STRUGGLING WITH SOMETHING MENTALLY OR EMOTIONALLY, I FIND THAT TAKING PICTURES REALLY HELPS ME TO PROCESS WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH. IF I’M TAKING PORTRAITS OF OTHER PEOPLE, TALKING TO THEM HELPS ME TO LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD THROUGH THEIR EYES. WHEN I LOOK BACK AT PICTURES THEY HELP ME TO REFLECT. SO PHOTOGRAPHY IS A LOT OF THINGS TO ME, BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, IT GIVES ME HAPPINESS. . I’VE ALWAYS TAKEN PICTURES SINCE I WAS A KID. I WENT ON AND DID A-LEVEL PHOTOGRAPHY AT COLLEGE AND THEN A DEGREE. I’D PAID MY WAY THROUGH UNI BY WORKING AT TOPSHOP AND WENT ON TO BE A MANAGER THERE AFTER UNI. BUT I KNEW, SOMEHOW, I HAD TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHY MY
PROFESSION, SO I SAVED UP A BIT, QUIT MY JOB AND MADE IT HAPPEN. ONCE IT WAS MY PROFESSION, I FOUND I ALSO HAVE TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHS IN MY SPARE TIME TOO. . PHOTOGRAPHY HAS HELPED ME TO OVERCOME SO MANY DIFFICULTIES IN MY LIFE. IF I’M HAVING A HARD TIME, THE SIMPLE ACT OF PHOTOGRAPHING WHAT IS IN FRONT OF ME HELPS ME TO HAVE SOME DISTANCE AND PROCESS WHAT IS GOING ON. ON 23RDMARCH 2021, THE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF LOCKDOWN BEING ANNOUNCED, I SHARED SOME IMAGES ON INSTAGRAM THAT I HAD TAKEN DURING LOCKDOWN. TAKING THESE PICTURES REALLY HELPED ME THROUGH THE MOST DIFFICULT PERIOD IN MY LIFE. I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT I TOOK THOSE PICTURES. THEY ARE POWERFUL, THEY ARE A MARKER OF WHAT WAS THEN, AND HOW DIFFERENT THINGS ARE NOW. THEY
ILEY JONES REMIND ME OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH, AND THAT WE HAVE COME OUT OF THE OTHER SIDE. (TO SEE THE PICTURES VISIT MY INSTA PAGE @GWENRILEYJONES) . PHOTOGRAPHS PLAY A PART IN EVERYONE’S LIVES, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE (THIS IS A SLIGHT GENERALISATION – BUT ONLY VERY SLIGHT). FROM SITTING FOR FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS, TO PASSPORT OR BUS PASS PHOTOS, TO SEEING PHOTOGRAPHS ON BILLBOARDS IN THE STREET, NEWSPAPERS, AND OF COURSE ON OUR PHONES AND COMPUTERS – THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. EVERYONE HAS EXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHY IN SOME WAY, SO EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO IT. YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO SAY THE SAME FOR OIL PAINTINGS... AND NO MATTER WHAT THE PHOTOGRAPH, EVERYONE CAN BRING THEIR OWN INTERPRETATION – AND EVERYONE IS RIGHT. THERE IS NO SINGLE RIGHT, OR WRONG, ANSWER. PHOTOGRAPHS ARE
PLURAL – THEY MEAN SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE, DEPENDING ON WHAT YOUR EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN. THAT IS WHY I THINK PHOTOGRAPHS ARE SO ACCESSIBLE. . PHOTOGRAPHY REFLECTS THE WORLD, SO HOWEVER THE WORLD CHANGES, YOU WILL SEE IT IN PHOTOGRAPHS. AS PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD WENT IN TO ISOLATION – PHOTOGRAPHY OFFERED A WINDOW IN TO THEIR EXPERIENCES. THEY COULD STILL SHARE THEIR LIVES WITH OTHERS, THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY. AS THE PANDEMIC AND LOCKDOWN HIT IN THIS COUNTRY, I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT HOW I COULD STILL TAKE PICTURE’S OF PEOPLE – TO RECORD THIS EXTRAORDINARY TIME IN OUR HISTORY...(CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE)
THIS TIME LAST YEAR CONTINUED I HAVE A NEIGHBOUR WHO ALWAYS S ITS BY HIS WINDOW AND LOOKS OUT, AND I THINK THIS WAS MY FIRST INSPIRATION FOR MY WINDOW PORTRAITS. MANY OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS HAD THE SAME IDEA AT THE SAME TIME, AND A MOVEMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS (MANY OF THEM WOMEN) BEGAN TO RECORD PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES, THROUGH THEIR WINDOWS. I TRIED TO USE THE REFLECTIONS TO FRAME MY SUBJECTS, OTHERS USED THE REFLECTION OF THEMSELVES – THE PHOTOGRAPHER - AS A KEY PART OF THE PICTURE. I STARTED THE PROJECT BY GETTING IN TOUCH WITH MY NEIGHBOURS VIA OUR NEWLY FORMED WHATSAPP GROUP. I WAS OVERWHELMED BY HOW RECEPTIVE EVERYONE WAS. I THINK THERE WAS SOMETHING VERY UNIQUE ABOUT THIS SHARED EXPERIENCE AND PEOPLE WANTED TO RECORD IT AND MAKE A DOCUMENT OF IT. FINALLY, I THINK THAT PHOTOGRAPHY – OR PERHAPS VIDEOGRAPHY – HAS PLAYED A HUGE ROLE IN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS THIS YEAR. WHEN PEOPLE COULDN’T TRAVEL OR INTERACT AS NORMAL, THEY USED PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOS TO SHARE STORIES. THE RECORDING OF THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD IN MAY 2020 SENT SHOCK WAVES AROUND THE WORLD AND THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT (WHICH HAS BEEN GOING FOR YEARS) AND PROTESTS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY TOOK CENTRE STAGE. BY GWEN RILEY JONES INSTAGRAM @GWENRILEYJONES
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAM HAYAT SAM IS A PHOTOGRAPHER OF LITTLE WORDS , HIS PICTURES SEEM TO SAY SO MUCH. THEY ARE FANTASTIC INSPIRATION FOR THIS MONTHS THEME SPRING! WORDS THAT ‘SPRING’ TO MIND... FRESH/VIVID/ COLOURFUL/ CHANGE/BLOSSOM INSTAGRAM @OPENEYEPHOTO
MY PHOTOS BY COURTNEY TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY IS SO BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THE BEAUTY IN ALL SUBJECTS. I ESPECIALLY LOVE TAKING AND LOOKING AT PHOTOGRAPHS OF FAMILY, FRIENDS AND NATURE. TO BE HAPPY AND SHARE A LAUGH IS EVERYTHING. I TAKE PICTURES MOSTLY IN MANCHESTER TOWN, ON THE TRAM WITH FACE CLOSE TO THE WINDOW AND ON THE GROUND WITH THE CAMERA SHOOTING UPWARDS. THERE’S LOTS TO SEE IN MANCHESTER. IF YOU SEE STAIRS USE THEM TO HAVE PEOPLE POSE FOR YOU. IT LOOKS VERY EFFECTIVE. SHOOT AT DIFFERENT ANGLES AND LET THE DIFFERENT LINES LEAD YOUR EYE.
IMAGES OF SPRING TAKEN ON A PHONE BY SARA AUTY
SPARC4YOUTH STOCKPORT PROGRESS AND RECOVERY CENTRE (SPARC) IS A MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY BASED IN STOCKPORT THAT SUPPORTS PEOPLE WITH SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH DIFFICULTIES. WE PROVIDE SOCIAL SUPPORT; ADVOCACY WORK; CREATIVE WORKSHOPS; THERAPY AND COUNSELLING, ALL DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR MEMBERS TO ENSURE THEY EXPERIENCE THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE! SPARC4YOUTH WAS DEVELOPED WHEN WE BEGAN TO SEE A LACK OF ENGAGEMENT FROM MEMBERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 30 DUE TO DECREASED VISIBILITY OF OTHERS THEIR AGE WITHIN SPARC. THIS PROJECT PROVIDES SUPPORT TO ANYONE IN THIS AGE GROUP THAT HAS CONTACTED A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REGARDING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH - INCLUDING THEIR GP, ALLOWING US TO KEEP OUR REFERRAL CRITERIA MUCH BROADER THAN THE MAIN SPARC SERVICE. SPARC4YOUTH ENCOURAGES YOUNG PEOPLE TO ENGAGE WITH CREATIVE ACTIVITIES AND WORKSHOPS DELIVERED VIA ZOOM TO HELP THEM CONNECT WITH OTHERS THEIR AGE THAT HAVE SIMILAR MENTAL HEALTH EXPERIENCES. CURRENTLY, WE RUN A CREATIVE SESSION ON TUESDAY THAT CONSISTS OF POETRY SESSIONS; ART WORKSHOPS; GAMES; AND A CASUAL CHAT, AS WELL AS OUR FRIDAY PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS SUPPORTED BY THE MATERIALS PROVIDED BY SAZMEDIA. OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE LOVED ENGAGING WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHY BOXES SO FAR, AND ARE KEEN TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO NEXT! CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
CONTINUED... SPARC4YOUTH HAS BEEN A VITAL SOURCE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT TO OUR MEMBERS DURING THE PANDEMIC, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONNECTING THEM FACE-TO-FACE SOON, SOLIDIFYING THE FRIENDSHIPS THEY HAVE MADE SO FAR AND AS ALWAYS, INTRODUCING MORE NEW FACES ALONG THE WAY! IMAGES TAKEN USING MATERIAL RESOURCES FROM THE PREVIOUS PHOTO BOX.
IMAGES BY SPARC4YOUTH ATTENDEES
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY MOHAMMED MUSEJEE INITIALLY, I VIEWED PHOTOGRAPHY AS A HOBBY RESERVED FOR MY LEISURE TIME, NOT THINKING OF THE VARIOUS DOORS IT COULD OPEN FOR ME IN A PROFESSIONAL REALM. MY ARDENT APPRECIATION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY BEGAN TWO YEARS AGO DURING A COURSE I COMPLETED WITH THE PRINCE’S TRUST: AN ORGANISATION WHICH PROVIDES TRANSFORMATIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPING MINDS. AT THIS ORGANISATION, I MET MY FIRST REAL INSPIRATION, A PHOTOGRAPHER CALLED KEN WILKINSON WHO PROVIDED ME WITH AN INSIGHT INTO HIS SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHY CAREER. RANGING FROM TAKING PHOTOS FOR THE FIRE SERVICE TO MAKING A CAREER OUT OF PHOTOS TAKEN OF BILLBOARDS SHOWN IN ART GALLERIES, THE VARIATIONS TO PHOTOGRAPHY BLEW MY MIND AND SO I DECIDED I WANTED TO SHOW MY PHOTOGRAPHY OFF TOO. I STARTED OUT BY JUST ENJOYING TAKING PHOTOS OF NATURE ON MORNING WALKS, I TOLD MY TUTOR AT THE PRINCE’S TRUST THAT ONE OF MY FAVOURITE HOBBIES WAS TAKING PHOTOS ON LONG WALKS AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. FORTUNATELY MY TUTOR’S BEST FRIEND WAS RUNNING A PHOTOGRAPHY COMPANY CALLED SAZ MEDIA SO I WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A STEP TOWARDS TURNING MY HOBBY INTO A CAREER. MY FIRST BIG LEARNING EXPERIENCE INTO THE DAY TO DAY WORK OF A PHOTOGRAPHER WAS ACTUALLY WITH THE COMPANY SAZ MEDIA...
FOR MY WORK EXPERIENCE I WORKED SIDE BY SIDE WITH AN ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHER / VIDEOGRAPHER WHO GAVE ME MY FIRST HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH A DSLR CAMERA AS WELL AS EQUIPMENT SUCH AS MICROPHONES AND TRIPODS AND BECAUSE OF THIS I GAINED THE CONFIDENCE TO TAKE MY PHOTOGRAPHY FURTHER. THE EXPERIENCE I GAINED FROM THIS PLAYED A BIG PART IN WHY I WANTED TO CONTINUE, AND WHILE LEARNING NEW TECHNIQUES FOR PHOTOGRAPHY I STARTED BECOMING VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT TAKING PHOTOS. AFTER THIS I KNEW I WANTED TO DO MORE AND LEARN AS MUCH AS I COULD SO I DECIDED I WANTED TO VOLUNTEER AT SAZ MEDIA WHENEVER THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.
SOON AFTER I GOT MY OWN CAMERA AND SOME OTHER EQUIPMENT, JUST SO I COULD PLAY WITH AND LEARN NEW THINGS AT MY OWN PACE. THE FRIENDS I MADE AT SAZ MEDIA ALSO HELPED ME A LOT WITH BOTH MY CONFIDENCE AND HOW I COULD SPREAD MY PHOTOGRAPHY. I STARTED USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHOW MY PHOTOGRAPHY TO MORE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF A TIP I GOT FROM ONE OF THE FRIENDS I MADE THERE. THE NEXT BIG CHANGE I NOTICED WAS BECAUSE OF THE AWARENESS MY PHOTOGRAPHY WAS GETTING. I GOT MY FIRST PROFESSIONAL JOB OFFER TO TAKE SOME BABY PHOTOS FOR AN ACQUAINTANCE, THIS WAS MY FIRST REAL CHANCE TO SHOW OFF WHAT I HAD LEARNED FROM ALL THE AMAZING PEOPLE AT THE PRINCE’S TRUST AND SAZ MEDIA, SO I TRIED MY BEST TO TAKE GREAT PHOTOS AND EDIT THEM TO THE CUSTOMER’S PREFERENCES AND AFTER RECEIVING GREAT FEEDBACK I DECIDE TO INVEST MORE IN EQUIPMENT SO ANY MISTAKES I DID MAKE WOULDN’T HAPPEN AGAIN. SINCE THEN I STILL CONTINUE TO USE MY HOBBY TO IMPROVE MY PHOTOGRAPHY WHEREVER I CAN. BECAUSE OF THE VIRUS TRAVELLING OR JUST EVEN GOING FOR WALKS CAN BE SCARY, BUT TAKING A BREATH OF FRESH AIR OUTSIDE AND TAKING SOME TIME OUT TO TAKE PHOTOS HELPS GAIN PERSPECTIVE. ENJOYING THE SMALL COMFORTS LIKE SEEING A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER OUTSIDE HELPS ME CARRY ON AND I HOPE MY PHOTOGRAPHY CAN HELP ME SPREAD THAT JOY WITH YOU.
SUN PRINT INSPIRATION (AKA CYANOTYPRE PRINT)
INSTRUCTIONS IN THE BOX YOU WILL FIND BLUE AND GREEN PAPER AND FEATHERS. YOU CAN USE FEATHERS AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD OJECT’S TO CREATE AMAZING PRINTS USING JUST THE PAPER AND SUNLIGHT. STEP 1 - PLACE THE PAPER ON A FLAT SURFACE LIKE CARDBOARD OR A BOOK. STEP 2 - ARANGE YOUR OBJECTS, THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU WANT THE FINSIHED LOOK TO BE. STEP 3 - PLACE A PIECE OF CLEAR PLASTIC OVER THE TOP TO HOLD ITEMS IN PLACE SO YOUR OBJECTS DON’T MOVE - THE LESS THEY MOVE THE MORE BOLD THE SHAPE WILL BE. STEP 4 - DEPENDING ON HOW SUNNY IT IS, YOU CAN WAIT FROM 5 -20 MINS FOR IT TO DEVELOP. YOU WILL KNOW ITS READY WHEN THE PAPER GOES A MUCH LIGHTER COLOUR. STEP 5 - REMOVE THE PLASTIC AND YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR INPRINT. STEP 6 - RINSE THE PAPER WITH COLD WATER AND HANG TO DRY. THIS SEALS THE PRINT. STEP 7 - ONCE ITS DRY PUT IT IN A FRAME OR USE IT AS A BOOK MARK, OR SOMETHING CREATIVE. DON’T FORGET TO SEND US A PICTURE OF YOUR CREATIONS. #SAZMEDIACLUB
CRYSTAL IN PHOTOGRAPHY YOU WILL FIND IN YOUR BOX YOU HAVE A CRYSTAL. THIS CRYSTAL IF HELD UP TO A STRONG LIGHT PRODUCES RAINBOW-LIKE FLARE AND CASTS LIGHT REFLECTIONS. WHEN YOU’RE OUT ON A WALK ON A REALLY SUNNY DAY TAKE IT WITH YOU. GET OUT YOUR CAMERA OR PHONE AND BE READY TO TAKE YOUR DESIRED SHOT. HOLD UP THE CRYSTAL SO IT CATCHES THE SUN AND PLAY AROUND WITH IT UNTIL YOU CAN SEE THE RAINBOW OR LIGHT SPHERE EFFECTS IN YOUR PICTURE. TRY IT AT HOME TOO USING CEILING LIGHTS, LAMPS OR TORCHES. SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS USING THE CRYSTAL. WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM. USE #SAZMEDIACLUB ON INSTAGRAM OR TAG US @SAZMEDIA_
CAT PICTURE BY ASHLEY PORTILLO
FEATURE IN THIS MAGAZINE! WE NEED YOUR CONTENT! IMAGES TAKEN BY YOU AND ARTICLES ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNEY OR STORIES RELATING TO YOUR EXPEREIENCES. HAVE YOU BEEN INSPIRED BY THIS SPRING ISSUE? DO YOU HAVE IMAGES THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN THAT TELL A STORY OR THAT YOU ARE PROUD OF AND WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? OR COULD YOU FEATURE IN OUR NEXT MAGAZINE WHICH IS THEMED AROUND EDITING. WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER SOME QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU BUILD YOUR STORY. OR YOU COULD SIMPLY TELL US YOUR STORY IN YOUR OWN STYLE. 1. WHAT WAS THE STORY BEHIND TAKING YOUR FIRST EVER PHOTO? 2. IS PHOTOHGRAPHY FOR YOU A HOBBY OR CAREER PATH AND WHY HAVE YOU MADE THAT CHOICE? 3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH AND WHY? E.G FOOTBALL, FLOWERS, PEOPLE ETC. 4. WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DEVELOP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY? 5. WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY? 6. IF YOU COULD GO ON A PHOTOGRAPHY TRIP ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD YOU GO AND WHY?
COMPETITION! CONNECT WITH US AND YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE ENTERED INTO A PRIZE DRAW TO WIN A YELLOW REFURBISHED AMAZON FIRE, A FABRIC BACKDROP AND A DISPOSABLE CAMERA! SIMPLY SEND IN YOUR IMAGES AND EITHER A BRIEF PARAGRAPH ABOUT YOU, OR INCLUDE YOUR ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE, OR INCLUDE A BIT MORE AND TELL US YOUR STORY ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY. THERE ARE 2 WAYS TO ENSURE YOUR IMAGES AND STORY REACH US, THESE ARE: TAG US ON INSTAGRAM IN YOUR POST AND USE #SAZMEDIACLUB PLEASE NOTE IF YOU HAVE A PRIVATE PROFILE WE MAY NOT SEE THIS. SO IT MAY BE BEST TO GO WITH THE SECOND OPTION... SEND AN EMAIL TO INFO@SAZMEDIA.CO.UK WE WILL SEND YOU A MESSAGE (DM) OR EMAIL YOU BACK TO CONFIRM WE HAVE RECIEVED YOUR SUBMISSION. WE WILL NOT SHARE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS WITH ANYONE ELSE. OUR SOCIAL LINKS INSTAGRAM @SAZMEDIACLUB_ FACEBOOK /SAZMEDIA_UK TWITTER @SAZMEDIA_UK
Thank you :)